By Craig Custance

updated 4:58 p.m. ET Aug. 10, 2008

When a player comes back from an injury, Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau explains, it's almost like adding a free agent. He is referring specifically to center Michael Nylander, who struggled through last season with a shoulder problem.

But Boudreau could be the coach or general manager in any NHL city. Almost every team has someone looking to rebound from an off year or debilitating injury.

Five players to watch — plus selected others — with the season only two months away:

1. Simon Gagne, LW, Philadelphia Flyers. Gagne played 25 games last season because of the effects of multiple concussions. He has been cleared to play and should be 100 percent when the season begins.

Entering last season, Gagne was coming off consecutive seasons with 40-plus goals. A return to form would provide serious punch for a team looking to build on last season's trip to the Eastern Conference finals. "Imagine if we would have signed him as a free agent this year," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren says.

2. Michael Nylander, C, Capitals.
Nylander's name has come up in trade talks, but Boudreau is excited to see what he can do for the Caps when not hampered by a shoulder injury. Nylander, 35, had 37 points in 40 games last season but wasn't even close to the player he had been in with the New York Rangers.

"He has trained very hard to get back to where he wants to be," Boudreau says. "The year before last, he was an elite player and a top free-agent get. He's a 90-point guy who was just feeling his way around."

3. Martin Havlat, RW, Chicago Blackhawks. Havlat had shoulder surgery after last season ended and expects to be 100 percent for training camp.

Amid all the high-profile moves the Blackhawks have made this summer -- adding defenseman Brian Campbell, goalie Cristobal Huet and even Scotty Bowman to the front office -- a healthy Havlat could be a difference-maker in their effort to return to the playoffs.

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He played 35 games last season after scoring 25 goals in 56 games in 2006-07. Did we mention Havlat is in a contract year? He'll make $6 million this season and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

4. Jon Sim, LW, New York Islanders. The coaching staff liked what it saw from Sim, a gritty forward, in the two games he played before a season-ending knee injury. Coming off a 17-goal season with the Atlanta Thrashers, he was signed last summer to a three-year, $3 million deal, and now he's itching to earn that money.

"I'm the only player who wants to play right now," Sim says. "I wanted to play two months ago."

With the arrival of a new coaching staff -- possibly with a week -- Sim sees an opportunity for a clean slate.

"It's almost like a fresh start for me. We're all in the same boat," he says. "I'm not going to be behind. My training is as good or better than last summer."

5. Slava Kozlov, LW, Thrashers. It wasn't an injury that limited Kozlov last season. He played in all 82 games but never recovered from a slow start and appeared uninterested during a lost season with the Thrashers. New coach John Anderson needs a comeback out of the 36-year-old Russian.

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After getting 28 goals and 80 points in 2006-07, Kozlov was a bust in the first year of a three-year contract. His points total dropped nearly in half to 41, and his 17 goals were his lowest total in a season in which he played at least 47 games.

"He has to score like he did in the past or we're not going to win," Anderson says. "The proof has already been in that pudding. We're going to have to get him going."

Others to watch:

Tim Connolly, C, Buffalo Sabres
Connolly, who has been bothered by concussions and other injuries, could be a surprise this season.

Justin Williams, RW, Carolina Hurricanes
"He's a good player. He'll bounce back, and he'll make a difference with this team," Hurricanes G.M. Jim Rutherford says. Williams missed much of last season with a knee injury.

Philippe Boucher, D, Dallas Stars
With shoulder injuries behind him, Boucher should return to 2006-07 form.

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