PITKANEN SEASON OVER: Apparently, Joni Pitkanen's heel injury was way worse than expected as he is set to miss the entire 2013/14 season. The talented blueliner hasn't been able to shake the injury tag, as he only played 52 games over the last three seasons. Fantasy owners should set their eyes on youngsters Justin Faulk and quite possibly Ryan Murphy, who will have to step up and play huge minutes on the power-play. As for Pitkanen, he will now miss his contract year and will represent a substantial risk for any teams considering signing him when he returns. He is not worth holding on in keeper league formats. FLORIDA GOALIE RUMORS: According to reports, the Florida Panthers are considering several veteral options in the crease, including Tim Thomas and Ilya Bryzgalov. There has been news from Thomas' camp that he will be signing with a new team very soon. However, even if he joins the Panthers, he is not guaranteed a full starting position, as the future belongs to Jakub Markstrom. A veteran signing would defintely dilute the fantasy value of Florida goaltending this upcoming season. PrimePucks continues to bring you the NHL IN 30 every day in the month of September, bringing you in-depth team analysis for the upcoming season. Today it's the Winnipeg Jets!  Don't forget to check back each and every day for the latest featured team! ***ATTENTION FANTASY HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS*** If you are the commissioner of an upcoming fantasy hockey league and will be holding a draft soon, PrimePucks has some goodies for you to distribute to your league members.  Look even better to your league members by giving them free stuff. Who doesn't like free stuff?  Contact cj@primepucks.com to find out more.

WHICH AVAILABLE UFA'S CAN STILL HAVE A FANTASY IMPACT?: Even after all the primary unrestricted free agents have been picked up, there are a few players left that could make a strong fantasy impact depending on where they sign: 1. Tim Thomas: There are more than a handful of teams that could use a quick upgrade in the starting goalie department, especially from a two-time Vezina winner (2009 and 2011). Red flags raised by character concerns and his advancing age of 39 has delayed his signing, but can anyone deny his abilty to perform at the highest level? Before his self-imposed one-year hiatus from the NHL, his numbers with Boston for the 2011/12 season stood at 35-19, with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SP. Yep, I am sure he could help plenty of teams, such as Edmonton, Colorado, Florida, and heck, even the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. The list goes on and on. Considering his age, the year off might have done him some good. Highest fantasy upside of all remaining UFA's. 2. Mikhail Grabovski: The former Toronto center surely misses ex-coach Ron Wilson, whom under his tutelage, he had his most productive NHL season with 58 points (29G/29A) in 2010/11. Under current Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, his offensive numbers suffered as he was demoted to the third line. Coming off a poor season where he only scored 16 points in 48 games, teams need to look at the bigger picture. When utilized as a top-six forward, Grabovski can still be a constistent contributor in the scoring department. Don't forget that he was a point-per-game producer in the defensive-minded KHL during the NHL lockout, so he does have plenty of offensive upside. 3. Damien Brunner- At the age of 27, the NHL's most recent Swiss import played relatively well for Detroit in his debut season, collecting 26 points (12G/14A) in 44 games. However, with linemates such as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, maybe more was expected from the talented forward. According to Detroit GM Ken Holland, there were "passivity and durabilty concerns" with Brunner's long-term prognosis. Most experts feel that although Brunner is highly skilled, he still needs to develop the grittier aspect of the NHL style of game. Even still, there should be several teams willing to take a gamble on a 27-year old in his prime with tremendous offensive potential.  According to Steve Lepore of SBNATION, the Devils are on the verge of signing Brunner.  With the departure of Kovalchuk they, obviously, need help on the wings, and Brunner would ...

