Fantasy Hockey

Bergeron is bouncing back from groin surgery that he underwent earlier this June, NHL.com's Dave Stubbs reports.

Per the report, Bergeron experienced some issues related to a groin injury he dealt with this past season once he began his offseason training. The veteran center expects to be ready for the start of training camp in September, so there's nothing to suggest that Bergeron's procedure will affect his regular-season status. Bergeron, who finished third in voting for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best defensive forward, is coming off a strong 2017-18 campaign in which he notched 30 goals and 63 points in 64 games, while centering one of the league's top lines, flanked by Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. The 32-year-old is under contract with the Bruins through the 2021-22 season, at an annual cap hit of $6,875,000.

Kopitar earned the second Selke trophy of his NHL career for the 2017-18 season, awarded to the best defensive forward, Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times reports.

While the winner of this category doesn't necessarily require a big offensive output, past winners have generally provided a fair amount. Kopitar first took home the honor two seasons ago, when he totaled 74 points and a plus-34 rating. While his rating wasn't quite as good (plus-21) this time around, the veteran notched a career-best 92 points -- 35 goals and 57 assists -- en route to the award. Kopitar remains under wraps in Los Angeles through the 2023-24 campaign and should be in a good position to challenge for the award again next season.

Barzal won the Calder Trophy on Wednesday, awarded to the top rookie, Bob McKenzie of TSN reports.

Barzal reportedly dominated the ballot boxes, garnering 160 of the 164 first-place votes. The 21-year-old forward totaled an impressive 85 points -- 22 goals and 63 assists -- over 82 games during 2017-18, the only rookie to top a point per game this season. With John Tavares in talks to rejoin the fold next year, Barzal should have the talent surrounding him to avoid a sophomore slump.

Boucher signed a one-year, two-way contract to remain in Vancouver on Tuesday.

The Canucks have decided to bring back the leading scorer of AHL Utica, who tallied 46 points (25 goals, 21 assists) in 45 games this past season. In 2018, Boucher was reassigned to the AHL affiliate after breaking his hand on a blocked shot with three games remaining in the season. Throughout his 20 games with Vancouver, Boucher had three goals and two assists-- including a power-play goal and a power-play assist. The departure of the Sedin twins leaves a void on the team's power play, and an opportunity for the 24-year-old two compete for a role in the offense. Unfortunately, Boucher was also minus-12 in those 20 games, and his defensive play will need to improve in order to see an expanded role.

Broadhurst penned a one-year, two-way contract extension with Columbus on Monday.

Broadhurst -- who made his NHL debut during the 2017-18 campaign -- logged 66 games for AHL Cleveland in which he racked up 19 goals (a career high) and 22 helpers. What the organization decides to do with unrestricted free agent Mark Letestu will likely determine how big of a role the 24-year-old Broadhurst plays this season.

Spezza will not be subjected to a contract buyout from the Stars, Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports.

The Stars could save $2.5 million dollars over a two-year span by purchasing Spezza's contract, but GM Jim Nill apparently is not interesting in going that route. This is a nice consolation prize for the heady veteran after he experienced a 24-point drop last season and wound up with only eight goals and 18 assists over 78 games. Still, Spezza will probably need to make his way back into the top-six group to regain prominence in most fantasy setups -- even though it looks like he'll always be an option on the power play.

Hall has been voted the Hart Trophy recipient, awarded for the NHL's Most Valuable Player, for the 2017-18 season, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Hall had never sniffed the finalists of this award int he past, previously topping out at 80 points during the 2013-14 season. Although he only finished sixth overall in points, the voters deemed him the most worthy candidate in a slight edge over Nathan MacKinnon. The star forward, still just 26 despite having eight NHL seasons under his belt, will return to New Jersey next season as the franchise takes aim at its first playoff series victory since the Devils lost in the Stanley Cup Finals during the 2011-12 season.

Watson was arrested for domestic assault Saturday evening, and the Predators forward has a corresponding court date set for June 28, the Tennessean reports.

The Predators released the following statement Wednesday regarding Watson, who is reportedly free on a $4,500 bond: "We are aware of the incident involving Austin Watson on Saturday night. We are still gathering facts and it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time, but this is a matter that we are taking very seriously and will cooperate fully with the investigation by law enforcement. The Nashville Predators have and will continue to stand side by side with AMEND (sic) in the fight to end violence against women."

