In preparation for our analysis of the coming season, we have been tracking player moves via rotoresource.com.  According to the site, the following players who should be in the NHL appear to not be with just two days until opening night.

Anton Lander – EDM – +7.06 AB (c’mon EDM, you need a guy like this). – waived

Shane Prince – NYI – + 8.30 AB – lower body injury, will likely see time in the NHL when he is healthy, not sure where rotoresource has him on the eventual Islander depth chart, but it should be somewhere.

Andrew Copp – WPG – +5.06 AB – In minors.

Michael Latta – LA – AB +4.67 with 0.6 penalties drawn/ 60 (waived)

Justin Falk – CBJ/BUF – +1.88 AB – (a positive AB D man is rare….in Columbus it would lead the team by far – and be about 20 goals better than replacement….hmmm) – Amazingly, he was also most recently waived by BUF (where he would be 15 goals better than replacement)?

Tim Schaller – BUF/BOS – +4.82 AB – we like Tim Schaller and can’t figure out why doesn’t stick.

Erik Gustafsson – CHI – +3.46 AB is excellent for a defensemen.  Minors.

As you can see there are very few notably positive AB men out there at this juncture.  On the flip side, there are plenty of players who were among the worst in AB scores on their respective 2015-16 clubs who are available (29 of 107 final cuts had AB scores among the worst in the NHL).

UPDATE – 10/12 – well that was fast.  Lander and Schaller were recalled today.  Hmmm.