Fantasy Hockey

Kesler's dealing with hip trouble and there's a chance that he could miss the entire 2018-19 campaign, Sportsnet reports.

Recall that Kesler underwent hip surgery to clear bone fragments last summer, and he missed the first 37 games before making his long-awaited season debut Dec. 27. The talented two-way center would end up with only 16 points in 48 games -- including four playoff appearances -- but it wasn't abundantly clear that Kesler's hip was still bothersome, as he also managed 79 hits and 44 blocked shots in that span while averaging 18:03 of ice time. According to this latest report, the Michigan native will undergo "aggressive rehab and treatment" in an effort to improve his condition and is not currently contemplating retirement.

Kerfoot racked up 19 goals, 24 assists, and 28 PIM in 79 games during the 2017-18 regular-season campaign.

Having fired just 81 shots on goal, the Harvard product finished the campaign with a 23.5 percent conversion rate. Kerfoot also added five goals and 17 points with the man advantage, where he centered the second line. It'll be interesting to see if the 24-year-old can advance his rate of production by shooting more next season.

Point's season-long breakout continued through the postseason. He delivered 16 points, including seven goals, in 17 games.

It was an impressive showing for the sophomore center, who delivered a 32-goal, 66-point regular season. Point's breakout this year was for real and he should be a strong pickup at your 2018 draft.

Johnson went minus-1 with three hits and two empty shots in Wednesday's Game 7 loss to the Capitals. His final stat line was comprised of one goal and four assists in the 2018 playoffs.

Tampa Bay's second-line center had a lot of trouble getting the puck on net in the conference finals, as he only registered 12 shots. For comparison's sake, Johnson averaged three shots per game through the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference circuit. Still, his tapering off in the playoffs shouldn't have an adverse effect on his fantasy value since he's signed with the Lightning -- the offensive leaders from the regular season -- through 2023-24, plus he's cemented in a power-play role.

Stamkos came up empty on two shots in the series-ending loss to the Capitals on Wednesday. Still, the captain finished the 2018 playoffs with seven goals, nine assists and 12 power-play points over 17 games.

While Stamkos produced offensively at a pace expected from an elite center, he failed to put the team on his back when it needed him the most. According to Reddit Hockey -- and as relayed from Jeff Veillette of The Faceoff Circle -- Stamkos has been held without a point in the past nine games when facing elimination, which is a rather surprising statistic concerning one of the league's top centers. Still, if there's a silver lining it's that 2008's first overall draft pick managed to stay healthy and played out the entire postseason schedule.

Lowry ended the year on a 32-game goal drought dating back to Dec. 29.

While Lowry may not be the most prolific scorer, fantasy owners were certainly hoping he'd produce closer to his 2016-17 numbers (15 goals) than his eight tallies this year. The winger's productivity was limited by the fact that he appeared in a mere 45 contests due to various injuries. If he can stay healthy during 2018-19, the St. Louis native should be capable of pushing for the 30-point threshold in a bottom-six role.

Carrier (undisclosed) was on the ice for practice Saturday wearing a non-contact jersey, Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Carrier hasn't played since the Western Conference semifinals against the Sharks and his non-contact jersey puts him on a path to absence for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. He still has a couple of days before the contest, so there's a chance he could go should he shed the jersey Sunday, but there's nothing at this point suggesting that will be the case. Even when healthy, the 23-year-old doesn't provide much from a fantasy standpoint, notching just three points over 37 games during the regular season. He does, however, provide a physical presence, levying 52 hits during the nine playoff games he's appeared in.

Smith-Pelly (neck) said he'll play Monday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Golden Knights, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Smith-Pelly's evidently none the worse for wear after taking a shot to the back of his neck in the first period of Wednesday's Game 7 triumph over the Lightning. While it's conceivable that the bottom-six winger could've returned for that game, he didn't because the Capitals had a three-goal cushion when he departed. Smith-Pelley has accrued four goals and an assist over 19 games in these playoffs.

Smith-Pelley (undisclosed) returned to practice Saturday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

This information was disclosed at the onset of the practice session, so it'll be interesting to see how Smith-Pelley holds up. The Capitals will take on the Golden Knights for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday.

Hartnell, a pending unrestricted free agent, is keeping an open mind about the possibility of playing again in 2018-19, Sportsnet reports.

Hartnell won't be retained by the Predators and retirement could be on the horizon unless another team scoops him up in free agency. "Me and my wife have talked about it," said Hartnell. "Our son isn't in school. If there's a team that's the right fit for all of us, we are 100 percent going." A gritty veteran with a scorer's touch, Hartnell has amassed 327 goals and 380 assists over 1,249 career regular-season contests between the Predators, Flyers and Blue Jackets. If he does latch on with another club, it would presumably be a one- or two-year deal.

Wilson recorded six goals and 18 points in 56 games during the regular season.

Wilson missed time on five separate occasions due to a variety of injuries, but it was still his worst points-per-game (0.321) output in a season since entering the league. The 28-year-old winger also averaged a career-low 13:08 of ice time. Wilson will want to turn it around in 2018-19, as he'll be an unrestricted free agent after that campaign.

Landeskog compiled 25 goals, 37 helpers and a plus-16 rating in 78 games of the 2017-18 campaign.

This was a huge bounce back for Landeskog, who posted just 33 points the previous season. The 25-year-old winger found a home on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon, and he also worked on the power play, notching 17 points in that spot. That top line was crucial in securing a playoff spot after spending the last three seasons in the gutter.

Tanev (knee) is likely to be retained by the Canucks, Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet reports.

