Handing Out Camp Invites (Sep 10)

The New Jersey Devils have brought back forward Drew Stafford on a tryout basis, after he played the 2018 season with the club with very limited success.  The 32-year old played in 59 games with the club, but only posted 15 points and was a -20 in the plus/minus department.  He certainly doesn't appear to be a lock for a roster spot for the 2019 season, but he should be able to provide a good veteran presence in camp, which could be good for the team's youth, which is coming along quite nicely.

Another veteran presence for training camp will land in Brooklyn, as the Islanders will bring defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, likely in the same role as Stafford above him on this post. the 37-year old only played in 28 games with the Islanders last season, registering 5 assists, but he will bring some real experience to camp, looking for one more shot at a season in the big leagues.  I can't imagine that he would be a hockey pool kind of player, even if he makes the team, but he does make things interesting as we inch towards the preseason.

The Boston Bruins announced a couple of veteran forwards heading to their training camp on Monday, as they have added both Lee Stempniak and Daniel Winnik to the mix, which should help their camps out significantly.  Stempniak, 35, played 37 games with the Hurricanes last season, picking up 9 points, while Winnik, 33, played in 81 games with the Wild and scored 23 points, neither really making enough noise to be considered for the hockey pool, but at least you know that they're still kicking around.

The Detroit Red Wings added to their stable of elder statesmen on their roster, giving forward Jussi Jokinen a spin in their training camp on a professional tryout. The 35-year old Finn split his 2018 season between four teams, playing in 60 games and picking up 17 points in the process. The Red Wings are in need of a little bit more experience this season and if they are only planning to have it in their training camp, this is a pretty good start.  The Red Wings do appear to be running a pretty young roster, ahead of their camp opening, so this does seem like a good idea.

Another defenseman heading to Brooklyn on a tryout is Luca Sbisa, who didn't have much of a stay in Vegas. The 28-year old was the Golden Knights' expansion selection from the Canucks last summer, but only played in 30 games for the expansion club, registering 14 points, which isn't a bad scoring rate, but couldn't stay in the lineup, more so due to health than anything else.  If there was one guy on this post that could really stick out of camp to his tryout team, it could be Sbisa.