Stastny is still an effective veteran and will stick around with the Jets for another year. He had 29 points (13G / 16A) in 56 games last year and is still capable of filling a top-6 role in 2021-22.
Hammond spent the entire 2021 season in the AHL, going 16-12-3 with a 2.53 GAA and .908 SV% with the Rochester Americans. Hammond has not played in the NHL since 2018, so expect him to remain in the Wild's farm system during the 2021-22 campaign.
Wolf was an undrafted free agent, who turned pro in 2020-21 after four years at the University off Minnesota-Duluth. He started the year in Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic before coming to the AHL, where he had just two assists in 24 games with the Providence Bruins. He'll be in Providence to start the 2021-22 season.
Lindstrom appeared to have a track to being a full-time NHL player in 2021-22, until Marc Staal signed a one-year extension on Sunday. Still, Lindstrom appeared din 13 NHL games a season ago and should be a factor with both the Red Wings and Griffins (AHL) next season.
Gaudette was acquired from the Canucks for Matthew Highmore in April and contributed one goal and three assists in seven games with the Blackhawks. Gaudette will be battling with the likes of Henrik Borgstrom, Brett Connolly and Alex Nylander for playing time in 2021-22.
Kolyachonok was a second-round pick (No.52 overall) in 2019and split his 2021 campaign between the KHL and AHL. He started the year with Minsk (KHL) and collected six points (1G / 5A) in 46 games before returning to Syracuse (AHL). He had two assists in 10 AHL games and will likely report to the Coyotes AHL affiliate to start the 2021-22 season.
Stralman has one-year left at $5.5M AAV and moving him frees up space that the Panthers will use to re-sign Sam Reinhart. Stralman will join Jakob Chychrun, Ilya Lyubushkin and Shayne Gostisbehere as the only NHL regulars on the Coyotes' blueline right now.
Morin was supposed to make the move from defence to forward in 2021 but didn't make much of an impact at any level. Morin is an imposing figure (6-foot-6, 202 lbs.) and a former top-15 pick (No.11 overall in 2013) but has just one goal in 29 career NHL games to this point.
Merkley was originally a first-round pick of the Coyotes but was traded to the Devils as a part of the Taylor Hall trade in 2019. The 24-year-old winger had 10 points (2G / 8A) in 27 games with New Jersey and added three points (1G / 2A) in five AHL games a year ago. In San Jose, he should be a candidate to play in their bottom-6 to begin 2021-22.
Jaros immediately signed a two-way contract with the Devils after being dealt from San Jose. Jaros has spent most of his time in the AHL over the last two seasons, so expect that to be the case again in 2021-22.
This is the second time in seventh months that Jaros has been traded. After moving from Ottawa to San Jose, Jatos had one assist in seven games with the Sharks and three assists in 11 AHL games. In New Jersey, he will likely report to the AHL to start 2021-22.
Walker has put up strong AHL numbers over the years but hasn't been much of a factor at the NHL level. Over the last three years, he has scored two goals with two assists (four points) in 16 games with the Capitals and Blues. Look for him to remain in the AHL for most of 2021-22.
Bennett's career with the Flames did not go as planned but he paid immediate dividends once arriving in Florida. The 25-year-old had 15 points (6G / 9A) in 10 regular seasons games and five points (1G / 4A) in five playoff games. Bennett seems to have solidified the Panthers' 2C role behind Aleksander Barkov and signed for a very affordable $4.4M AAV. Pairing up with Jonathan Huberdeau on the second line should help Bennett have his best season to date in 2021-22.
Carlsson was a fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks and was traded to the Panthers as part of the deal that sent Henrik Borgstrom and Brett Connolly to Chicago. Carlssson had one assist in 12 games with the Blackhawks last year, as well as 12 points (3G / 9A) in 18 games between his two AHL homes. The Panthers don't have the strongest blueline at the moment, so he could factor into their top-6 at some point in 2021-22.
Allard spent most of the season in the AHL but made his season debut with the Predators in 2021. The 23-year-old, former third-round pick had 18 points (3G / 15A) in 25 games with Chicago (AHL) and will likely be a fringe roster player for the Predators in 2021-22.
Juulsen was claimed off of waivers in January but didn't play a lot of hockey afterwards. He went pointless in four games with the Panthers and had just one assist in five games with Syracuse (AHL). Headaches derailed his career in Montreal but he'll be looking to get back on track with the Panthers in 2021-22.
Smallman was a fifth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2015 but has bounced around between the AHL and ECHL since. In 2021, he had two assists in six AHL games and 12 points (6G / 6A) in eight ECHL games. He will not be a factor in the NHL in 2021-22.
Staal struggled mightily in 2019 and 2020 but had a nice bounce-back campaign with the Red Wings in 2021. He found some comfort on a pairing with Troy Stecher and the duo performed well as veteran minute-eaters for Detroit. In 2021-22, he should see slightly less playing time following the additions of Nick Leddy and the potential arrival of Moritz Seider but should still play with Stecher most nights.
Virtanen had just one year left on a two-year contract that carried a $2.55M cap-hit. The buyout will save them $2.05M against the cap in 2021-22 but cost them $500K in 2022-23. Virtanen should draw interest as a UFA to help bolster a team's bottom-6 and a change of scenery could be good for the former No.6 overall pick.
Moore had a career-year in Los Angeles in 2021, scoring 10 goals with 13 assists (23 points) in 56 games. Moore became an integral part during a rebuilding year but with so many high-end prospects coming up through the ranks, his spot in 2021-22 may not be as secure.
