Fantasy Hockey

Rooney inked a two-year contract with New Jersey on Monday.

While Rooney's deal starts as a two-way this season, it transitions to a one-way for the 2019-20 campaign. If he were spend the entire length of the pact in the NHL, it would pay the center $1.4 million, although fantasy owners should probably expect him to spend some time in the minors this year.

Danault has introduced a Pilates training regimen in an ongoing effort to strengthen his core and preserve a healthy mind.

It appears that the Quebec native is doing what he can to be the best version of himself in 2018-19. Danault broke out offensively in 2016-17 when he uncorked 13 goals, 27 assists and a plus-5 rating over a full season, but he dealt with a nasty concussion and related neck trouble in the most recent campaign, finishing with 15 fewer points over 52 contests. The Habs believe in him based on his three-year, $9.25 million contract renewal; he should glean plenty of confidence from that deal and all of the positives that come from taking better care of his body. A huge season could be on the horizon for Danault.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland is unsure of Zetterberg's (back) health status, adding that more will be known in September, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

The Original Six club is reportedly $1 million over the salary cap with Dylan Larkin re-signed for five years at $6.1 million annually. Placing Zetterberg on long-term injured reserve to start the season would be an obvious way to save cap space against the upper limit, but training camp won't start for another month and everyone vested in Detroit's plans for the upcoming season will want to hear more from Big Z himself before hitting the panic button. There very well could be validity in these rumors or it could end up being an overblown concern; time will tell.

Larkin signed a five-year contract extension with the Red Wings on Friday. Craig Custance of The Athletic Detroit reports the deal is valued at $6.1 million annually.

There was never any doubt that Larkin would re-up with his hometown team, as the speedster is expected to inherit the captaincy from Henrik Zetterberg (back) once the Wings legend hangs up his skates for good. Larkin has posted 140 points (56 goals, 84 assists) over 242 career contests at the highest level. He should have no problem once again unleashing 200-plus shots over a full season, lining up down the middle with a newfound sense of how to best harness his speed to the benefit of his linemates.

Dvorak inked a six-year, $26.7 million contract extension with Arizona on Thursday.

Dvorak was entering the final year of his entry-level deal, but has landed an extension that will avoid restricted free agency next offseason. The 22-year-old's young career includes a pair of back-to-back 30-plus point campaigns, in which he has hit the 15-goal mark in both years. If the Illinois native continues to progress, he should be capable of hitting both the 20-goal and 40-point thresholds.

Drouin is preparing to line up at center this season, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette reports.

Drouin had his struggles as a center, particularly on faceoffs, but he finished the season strong, which buoys his confidence heading into the 2018-19 season. "The last 25, 30 games, I was having fun playing center," Drouin said. "I was enjoying it. I was winning more faceoffs and that's important because if you win the faceoff, you have the puck and it's easier to play." The 23-year-old forward will center one of the top two lines and be a staple on the team's top power-play unit.

Crescenzi inked a contract with HC Bolzano (EBEL) on Thursday.

Crescenzi will be making his first foray into European hockey, having played exclusively in North America. Last year, the center earned two games with the Kings, in which he averaged a mere 7:52 of ice time. With no NHL deal forthcoming, the 26-year-old will look to continue his professional career abroad.

Aston-Reese (jaw) has made a full recovery and is good to go for training camp, Adam Kimelman of NHL.com reports.

Aston-Reese suffered both a concussion and a broken jaw during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second-round series against the Capitals. He's since had multiple months off to rest and make a full recovery, and is now back on the ice participating in full drills. The 24-year-old participated in just 16 games during the 2017-18 campaign, but is hoping to have a strong training camp in order to earn a full-time role with the Penguins for the upcoming season.

Boeser (back) has been cleared by doctors and is playing in a summer league in Minnesota, NHL.com reports. He will be ready to roll when training camp begins.

Coming off a rookie campaign that earned him runner-up honors for the Calder Trophy, Boeser should be full-go when training camp commences. However, it's worth pointing out that the Sedin brothers, with whom he played last season, retired following 2017-18, so Boeser will be playing alongside two new linemates this season.

