Fifteen Players Placed On Waivers
Another busy day on the waiver wire as 15 players were placed on waivers today, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). No players was claimed from yesterday’s group of 16 players, but with the regular season fast approaching, teams are continuing to make big decisions.
F Justin Bailey (Buffalo)
F Nicholas Baptiste (Buffalo)
F Riley Barber (Washington)
D Matt Bartkowski (Minnesota)
F Patrick Brown (Carolina)
F Erik Condra (Dallas)
G Andrew Hammond (Minnesota)
F Mike Liambas (Minnesota)
D Evan McEneny (Vancouver)
F Greg McKegg (Carolina)
F Michael Mersch (Dallas)
F Liam O’Brien (Washington)
F Kyle Rau (Minnesota)
F Matt Read (Minnesota)
F Anton Rodin (Anaheim) — placed on unconditional waivers (per Lavoie)
D Matt Tennyson (Buffalo)
There are a few interesting names, including the “Hamburglar,” who lost his bid to unseat goaltender Alex Stalock as the backup goaltender in Minnesota. Hammond hasn’t been a full-time backup since the 2015-16 season, but has shown flashes of brilliance when he’s hot, including getting into three playoff appearances for Colorado last year. One of those games, Game 5, Hammond stopped 44 of 45 shots in leading the Avalanche to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. However, he wasn’t able to keep that success going as he yielded five goals the following game as Colorado was eliminated.
The 23-year-old Bailey is another interesting player who has worked his way up level-by-level and was on the border of a regular spot. Bailey has had three stints in the NHL now and last year’s was one of the more successful ones has he tallied three goals and four points in 12 games. Baptiste is another 23-year-old in Buffalo, who got an even longer look with the Sabres, 33 games, but only managed four goals in that time.
Read is another player with tons of experience. The 32-year-old had played quite a bit in the NHL before struggling to get playing time in Philadelphia, while the 25-year-old Rau posted 23 goals in Iowa last season in the AHL.
Luke Kunin (ACL) To Be Evaluated Tuesday; Gustav Olofsson Resumes Skating
- Wild winger Luke Kunin will be evaluated on Tuesday to assess his recovery from offseason ACL surgery, reports Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The initial timeline for him to be ready was seven months and that mark will be reached next week. However, even if he gets the green light to resume full practice work, he still won’t be ready for the season opener. Meanwhile, blueliner Gustav Olofsson has resumed skating on his own as he works his way back from a shoulder injury but there remains no timetable for his return to the lineup.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/18
With the season now less than a week away, teams are getting closer to finalizing their opening rosters. We’ll keep tabs of the players getting cut here.
Note that this list does not include players that were placed on waivers today. Those can be found here.
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Rasmus Asplund (to Rochester, AHL)
D Will Borgen (to Rochester, AHL)
F Victor Olofsson (to Rochester, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
F Cody Bass (released from PTO)
D Sergei Boikov (to Colorado, AHL)
G Pavel Francouz (to Colorado, AHL)
F Martin Kaut (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ty Lewis (to Colorado, AHL)
F Igor Shvyrev (to Colorado, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge)
D John Nyberg (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
RW Colin Campbell (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Carter Camper (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Marcus Crawford (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Turner Elson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Kaden Fulcher (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Matthew Ford (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Trevor Hamilton (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Axel Holmstrom (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Dominik Shine (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D MacKenze Stewart (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
LW Chris Terry (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Trevor Yates (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter)
F Ryan McLeod (to Mississauga, OHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Bokondji Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Ontario, AHL)
F Drake Rymsha (to Ontario, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F Sam Anas (to Iowa, AHL)
F Alexander Khovanov (to Moncton, QMJHL)
F Justin Kloos (to Iowa, AHL)
D Carson Soucy (to Iowa, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team Twitter)
F Bobby Butler (released from PTO)
F Gabriel Fontaine (to Hartford, AHL)
F Tim Gettinger (to Hartford, AHL)
D John Gilmour (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ryan Gropp (to Hartford, AHL)
F Drew Melanson (released from PTO)
San Jose Sharks (per Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News)
D Ryan Merkley (to Guelph, OHL)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Adam Gaudette (to Utica, AHL)
D Olli Juolevi (to Utica, AHL)
In addition, F Brendan Gaunce will be placed on waivers on Friday.
