Alain, 23, was an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL and spent the last two seasons in the AHL. According to the Laval Rocket, Alain has decided to pursue full-time studies, which is the reason for terminating his contract.
Ustimenko was 1-3-1 with a 3.84 GAA and .889 SV% in five AHL games with Lehigh Valley (AHL) last season and wasn't expected to make a push for an NHL spot in 2020. The former third-round pick may be the future backup in Philadelphia, but he may be sidelined for all of 2021 after undergoing hip surgery.
Dunn was the last of the Blues unsigned RFAs and gets a one-year contract for a very good number for a team tight up against the salary cap. Dunn's numbers dipped a bit in 2020 and he still has plenty of competition for playing time with Torey Krug coming over to replace Alex Pietrangelo. Still, he's scored 21 goals over the last two seasons and should continue to be a good source of goals with modest assist totals in 2021.
Hischier suffered a leg injury while training in Switzerland and will not be available for the opening of training camp. Hischier did not have surgery and the Devils do not consider it a long-term injury. The fourth-year centre could be ready for the start of the season but may get out of the gates slowly with a limited training camp.
In a statement, Toews said that he's been experiencing symptoms that have left him feeling "drained and lethargic." He is working with doctors to get a better understanding of his condition and will not join the Blackhawks until he "can get [his] health back to a place where feel [he] can perform at an elite level and help [his] team."
Hoffman will join Blues for Training Camp beginning January 3. Hoffman spent the last two seasons in Florida, averaging 35 goals and 35 assists per 82 games. Hoffman has 20-plus goals in six straight seasons and 30-plus assists in five straight. Hoffman would help fill in for Vladimir Tarasenko, who is expected to be out until at least late January.
Stuetzle was the No.3 overall pick in this year's draft and is currently representing Team Germany at the World Juniors, where he has one goal and one assist in two games thus far. Stuetzle is expected to join the Senators for training camp after the WJC and should start the season in Ottawa.
In a late-night Boxing Day deal, the Senators brought in veteran centre Derek Stepan from Arizona. Stepan has one-year left on his deal, which carries a $6.5M cap-hit (per PuckPedia) and should prove to be a veteran stop-gap while the Senators' young centres continue to develop. Sepand has a chance to step into the Senators' top-6 and potentially play with Brady Tkachuk and/or Evgenii Dadonov. The last couple of seasons have been rough for Stepan, but he brings great shot volume and a reliable two-way game to a team with a lot of youth.
Koekkoek played well in his first full season with the Blackhawks, particularly after he was paired up with Olli Maatta. The duo put up some terrific underlying numbers and Koekkoek set a new career-high with 10 points (1G / 9A) in just 42 games. In Edmonton, he'll provide some depth on the blueline and will likely serve as a reserve most of the time. However, he should be the first man in whenever there is an injury.
Chicago brings in a seven-year veteran to help fill some gaps that were created by injuries this week. Alex Nylander could miss all of the 2021 season after undergoing knee surgery and Kirby Dach was injured in Team Canada's exhibition game before the World Juniors and could miss some time. Soderberg will likely fill a spot in the bottom-6 with Dylan Strome moving up to take Dach's spot with Patrick Kane. Soderberg had 35 points (17G / 18A) in 70 games with the Coyotes a season ago.