Tarasenko (shoulder) skated during a voluntary practice with the Blues on Monday, Michael Blinn of Sports Illustrated reports.

Although he's not cleared for contact yet, Tarasenko was able to shoot less than four months after reconstructive surgery for his dislocated shoulder. The regular season is still two months away and the Russian winger still needs to absorb contact before he's put into the game, but being able to shoot already is a huge step in the right direction. Tarasenko is coming off a "down year" with just 33 goals and 66 points, but the additions of Ryan O'Reilly, Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak should catalyze a bounce-back year, as the Blues will have three full lines with offensive threats.

Smith was awarded a one-year, $720,000 contract in arbitration Friday, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.

Smith's one-year contract is also a one-way deal, which means he could be with the big club for most of the 2018-19 campaign. Nonetheless, the 2012 fourth-round pick is a fourth-line grinder without much offensive upside, so there's no reason for fantasy owners to have him on their radar.

Brouwer was officially bought out by the Flames on Friday.

Having cleared unconditional waivers, Brouwer now finds himself a free agent after the final two years of his contract were bought out. A $4.5 million cap hit would have been tough for most teams to take on, so if he does sign with an NHL club, it will likely be for a significantly reduced salary. The 32-year-old could instead opt for retirement or head overseas if no NHL deal materializes.

Werenski (shoulder) is hoping to be ready for the Blue Jackets' Opening Night clash with Detroit on Oct. 4, NHL.com reports.

Werenski seems motivated to get healthy, telling NHL.com, "My goal, ultimately, is to be there for Game 1." However, he did also leave open the possibility he might not reach his goal, "If it's later, like five or game 10, whenever that is, I'm going to work to miss as few games as possible." Even if the defender is sidelined for a bit, he remains a top-end defensive option and should challenge for the 40-point threshold.

Sekera underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn Achilles tendon. While the operation was deemed successful, he will be out indefinitely.

This is awful news for Sekera and the Oilers, especially since the defenseman was limited to 36 games last season. In fact, a torn ACL that he sustained in the 2017 playoffs pushed his 2017-18 season debut back to Dec. 21 and the Czech skater also missed time with a facial injury last year. Kevin Gravel -- who signed a two-year deal with the Oilers on July 1 -- could be asked to fill the void by spending most of his time at the top level in the coming season. Prospect Evan Bouchard could be in the mix as well.

Ellis signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension with the Predators on Tuesday, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean reports.

Ellis has been a consistent two-way presence for the Preds ever since he emerged as a full-timer in the 2013-14 campaign. The team's 11th overall selection from the 2009 draft accumulated 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) over 44 regular-season games to complement an immaculate plus-26 rating last year. As the type of player who will do anything for his team, Ellis has also accrued 302 hits and 558 blocked shots over 396 career contests. Factor in how the Predators have been a playoff team in four straight years and you're looking at a legit No. 1 fantasy option from the blue line.

Santini agreed to terms on a three-year, $4.25 million contract with New Jersey on Tuesday.

The most significant aspect of Santini's deal is that it is one-way in nature, which means he can't be easily sent down to the minors. Having played less than 40 games in each of the previous two seasons, the blueliner is poised to set a career high for games played, which could propel him to new bests in goals or assists.

Ellis' camp is actively involved in contract negotiations with the Predators regarding an extension, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Predators GM David Poile added, "Ryan just got married, so we'd like to give him a gift." Ellis' presence in Nashville over the past seven years has been a present for the Western Conference club. The industrious two-way rearguard has accumulated 55 goals, 118 assists and a plus-76 rating to complement heavy defensive totals -- including a plus-76 rating, 302 hits and 558 blocked shots -- over 396 career NHL contests. An alternate captain, Ellis will certainly command a big payday after securing $2.5 million AAV over a five-year deal that he procured in October of 2014.

Suter (ankle) is confident he'll be ready for training camp, The Athletic's Michael Russo reports.