Vegas Golden Knights (per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
D Erik Brannstrom (to Chicago, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)
D Tyler Lewington (to Hershey, AHL)
G Ilya Samsonov (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
F Sergei Shumakov (to Hershey, AHL)
G Vitek Vanecek (to Hershey, AHL)
2018-19 Season Primer: Minnesota Wild
With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Minnesota Wild.
Last Season: 45-26-11 record (101 points), third in the Central Division (lost to Winnipeg in the first round of the playoffs)
Remaining Cap Space: $1.77MM per CapFriendly
Key Additions: D Matt Bartkowski (free agent, Calgary), F J.T. Brown (free agent, Anaheim), F Eric Fehr (free agent, San Jose), F Matt Hendricks (free agent, Winnipeg), F Matt Read (free agent, Philadelphia), D Greg Pateryn (free agent, Dallas)
Key Subtractions: F Matt Cullen (free agent, Pittsburgh), F Tyler Ennis (buyout, Toronto), D Kyle Quincey (free agent, HIFK, SM-liiga), F Daniel Winnik (free agent, PTO with Boston)
[Related: Wild Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: F Eric Staal – Two years ago, Staal’s decision to join Minnesota largely flew under the radar. His first season in Minnesota was stronger than most expected with 65 points but his follow up was even more surprising; last year, he led the team in scoring with 42 goals and 76 points.
What does he have in store for an encore? His camp along with new GM Paul Fenton have agreed to put off discussions regarding a possible extension until sometime during the season so it’s clear that Fenton wants to see if this jump in production is at least somewhat sustainable or if he’s going to revert to his level of production towards the end of his time in Carolina.
From the perspective of the Wild, the 33-year-old is a key cog of their attack and they will be counting on him to provide a lot of offense, even if a dip in production is likely. Around the league, however, eyes will be on Staal to see if he shows that he could still be a top-six producer for a little while yet. If he plays well again this season, he’ll be one of the top centers eligible to hit the open market if no in-season extension is reached. Given the demand for quality pivots, a strong showing would put him in line for a nice raise on his current $3.5MM deal.
Key Storyline: When Fenton was brought in to replace Chuck Fletcher as GM, it was expected that he’d quickly put his stamp on a team that, for the most part, has stayed together over the last few years. Instead, the new manager locked up the core restricted free agents and didn’t do much to the roster outside of adding some more grit in depth roles.
When will that change? How quickly will Fenton look to make a move to change up the core if the team comes out of the gate slowly? Minnesota has been viewed as an underachiever over the last couple of years which played a role in Fletcher’s ouster so it’s reasonable to expect that Fenton’s directive is to not be quite as patient.
Their limited cap space may be a factor if they want to make a move early on but Minnesota will be worth watching as they are a team that appears to be a candidate to make a notable in-season trade that shakes up their core group.
Overall Outlook: While Nashville and Winnipeg are the early favorites for the top spots in the Central, the final guaranteed playoff spot appears to be up for grabs. St. Louis has made some improvements but the rest of the division (the Wild included) stayed fairly quiet over the summer. Accordingly, Minnesota should contend for that final division spot and if they don’t land it, they will be in the mix for a Wild Card spot.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chris Stewart Signs With KHL’s HC Slovan Bratislava
One of the remaining veteran NHL free agents, who curiously was not invited to any training camps this preseason, has nevertheless found a home for this season. Rugged winger Chris Stewart, most recently of the Calgary Flames, is headed overseas, linking up with a KHL club in need of a spark. HC Slovan Bratislava, one of the worst teams in the league last season, has announced a one-year contract with Stewart. The Slovakia-based club hopes that the power forward can help them right the ship in the 2018-19 season.
Stewart, 30, is no stranger to changing locations. The big right wing has played for six different teams in his NHL career, including a hot start to his career with the Colorado Avalanche, a nearly four year stretch with the St. Louis Blues, and two separate stints with the Minnesota Wild. However, this is Stewart’s first foray into international play outside of brief stops in the Czech Republic and Germany during the 2012 lockout. The KHL is a more open game than the close quarters of the NHL, and Stewart may initially struggle with the pace. Yet, the hallmark of his game has always been net front presence and high percentage shots and that is unlikely to change. Bratislava knows what they’re getting in Stewart and if he can adjust to a new style soon enough, his scoring touch and physicality could become a disruptive force in their favor.
