Mikhail Sergachev Has Multi-Point Night in Win

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev tallied three assists in the team's 5-2 victory over their inner-state rival the Florida Panthers. Last year's league MVP Nikita Kucherov also tallied two points, scoring a goal and an assist. Kevin Shattenkirk, Ondrej Palat, Pat Maroon and Erik Cernak rounded out the scoring for the Lightning. Sergachev will […]

Dougie Hamilton Tallies Two Assists and Shootout Winner

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton led the team with two assists and the lone goal in the shootout to open the season against the Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes survived three unanswered goals by the Canadiens to come away with the 4-3 shootout victory. Lucas Wallmark, Martin Necas and Erik Haula scored the regulation goals for […]

Nate Schmidt Listed as Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis after suffering a lower-body injury in a knee-on-knee collision with Logan Couture in the team's season opener. Schmidt had scored 30 or more points in two straight seasons with the Golden Knights and was expected to play a big role on the […]

Adam Larsson Placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson (foot) has been placed on the long-term Injured Reserve after blocking a shot off his foot in Wednesday night's season opener against Vancouver. The Swedish defender has been a problem among the fan base since he arrived due to the controversial 1-for-1 trade that sent fan-favorite Taylor Hall to New […]

Brandon Montour Out With A Hand Injury

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour will be sidelined for the next three to four weeks after suffering a hand injury during preseason action. The 25-year-old, acquired from the Ducks in February of last season, is expected to hold down a top-four defenseman role in Buffalo when he returns in either late October or early November. […]

Top 40 Defensemen - Fantasy Hockey Draft Rankings for 2019-2020

We're back with fantasy hockey coverage at RotoBaller. Just like last year, over the course of the 2019-2020 NHL season, we'll be providing weekly updates to our fantasy hockey rankings - listing each player in terms of his rest-of-season value. Today we'll look at defensemen. Below you can find the inaugural version of our fantasy […]

Justin Faulk Traded To St. Louis

The Carolina Hurricanes traded Justin Faulk (along with a 2020 fifth-round draft pick) to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospect Dominik Bokk, defenseman Joel Edmundson and a 2021 seventh-round pick on Tuesday. Following the deal, the Blues locked up Faulk for the next eight seasons, inking the offensively-gifted blueliner to a seven-year, $45.5 […]

Dustin Byfuglien Suspended By Jets

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has been suspended for failing to report to training camp. The hulking blueliner had been granted a personal leave of absence by the Jets earlier this month, reportedly to mull over his future with the organization and in the NHL as a whole. The suspension is just a matter of […]

Thomas Chabot Signs Eight-Year Extension

Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot inked an eight-year, $64 million deal to remain a Senator on Thursday. The 22-year-old, who broke through with a 55-point (14 goals, 41 assists) sophomore season in 2018-2019, still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract. Despite missing 12 games due to injury, Chabot still managed to finish 10th […]

Brandon Carlo Signs Two-Year Contract

Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo inked a two-year, $5.7 million ($2.85 million average annual value) contract to remain with the Bruins on Tuesday. The 22-year-old blueliner, formerly a restricted free agent, ends his contract holdout after missing just four days of training camp. Carlo has progressed into becoming a staple on the Bruins' second defensive […]

Charlie McAvoy Inks New Deal With Bruins

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy re-upped with his draft-day team on Sunday, signing a three-year, $14.7 million contract (average annual value of $4.9 mil). The 21-year-old, who had been holding out as a restricted-free agent, has evolved into a steady top-four rearguard for the Bruins over the past two seasons, finishing with 28 points (seven […]

Niklas Kronwall Announces His Retirement

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall called it a career on Tuesday afternoon. The 15-year veteran produced 432 points in 953 regular-season games for the Red Wings, winning a Stanley Cup with the team in 2008. The news was not a big shock, as Kronwall had dealt with injuries over the previous few seasons. Patrik […]

Joel Edmundson Gets New Deal With Blues

St. Louis Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson was granted a one-year, $3.1 million contract with the St Louis Blues by an arbitrator on Tuesday. With the player and team unable to come to an agreement prior to Sunday, the two sides participated in an arbitration hearing in order to settle the average annual-value and term of […]

Kevin Shattenkirk Signs With Lightning

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk inked a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. The 30-year-old rearguard was recently bought out by the New York Rangers on August 1st with two years remaining on his four-year, $26.6 million contract. As a coveted free-agent just two summers ago, Shattenkirk had registered at least 40-points […]

Tyler Myers Turns Over New Leaf In Vancouver

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers will get to work with his new team after signing a five-year contract with an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $6 million. The veteran rearguard led all Winnipeg Jets defensemen with nine goals while tying for second on the team with 31 points during the 2018-19 campaign. He also registered […]