Frk isn't expected to receive a qualifying offer from the Red Wings, which would make him an unrestricted free agent July 1, MLive.com reports.

The deadline for the Red Wings to offer a one-year, $715,000 offer to retain their right to match any contract Frik is offered is Monday. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said the club hasn't made a decision yet. Frk compiled 11 goals, 25 points -- nine on the power play -- and 77 hits while averaging just 10:17 of ice time through 68 games. The timing of this report is intruiging as well, as the Red Wings may be signaling to other teams that they'll hear trade offers for Frk at the 2018 NHL Draft that starts Friday.

Panarin (knee) told the Blue Jackets he isn't ready to talk about a contract extension at this time, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Panarin has one year remaining on a two-year contract worth $12 million, and it appears he'll look to obtain his full market value next summer as an unrestricted free agent for the first time of his career. The 26-year-old posted at least 74 points in each of his first three seasons, so his next deal will be top dollar. Predictably, the Blue Jackets don't want to let Panarin walk after the 2018-19 season without a return, so they will test the trade market, which could keep the spotlight on him during the 2018 NHL Draft.

Boeser (wrist/back) said his rehab is on schedule and he will play in Minnesota's summer league in July, Jeff Paterson of TSN 1040 Vancouver reports.

Boeser was on track for training camp already, but seeing that he'll be skating at full speed even sooner is a major plus in his rehab. The Minnesota native racked up 29 goals and 55 points through 62 games and was the favorite to win the Calder Trophy -- awarded to the league's top rookie -- before being shut down due to a back injury. Fans should be eager to see what the 21-year-old can accomplish in a full NHL season.

The Sharks traded Hoffman and a 2018 seventh-round draft pick to the Panthers on Tuesday in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round pick as well as 2018 fourth- and fifth-round selections.

Hoffman was only a member of the Sharks for a few hours, as GM Doug Wilson had acquired him in a trade involving a total of four players and two 2020 draft picks early Tuesday morning. Florida failed to stand out in the Atlantic Division this past season, but adding Hoffman should boost the Panthers power play, and it gives the team another proven playmaker to bolster the top-six group. Hoffman, who has accumulated 230 points (107 goals, 123 assists) over 342 career games -- all with Ottawa -- will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season.

Kulikov underwent back surgery shortly after the Western Conference finals and is expected to be ready for training camp, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports.

Kulikov was limited to 62 games due to his back injury in 2017-18, so the Jets will hope the surgery he underwent in May will help him enjoy a far healthier campaign in 2018-19. The 27-year-old blueliner will remain a solid third-pairing option for Winnipeg next season, but his lack of offensive upside will keep him off the radar in most fantasy formats.

Hedman picked up the James Norris Trophy, awarded to the top all-around defenseman, on Wednesday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Hedman's 2017-18 certainly demonstrated his value along the blue line, totaling 63 points -- 17 goals and 46 assists -- falling single-digit points short of his career-best 72-point mark from a season ago. However, Hedman's biggest statistical improvement came in the rating department. The 27-year-old blueliner posted a career-best plus-32 rating this season to take home the hardware, and he should be in line to compete with his output again next season as part of a potent Tampa Bay club.

Carrick re-signed with Toronto on Wednesday, inking a one-year, $1.3 million dollar contract.

The right-shot depth defenseman had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) throughout 47 games in 2017-18, and he was a healthy scratch for the playoff series against Boston. While a significant role is certainly not guaranteed in 2018-19, one could arise if Toronto doesn't re-sign veteran blueliner Roman Polak. Given that the Leafs decided to pay Carrick over $400,000 more than his qualifying offer, it appears they envision he'll at least match or improve upon his recent production.

Tanev is on the trade block in Vancouver, Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It's no surprise the Canucks wish to move Tanev's contract, which will pay him $4.45 million for each of the next two seasons. Tanev hasn't lived up to the expectations those numbers dictate, as he hasn't posted over 20 points in any of the first three seasons of this contract. The Canucks are $22.2 million below the salary cap, but the departure of Tanev's contract would allow them to make multiple offers to high-end players to replace the Sedin twins by complementing young studs Brock Boeser and Bo Harvat

Benning agreed to terms with the Oilers on a two-year contract extension Tuesday.

Benning is not a flashy defenseman, but Edmonton ranked 27th in goals allowed at 2.8 per game last season, and Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli knew he could ill-afford to lose a guy like Benning, who is physical and plays a sound two-way game. Last season, the Alberta native put up six goals, 15 assists, 149 hits and 82 blocked shots over 73 contests.

