Fantasy Hockey

Veleno finished with 12 goals, 16 assists and a minus-16 rating through 80 games of the 2023-24 campaign.

Veleno established new career highs for goals and helpers, but that should be taken with a grain of salt, as this was just his fourth year in the league, including a five-game sample in the 2020-21 campaign. When Veleno was drafted in the first round (No. 30 overall) in 2018, the consensus thought among hockey pundits was that the skilled forward would rapidly evolve into a top-six skater with heavy utilization on the power play, but that hasn't materialized. Veleno took a pay cut ahead of last season and ended up with a one-year, $825,000 contract to remain with the Wings. The 24-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent after showing modest improvement this season.

Namestnikov (rest) will be available for Game 1 against Colorado on Sunday, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Namestnikov missed Thursday's season finale due to rest and will be back in his middle-six role Sunday. The veteran forward finished the regular season with 11 goals and 37 points through 78 appearances.

Scheifele (rest) will be available for Game 1 against Colorado on Sunday, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Scheifele missed Thursday's season finale due to rest rather than injury. The star center tallied 25 goals and 72 points through 74 games during the regular season. He's hit the 70-point mark five times in his NHL career, including four of the last five full seasons.

Johansen (undisclosed) doesn't believe he's medically fit to play hockey, and GM Daniel Briere doesn't expect to get the 31-year-old forward back, Jon Bailey of Philly Hockey Now reports Friday.

Johansen had 13 goals and 23 points in 63 contests with Colorado before being dealt to Philadelphia on March 6. The Flyers promptly tried to reassign him to AHL Lehigh Valley, but Johansen informed Philadelphia that he was hurt, which made him ineligible to be moved to the minors, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Instead, he spent the remainder of the campaign attempting to recover from the injury. He comes with an $8 million annual cap hit through 2024-25, but the Flyers are only responsible for half of that burden with the rest being charged to Nashville because the Predators retained salary as part of the trade to Colorado back in June. If Johansen can't play in 2024-25, then he will presumably be moved to long-term injured reserve.

Turcotte was reassigned to AHL Ontario on Friday.

Turcotte had a goal and four points in 20 regular-season contests with LA in 2023-24. He's also supplied seven goals and 25 points across 33 appearances with Ontario.

McMann (lower body) missed Friday's practice and is questionable for Game 1 versus Boston on Saturday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

McMann was absent for Toronto's final two regular-season contests due to the injury. He finished the 2023-24 campaign with 15 goals, 24 points, 52 PIM and 117 hits in 56 appearances. The 27-year-old averaged just 11:34 of ice time during the regular season and will likely see similar usage if he is an option for the postseason opener.

Fischer completed his debut campaign with the Red Wings, adding five goals, 14 assists and 138 hits through 79 games. He was neutral in the plus-minus category.

Despite a bottom-six role, Fischer has proven that he's capable of providing a decent amount of offense, but his production screeched to a halt at a time when the Red Wings were desperate in their attempts to clinch a playoff berth. Fischer was held without a point for the final 12 games, failing to provide ancillary scoring for the Original Six club that failed to qualify for the postseason. It could end up being a "one-and-done" stint for Fischer in the Motor City, as the physical winger is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Connor (rest) will suit up for Game 1 against the Avalanche on Sunday, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

As expected, Connor missed Thursday's game against the Canucks as a rest day rather than an injury. He racked up 12 points over his final eight games of the year, giving him 61 across 65 contests. The 27-year-old will be in his usual top-line role Sunday.

Grundstrom (lower body) will return from his conditioning loan with AHL Ontario and practice with LA on Saturday, John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio reports.

Grundstrom recorded a goal and an assist in two appearances with Ontario during his conditioning stint. It was his first action since Feb. 13. Grundstrom provided eight goals, 12 points and 115 hits in 50 regular-season contests with LA in 2023-24. If he's available for Game 1 against Edmonton on Monday, then the 26-year-old might serve on the fourth line.

Nylander (undisclosed) missed Friday's practice, putting his availability for Game 1 against Boston on Saturday in question, per Joshua Kloke of The Athletic.

Nylander set a new career high of 98 points and matched his personal best of 40 goals while playing in all 82 regular-season games. The Maple Leafs might experiment with having Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and William Nylander all on separate lines in an effort to spread their offense, so Nylander's absence would throw a significant wrench in that plan. If Nylander can't play in Game 1, Noah Gregor, who is otherwise projected to be a healthy scratch, might serve in a bottom-six capacity.

Fast (upper body) will not be in the lineup for Game 1 against the Islanders on Saturday, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Fast is stuck in a 24-game goal drought dating back to Feb. 13 versus the Stars. During his goal slump, the Swede notched six helpers, 23 shots and 30 hits while averaging 12:03 of ice time. Once given the all-clear, Fast should challenge Jack Drury or Stefan Noesen for a spot in the lineup.

Greer produced 12 points and 100 hits over 59 contests in 2023-24.

Greer's numbers are right in line with what he did with the Bruins in 2022-23, though he spent far less time in the sin bin with Calgary. The 27-year-old has expressed interest in re-signing with the Flames, Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun reported Friday, though it's unclear if the interest is mutual. Greer is a low-maintenance player capable of handling a fourth-line role, so Calgary or some other team should get him under contract for 2024-25.