WHICH AVAILABLE UFA'S CAN STILL HAVE A FANTASY IMPACT?: Even after all the primary unrestricted free agents have been picked up, there are a few players left that could make a strong fantasy impact depending on where they sign: 1. Tim Thomas: There are more than a handful of teams that could use a quick upgrade in the starting goalie department, especially from a two-time Vezina winner (2009 and 2011). Red flags raised by character concerns and his advancing age of 39 has delayed his signing, but can anyone deny his abilty to perform at the highest level? Before his self-imposed one-year hiatus from the NHL, his numbers with Boston for the 2011/12 season stood at 35-19, with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SP. Yep, I am sure he could help plenty of teams, such as Edmonton, Colorado, Florida, and heck, even the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. The list goes on and on. Considering his agbe, the year off might have done him some good. Highest fantasy upside of all remaining UFA's. 2. Mikhail Grabovski: The former Toronto center surely misses ex-coach Ron Wilson, whom under his tutelage, he had his most productive NHL season with 58 points (29G/29A) in 2010/11. Under current Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, his offensive numbers suffered as he was demoted to the third line. Coming off a poor season where he only scored 16 points in 48 games, teams need to look at the bigger picture. When utilized as a top-six forward, Grabovski can still be a constistent contributor in the scoring department. Don't forget that he was a point-per-game producer in the defensive-minded KHL during the NHL lockout, so he does have plenty of offensive upside. 3. Damien Brunner- At the age of 27, the NHL's most recent Swiss import played relatively well for Detroit in his debut season, collecting 26 points (12G/14A) in 44 games. However, with linemates such as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, maybe more was expected from the talented forward. According to Detroit GM Ken Holland, there were "passivity and durabilty concerns" with Brunner's long-term prognosis. Most experts feel that although Brunner is highly skilled, he still needs to develop the grittier aspect of the NHL style of game. Even still, there should be several teams willing to take a gamble on a 27-year old in his prime with tremendous offensive potential.  According to Steve Lepore of SBNATION, the Devils are on the verge of signing Brunner.  With the departure of Kovalchuk they, obviously, need help on the wings, and Brunner would...

WHICH AVAILABLE UFA'S CAN STILL HAVE A FANTASY IMPACT?: Even after all the primary unrestricted free agents have been picked up, there are a few players left that could make a strong fantasy impact depending on where they sign: 1. Tim Thomas: There are more than a handful of teams that could use a quick upgrade in the starting goalie department, especially from a two-time Vezina winner (2009 and 2011). Red flags raised by character concerns and his advancing age of 39 has delayed his signing, but can anyone deny his abilty to perform at the highest level? Before his self-imposed one-year hiatus from the NHL, his numbers with Boston for the 2011/12 season stood at 35-19, with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SP. Yep, I am sure he could help plenty of teams, such as Edmonton, Colorado, Florida, and heck, even the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. read more

THOMAS WILL TRY NHL RETURN: After a one-year absence from the game, former Boston goaltender Tim Thomas will test the free agent market this summer. The 39-year old refused to report to the New York Islanders last season after they acquired his rights by trading with Boston. He now joins Evgeni Nabokov, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Ray Emery as UFA goalies that will be available for teams to sign once the free agency period commences on July 5. read more

THOMAS WILL TRY NHL RETURN: After a one-year absence from the game, former Boston goaltender Tim Thomas will test the free agent market this summer. The 39-year old refused to report to the New York Islanders last season after they acquired his rights by trading with Boston. He now joins Evgeni Nabokov, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Ray Emery as UFA goalies that will be available for teams to sign once the free agency period commences on July 5. read more

TUUKKA RASK-G-BOSTON BRUINS Rask was purely the difference maker last night as he turned away 53 of 54 shots on goal, some of those saves amazing letting in a lone Penguin goal by Chris Kunitz in the second period. T-Rask has only given up 2 goals (with 108 saves) in the three games so far as is playing lights out keeping the high-powered Pittsburgh offense off the score sheet. The talented goalkeeper has made Boston fans forget former Bruin Stanley Cup hero Tim Thomas rather easily with his stellar performance in these playoffs. The B's are just one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Finals.

***IN THE SLOT*** OUR PRIMETIME STARS OF THE NIGHT 1. TUUKKA RASK G BOSTON Rask had big shoes to fill this year with Tim Thomas' decision to not play this season, and he performed admirably with 19 wins, a 2.00 GAA and a .929 SP. He came up big last night with 45 saves against Toronto to give Boston the series lead at 2-1. Rask should be an early pick this fall for goalie option in your league's draft as he is a terrific goalie on a solid team tha can roll out 3 good lines. 2. DAVE KREJCI C BOSTON read more

This is nothing more than a move to get the Islanders to the Salary Cap floor. Don't go and get Thomas off the waiver wire because he still is not going to play this season.

ONE STAR GOALIE PICKS * WINNIPEG @ BOSTON PROBABLE STARTING NETMINDERS: Ondrej Pavelec / Tuukka Rask ANALYSIS: Based on Game one results, Boston looks primed and ready to start the season. Winnipeg.. not so much. After an impressive home victory over the Rangers, the Bruins look intent on bringing the Stanley Cup back to Boston. Goalie Tuukka Rask has the added confidence of knowing he doesn't have Tim Thomas to steal the starting job away. In addition, Boston has a 10-game winning streak against the Jets at home. Goalie Ondrej Pavelec and his Winnipeg team came out flat in their loss to Ottawa at home, where they usually play their best hockey. Boston should roll in this matchup. GOALIE EDGE: RASK read more