The former 24th overall pick was on pace for 20 goals and 57 points last season. If he and his supporting cast can remain healthy, we could be looking at a 25 goal, 60 point season for the forward.
Morrow received a longer look than highly touted prospect Simon Despres. Last season he led the Portland Winterhawks defenders with nine goals and 49 points. While he remains a longshot to make the team, his presence in camp shows how high the team is on him.
No word on how long Bolland will miss. Last season he scored 15 goals and 37 points while centering the second and third line but missed 21 games due to various injuries. If he can't play the Blackhawks will have a hard time replacing his two-way play.
Smith's injury somewhat frees up the logjam at forward. The winger scored a goal in six regular season games before becoming a postseason hero for the Blackhawks. Keep an eye on this situation and don't roster Smith until he proves himself healthy.
Last year he scored 12 goals and 24 points while seeing action next to Jonathan Toews. He will not need to re-earn his playing time as the team has quite stiff competition for their forward spots.
Evgeni Malkin tweeted today that Crosby skated for the first time with contact. While we await reports confirming the tweet, it seems like the team's captain will return to the lineup shortly. Feel free to draft accordingly.
No immediate fantasy hockey value in the AHL.
No immediate fantasy hockey value in the AHL.
The team's top prospect will get his first real chance at the starting goalie job by backing up Jose Theodore. While he remains one of the premier goaltending prospects in hockey, the former 31st over pick struggled with injuries and inconsistency in the AHL last season. Should he prove himself at the NHL level, look for the younger Markstrom to supplant Theodore before the end of the season.
No immediate fantasy hockey value on waivers.
Just a precautionary measure as the Wild want their young, puck-moving d-man healthy. Last season, Spurgeon scored four goals and 12 points through 53 games including six on the PP. Expect his playing time to increase in his sophomore season.
Since tonight's game is still an exhibition tilt, the Wild can afford to rest their second liner. Cullen scored 12 goals and 39 points last season -- his first with his hometown team. Expect somewhere between 40 and 50 points over a full year for the versatile powerplay specialist.
Johnson was NHL ready but failed to make the team out of camp. Last season, the forward scored 20 goals and 39 points through 48 games while in the AHL. He could be a contributing third liner capable of scoring a few goals; Pens assistant coach Tony Granato essentially explained just that earlier in the week.
Cowen should make the team but will compete with fellow rookie David Rundblad and veterans like Filip Kuba and Matt Carkner. Last season he scored 18 goals and 48 points with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. Expect some solid play, in the mold of Chris Phillips, opposed to the offensive upside of Rundblad.
Zibanejad is probably too good for any junior club at this point but could be sent to the AHL as a player drafted in Europe. Expect at least a nine-game tryout.
Connolly suffered from another one of his trademark "fluke" injuries but expects to play opening night. Connolly scored 13 goals and 42 points last season as injuries limited him to 68 games. Look for the team to rely on Connolly even more with Nazem Kadri injured.
Staal has not joined the team yet which puts his immediate return in jeopardy. While we skated with the team earlier in training camp, his absence from the lineup is telling and could derail the team's early season attempt at momentum. Stay tuned for a further update on the blue-line's leader.
Prust playing tonight indicates he will be healthy for the season opener next week. Last season he established himself as a hard-working, bottom-line player by scoring 13 goals and 29 points. Expect similar production should he stay on the ice.
No immediate fantasy hockey value in the AHL.
The team's new captain should be fine on October 6th. Right now Pronger holds an ADP of 98.7, so you can feel safe taking him among comparable d-men such as Jack Johnson, Ryan Whitney and Alex Goligoski.