Jacob Trouba Signs Seven-Year Deal With Rangers

The New York Rangers and restricted free-agent defenseman Jacob Trouba agreed to a seven-year contract with an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $8 million on Friday. He was expected to have an arbitration hearing next Thursday. Trouba is expected to be the team's new No. 1 rearguard, and they paid dearly for him. He registered […]

Connor Carrick Re-Signed To Two-Year Contract

The New Jersey Devils re-signed defenseman Connor Carrick to a two-year contract worth $1.5 million earlier this week. Carrick was acquired from the Dallas Stars on Feb. 23, 2019 in a deal for defenseman Ben Lovejoy. He managed two goals with 11 points and a minus-13 rating across 34 games splitting time between the Stars […]

Bowen Byram Signs His Deal With Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Bowen Byram to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday. The rearguard was plucked with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft on June 21. He registered 26 goals with 71 points in 67 regular-season games with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League in 2018-19. […]

Trio Ink Deals With The Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Clark Bishop, defenseman Haydn Fleury and defenseman Gustav Forsling on one-year deals this week. Bishop will receive $700,000 at the NHL level, and $65,000 at the AHL level with an $80,000 guarantee. Fleury's deal is a one-year, one-way deal worth $850,000, while Forsling's contract is a one-year, two-way contract which […]

Cody Ceci, Alexander Kerfoot Ink Extensions in Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Cody Ceci to a one-year contract extension on Thursday with an average annual value of $4.5 million. He was acquired from the Ottawa Senators earlier this week for Nikita Zaitsev. The Leafs also locked up center Alexander Kerfoot to a four-year contract with an AAV of $3.5 million. That's […]

Tyson Barrie Lands In Toronto Via Blockbuster Deal

The Colorado Avalanche traded defenseman Tyson Barrie, center Alexander Kerfoot and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday in exchange for center Nazem Kadri, defenseman Calle Rosen and a third-round pick in 2020. The Avalanche will also retain 50 percent of Barrie's average annual value, which […]

Patrik Nemeth Lands In Hockeytown For Two Years

The Detroit Red Wings inked defenseman Patrik Nemeth (Avalanche) to a two-year contract on Monday. Financial terms were undisclosed. He posted 10 points with 53 penalty minutes, 137 hits and 131 blocked shots across 74 games with the Avalanche in 2018-19. The latter two categories are his calling card, and that's where fantasy owners and […]

Cody Ceci Might Be On His Way To Maple Leafs

Ottawa Senators defenseman Cody Ceci might be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs this week in exchange for defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. The holdup on the deal is with Zaitsev, as he would have to waive his no-trade clause, and the Leafs also are on the hook for a $3 million roster bonus on July 1. […]

Nikita Zaitsev Likely Headed To The Senators

The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to deal defenseman Nikita Zaitsev to the Ottawa Senators this week for defenseman Cody Ceci. The Leafs are on the hook for a $3 million roster bonus on July 1, so the deal will not occur until after that, and Zaitsev must waive his no-trade clause, too. Zaitsev posted […]

Colin Miller Looking For New Start In Buffalo

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Colin Miller, acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, is excited for his new opportunity in Western New York. "I think it's going to be a great opportunity. Seeing what Buffalo did last year through a healthy stretch of the season...it was very encouraging for the city of Buffalo and for […]

Calvin De Haan Might Not Be Ready For Regular Season

Newly acquired Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Calvin De Haan (shoulder) underwent right shoulder surgery back in May and the original recovery time was expected to be four to six months. As such, it's possible he might not be ready for the starting of training camp in September, and he might not even be ready for the […]

Kevin Connauton Lands In Mile High City

The Arizona Coyotes traded defenseman Kevin Connauton and a third-round draft pick to the Colorado Avalanche for center Carl Soderberg on Tuesday. This is a salary cap move for the Avs, as the rearguard will cost just $1.375 million against the cap in 2019-20, while Soderberg was set to count $4.75 million. Connauton registered just […]

Canes Talking Long-Term Deal With Justin Faulk

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said that the organization had "good talks" with the representation of defenseman Justin Faulk on a contract extension at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and the two sides plan to continue talking. "If he stays on for (the) last year of (his) contract we're OK with that," Waddell said, […]

Calvin de Haan On His Way To The Windy City

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired defenseman Calvin de Haan and center Aleksi Saarela from the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday in exchange for goaltender Anton Forsberg and defenseman Gustav Forsling. De Haan was added in free agency last season, and the stay-at-home defenseman added one goal with 14 points across 74 regular-season contests. He joins Olli Maatta […]

Alexander Edler Signs Two-Year Contract Extension

The Vancouver Canucks signed defenseman Alexander Edler to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $6 million. "Alex is important to our team and has played as the cornerstone of our defense throughout his career," general manager Jim Benning said. "He's a leader with tremendous experience, plays important minutes and contributes to every […]