Maatta posted four goals, 14 assists, 96 blocked shots and a team-leading plus-14 rating through 72 games this season.

Maatta didn't post the type of stat that would enthrall the masses in fantasy hockey but was efficient for a retooled Red Wings blue line that desperately needed more cohesion and consistency. The 2024-25 campaign will be a contract year for Maatta before potentially being able to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Walman finished the season with a career-high 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) to complement 42 hits and 151 blocked shots through 63 games.

Walman was bogged down by an illness in January, and a lower-body issue limited him to two games in the season's final month. But when healthy, Walman surfaced with a series of special moments. The skilled defenseman surged to a three-point performance while facing the Predators in the penultimate contest of 2023, and his penalty-shot goal in overtime against the Canucks on Feb. 11 roused the home crowd. Walman's industrious style of play makes him a good fit in Detroit, though he may be a bit too injury-prone to stay on fantasy rosters for a sustained period.

Chiarot finished with five goals, 15 assists, 163 hits and 167 blocked shots for the 2023-24 campaign.

Chiarot averaged 19:47 of ice time in his second season with the Red Wings. He's a serviceable blueliner, albeit not the type that will captivate the masses in fantasy hockey. Chiarot's power-play role was left behind in Montreal when the Habs dealt him to the Panthers in March of 2022, and the Wings have since rendered him more of a stay-at-home style of defenseman. Chiarot is halfway through a four-year, $19 million deal with the Wings, which has a modified no-trade clause baked in there as well.

Holl was a part-time player for the Red Wings in 2023-24, with five assists representing his point total through 38 games.

Expectations were high for Holl since the Wings granted him a three-year, $10.2 million contract last summer, but the right-shot defenseman wasn't utilized nearly as often as he was with the Maple Leafs for the first six years of his NHL career. In 2022-23, Holl picked up a pair of goals, 16 assists, 139 blocked shots and 151 hits in 80 games for Toronto, and he averaged 20:14 of ice time. The Wings' blue line was much more crowded in comparison this year, leaving Holl as the odd-man out in terms of opportunities.

Letang will get a second opinion to determine whether he'll need surgery to address his undisclosed injuries, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.

Although Letang was banged up down the stretch, he appeared in all 82 games for Pittsburgh during the 2023-24 season, racking up 10 goals and 51 points. Another update on the veteran blueliner's status should surface if surgery is required.

Dillon (rest) will play in Sunday's postseason tilt against Colorado, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Dillon missed Thursday's matchup with the Canucks due to rest and will be fine to assume his usual top-four role against the Avalanche. He finished the regular season with eight goals and 20 points through 77 contests.

Skarek was recalled from AHL Bridgeport on Friday, per CapFriendly.

Skarek has posted a lackluster 3.23 GAA and .888 save percentage in 36 AHL contests this year. The 24-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut.

The Jets recalled Delia on an emergency basis Friday.

Delia was sent down earlier in the morning, but he was swiftly recalled. There has been no word on whether Connor Hellebuyck or Laurent Brossoit is dealing with an injury, so stay tuned. The Jets open their first-round playoff series at home Sunday versus Colorado.

Varlamov will defend the visiting crease in Carolina on Saturday for Game 1, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Varlamov took over for Ilya Sorokin as New York's No. 1 netminder down the stretch, starting in seven of the Islanders' last 11 regular-season games. Varlamov won his last five starts, ending the season with a 14-8-4 record to go with a 2.60 GAA and a .918 save percentage, Varlamov stopped 39 shots in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Hurricanes in his lone appearance against the team this season Nov. 30.

Delia was sent down to AHL Manitoba on Friday.

Delia was recalled Thursday to back up Laurent Brossoit against Vancouver as Connor Hellebuyck got the night off to rest. Delia was 11-19-1 with an .872 save percentage in 32 AHL appearances before his recall.

Brossoit made 18 saves in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Canucks.

The 31-year-old netminder shut Vancouver down completely in the third period as Winnipeg broke open a 2-2 tie. Brossoit finishes the regular season with the best numbers of his career, going 15-5-2 with a 2.00 GAA and .927 save percentage over 23 outings to claim a share of the Jennings Trophy for the league's stingiest goaltending, but he'll head to the bench for the playoffs as Connor Hellebuyck gets ready to face the Avalanche in the first round beginning Sunday.

Fleury stopped 23 of 26 shots in Thursday's 4-3 loss to Seattle, with the Kraken's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

A 1-1 tie through two periods turned into a wild final frame, and Fleury hit the bench for the final two minutes with Minnesota down 3-2, only to see each team score once more. The 39-year-old netminder lost his final three starts of the season, leaving him with a 17-15-5 record, 2.98 GAA and .895 save percentage through 40 outings. A one-year contract extension he signed earlier this week will bring him back to Minnesota in 2024-25 as Filip Gustavsson's backup, and Fleury still has some personal milestones he can reach -- Flower needs two more shutouts to move into sole possession of 10th place on the NHL's all-time list.