The Canadiens announced that Juulsen is not dealing with a concussion, but did have a facial fracture after being hit in the face by the puck last November. Juulsen’s status for the start of the regular season is unclear, but these headaches could open up a spot for Cale Fleury to start the year with Montreal.
Poehling took a big hit from Dryden Hunt during last Wednesday’s preseason game and is out indefinitely with a concussion. This is a tough break for Poehling, who was likely to open the season on the Canadiens roster. However, it does open up the possibility for Montreal to take a look at Ryan Suzuki early in the season.
Point is coming off of a breakout campaign, having scored 41 goals with 51 assists (92 points) in 79 games. Point can expect some regression in 2020, after shooting 21.5 percent last year but ranks tied for eighth in goals (73) and tied for 22nd in points (158) over the last two seasons.
Montour is set to miss the rest of the preseason and could miss some regular-season time with a hand injury. Henri Jokiharju, who was acquired from the Blackhawks this offseason, is the most likely candidate to fill the hole left by Montour’s injury to start the season.
Pittsburgh selected Poulin with the No.21 overall pick this summer. The 6-foot-2, 216 lbs. winger had 76 points (29G / 47A) in 67 games during his second season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL).
Pachal was an undrafted free agent who had 15 goals with 36 assists (51 points) in 66 games with the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) in 2019. He’ll report for a fifth WHL season with the Raiders in 2020.
Lagare was a third-round pick of the Penguins in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. The No.74 overall pick led Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) in goals (45) while finishing second in points (87) last season.
DeAngelo emerged as a key part of the Rangers future in 2019, recording 30 points (4G / 26A) in 61 games. The coaching staff was reluctant to use DeAngelo on a nightly basis, scratching him with some regularity, but that should change in 2020. The additions of Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox adds to the competition DeAngelo has for playing time at both 5v5 and on the man-advantage.
Chabot is coming off of a fantastic sophomore campaign, scoring 14 goals with 41 assists (55 points) in 70 games. The Senators have a young, up-and-coming team and Chabot could lead the team in points in 2020. The 22-year-old has just one career power-play goal, something that will change this season and allow him to approach last year’s totals.
Robertson was selected with the No.53 overall pick in 2019 after scoring 27 goals with 28 assists (55 points) in 54 games with the Peterborough Petes (OHL).
Suzuki was selected with the No.28 overall pick in this summer’s draft after scoring 25 goals with 50 assists (75 points) in 65 games with the Barrie Colts (OHL).
Bob McKenzie of TSN is reporting that Byfuglien is using the time to ponder his future. McKenzie did not explicitly say that Byfuglien is retiring or gaming back to play, just that he’s contemplating his options and there’s “no timetable” for a decision.
Forbort, who plays a key role next to Drew Doughty for the Kings, is still not in training camp and head coach Todd McLellan isn’t sure when he’ll get the 27-year-old defneseman back. The Kings went out and signed Benn Hutton to a one-year deal on Tuesday to add a little more depth while Forbort heals up.
After four years and 276 NHL games with the Canucks, Hutton is going to the Kings on a one-year deal. The 26-year-old left-shot defenseman had 20 points (5G / 15A) in 69 games last season and provides Los Angeles with a little depth while Derek Forbort recovers from a back injury.
Claesson continues to bounce around the NHL. After spending his first three years in Ottawa, Claesson was with the Rangers in 2019 and now signs on with the Hurricanes. Carolina possesses one of the deepest bluelines in the entire NHL so Claesson likely won’t sniff the big leagues this season.
Carlo was the last of the Bruins RFA’s to sign and earned himself a $2.85M AAV contract after recorded 10 points (2G / 10A) in 72 games a season ago. The 6-foot-5, 212 lbs. defenseman has become a physical shutdown defenseman that the Bruins can rely on to eat up heavy minutes (20:55 ATOI) next to Torey Krug.
Boeser had 26 goals and 30 assists (56 points) in 69 games in 2019. Through two NHL seasons, Boeser has averaged 34 goals and 35 assists (69 points) per 82-games but has missed 20.1 percent of the games. If Boeser can stay healthy, he has legit 40-goal, 40-assist upside next to Elias Pettersson.
Konecny ranks 33rd in the NHL in even-strength goals (43) over the last two seasons while playing 15:05 ATOI. In 2020, Konecny figures to be a staple on the top line with Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux and should see a lot more ice-time. That should allow him to get over 200 shots and 24 goals while chipping in close to 30 assists.
Mangiapane spent most of his time in the NHL in 2019, scoring eight goals with five assists (13 points) in 44 games with the Flames. Mangiapane will likely be reserved to a fourth-line role, with Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Milan Lucic ahead of him on the depth chart.
Through two seasons, McAvoy’s production has been solid, averaging 10 goals and 32 assists per 82-games—the issue is that he’s played in just 71.3 percent of the games. McAvoy is somewhat limited because of Torey Krug’s role on the top PP-unit, but he has 40-point upside if he can stay healthy in 2020.