Suter suffered a fractured ankle March 31 against the Stars, an injury which kept him sidelined for the final week of the regular season as well as the entirety of the Wild's first-round series against Winnipeg, but his latest CT scan reportedly "looked good," which is why the 33-year-old blueliner is still confident he'll be a full participant in training camp. That's great news for Suter and fantasy owners alike, as it suggests he'll have plenty of time to get back to full strength ahead of the regular-season opener Oct. 4 against the Avalanche. The 2003 first-round pick was highly productive in 2017-18, potting six goals while tying his career high of 51 points in 78 games, and he will remain a top option at his position this season.

Gibson signed an eight-year contract extension with the Ducks on Saturday. According to CapFriendly, the deal is worth $51.2 million.

Gibson recorded a career-high 31 wins over 60 games last season to complement a robust .926 save percentage and four shutouts. The American backstop will nearly triple his annual salary compared to the terms of his last contract, though the new deal won't kick in until 2019-20. He's ranked only a small step below the elite crop of NHL goaltenders in most fantasy setups.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville strongly believes Crawford (upper body) will be good to go for both training camp and the start of the season, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

It's important to note that Scott Powers of The Athletic Chicago -- another reputable source familiar with Crawford's situation -- had a gloomier update on Chicago's top netminder Friday, relaying that the 33-year-old isn't sure if he'll be back to 100 percent for training camp. While the mixed signals make it tough to seize up Crawford's fantasy value ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, there's still plenty of offseason remaining to ultimately get a better read on this situation. Either way, the Blackhawks signed veteran Cam Ward to a one-year, $3 million deal and the team should be able to lean on him until Crawford is fully prepared to handle a significant workload.

Forsberg is expected to be waived by the Blackhawks, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Despite concerns about Corey Crawford's health -- he's been dealing with an upper-body injury -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is optimistic that the team's top goalie will be ready for training camp, and the bench boss reportedly has no plans to staff three goalies on the active roster. With veteran goalie Cam Ward in tow having signed a one-year, $3 million deal, Forsberg should be the odd-man out. The Swede posted a 10-16-4 record, 2.97 GAA and .908 save percentage over 35 games last season. His campaign had been cut short by an undisclosed issue, but there's been nothing to suggest that he's still limited in that regard.

Crawford (upper body) isn't sure if he'll be back to 100 percent in time for training camp, Scott Powers of The Athletic Chicago reports.

Crawford also told reporters he's "been coming along" Friday, but he's evidently not ready to commit to the idea that he'll be ready to rock once training camp opens in September. Nonetheless, it's encouraging to hear Crawford speak to the media about his condition at all, as this is the first time he's made a public statement about his health since suffering his upper-body injury in late December. The Blackhawks brought in veteran netminder Cam Ward on a one-year, $3 million contract this offseason, which means Crawford will likely have a lighter workload than his usual 55-plus games in 2018-19, but he'll still be a desirable option in all fantasy formats if he's able to stay healthy.

Jarry agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Penguins on Thursday.

Jarry's new contract is a two-way deal in 2018-19 and a one-way deal in 2019-20, which suggests the Penguins expect him to be with the big club full time following the upcoming campaign. The 23-year-old netminder, who compiled a 14-6-2 record while posting a 2.77 GAA and .908 save percentage in 26 appearances with Pittsburgh last season, will battle Casey DeSmith for the Penguins' backup role in training camp.

Price is expected to make anywhere from 50-to-60 appearances in goal during the upcoming season, Le Journal de Montreal reports.

Habs goalie coach Stephane Waite was the one who came up with that games-played figure in the report by the French news source. It's a bit surprising that there hasn't been much offseason talk about Price after he turned in the worst campaign of his career in 2017-18. The world-class netminder mercifully finished that season with a 16-26-7 record, 3.11 GAA and .900 save percentage, but it sounds like he's quite motivated to put those struggles behind him. "I talk to him often during the summer and I like his tone of voice," Waite said. "I like to feel that he can not wait to come back. He is fit and his training is going very well."