Grzelcyk signed a two-year deal with the Bruins worth $1.4 million per year Friday.

Grzelcyk enjoyed a nice rookie season wherein he tallied 15 points in 61 games. The 24-year-old averaged 16:44 per contest in ice time, and saw 1:07 per game on the power play. With Zdeno Chara getting up there in years, Grzelcyk could be in for a bigger role next season.

Rinne took home the Vezina Trophy awarded to the NHL's top goaltender, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Rinne has finally taken home the Vezina after three failed attempts prior. Those three close calls included a couple of bridesmaids and a third-place finish. Rinne compiled a 2.31 GAA and a .927 save percentage during the 2017-18 season, posting a league-best eight shutouts en route to a 42-13-4 record. He didn't fare quite as well in the playoffs, amassing just a 3.07 GAA and a .904 save percentage during the run and 3.49 and .900 marks during the seven-game series loss to the Jets in the second round. The veteran netminder doesn't have a contract heading into the offseason, so it's possible he could don another uniform if the postseason showing convinced the Predators' brass that it's time to give 23-year-old Juuse Saros the reins between the pipes.

Pickard signed a one-year, $800,000 contract extension with the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Pickard figures to remain with AHL Toronto next season, where he posted a .918 save percentage -- only slightly better than his cumulative rate (.913) through 87 career NHL games. It will be nearly impossible for him to supplant Leafs starter Frederik Andersen, while backup Curtis McElhinney -- who posted an 11-5-1 record and .934 save percentage in 18 NHL contests -- is still on the books for another year. AHL Toronto's starting goaltender Garret Sparks, who was awarded the Aldege "Baz" Bastian Memorial Award for the AHL's most outstanding goaltender, could also give Pickard a run for his money, making him a player to avoid unless proven otherwise.

Bachman signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Canucks on Wednesday.

Bachman is nothing more than an organizational depth option at this stage in his career, so he'll almost certainly spend the majority of the next two campaigns with Vancouver's AHL affiliate, where he compiled a 13-13-0 record while posting a 2.98 GAA and .902 save percentage in 31 appearances last season.

Copley could be in line for a full-time NHL role with the Capitals in 2018-19, JJ Reagan of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Reagan's speculation stems from the emerging consensus that the Capitals will move current backup Phillip Grubauer at some point this offseason to clear salary cap room following Braden Holtby's commanding performance in the crease during Washington's Stanley Cup run this spring. Copley certainly has enough experience to fill a vacancy for the backup goaltender spot behind Holtby, but he had a sub-par 2017-18, posting a 2.91 GAA and .896 save percentage in 41 games with AHL Hershey, and there is the outside possibility that top prospect Ilya Samsonov could play well enough during the preseason to make the Capitals roster ahead of Copley (though given the Capitals' preference to take their time with Samsonov's development, this seems unlikely). With so many moving parts, it's difficult to say what 2018-19 has in store for the 26-year-old Copley, so prospective fantasy owners should monitor the situation as the offseason unfolds.

Grubauer has been placed on the trading block by the Capitals, The Washington Post reports.

Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said Wednesday that he's open to trading Grubauer. "It is just a personal thing for Gruby," MacLellan said. "I would love to have Gruby back. We've got two really good goaltenders. I just think he is at the point where he wants his own team and he wants to be the guy that is running the show for his own team and I respect that." The German netminder has been one of the most valuable backups in fantasy hockey the past two seasons, as he's compiled a 28-16-5 record (six shutouts) along with a 2.19 GAA and .924 save percentage over that span. Grubauer even overtook Braden Holtby as the No. 1 goalie at the onset of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Holtby reclaimed the job by Game 3 against the Blue Jackets due to the former yielding eight goals over those first two games.

Budaj was dealt to Los Angeles on Wednesday in exchange for center Andy Andreoff.

Budaj wasn't going to get a real chance in Tampa at age 36, so this gives him a chance to get back on the ice as a backup in Los Angeles, where he was a strong option in 2016-17. However, with Jack Campbell sitting behind Jonathan Quick, Budaj will have to earn the No. 2 job to get the chance to post solid numbers again. Budaj is likely no better than a spot starter at this point in his career, and goalies of his caliber will almost always be available to fantasy owners on the waiver wire.