Position battles
Illness and injury kept Brandon Sutter and Tyler Motte out of training camp and could create openings at the bottom of the forward group for one or two of Phillip Di Giuseppe, Matthew Highmore, William Lockwood or Justin Dowling. Among the defensemen, the absence of Travis Hamonic (personal) may open a spot for Luke Schenn on the right side, and Brad Hunt, who has played 191 games over eight NHL seasons, and prospect Jack Rathbone took the early lead for a third-pair spot ahead of Olli Juolevi, the No. 5 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Most intriguing addition
Ekman-Larsson got the headlines in the trade with the Coyotes, but forward Conor Garland provides a needed upgrade in the top six. Garland scored 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 49 games for Arizona last season and has scored 96 points (47 goals, 49 assists) in 164 games in his first three NHL seasons. Originally projected to play on a line with Bo Horvat, Garland started at left wing with J.T. Miller at center and rookie Vasily Podkolzin on right wing but could fit a variety of roles and might get opportunities on the top power play.
Biggest potential surprise
Rathbone, selected in the fourth round (No. 95) of the 2017 NHL Draft, has made a good impression in the preseason and has a lot of offensive upside. After scoring 53 points (14 goals, 39 assists) in 61 games at Harvard, the 22-year-old scored three points (one goal, two assists) in eight NHL games, and nine points (two goals, seven assists) in eight games with Utica in the American Hockey League last season.
Ready to break through
Podkolzin played a limited role his final two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League after Vancouver selected the forward No. 10 in the 2019 NHL Draft, but scored 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 16 KHL playoff games last season and looks poised for increased opportunities as an NHL rookie. Coaches and teammates have praised the 20-year-old for his maturity and NHL readiness, and a spot alongside Miller and Garland should give him a chance to generate offense.
Fantasy sleeper
Podkolzin (fantasy average draft position: 163.5) is expected to compete with wings Garland, Nils Hoglander and Tanner Pearson for a top-six role, and exposure to valuable center Pettersson or Horvat could make Podkolzin a dark-horse Calder Trophy candidate. -- Pete Jensen
Projected lineup
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Conor Garland -- J.T. Miller -- Vasily Podkolzin
Tanner Pearson -- Bo Horvat -- Jason Dickinson
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Brandon Sutter -- Tyler Motte
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Tucker Poolman
Quinn Hughes -- Travis Hamonic
Jack Rathbone -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Jaroslav Halak