Rinaldo split his 2020 campaign between the AHL and NHL, finishing the season in Calgary and playing in five playoff games. The pugilist could start 2021 on the Flames roster but likely won't be a regular player.
In his first two seasons with the Canadiens, Ouellet has appeared in a combined 31 NHL games and 86 AHL games. Most recently, he had nine goals and 15 assists (24 points) in 39 games with Laval (AHL). With the addition of Joel Edmundson, Noah Juulsen back at 100 percent and Alexander Romanov coming over from Russia, Ouellet is pushed down the depth chart.
Little has been dealing with concussion-like symptoms since taking a puck to the head last November and hasn't played since. Doctors have advised Little not to play in the 2021 season, so unfortunately this could be the end of the 32-year-old's career. Paul Stastny was acquired to serve as the Jets' No.2 centre, a role typically filled by Little.
Sbisa was part of the Jets' blueline rotation in 2020, tallying 10 points (2G / 8A) in 44 games. Sbisa is a big, physical defenseman, who ranked second among Jets' defensemen in Hits/60. Without adding any defensemen as of now, Sbisa will likely serve a similar role in 2021.
Noesen signed with the Penguins last December but was claimed off of waivers by the Sharks a few weeks later. He played out the rest of the season in San Jose, recording six goals and two assists (eight points) in 34 games. Noesen will likely serve as a 12th/13th forward for the Sharks in 2021.
Sherwood signed with the Ducks after three years at Miami (Ohio) University and spent the first three years of his career in their system. He had 23 points (16G / 7A) in 37 games with San Diego (AHL) a season ago and 13 points (6G / 7A) in 60 career NHL games.
Gillies went 14-10-4 with a 2.69 GAA and .907 SV% in 30 AHL games with the Stockton Heat in 2020. Gillies is still just 26-years-old but will be headed to Springfield (AHL) to start 2021.
Dries spent almost all of 2020 in the AHL, scoring 21 goals with 14 assists (35 points) in 50 games with the Colorado Eagles. The 26-year-old did appear in five game with the Avalanche and now has six points (3G / 3A) in 45 career NHL games. With the Avalanche having one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL, Dries is likely destined for the AHL in 2021.
Shaw spent a large portion of 2020 with the Jets, registering just five points (3G / 2A) in 35 games. Shaw has produced strong numbers at the AHL-level but has settled in as a fourth-liner in his NHL career. If he starts 2021 in the AHL, he'll likely be one of the first forwards called-up by Ottawa.
Peca has been a fringe NHLer for a few years now but only played 14 games with Montreal and Ottawa in 2020. He spent most of the season in Laval (AHL) where he had just 13 points (4G / 9A) in 34 games. The hard-working, industrious winger will likely start 2021 in the AHL but would be a candidate to get promoted to the Senators' fourth line when injuries hit.
Barber is a former sixth-round pick (2012) who has been a terrific point producer at the AHL-level. The 26-year-old had 16 goals and 21 assists (37 points) in 46 AHL games a season ago and will start 2021 with Grand Rapids (AHL).
Boyle spent the first four years of his pro career in the Ducks organization, appearing in just five career NHL games. He's a depth signing for Grand Rapids (AHL) after going 9-7-2 with a 2.82 GAA and .911 SV% in 20 AHL games a season ago.
Criscuolo signed with the Red Wings after four years at Harvard University and played the first two years of his pro career in Grand Rapids (AHL). The 28-year-old had stops in Rochester (BUF), Lehigh Valley (PHI) and San Diego (ANA) over the last three years but now returns to the Red Wings organization. Criscuolo hd eight goals and 16 assists (24 points) in 47 AHL games a season ago.
Irwin served as a No.7 defenseman in Nashville before being flipped to Anaheim for Korbinian Holzer at the Trade Deadline. Irwin, who has just one goal and nine assists (10 points) in 80 games over the last two season, will likely fill a similar No.7 D-man role in Buffalo.
Baddock had six goals and nine assists (15 points) in 50 game with the Binghamton Devils (AHL). The 25-year-old is a former sixth-round pick (2014) who was signed to bolster Laval's blueline, not Montreal's.
Bayreuther spent all of the 2020 season with Texas (AHL), where he led all of their defensemen with 29 points (6G / 23A) in 59 games. He had a 19-game stint with Stars in 2019, picking up two goals and three assists. He's a solid puck-moving defenseman with decent offensive upside who will be somewhere around the No.8 D-man in the Blue Jackets' system.
Markstrom is coming off of the best year of his career, tying for 11th in the NHL in wins (23), 13th in SV% (.918) and tied for 25th in GAA (2.75). Now he goes from a team that gave up the third most scoring chances to a team that ranked in the middle of the pack, so his GAA and SV% should improve in 2021. The Flames have made a huge commitment to him but they have not had a goalie with a SV% above .920 since Miikka Kiprusoff in 2011-12.
Schultz had a breakout year in his first season with the Penguins, posting 51 points (12G / 39A) in 78 games. He struggled from that point on, he dealt with injuries, averaging just 46 games played from 2018-2020. During that stretch he had just 54 points (9G / 45A), barely matching his output from year-1 alone. Schultz fills a need as a right-handed defenseman but his health is a concern and $4.0M is a hefty cap-hit for a player that may only play half the games.
After a 21-game stint with the Oilers in 2019, Currie spent all of 2020 in the AHL. He finished the season with a team-high in goals (24) and points (41) and will head to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to start 2021.
Gibson was steady in net for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) in 2020, going 10-8-5 with a 2.78 GAA and .914 SV%. Gibson has played very sparingly in the NHL throughout his seven-year pro career, going 3-4-3 with a 3.45 GAA and .904 SV% in 14 career games. Gibson will likely be the No.1 netminder in Syracuse (AHL) in 2021 and would come up if something were to happen to Andrei Vasilevskiy or Curtis McElhinney.
