Weber played briefly with defenseman Nathan Beaulieu at the outset of last season, and then Alexei Emelin was paired with Weber until coach Michel Therrien was fired on Feb. 14. Julien used Markov with Weber on the top pair, but none of those options remains available. Jordie Benn, Alzner, Streit and Schlemko are left-handed shots, as is Jakub Jerabek, who signed a one-year, entry-level contract May 1. Alzner may claim the top-two role by default, but he's a better match for Jeff Petry. Jerabek, 26, is a wild card. He had 34 points (five goals, 29 assists) in 59 games to finish fifth among KHL defensemen.