Stewart is also not alone in his efforts to turn around the struggling club. Bratislava has brought in several notable names this off-season in an effort to boost scoring and two-way play. Long-time Arizona Coyote Kyle Chipchura, minor league contributor Casey Bailey, most recently of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, former Minnesota Wild prospect Chad Rau, and NHL and European hockey veteran Jeff Taffe have all been added to the mix this summer. NHL journeyman defenseman Eric Gelinas is yet another new face and could form a formidable duo with captain and experienced NHLer Andrej Meszaros. The pressure is not all on Stewart in Bratislava, but he certainly carries the highest NHL pedigree for goal-scoring and the team will need the big winger to bring that ability this season if they are to avoid another disappointing finish.
Central Notes: Fabbri, Crawford, Boqvist, Jokiharju, Wild
St. Louis Blues winger Robby Fabbri may have avoided a scare today when he went down in the first period of today’s preseason game in Columbus with what the team refers to as a lower-body injury. While there is no word on the severity of the injury, the St. Louis Blues tweeted that head coach Mike Yeo reported that the injury is not related to Fabbri’s knee. In fact, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann tweeted that he saw Fabbri walking around after the game as if nothing was wrong.
Optimism had started to grow in St. Louis considering how good Fabbri has looked in training camp and the way he performed in his first preseason game. The 22-year-old showed promise with an 18-goal rookie campaign and had 11 goals in his second season before going down with a knee injury that knocked him out for the rest of the 2016-17 season. He then re-injured the knee in training camp last year and missed the entire 2017-18 season. After a rigorous rehabilitation of his knee, the team can only hope the injury isn’t too serious.
- The Chicago Blackhawks got good news as The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) reports that goaltender Corey Crawford may be close to the next step in his recovery from a concussion last season. The scribe writes that Crawford may be ready in the near future to practice with the team after a positive report from goaltending coach Jimmy Waite. “Moving, progressing well, he had a really good day again today, getting closer,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “I think whether they ratcheted up a little bit more in the workload, but definitely in the right direction. Getting closer to hopefully in a practice.” Quenneville avoided questions on when that might happen, however.
- In the same piece, Powers writes that both Adam Boqvist and Henry Jokiharju are both still in play to making the Blackhawks roster, although Jokiharju is a little ahead of the two. Quenneville said that Boqvist is expected to play in all of their three exhibition games this week to get a better look at them. While it’s possible the team could keep both players, it seems more likely the team will keep just one.
- Dan Myers of NHL.com writes that the Minnesota Wild have been really impressed by the preseason line of Jordan Greenway, Charlie Coyle and Joel Eriksson Ek. That combination of players, who have center experience, have really found cohesion in training camp. The three are solid defensively, have offensive firepower and also give the team much needed size as Eriksson Ek is the smallest of the three at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. Greenway, the least experienced of the group at center, has taken that position over and has fared extremely well. “They just work so hard and they’re all very big and strong guys,” head coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Once they get on you, they’re like a dog on a bone.”
Training Camp Cuts: 9/22/18
Plenty of players were cut from training camps around the league yesterday and today will probably be no different, especially with the waiver wire now open. We’ll keep track of all the cuts here and will update this post throughout the day.
Note that this list does not cover players placed on waivers today. Those players can be found here.
