NHL Hockey Player News

Bouwmeester had 21 pts in 45 games last season, well above his recent point per game average. However, he did spend much of his time in St. Louis on the 2nd PP unit which hurts his value. He is probably best viewed as a 4th defenceman at best come draft time.

Gerbe, 26, netted five goals and added five assists in 42 games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2012-13.

The 22-year-old restricted free agent appeared in 42 of Ottawa's 48 regular-season games in 2012-13, registering a career-high 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) to go along with a plus-9 rating and 39 penalty minutes. In 50 career NHL games, Wiercioch has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) and 43 penalty minutes.

Jagr split last season with the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins, totaling 16 goals and 19 assists in 45 games, while averaging 18:20 of ice time. He had 10 points -- all assists -- in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Bruins. Even at age 41, Jagr remains a valuable asset to any team seeking a big body with some scoring touch. Jagr has 681 goals and 1,688 points in 1,391 regular-season games spanning 19 seasons with six different clubs.

Gagner was picked sixth overall by the Oilers in the 2007 NHL draft. He had 14 goals and 24 assists in 48 games last season, for an average of 0.79 points per game. In his previous five NHL seasons he averaged 15 goals, 29 assists and 73 games played, for an average of 0.60 points per game.

The 24-year-old had a goal and three assists in eight games last season for Winnipeg before suffering a leg injury, which ended his NHL season. Redmond required immediate surgery after suffering an accidental skate cut to his right thigh during practice. He returned to play a pair of games with the IceCaps of the American Hockey League to end the season.

The 20-year-old had four goals and 15 points in 46 games last season, his second with the Flyers, while averaging 15:53 of ice time. He appeared in 31 games with the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, prior to the start of the Flyers' season in January. He scored 10 goals and had 28 points with the Phantoms.

Kostka, 27, divided the 2012-13 season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the AHL Toronto Marlies. He had eight assists and 27 penalty minutes in 35 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs during his first NHL season; he was scoreless in one Stanley Cup Playoff game. Kostka paced Marlies defensemen and ranked fifth on the club with 34 points (six goals) in 34 games. He has 37 goals and 183 points in 341 AHL games with five teams from 2007-13.

Peckham, 25, split the 2012-13 season between the Edmonton Oilers and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. He was scoreless with six penalty minutes in four games with Edmonton; he recorded one assist and 29 penalty minutes in four games with Oklahoma City. Peckham has four goals, 17 points and 388 penalty minutes in 160 NHL games, all with Edmonton, from 2007-13.

The 25-year-old Stewart was a restricted free agent after leading the team in scoring. He played in all 48 games and had 36 points, including 18 goals. Stewart was scheduled to have an arbitration hearing on Monday that now isn't necessary. Stewart has 100 goals and 202 points in 319 career NHL games, including 48 goals and 89 points in 153 games with the Blues.

Postma, 24, played in 34 games with the Jets during the 2012-13 season. The native of Red Deer, Alta., recorded nine points (four goals, five assists) and six penalty minutes. He has played in 38 career NHL games with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise. He was originally drafted by the Thrashers in the seventh round, 205th overall, in the 2007 NHL draft.

Yip played 34 games for Nashville, scoring three goals with five assists. In parts of four NHL seasons with Nashville and Colorado, the 28-year-old has played in 172 games, with 29 and 27 assists. He has also three goals and three assists in 16 playoff games.

Hickey, 24, made his NHL debut last season and had four points and a plus-9 rating in 39 games. He appeared in two of the team's six Stanley Cup Playoff games against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Los Angeles Kings made Hickey the No. 4 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, but after playing 212 games with the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League, Hickey was waived and claimed by the Islanders on Jan. 15.

Duchene, 22, has 82 goals and 111 assists in 266 games with the Avalanche. Colorado selected centre Nathan MacKinnon with the first pick in last month's draft and also has Paul Stastny signed for one more season with a cap hit of US$6.6 million. Ryan O'Reilly is expected to move to wing given the Avalanche's depth down the middle. That depth could last a while with Duchene signed through 2018-19.

The right-winger joined goaltender Jonathan Quick, defencemen Drew Doughty and Slava Voynov and forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter as players signed for at least the next six seasons. Brown is, in many ways, the Kings’ identity. The 28-year-old right-winger’s aggressive forecheck led the way during the 2012 Stanley Cup run, when he was a point-a-game player.

There are indications that Penner could play on the top line effectively making him a deep fantasy option in the upcoming season.

Lindholm's game is said to be more of a two-way style so while GM Jim Rutherford expects Lindholm to be with the Canes when training camp starts, he isn't expected to have much fantasy impact.

Barkov might just crack the young Panthers' roster out of camp as they'll need a forward to fill Weiss' shoes. Don't expect him to reach his potential in year one but in a few years, the center should be a legitimate fantasy option.

Markstrom projects to be the Panthers' top goalie this season but he will still have to earn the job out of camp. Stash him late in your drafts with hopes he can put it all together this season.

It's unlikely that the small forward will crack the Coyotes roster out of camp but he's a fiery goal scorer who could impress in his short trial.