Gomez, 34, was originally drafted by the Devils back in 1998 and spent seven seasons with New Jersey, winning two Stanley Cups. Recently, the wheels have fallen off for Gomez, he has racked up just six goals and 32 assists (38 points) in 123 games over the last three seasons. Regardless of if he makes the team or not, his days of being even close to fantasy relevant are long gone.
Schultz, 24, scored 11 goals with 22 assists (33 points) in 74 games in his second full NHL season. He is the Oilers only legit fantasy option on D. The 33 points from last season is a reasonable expectation for him again in 2014-15.
A season after posting an NHL-best .941 SV%, Anderson struggled to a 25-16-8 record with a 3.00 GAA and .911 SV%. Just weeks after the Sens signed Robin Lehner to a three-year extension, they locked up the other half of their goaltending duo through 2017-18. Anderson will start the season as the number-1 and will be looking for a bounce back season; but the team in front of him is looking like a basement dweller.
Setoguchi had 11 goals and 16 assists (27 points) in 75 games with the Jets last season. He is a long way from his days of 31 goals with the Sharks in 2008-09, but he could definitely chip in for the Flames this season.
Giguere, 37, came into the NHL in 1996 with the Hartford Whalers. He played 16 NHL seasons with the Whalers, Flames, Ducks, Maple Leafs and Avalanche. He finished with a 262-216-25-64 (W-L-T-OTL) record with 38 shutouts and a career 2.53 GAA and .913 SV%. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003, despite the Ducks losing to the Devils in the Finals. He would eventually get his Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007. His retirement leaves the Avalanche with Reto Berra as Semyon Varlamov's back-up.
MacArthur recorded 24 goals and 31 assists with a plus-12 rating in 79 games with the Senators last season. The 29-year-old has scored 20 goals in each on the last three 82-game seasons so expect fourth straight in 2014-15. On a rundown Senators offence, Mac will once again play a considerable amount of minutes this season.
Gagne, 34, has not played since the lockout shortened season in 2012-13. He did not receive a contract offer last year and spent most of the season as a TV analyst. With Philadelphia in 2012-13 he had five goals and six assists (11 points) in 27 games. The Bruins are pressed up against the salary cap so if Gagne has anything left in the tank, he would be a good option to help the B's round out their roster.
In his first season with the Ducks, Silfverberg was limited to 52 games because of a broken hand. He finished the season with 10 goals and 13 assists (23 points) while playing mostly third line minutes. Silfverberg will battle to move into the top-six to earn a chance to play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry or on the second line with Ryan Kesler.
White, 26, had been with the Canadiens since they selected him in the third round (66th overall) in the 2006 draft. He played 52 games with the Habs last season, racking up just six points (2G / 4A). He has just five goals and 12 assists in 141 career NHL games, so do not expect him to have any fantasy impact with his new team.
With Kimmo TImonen out indefinitely after being treated for blood clots, the Flyers were seeking help on the blueline. They sign the 24-year-old, who had three goals and 13 assists (16 points) in 67 games between the Rangers and Predators. The former first-round pick (20th overall in '08) has seen his play slip in the last few seasons, but comes to Philadelphia on a low-risk one-year deal.
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.
