MacKinnon missed Tuesday's practice because of COVID-19 protocol, putting his status for tomorrow's season opener in jeopardy. Monitor his status during Wednesday's morning skate.
Kelley is a 22-year-old undrafted free agent, who scored a goal in his NHL debut with the Senators last season. He spent almost the entire season in the AHL, scoring 10 goals with eight assists (18 points) in 33 games with Belleville.
Barre-Boulet was an undrafted free agent who has put up outstanding point totals in the QMJHL and AHL. Last season he had 12 points (8G / 4A) in 10 games with Syracuse but just three goals in 15 games with the Lightning. In Seattle, he'll have a chance to make an immediate impact, especially with four forwards on the COVID-19 protocol list to open the season.
Francouz was injured in Colorado's preseason vs. the Golden Knights and will miss at least three weeks with a lower-body injury. This is a tough start to the season for Francouz, who missed all of 2021 with a lower-body injury. With Franocuz out, Jonas Johansson will likely start the year as Darcy Kuemper's backup.
Toews had shoulder surgery in the offseason and has resumed skating but is expected to miss at least a few games to open the 2021-22 season. With Toews out, Jack Johnson was brought into training camp on a PTO and could earn a contract with the Avalanche.
O'Connor is entering the final-year of a two-year deal worth $725K AAV. He earned a moderate raise to $1.05M AAV that carries through 2024-25. The 25-year-old winger had three goals and two assists (five points) in 25 games in 2202-21.
The Avalanche waited until the final moments to sign Landeskog to a max eight-year contract worth $7.0M AAV. Landeskog will turn 29 this year, so he will be 36-years-old when the deal wraps up. Landeskog has been outstanding during the two shortened campaigns, scoring at a 31-goal and 42-assist (73 points) per 82 game pace.
Makar appeared in 10 playoff games in 2019, burning the first year of his entry-level contract, so he needed to be re-signed after just two regular seasons in the NHL. Over that time, the 2017 No.4 overall pick is tied for fourth among defensemen in points (94) but second in points-per-game (0.93) while appearing in 101 of the 126 games. As of now, Makar is tied for the fourth highest-paid defenseman ($9.0M AAV) heading into 2021-22.
The Wild signed Parise to a 13-year, $98M contract in 2012 and bought out the final four years on Tuesday. Parise will count against the Wild's cap until 2028-29, carrying a $2.372M cap-hit in 2021-22.