"We are not looking to move Chris Tanev," said Canucks GM Jim Benning. The 28-year-old defenseman has been with the team for the first eight years of his career, so there's obviously a sense of loyalty between the two sides. Tanev's 2017-18 campaign was cut short by his knee injury, but he was impressive in limited action, having accumulated 11 points, 21 hits and 70 blocked shots to complement a plus-7 rating through 42 games. Vancouver should be able to keep him until his contract expires following the 2019-20 season.

Loov agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Helsinki Jokerit of the KHL on Friday.

Loov was brought over by the Wild from the Devils in exchange for a pair of forwards in order to bolster Minnesota's blue-line depth. While the 25-year-old did earn a couple of call-ups, he was never able to crack the lineup. Instead, the Swede played 60 games in the minors this year -- split between Iowa and Binghamton -- tallying five goals and 19 assists. Without an NHL contract in hand, the 2012 seventh-round pick will look to revitalize his career in the KHL.

Morin is expected to be sidelined until February after it was revealed Wednesday that he suffered a torn ACL, The Courier-Post reports.

Morin was forced to wait more than two weeks to undergo surgery due to some irritation in the knee, but he's finally expected to undergo the procedure this week. The 2013 first-round pick has played reasonably well in the AHL the past few seasons and posted his best -- albeit injury-shortened -- effort in 2017-2018 with seven points (one goal, six assists) and a plus-4 rating. The issue will derail any chance he has at making the Opening Night roster next season, but he could eventually earn a promotion if his health permits late in the campaign.

Suter is still unable to put any weight on his surgically-repaired right ankle, The Pioneer Press reports.

It's been a month and a half since Suter went under the knife to repair his broken ankle, and he's reportedly been relying on crutches to get around. A veteran who's been known to log huge minutes on the blue line, Suter logged 51 points (six goals, 45 assists) to complement one goal and 22 helpers on the power play over 78 regular-season games this past season, though he missed the entire first-round playoff series against the Jets. His injury may not be career-threatening as it was initially believed, but this report indicates that Suter is "still a few weeks away" from putting weight on the ankle.

Shattenkirk (knee) remains on schedule in his rehab and he'll resume skating in approximately one month, Brian Compton of NHL.com reports.

The New York native last played Jan. 18 -- missing the final 36 games -- but there's been nothing to suggest that the star defenseman will get off to a late start in training camp. Shattenkirk recorded 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) over 46 contests as part of his debut season in The Big Apple, and with any luck in the health department, he could revert to being one of the premier fantasy options at the blue-line position.

Myers logged a full 82-game campaign for the first time in his career.

After missing nearly all of the 2016-17 season, Myers was one of five Jets players to see action in every game this year. As a result, the defenseman registered his highest point total (36) since 2010-11 with Buffalo. Perhaps the biggest reason for the Houston native's increased production was his role with the man advantage, where he averaged 2:04 of ice time and tallied three goals and 14 helpers. If he can hold onto his spot on the power play, the 27-year-old could rack up another 30-plus point campaign in 2018-19.

Subban (undisclosed) missed practice Saturday, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.

Maxime Lagace was slotted behind Marc-Andre Fleury in this latest session, two days before the Golden Knights are to play host to the Capitals for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The expansion club based in Vegas will certainly hope that it won't have to rely on Subban or Lagace in the Cup finals -- that's not a knock on either tender, but it would mean that something went awry with Flower, who's won 12 of 15 games in these playoffs to complement an immaculate .947 save percentage. Subban, on the other hand, hasn't even seen game action since April 7.

Holtby was in the starter's net during Saturday's practice, Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports Washington reports. The celebrated backstop is preparing for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Golden Knights in Vegas on Monday.

This comes as no surprise, as Holtby has been rock solid for the Capitals after spelling Phillip Grubauer in the first round against Columbus. The 28-year-old sports a 2.04 GAA and .924 save percentage behind a 12-6-0 record in the postseason and will look to continue that trend against the upstart Golden Knights.

Hellebuyck is expected to earn a long-term contract from the Jets, Sportsnet reports.

No surprise here. Hellebuyck is a finalist for the 2018 Vezina Trophy following a breakout campaign comprised of a 44-11-9 record, 2.36 GAA and .924 save percentage from the regular season. The American netminder guided the Jets all the way to the conference finals, though he ran into trouble against a Golden Knights club playing out a fairytale narrative in its inaugural campaign. Hellebuyck inked a one-year, $2.25 million contract to stay in Winnipeg last summer, but it's safe to say he'll command a serious pay raise upon agreeing to his next deal.

Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of the 22 shots he faced Wednesday, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to keep his team's season alive, as it took a 4-0 loss to Washington in Game 7.

Vasilevskiy didn't get off to a great start on Alex Ovechkin's early goal, and the Lightning defense didn't help by allowing Andre Burakovsky two great looks at the net. Tampa Bay made the mistakes a team can't make in a Game 7, and Vasilevskiy and his owners paid the price. The netminder was solid in Games 3, 4 and 5 to get his team back in the series, but Game 7 more closely resembled the struggles of the first two games in this series, a tough way for him to end what was a quality season for himself and his owners.

Holtby stopped all 29 shots Wednesday, helping his team reach the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay.

Holtby now hasn't allowed a goal since 33 seconds into the second period of Game 5, and if he and the defense can keep this up, even Vegas' powerful offense will be hard-pressed to find twine.

Fleury (undisclosed) is not dealing with an injury, despite skipping Wednesday's practice session, per Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Initial reports following Sunday's Game 5 clincher suggested Fleury may have been dealing with an injury; however, it appears the netminder is ready to go and is getting some much needed time off. At this point in the season, nearly every player is dealing with some sort of aches and pains, so it shouldn't come as a surprise the 32-year-old is resting up ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flower is 12-3 with a 1.68 GAA in the postseason and seems dialed in on his way to lifting Lord Stanley's chalice for a third consecutive time.