NHL Hockey Player News

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.

Bitetto was in and out of the Jets lineup during 2020, finishing with eight assists in 51 games. In 2021 he will be with his fourth team in three years and will likely be on the outside looking on their solid blueline.

Petrovic spent the entire 2020 campaign with the Providence Bruins (AHL) and will likely do the same in Stockton (AHL) next year. Petrovic is a big, physical defenseman that can log NHL minutes if the Flames find themselves in a bind.

Mermis is a hard-working defenseman but doesn't bring a lot of offence to the equation. He had four points in 10 games with the Coyotes last season but that was an outlier when you put it up against his AHL numbers. The Wild have a quality blueline, so it will be difficult for Mermis to crack that group to start 2021.

Benning has decent size (6-foot-1, 203 lbs) and moves the puck pretty well but is just a mid-tier third pairing defenseman. Now in Nashville, Benning will be one-half of their new third-pair, which will include Mark Borowiecki on the left side, who was also signed on Friday.

Hayden had just three goals and one assist in 43 games as a fringe player for the Devils last season. Hayden has just nine points (6G / 3A) in his last 97 NHL games, so he offers almost no offence but will be a big, physical presence on the Coyotes' fourth line.

Shattenkirk was bought out by the Rangers prior to the 2020 season, allowing him to signed a one-year deal with the Lightning. Shattenkirk was able to build his value back up while winning a Stanley Cup, posting 47 points (11G / 36A) in 92 combined regular season and playoff games. In Anaheim he'll play in the top-4 with either Hampus Lindholm or Cam Fowler and should see ample PP exposure.

After the Penguins bought out the final three years of his contract on Tuesday, the Rangers brought in Johnson on a one-year deal to have him replace Marc Staal. Johnson struggled in Pittsburgh, making this signing a little curious. But at the very least it allows the Rangers' young defensemen more time to develop.

Rieder has bounced around the NHL in recent years, with Buffalo being their fifth team in four years. After being held goalless in 2019, Rieder had four goals and six assists (10 points) in 55 games with the Flames last season. Rieder will battle for a fourth line role in training camp.

After spending nine seasons with the Senators, Borowiecki sings with the Predators where he'll serve as a third-pairing defenseman. Borowiecki obviously doesn't provide anything offensively but is a big, physical force, who ranked 11th in the NHL in hits (199) last season.