Key departures
Elias Lindholm, F: Signed a seven-year contract with the Bruins on July 1. Lindholm was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Jan. 31 and had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 13 playoff games after having 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 26 regular-season games with them. … Nikita Zadorov, D: Acquired from the Flames on Dec. 3, he had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 54 regular-season games and eight points (four goals, four assists) in 13 playoff games before signing a six-year contract with the Bruins on July 1. … Ian Cole, D: The veteran defenseman signed a one-year contract with the Utah Hockey Club on July 1 after scoring 11 points (two goals, nine assists) and having a team-high 166 blocked shots in 78 games. He also was an effective penalty killer on Vancouver's third defense pair. … Ilya Mikheyev, F: Traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on June 26, Mikheyev had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 78 games last season. … Sam Lafferty, F: Traded to Chicago on June 26, Lafferty signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent after setting an NHL career high with 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 79 games last season. … Casey DeSmith, G: Signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1 after going 12-9-6 with a 2.89 GAA and .896 save percentage as Demko's backup.