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
D Terrance Amorosa (to San Diego, AHL)
G Lukas Dostal (to SK Horacka Slavia Trebic, Czech league)
F Alex Dostie (to San Diego, AHL)
D Hunter Drew (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
F Justin Ducharme (released from ATO)
G Olle Eriksson-Ek (to BIK Karlskoga, SHL)
D Chris Forney (to San Diego, AHL)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Scott Moldenhauer (to San Diego, AHL)
F Antoine Morand (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Julius Nattinen (to San Diego, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Tri-City, WHL)
F Tyler Soy (to San Diego, AHL)
F Ben Thomson (to San Diego, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Eric Cornel (to Rochester, AHL)
F Vasily Glotov (to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kevin Porter (to Rochester, AHL)
D Zach Redmond (to Rochester, AHL)
D Devante Stephens (to Rochester, AHL)
G Adam Wilcox (to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
G Nick Schneider (to Stockton, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team Twitter)
F Radovan Bondra (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)
F Alex Broadhurst (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)
D Andrew Campbell (to Rockford, AHL)
D Dennis Gilbert (to Rockford, AHL)
F Matheson Iacopelli (to Rockford, AHL)
F Graham Knott (to Rockford, AHL)
F Anthony Louis (to Rockford, AHL)
F Jordan Schroeder (to Rockford, AHL)
F Tyler Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)
D Luc Snuggerud (to Rockford, AHL)
G Matt Tomkins (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)
G Shane Starrett (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Jonathan Ang (to Springfield, AHL)
D Ludwig Bystrom (to Springfield, AHL)
G Chris Driedger (released from PTO, to Springfield, AHL)
F Sebastian Repo (to Springfield, AHL)
F Paul Thompson (to Springfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release; PTO cuts via Sirius XM’s Jonathan Davis)
D Kyle Bauman (released from PTO)
F Jamie Devane (released from PTO)
F Mike Eyssimont (to Ontario, AHL)
D Stepan Falkovsky (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sam Herr (released from PTO)
F Boko Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cole Kehler (to Ontario, AHL)
F Matt Luff (to Ontario, AHL)
F Philippe Maillet (released from PTO)
F Brad Morrison (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)
D Chaz Reddekopp (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Ontario, AHL)
D Matt Roy (to Ontario, AHL)
F Drake Rymsha (to Ontario, AHL)
D Austin Strand (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brett Sutter (released from PTO)
D Sean Walker (to Ontario, AHL)
F Spencer Watson (to Ontario, AHL)Read more
Snapshots: Stone, Panthers, Olofsson
As if being an Ottawa Senators fan wasn’t hard enough right now, a report surfaced this morning that suggested Mark Stone wanted out of the city when his contract expired at the end of this season. Stone settled with the Senators this offseason on just a one-year deal that will pay him $7.35MM this season and qualifies for unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2019. The 26-year old forward was asked about the report after practice today, and denied it vehemently.
I love it here. This has been a great month for me, I’ve enjoyed my previous four years here and I want to continue to be here.
As a player you’re looking to win every time you step on the ice. No matter who you’re playing with, no matter who’s in the lineup you have to look at it the same way. Obviously [the Senators front office] has said they’re rebuilding, but I think for the guys in this locker room we’re looking to win hockey games and looking to win as many as we can.
Stone could potentially be one of the very best forwards available on the open market next summer if he decides not to re-sign with the Senators, and can’t actually put pen to paper on a contract extension until January 1st, 2019. Even if he is enjoying things right now, it’s a dangerous situation for the Senators to be in given their expected struggles this season. Still, Stone has never said anything to make Ottawa believe that he wouldn’t be willing to stay and was even in discussions on a long-term deal this offseason at one point.
- Not only do the Florida Panthers have a new captain in Aleksander Barkov, but today they announced their entire leadership group. Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau will all wear an “A” as alternate captains at various times this season, solidifying that group of five as the core of the team going forward. Among them, only Yandle is older than 25 while Barkov and Ekblad are still just 22 and 23 respectively, giving the Panthers a chance to keep most of the group together for a long time. In fact, all five are signed through at least the 2021-22 season and should help Florida return to the playoffs at some point in the next few years.
- Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) is reporting that Gustav Olofsson has suffered another shoulder injury, and there is fear that it is serious. Olofsson underwent an MRI yesterday, but there has been no update from the team as of yet. The 23-year old defenseman played 41 games for the Wild last season and could have perhaps battled for a full-time spot had he not suffered the injury. Selected in the second round five years ago, Olofsson has been limited by injury throughout his professional career and will hope for good news this time around.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/18/18
NHL regular season action is just a few weeks away, and as the preseason schedule gets started teams are reducing their training camp rosters. We’ll keep track of all the cuts right here:
Buffalo Sabres (per Gene Pereira of Rogers TV)
F Matej Pekar (to Barrie, OHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Mitch Callahan (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Braden Christoffer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Luke Esposito (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Dave Gust (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Cameron Hebig (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Colin Larkin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F John McFarland (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Evan Polei (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ryan Van Stralen (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Tyler Vesel (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Logan Day (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jake Kulevich (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jared Wilson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Stuart Skinner (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Patrick Bajkov (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jayce Hawryluk (to Springfield, AHL)
D Michael Downing (to Springfield, AHL)
D Thomas Schemitsch (to Springfield, AHL)
F Blaine Byron (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Bobby Farnham (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Jake Horton (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Matt Mangene (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Harry Zolnierczyk (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Dylan MacPherson (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Linus Nassen (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
G Evan Cormier (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Serron Noel (to Oshawa, OHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F Connor Dewar (to Quebec, QMJHL)
F Ivan Lodnia (to Niagara, OHL)
G Dereck Baribeau (to Everett, WHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Tariq Hammond (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Mitch Hoelscher (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Xavier Bernard (to Drummondville, QMJHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Dawson Leedahl (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ty Ronning (to Hartford, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Hartford, AHL)
D Vince Pedrie (to Hartford, AHL)
G Brandon Halverson (to Hartford, AHL)
G Chris Nell (to Hartford, AHL)
F Nico Gross (to Oshawa, OHL)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from PTO)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
F Morgan Frost (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (to Guelph, OHL)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
G Joel Hofer (to Swift Current, WHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
D Xavier Bouchard (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Ryan Chyzowski (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Windsor, OHL)
F Raphael Harvey-Pinard (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Ben Jones (to Niagara, OHL)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to Regina, WHL)
F Alex Gallant (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Wagner (to Chicago, AHL)
F Matthew Weis (to Chicago, AHL)
Poll: Who Will Win The Calder Trophy In 2018-19?
The Athletic’s NHL Draft and prospects guru Scott Wheeler has released the first definitive list of candidates for the Calder Trophy in 2018-19, and the order may surprise some people. Admittedly, the list is in the context of fantasy hockey, but Wheeler’s rankings are true to how he thinks Calder voting will unfold if each rookie hits their stat projections. As such, it’s not this year’s first overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, at the top of the list, but presumptive top-six center for the Vancouver Canucks, Elias Pettersson. Pettersson will be put in a much better position to rack up points than will Dahlin, the next-best candidate, as potentially one of the three best scoring forwards for the Canucks and traditionally productive forwards have a better shot at the Calder than (relatively) equally productive defensemen.
Coming in at number three is Boston Bruins forward Ryan Donato, who led both the NCAA and Olympics in goals last season and will look to win a top-six role for Boston and continue to find the back of the net at an alarming rate. Playing alongside either Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk is an easy way for Donato to quickly become an elite scorer at the NHL level. The fourth-ranked candidate is second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, who – like Pettersson – will be given an immense amount of responsibility right away as a top-six winger who is arguably already one of the three most skilled forwards on the team. However, Svechnikov is one of three Hurricanes rookies on Wheeler’s list, which could take away from his case. Rounding out the top five is Dahlin’s fellow rookie in Buffalo, center Casey Mittelstadt, who scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in the college ranks and in a brief stint with the Sabres to end the year. Mittelstadt should face favorable match-ups this season with the lines anchored by Jack Eichel and Patrik Berglund drawing considerable attention from the opposition.
Wheeler’s top twenty Calder Trophy candidates are as follows:
- C Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
- D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
- RW Ryan Donato, Boston Bruins
- RW Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
- C Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo Sabres
- RW Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings
- C Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes
- C Henrik Borgstrom, Florida Panthers
- C Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes
- D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
- RW Dylan Sikura, Chicago Blackhawks
- RW Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators
- C Filip Chytil, New York Rangers
- LW Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
- LW Valentin Zykov, Carolina Hurricanes
- RW Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers
- C Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
- LW Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipeg Jets
- C Sam Steel, Anaheim Ducks
- RW Vitaly Abramov, Columbus Blue Jackets
Honorable Mentions: C Vladislav Kamenev, Colorado Avalanche; LW Jordan Greenway, Minnesota Wild; C Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues; LW Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs; C Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings; C Lias Andersson, New York Rangers; D Sami Niku, Winnipeg Jets; D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers; RW Daniel Sprong, Pittsburgh Penguins
What do you think? Who will be the NHL’s Rookie of the Year and take home the Calder Trophy at the end of the season? The favorite? The first overall pick? Another top candidate? Or a name not even mentioned here?