Fantasy Hockey

Monahan (wrist) believes he's 100 percent healthy and recovered from offseason surgeries, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Monahan underwent wrist, groin and two hernia surgeries in April, but his recovery from those numerous procedures has evidently gone swimmingly, as he's already declaring himself fully healthy one month ahead of training camp. The 23-year-old pivot, who racked up 31 goals and 64 points in 74 games last season, could offer fantasy owners fantastic value in the middle rounds of drafts this year.

Zetterberg's (back) health remains a serious concern for the Red Wings ahead of training camp, The Detroit News reports.

Numerous reports have trickled in over the summer speculating that Zetterberg could possibly be lost for the season, and the latest news is anything but positive. "He's had a hard summer and I don't think his back is reacting great," head coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday. "Certainly we'll know more in a month (at training camp), but as of today, there's a lot of doubt as to whether his back will be healthy enough to play." If Zetterberg doesn't play, then 22-year Dylan Larkin -- who signed a five-year, $30 million extension earlier this month -- would open the season as the top-line center.

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.

Gaborik (back) could be placed on long-term injured reserve to open the 2018-19 season, Sporting News reports.

The veteran winger went under the knife in April to repair a herniated disc in his back. There hasn't been any new information on Gaborik since the operation, but that's actually an ominous sign as it implies that he's still rehabbing the injury and not making any obvious strides in his recovery. Placing the 37-year-old on LTIR would be a prudent move for the Senators considering it would free up salary-cap space against the upper limit, though it would further decimate what little fantasy value Gaborik even has left.

Bjork (shoulder) will participate in the Stars and Stripes Showdown on Aug. 26 to honor the late Jim Johannson, who had been an executive for Team USA Hockey, The Hockey Writers reports.

A report from May suggested that Bjork would be ready for training camp, and his expected inclusion in a charity game more than two months later provides even more evidence that he's now healthy. The Wisconsin native registered 12 points (four goals, eight assists) over 30 games at the top level last season, but his fantasy prospects figure to remain minimal so long as he continues to ride the shuttle between Boston and AHL Providence. Bjork is on a two-way deal through the 2019-20 season, so he'll presumably need an incredible showing in training camp to avoid such a fate.

Kase signed a three-year, $7.8 million contract with the Ducks on Wednesday.

Kase enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2017-18, setting career highs in goals (20), assists (18) and shots on goal (146) in 66 appearances. The 22-year-old winger should only continue to improve during his junior campaign in 2018-19, and could threaten the 50-point mark if he's able to stay healthy, making him a solid bench option in most fantasy formats.

Callahan (shoulder) participated in an informal workout on the ice Wednesday.

This was a voluntary workout for the Lightning regulars, but Callahan reportedly returned to the ice one day after showing up for an off-ice session. Considering the bottom-six winger underwent surgery as recently as May 31, this latest development should be viewed as a remarkable milestone in his recovery. While he still could be held out until the beginning of November, Callahan sounds pleased with his progress. "It's good to get back on the ice," he said. "Shoulder felt good. Everything that I did out there - obviously no shooting yet - doing some stickhandling, working on the skating, everything went well."

Bouma inked a one-year deal with Geneve-Servette (NLA) on Wednesday.

Bouma spent the end of the 2017-18 campaign with AHL Rockford after going unclaimed off waivers. Considering no NHL team was willing to take a look at him in February, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see him bound for Europe. If the winger is unable to earn his was back to the NHL, he will finish his career with 30 goals and 46 assists in 357 outings.

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.

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.

Schneider has been dealing with his hip injury since 2016-17, NJ.com reports.

Schneider continues to recover from hip surgery that was performed in May, but it's now been revealed that he's been struggling with this injury since the 2016-17 season. With the Devils, his save percentage had never been lower than .921, and that dropped to .908 and .907, respectively, during his two most recent campaigns. Meanwhile, his worst GAA went from 2.26 to 2.82 and 2.93 marks. New Jersey needs him at his best, so don't expect him to be rushed back. He could miss all of training camp and the start of the season, giving Keith Kinkaid the reins in net.

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.