Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told reporters he believes forward Zach Hyman will miss 14-to-15 games to start the season after offseason knee surgery, according to TSN.
Babcock also added that he thinks Travis Dermott will miss 12-to-14 games to begin the year, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. The defenseman underwent shoulder surgery on May 10.
Hyman suffered a torn ACL in the club's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins. He played through the injury for three games. The 27-year-old was given a six-month recovery period after undergoing surgery on April 29.
Speedster Kasperi Kapanen has been practicing in Hyman's place at left wing on a line with John Tavares at center and Mitch Marner at right wing. Kapanen said he's ready to fill the workhorse void left by Hyman.
"I'll let them do all the nice things and I'll do the dirty work," Kapanen said.
Kapanen, Tavares, and Marner spent just over six minutes together at five-on-five a year ago, but the results were impressive in the short sample size. The trio outscored the opposition 3-1 and held a 12-8 shot-attempt advantage, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Kapanen, a natural right winger, will be playing out of position. The 23-year-old set career-highs with 20 goals and 24 assists a year ago.
Among all the positions in hockey, there's no question goaltenders take the longest to realize their potential. With so much uncertainty in the crease, it can be tricky to land two proven netminders come fantasy draft day.
Sometimes an increase in opportunity or a change of scenery is all a goalie needs. The following talents could be ready to take the next step in 2019-20 and deliver their best seasons yet.
Philipp Grubauer, Avalanche
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Grubauer looks to ride the momentum from last season's incredible playoff run into 2019-20. The 27-year-old proved he's capable of handling the starting role after stifling the top-seeded Calgary Flames in Round 1 and helping the Avalanche come one win shy of the Western Conference Final.
Sporting a 61-40-16 record, a 2.39 goals-against average, and a .921 save percentage for his career thus far, Grubauer has always posted quality numbers. But playing backup to star netminder Braden Holtby with the Washington Capitals denied the German netminder the opportunity to showcase his talent on a nightly basis.
Colorado looks poised to take a step forward in 2019-20, which should translate to a steady dose of wins as Grubauer projects for his largest workload yet.
Juuse Saros, Predators
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Saros enters the season after notching a career-high 17 wins in 27 starts for the Predators in 2018-19. His early-career numbers (38-24-12 record, 2.49 goals-against average, .920 save percentage, and seven shutouts in 79 NHL appearances) suggest the 24-year-old could be a starting goaltender at the NHL level - he's just been stuck playing behind 2018 Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne.
The 5-foot-11 Saros should continue to carry more weight this year with Rinne turning 37 in November. The young Finn has seen his starts increase in each of the last three campaigns, while Rinne has seen a decrease over four straight. Expect that trend to continue as more teams adopt a platoon-style system between the pipes - especially after Nashville's disappointing first-round playoff exit last season.
Semyon Varlamov, Islanders
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The Islanders were one of the league's biggest surprises last season. Head coach Barry Trotz implemented a defensive system that allowed netminders Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss to flourish, and Varlamov looks to follow suit after a subpar 2018-19 campaign in Colorado.
Trotz's club allowed the fewest goals in the league and ranked first in shutouts last year. The Islanders' strong defense core remains intact for 2019-20 and should provide Varlamov with plenty of support.
Greiss and Lehner split time between the pipes last season, and though it's likely the Islanders will run a platoon system once again, the four-year, $20-million contract Varlamov inked with the team this summer suggests he'll receive a majority of the starts.
Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets
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Merzlikins is a high-risk pick who could yield a big reward. The 25-year-old doesn't have a minute of NHL experience, but he's been projected as the Blue Jackets' goalie of the future ever since the club selected him in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft.
The 6-foot-3 netminder posted a 2.78 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in five games for Latvia at the World Championships in May. Considering his limited experience competing against NHL talent, Merzlikins held his own playing behind a relatively weak roster.
Columbus head coach John Tortorella has made it clear that Joonas Korpisalo will assume starting duties to begin the season. But, as we're reminded every year, things can change quickly in the NHL. Any number of factors can combine to create opportunity for a young netminder, and we saw two rookie goalies burst onto the scene just last season in Carter Hart and Jordan Binnington.
The Boston Bruins have re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Charlie McAvoy to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4.9 million, the team announced Sunday.
McAvoy's new contract comes in just a hair shy of Zach Werenski's three-year, $15-million deal that the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman signed Monday. Here are the full details:
McAvoy will have two more arbitration years after his new contract expires before hitting unrestricted free agency.
The 21-year-old tallied 28 points in 54 games last season while serving as half of Boston's shutdown pairing alongside veteran captain Zdeno Chara.
The Bruins now have $3.2 million left in projected cap space to sign their last RFA, defenseman Brandon Carlo, according to CapFriendly. Boston could create additional cap space by assigning players to the minors.
The NHLPA plans to use a provision in the league's collective bargaining agreement to extend the deadline for its decision on reopening the current CBA until Monday, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The provision allows the deadline, originally set for Sept. 15, to be moved to the next business day because that date lands on a Sunday.
On Aug. 30, the NHL announced its decision not to reopen the CBA, which is set to run through the 2020-21 season. The current CBA will be terminated if the players opt to reopen discussions, potentially resulting in a work stoppage in September 2020.
The NHL and NHLPA reached a deal for the current CBA in January 2013 following a prolonged dispute that shortened the 2012-13 campaign to 48 games. The league lost the entire 2004-05 season after the sides failed to come to terms on an agreement prior to that campaign.
The 23-year-old blue-liner requested a trade Friday.
Selected 14th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, Honka is a right-handed shot with elite puck-moving ability but was unable to carve out a full-time role in Dallas. He tallied just 13 points in 87 career games across three seasons, was a healthy scratch for the final 35 contests of the 2018-19 campaign, and didn't appear in the playoffs.
Montreal may be seeking more mobility and offensive upside on the back end, as Jeff Petry and Shea Weber were the team's only rearguards to top 25 points a season ago.
Friedman describes the Hurricanes' interest as dependent on "other things they are considering." The Canes have reportedly been discussing a trade with the Anaheim Ducks involving veteran defenseman Justin Faulk, but it's apparently contingent on Faulk agreeing to an extension beforehand.
If Faulk is dealt for a forward, Carolina's third defense pairing would have an opening for a right-handed shot.
