Tkachev was not eligible for a contract because he spent part of last season in Russia. Being ineligible to be signed forced the Oilers to release Tkachev from his tryout and sent him back to Moncton (QMJHL). Tkachev will be eligible for next year's draft, where he should be drafted this time around, after a strong showing in Oilers' camp.
Tkachev, 18, is undersized (5-foot-8, 165 lbs.) and despite having 1st round potential, his size scared teams off so much so that he went undrafted. The Oilers invited him to camp and he has dazzled. He picked up four assists in four rookie camp games and has recorded three assists in three preseason games. Small, talented forwards are not strangers to the Oilers and inviting him to camp seems to have been a great idea at this point. He is extremely elusive with electric hands and a lightning release, the question is can he be a productive full-time NHLer with such a small frame.
Dal Colle, 18, was this summer's fifth overall pick. The 6-foot-2, 171 lbs. forward had 39 goals and 56 assists (95 points) in 67 games with the Oshawa Generals last season. He has a shot to make the Islanders out of camp, where he could find himself playing with Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin.
Stepan is expected to miss the first 9-12 games so the Rangers will need someone to fill that hole for a month. Martin St. Louis volunteered to move to centre, but that is unlikely. This should open the door for Derick Brassard to play on the first line and give J.T Miller a huge opportunity to showcase his talent.
Datsyuk suffered a second-degree separation to his right shoulder last Monday. Datsyuk is expected to miss 5-7 games, which is not the way he wanted to start his season after he missed 37 games.
Horton has had a really hard time staying healthy in recent years. Since signing a seven-year, $37.1 million dollar deal last July, Horton has only suited up for 35 games. He seems poised to miss a decent amount of time with this back condition. With Horton out, Boone Jenner out and Ryan Johansen still unsigned, the Blue Jackets entire projected first line is unavailable.
Heatley suffered the groin injury in Sunday's preseason game, but the injury is minor and he should be ready to go for the season opener on October 9th. Heatley, a two-time 50-goal scorer with Ottawa, signed a one-year, $1-million deal with Anaheim. He has contributed two goals and an assist this preseason, primarily playing alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the first line.
With Jenner out for a month, Nathan Horton out with a back injury and Ryan Johansen still unsigned, the Blue Jackets entire projected first line is unavailable. Jenner, 21, had 16 goals and 13 assists (29 points) in 72 games in his rookie season. The 6-foot-2, 204 lbs. forward is a great goal scorer and was poised for a breakout season, but it will have to wait one month before it starts.
Clarkson suffered a broken orbital bone in Friday's preseason game vs. the Sabres. We all remember Clarkson starting last season with a 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to engage with John Scott, well this time he got injured in a fight with Cody McCormick. Now a guy who is costing your team over $5 million a season, probably should not be fighting in a meaningless preseason game. Clarkson does not need surgery which is a positive, but the Leafs' frustration with the 30-year-old must be growing.
Booth, 29, signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs this offseason. The oft-injured forward can not seem to catch a break. He has missed a total if 78 games in the last three seasons and will miss at least one month to start this year. His spot may be filled by Josh Leivo who has had a strong preseason.
McLeod, 30, had five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 71 games with the Avs last season. The only true fantasy value McLeod might have lies in his PIMs, he had 122 last season with a career high 189.
Stuart was acquired from the Sharks on July 1st after two seasons in San Jose. The 34-year-old defenseman had 11 points (3G / 8A) in 61 games last season. The contract keeps his cap-hit at $3.6 million through the 2016-17 season.
The Red Wings got good news on Monday when they got good reports on Nyquist's knee injury. He will not play tonight vs. the Maple Leafs, but should be ready to go for the start of the regular season.
Smith, 23, was originally considered a 'throw-in' in the Tyler Seguin trade, but showed that he is much more than that. He had 20 goals and 31 assists (51 points) in 82 games in his debut season with the Bruins. Smith will be an even more important part of the Bruins' top-6 this season after the departure of Jarome Iginla.
Krug, 23, had 14 goals and 26 assists (40 points) with a plus-18 rating in his rookie season. The 5-foot-9 defenseman has a ton of offensive talent and will play a prominent role on the Bruins' power-play this season. The $1.4 million dollar cap-hit is a one-year steal for the Bruins. He will be a restricted free-agent at the end of next season.
Schwartz, 22, had 25 goals and 31 assists (56 points) in 80 games in his second full season with the Blues. The 2010 14th overall pick took a massive step forward last season and should be a clutch fantasy contributor this season. It took the Blues awhile to get him signed, but he will get a lot of time in training camp to get ready for the season.
The 35-year-old defenceman was in training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a tryout in an effort to make the team as their seventh defenceman. The injury will ruin his chances at making the team.
Staal had a bad year in 2013-14 and the Hurricanes were looking for a bounce-back season, but this is not a good start. The injury likely means that Elias Lindholm will be thrust into a larger role this season. Don't expect to see Staal until late December or mid-January.
Ellis, 23, had six goals and 21 assists (27 points) in 80 games last season. He was drafted 11th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft and has tremendous offensive upside. Ellis is undersized, but will be a key member of the Predators power-play for years to come.
Markstrom, 24, was acquired in the trade that sent Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers last March. He was 2-8-3 with a 3.39 GAA and .873 SV% between the Panthers and Canucks last season. Markstrom was once considered the NHL's top goaltending prospect and will likely be claimed by another team. He has just one year with a $1.2 million cap-hit left on his contract, making him a relatively low-risk add.
