Last Friday, the Minnesota Wild announced that Zuccarello underwent right arm surgery in Norway and no timetable for his return has been established. Zuccarello broke his right arm in his first game with the Dallas Stars back in 2019 and he missed five weeks. With Zuccarello expected to miss some time to start the season, expect Jordan Greenway to be elevated into a top-6 role.
Rossi was the No.9 overall pick in the latest NHL Draft after leading the OHL with 120 points (39G / 81A) in 56 games with the Ottawa 67's. With the OHL season in limbo, Rossi will probably get a chance to make the Wild out of training camp but he will likely go to the OHL once their season gets underway.
Gaudreau played 55 games with the Predators in 2019 but played the entire 2020 season in Milwaukee (AHL) where he had 11 goals and 17 assists (28 points) in 42 games. Gaudreau is a fourth line centre at most at the NHL-level and with that role filled in Pittsburgh, he'll be heading to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to start 2021.
The Coyotes did not tender the RFA, letting him hit the open market and signing on with the Panthers. The former sixth-round pick had a great debut season in Arizona, posting 39 points (16G / 23A) but struggled to just 22 points (5G / 17A) last season. Hinostroza is a good bounce-back candidate in Florida, where he'll be a middle-6 winger.
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.
Cramarossa has been stuck in the AHL for the last three seasons and will likely remain there in 2021. He is a 6-foot, 195 lbs. winger who had just 12 points (5G / 7A) and 110 PIMS in 42 games with the Rockford IceHogs in 2020.
Merrill went to the University of Michigan and will enjoy a homecoming of sorts after signing with the Red Wings. Merrill does not provide a lot in terms of offence, with a career-high of just 15 points, but he is a rock-steady defensive-defensemen. With a number of prospects on the cusp of being NHL-ready, signing Merrill to a one-year deal allows them some extra time to develop.
Trenin closed out the 2020 season with the Predators after spending much of the year in the AHL. During his time with the Predators, he scored two goals with four assists (six points) in 21 games. He was tied for third on the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring with 20 goals despite playing just 32 AHL contests before being called-up. Trenin will likely factor in on the Predators' third or fourth line in 2021.
The Wild likely acquired Johansson with the idea of him playing centre but he hasn't been very good in the middle throughout his career, including last year in Buffalo. Johansson had just nine goals and 30 points in 60 games with the Sabres in 2019-20 and now joins a Minnesota team devoid of a No.1 centre.
Brodin is entering the final year of a six-year deal that he signed in 2014. Starting in the 2021-22 season, Brodin's AAV will go up from $4.167M to $6.0M, tying him for the 26th highest-paid blueliner in the NHL. Brodin is a terrific defensive-defenseman but is also coming off of a career-high 28 points (2G / 26A) in 69 games.
