Mikhail Grabovski, who signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Caps after being bought out by the Leafs, is stuck in Toronto trying to sort out visa issues preventing him from joining his new team in Arlington, Va.
Teemu Selanne, the NHL’s oldest player, opened camp alongside 22-year-old Jakob Silfverberg. Silfverberg, a Swedish winger acquired from Ottawa in the Bobby Ryan trade, acknowledged that it’s an honor to skate with a living legend. Playing with Selanne should certainly help Silfverberg's development this season, he has the potential for a breakout season.
Simmonds, who was one of Philly’s bright spots in an otherwise disappointing 2013 campaign, projects to open on the second line as Lecavalier’s winger, along with Brayden Schenn. It’s a nice fit for Lecavalier, a noted table-setter. Simmonds, who has scored at a 0.34 goals-per-game clip in each of the last two seasons, should be pushing for his first 30-goal campaign with Lecavalier in the middle.
The 31-year-old Peverley might miss the first couple of games of the regular season. Dallas opens against Florida on Oct. 3. The Stars reported on their website that the issue was discovered during a physical Wednesday, and doctors decided to perform the procedure after more tests Thursday. Peverley can skate in the coming weeks but must avoid contact.
Raymond has a history with Leafs GM Dave Nonis. Despite Toronto’s precarious situation with the salary cap, the GM has vowed to do the necessary roster juggling to free up a spot if Raymond merits one. The 27-year-old left-winger became an unrestricted free agent for the first time and failed to land the multi-year deal he was looking for once the market opened on July 5. Raymond is a former 25-goal and 50-point player who will bring a lot of speed to the Maple Leafs roster, should he make it.
Laich, one of the Capitals' locker room leaders, was anxious for the start of camp after playing only nine games last year. Laich's status is day-to-day. Neither general manager George McPhee nor coach Adam Oates sounded particularly concerned. Laich could be a sleeper this year as long as he can stay on the ice. He had close to 50 points for four straight seasons between 2008-2012.
He played 47 games for the Jets last season, with no goals and 13 assists. He led Winnipeg in blocked shots (123).
Cleary had a reported three-year, $8.25 million offer on the table from the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this week, but had a change of heart about accepting it.
Pitkanen, suffered a broken left calcaneus (heel) bone on April 2 against Washington, and missed the Hurricanes’ final 13 games of the season. The 2013-14 season would have been his sixth with Carolina and 10th in the NHL. He has scored 57 goals and earned 225 assists in 535 career NHL regular-season games with Philadelphia, Edmonton and Carolina, since beginning his NHL career in 2003-04.
Hodgson appeared in all 48 games in 2012-13, finishing second among all Sabres skaters with 15 goals and 34 points. In parts of four NHL seasons, he has appeared in 139 games between the Sabres and Vancouver Canucks, tallying 77 points (35G and 42 A).
Kadri signs the deal a day before training camp is set to open up. The 22-year-old forward scored 18 goals and added 26 assists (44 points) in 48 games last season. This was Kadri's first full NHL season so a 0.92 points-per-game is likely the reason these contract negotiations lasted so long. He enters the season as the Maple Leafs number 2 center, but will likely be the most valuable fantasy center on this roster.
Helene St. James reports it’s a cap hit of $2.75 million per season. The 34-year-old had nine goals and six assists in 48 games last season. He also added 10 points in 14 playoff games.
Greening had eight goals and 11 assists with Ottawa in the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign. He added three goals and an assist in 10 playoff games. The six-foot-two, 217-pound Greening has 31 goals and 38 assists in 153 career NHL games.
Kiprusoff had, by far and away, his worst season with Calgary in 2013 – 8-14-2, 3.44 goals-against average, .882 save percentage. Statistically, Kiprusoff finished as the Flames all-time leader in wins (305), games played (576) and shutouts (41)
Johansson, 22, had six goals and 16 assists in 34 games last season. He had two points in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games. His best stretch of the season came in the second half, when he had 20 points in his last 22 games of the regular season. Much of that time was spent on Washington's top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
Boedker had 26 points (seven goals) in 48 games last season. The 23-year-old from Denmark played 82 games with the Coyotes in 2011-12, scoring 24 points (11 goals). He has 95 points in 256 career NHL games. Boedker was chosen 8th overall by the Coyotes in the 2008 NHL entry draft.
Nugent-Hopkins had surgery in April to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. General manager Craig MacTavish said on Sunday that the club is still following the initial timeline, which was a November 1 return. If Nugent-Hopkins isn’t ready for the opener, the Oilers will need to find another centre. MacTavish did not rule the possibility of Taylor Hall moving from the wing but said it would be a coaching decision.
Crawford, 28, posted a 16-7 record with one shutout, a league-best 1.84 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage in 23 post-season games while helping the Blackhawks capture the 2013 Stanley Cup. The Montreal, Quebec, native has earned an 83-43-19 record with eight shutouts, a 2.40 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 152 career games with Chicago from 2005 to 2013.
Omark spent last season with Zug of the Swiss League where he put up 17 goals and 52 assists. He spent two seasons with Edmonton before signing a one year contract in Switzerland.
The 23-year-old forward had a great rookie year in 2011-12 when he posted 51 points (16 G, 35 A) in 74 games. However he was only able to muster up 16 points in 42 games in the lockout shortened season. With the departure of Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils needed to re-sign Henrique. He should be considered as a good bounce back candidate heading into the 2013-14 season.
