Bourque spent the last three games with the Avalanche, appearing in 55 games a season ago. Bourque has totalled just 19 points (7G / 12A) in 113 games over the last two seasons. Bourque has a chance to crack the Jets fourth-line this fall.

Bourque spent the last three games with the Avalanche, appearing in 55 games a season ago. Bourque has totalled just 19 points (7G / 12A) in 113 games over the last two seasons. Bourque has a chance to crack the Jets fourth-line this fall.
Maroon returned to his hometown in 2019, scoring 10 goals with 18 assists (28 points) in 74 games with the Blues. He went on to have a decent postseason but won a Stanley Cup and now signs on with the 2020 preseason favorites to win the Cup. Maroon will have a really hard time cracking the Lighting’s top-6, but he will solidify their bottom-6 and second power-play unit.
Silovs was selected in the sixth-round of this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old has the size of a modern-day netminder, standing at 6-foot-4 and 203 lbs. Silovs had a 3.26 GAA and .914 SV% in Latvia’s top league last season.
Brassard was a great No.2 centre during his time in New York but has struggled since—averaging 16 goals and 20 assists in the last three seasons. He isn’t suited for a checking role, so signing with the Islanders could provide him a chance to return to a top-6 role.
Since being picked No.20 in 2015, Eriksson Ek has not topped 16 points in his first two NHL seasons. However, once Mikko Koivu went down last year, Eriksson Ek had five goals and two assists in 22 games while averaging 15:23 TOI/gm—averaged 12:22 prior. Koivu will likely be eased back into action early in the season, giving Eriksson Ek an opportunity to get off to a hot start in 2020.
During his first full NHL season, White had 14 goals and 27 assists (41 points) in 71 games. White averaged 16:12 TOI/gm while carrying a +3.4 CF% rel on the league’s worst team. White is set to start 2020 as the Senators No.1 centre and should build off of 2019 as he should play 17-18 minutes per night.
Despite having 24 points (7G /17A) in 53 NHL games—37 points per 82-game pace—Ho-Sang has had a difficult time cracking the Islanders roster permanently. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick in 2014 and is coming off of 43 points (8G / 35A) in 56 games at the AHL-level last season.
Dal Colle has struggled to produce at the NHL-level since being picked No.5 overall in 2014. However, the 23-year-old winger was a point-per-game player in the AHL a season ago, scoring 18 goals with 16 assists (34 points) in 34 games. Dal Colle has just seven points (3G / 4A) in 32 career NHL games to this point, but has a chance to be a full-time NHLer if he impresses in training camp this fall.
The former No.10 overall pick (2013) struggled mightily in 2019 after returning from a two-year stint in the KHL. Nichushkin failed to record a goal while compiling just 10 assists in 57 games with the Stars and has just 74 points (23G / 51A) in 223 career NHL games with Dallas. This is a low-risk signing for the Avalanche and Nichushkin has a chance to produce in a quality bottom-6 that improved this summer.
Priskie, 23, was a sixth-round pick (No. 177 overall) in 2016 and is set to turn pro following his senior campaign at Quinnipiac University. This past season, Priskie had 17 goals and 22 assists (39 points) in 36 games with Bobcats.
After playing in Sweden from 2012 to 2017, Holm came to North America in 2018. He started the year with Vancouver, where he had 29 points (11G / 18A) in 42 games in Utica (AHL). He ended up being traded to the Golden Knights, posting nine points (1G / 8A) in 21 games with Chicago (AHL). The 27-year-old went to the KHL for the 2019 season and had 26 points (7G / 19A) in 61 games. The 27-year-old provides the Blackhawks with some D-depth but will likely start 2020 in the AHL.
Warner had seven points (1G / 6A) in 73 games with Iowa (AHL) last season. The 23-year-old had played with Iowa for the last three seasons, picking up a combined 17 points (3G / 14A) across 162 games.
Marino was acquired from the Oilers for a conditional sixth-round pick in late-July and signs his entry-level deal with the Penguins a few weeks later. Marino had 11 points (3G / 8A) in 33 games at Harvard University last season.
Dano was originally a first-round pick (No.27 overall in 2013) of the Blue Jackets but was traded to the Blackhawks as a part of the Brandon Saad deal in 2015. Since then, Dano has played 13 games for the Blackhawks, 82 games for the Jets and eight games for the Avalanche. He spent most of last season in the AHL, where he had 30 points (12G / 18A) in 51 games for the Manitoba Moose. Dano will be a fringe NHLer for the Blue Jackets and could start 2020 in the AHL.
Grimaldi had 13 points (5G / 8A) in 53 games with the Predators before adding three goals in five playoff games. The diminutive forward should open 2020 in the Predators’ bottom-6 after a solid showing in the second-half of 2019.
Forsberg was average in his first and only season with the Blackhawks. During his 35 NHL games, Forsberg went 10-16-4 with a 2.97 GAA and .908 SV%. While with Rockford (AHL), the 26-year-old went 15-17-1 wth a 2.64 AA and .919 SV%. With Petr Mrazek and James Reimer already in the NHL, Forsberg is likely headed to Charlotte (AHL) to start 2020.
In his first four NHL seasons, Edmundson has never played more than 69 games. Edmundson had just two goals and nine assists (11 points) in 64 games this past season. The 26-year-old ranked fourth among Blues defensemen in TOI/gm (19:23) while leading them in hits (128) and ranking fourth in blocked shots (106).
Carrick has posted back-to-back 40 point seasons in the AHL, scoring nine goals with 38 assists (47 points) in 71 games with Charlotte last year. Carrick, who has just four career NHL games under his belt, will likely open the 2020 season with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Shattenkirk was bought out by the Rangers and the Lightning quickly signed the right-handed defenseman to a one-year deal. Shattenkirk’s two seasons in New York were forgettable, but he should settle into a sheltered third-pairing role with PP time in Tampa Bay. He may no longer be the player capable of posting 56 points like he did in 2017, but Shattenkirk should be able to get back to 35-plus points in 2020.
Hill spent most of the 2019 in the AHL, but also went 7-5-0 with a 2.76 GAA, .901 SV% and one shutout in 13 NHL contests. The former third-round pick was 16-19-2 with a 2.61 GAA and .906 SV% in 36 games in Tucson (AHL). With Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper firmly ahead of him on the depth chart, Hill will open the 2020 season with the Roadrunners.
Some of the top NHL free agents available this summer are Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Aaron Ekblad, Nikolaj Ehlers, John Tavares, Brock Boeser, Brad Marchand and Linus Ullmark.
This offseason will bring a stacked crop of free agents to the market that will shape the landscape of the 2025-26 NHL season. Not only will the final landing spots for each of the top 2025 NHL free agents shake up the framework of the league, but will also have major implications on the upcoming fantasy hockey season. Be sure to stay in the know in regard to the latest free agency updates with our NHL player news.
On July 1st, 2025, at 12 PM EST, the 2025 NHL free agency period officially opens. While some players will have all but signed the dotted line up to this point, nothing can become official until noon on Canada Day.