NHL Hockey Player News

Sutter, 25, is coming off his best playoff performance to date. He set new career highs in goals (5), assists (2), points (7), shorthanded goals (1) and plus/minus (+7), while his 2:57 average shorthanded time on ice per game ranked second among all Pittsburgh forwards. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sutter suited up for 81 of Pittsburgh’s 82 games in 2013-14, tallying 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. Sutter played a vital role in the NHL’s No. 5-ranked penalty kill unit (85%), placing second among all Pittsburgh forwards with 2:18 shorthanded minutes per game.

The Flyers will proceed as if this a “long term” situation, and try to sign a player via free agency or a trade. Timonen is out indefinitely. They are more than $3 million over the NHL salary cap of $69 million for the coming season. “We believe it could be a long-term situation and will continue to evaluate what is out there,” GM Ron Hextall said during a conference call. “If we feel we need to make a move we will and I would suspect there’s a good chance we will.”

Bishop, 27, went 37-14-7 with a 2.23 GAA (7th in the NHL) and .924 SV% (6th) with the Lightning last season. It was by far his best season of his five-year career. He underwent wrist surgery in April, but he should be ready for the start of the 2014-15 season. He is just outside the group of elite goaltenders, but should still be a top-30 pick in September.

Subban, 25, filed for salary arbitration, but the Canadiens were able to work out a long-term deal with the 2012-12 Norris Trophy winner. He set a career high and finished fifth among defensemen in points with 53 (10G / 43A) in 2013-14. His $9 million dollar annual cap-hit makes him the highest paid NHL D-man by $1.2 over Shea Weber and even more than Sidney Crosby. He is a top-20 fantasy pick this season and could crack the first round in some drafts.

Spaling, 25, was a restricted free-agent who came over with Patric Hornqvist from Nashville in the James Neal trade. He had 13 goals and 19 assists (32 points) in 71 games with the Predators last season. With the Preds, Spaling played on both the power-play and penalty-kill, but will likely see a reduced offensive role on a talented Penguins team.

Lehner, 23, was 12-15-6 with a 3.06 GAA and .913 SV% with the Senators last season. The 2009 second round pick (46th overall) has a chance to supplant Craig Anderson as the Senators' starter this season. However, Ottawa is not expected to be all that competitive so their goaltenders will be mediocre number-2 options heading into draft day.

Greene, 31, is an underrated defenseman and the $5 million dollar cap-hit is a really fair deal for both sides. Greene had eight goals and 24 assists (32 points) in 82 games for the Devils last season. The eight goals set a new career-high for the eight year veteran. He will be back eating up close to 25 minutes a night, including tons of power-play time in 2014-15. He is not a big name, so he can come at a cheap price on draft day.

King, 25, had 15 goals and 15 assists (30 points) with a plus-16 rating in 77 games last season. King bounces around on the Kings' second and third line as the Kings continue to keep pieces of their Stanley Cup winning team.

Gardiner, 24, set new career-highs in goals (10), points (31) and power-play points (11) in 2013-14. The 2008 17th overall pick has shown flashes of brilliance in his first three NHL seasons but needs to work on being more consistent. He has the potential to be a top-30 fantasy defenseman this season.

Mueller, 26, was the eighth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, but pen last season in Switzerland playing with Kloten. He had 24 goals and 22 assists (46 points) in 49 games. In 297 career NHL games, Mueller has racked up 63 goals and 97 assists (160 points). The Blues have one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL so it may be difficult for Mueller to crack the team out of camp.

D’Amigo, 23, was acquired by Columbus along with a conditional seventh round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Matt Frattin on July 1. D'Amigo had 20 goals and 13 assists (33 points) in 51 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) last season. In 22 games with the Leafs, he had three points (1G / 2A). He possesses a strong two-way game, but is unlikely to crack the Blue Jackets' roster out of training camp.

After coming over from the Blackhawks, Hayes posted 11 goals and seven assists (18 points) in 53 games with the Panthers last season. Hayes will fight for a spot in the Panthers bottom-6 that has become increasingly crowded after a number of offseason signings.

In 2013-14, Staal, 29, had his worst offensive season since his rookie season 10 years ago. His 61 points (21G / 40A) were nearly the same amount of points (53) that he posted in 48 games in the lockout shortened campaign. He is still considered a top-15 centre heading into this year, as long as this core muscle injury does not linger.

Winnik, 29, spent the last two seasons in Anaheim where he totalled 12 goals and 37 assists (49 points) in 124 games. Winnik is a solid bottom-6 forward that will make the Maple Leafs more difficult to play against. They spend the last few seasons with fighters on their fourth line, but this offseason they have inked a number of role players that bring more to the table than fighting.

Tatar, 23, recorded 19 goals and 20 assists (39 points) in 73 games with the Red Wings last season. The Red Wings did virtually nothing in free agency, which means that young players like Tatar will take on bigger roles in 2014-15. He played in the top-6 for a large portion of last season because the Wings were ravaged by injures. He will likely start the year on the third line with Riley Sheahan and Tomas Jurco, but with strong play could climb into the top-6 quickly. A 20-goal, 20 assist season should be Tatar's floor this year.

Brassard, 26, set a new career-high in goals (18) and finished the season fourth on the Rangers with 45 points in 81 games last year. In his first full season with New York, Brassard had one of his best seasons and cashed in big-time inking a $5 million dollar per year contract. He had a strong postseason as well, posting 12 points (6G / 6A) in the Rangers Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Expect Brassard to take another step forward as he looks to land a top-6 role and post his first 50-plus point season.

Reimer, 26, had a tough season in his first year of a timeshare with Jonathan Bernier. He finished the season 12-16-1 with a 3.29 GAA and .911 SV% which included a stretch of five straight losses when Bernier was injured--a time the Leafs really needed Reimer to step-up. Toronto does not look like the place for Reimer long-term so this deal gives the Maple Leafs a high-end back-up to start the season and the ability to trade him if the right offer comes along.

Poulin, 24, was 11-16-1 with a 3.29 GAA and .891 SV% in 26 starts and 28 appearances with the Islanders last year. He will start this season in the AHL and will not see playing time on Long Island unless Jaroslav Halak or Chad Johnson fall victim to injury.

Ortio, 23, appeared in nine games for the Flames last season. He went 4-4- with a 2.52 GAA and .891 SV% in those contests. He will likely start the year in the AHL, but could be the goalie of the future for the Flames. If Jonas Hiller or Karri Ramo are to get hurt this season, Ortio will be the first netminder recalled from Abbotsford.

Eller, 25, scored 12 goals and added 14 assists (26 points) with a minus-15 rating in 77 games with the Habs last season. It was a less than stellar season when you consider the fact he put up four more points in the shortened season. At $3.5 million per season, the Canadiens will be expecting better production out of the Denmark native over the next four seasons.