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It's set to be a busy offseason in the NHL, as free agents are free to sign with new teams starting on July 1. Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett and Nikolaj Ehlers are among the top names who are expected to hit the market, while many more players could be available by trade. If you're looking for an edge with your fantasy hockey teams, knowing how roles change and which prime spots will open up is crucial to evaluating risers and fallers before your drafts. Check back here regularly with each new free agent signing and trade, and their expected fantasy impact. NHL Offseason HQ: Team needs | Dynasty rankings | Draft rankings
Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights: The now-former Maple Leaf is poised to score more goals on a top line and power play with play-making center Jack Eichel, while again amassing 90 to 100 total points. Which slightly enhances Marner's fantasy value in leagues that reward putting the puck in the net at a premium. An increase in shots on net can also be anticipated from the 28-year-old winger. Even in leagues where goals and assists are valued equally, Marner remains must-draft once the fantasy elite are off the board. More interestingly is how this sign/trade deal (with depth forward Nicolas Roy landing in Toronto) might affect Mark Stone. Should Marner supplant the veteran on Eichel's flank as anticipated -- it's difficult to see Vegas stick their new $12-million player on a second line -- Stone is due to see a decrease in production at even-strength. Couple that potential shift with the oft-injured skater's unreliable durability, and he projects to regress as a performer after averaging 2.1 fantasy points/game this past season in ESPN standard leagues. Meanwhile, either Stone or Pavel Dorofeyev -- Tomas Hertl less so -- appears the likeliest candidate to drop to the secondary power play in making room for Marner on the primary unit. Best guess today is Dorofeyev, who racked up 17 power-play points this past season. In Toronto, GM Brad Treliving now has a significant hole to fill up front following Marner's exodus to the desert. While whoever ends up skating on a top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies is going to score, this particular figure might not even be part of the organization as of early July 1st. Considering newbie Matias Maccelli, or any other current Leaf forward, doesn't strike as an ideal full-time substitute for Marner, fantasy managers should keep a close watch on who else joins the organization this summer. --Matiash Nikolaj Ehlers to the Carolina Hurricanes: This transaction presents as a ripe opportunity for the 29-year-old Dane and his respective fantasy managers. Poised to enjoy the chance to play on a top line and power play with Sebastian Aho, Ehlers has the potential to break the point/game plateau, and 30-goal mark, for the first time in his career. Signed to a six-year deal worth $61-million, the former Jet is also in position to better 30 points with the extra skater through a full, healthy season. Averaging 2.9 shots/game since 2016-17, and in for a bump in ice-time with the Hurricanes, Ehlers serves as a slightly under-the-radar performer for fantasy managers who aren't turned off by his less explosive history in Winnipeg and, for some, lack of name-value. At first glance, winger Andrei Svechnikov appears the top candidate to drop to the second unit, should Ehlers join Ano and Seth Jarvis as anticipated. Configurations in training camp will offer better intel as to how coach Rod Brind'Amour intends to roll out his top two lines. After banging out 52 points in 59 games the previous season, Svechnikov put up a disappointing haul of only 48 through 72 contests in 2024-25. Although the winger's presence on the second unit would benefit Jesperi Kotkaniemi, should the 24-year-old remain at center. --Matiash Brent Burns to the Colorado Avalanche This isn't your father's Brent Burns. Gone are the days of 250-shot seasons and 70-point upside. He's dropped off significantly, from a fantasy perspective, across the past two seasons. His shots on goal are way down, his power-play time and effectiveness have all but dried up (only three power-play points last season), and, at this point, his value lies more in the locker room than on your fantasy roster. Burns heads to the Avalanche after three seasons in Carolina, but we await news on how the Avs will deploy him. --Allen Pius Suter to the St. Louis Blues: The Blues' cup suddenly overfloweth with potential top-six candidates. Suter, who mostly played center for the Canucks, is certainly a contender to take faceoffs on the second line but even a plum free-agent payday doesn't guarantee that role in this crowded lineup. While he's never managed to be a full-season fantasy factor, Suter closed the 2024-25 campaign on an encouraging heater with 11 goals and 10 assists in 27 games; 1.92 fantasy points per game. His fantasy relevance this season will hinge entirely on deployment. --Allen Andrew Mangiapane to the Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers need four reliable top-six wingers to support their all-world centers but right now, they have just two surefire bets. When Leon Draisaitl skates on a separate line from Connor McDavid, he'll be choosing from the likes of Vasily Podkolzin, Kasperi Kapanen, Matthew Savoie, and now, Mangiapane. While Mangiapane's 35-goal explosion in 2021-22 feels like a lifetime ago, and came with surprisingly limited fantasy value at just 1.69 FPPG, 35 goals is still 35 goals. And an opportunity with Draisaitl is still an opportunity with Draisaitl. --Allen Gustav Nyquist to the Winnipeg Jets: An uncharacteristic 75-point, 1.84 FPPG campaign in 2023-24 turned out to be an illusion, as Nyquist fell back to earth with just 28 points and 0.90 FPPG last season. His success in Nashville came from being a focal point of the offense, both at even strength and on the power play. That won't be the case in Winnipeg, where he's simply too far down the pecking order to matter for fantasy. --Allen Anthony Mantha to the Pittsburgh Penguins: While Evgeni Malkin is no longer the kingmaker he once was, Sidney Crosby remains the type of offensive catalyst to lift those around him. While it's more likely Mantha is due for a role away from Sid's wing, lesser players than Mantha have stumbled their way to bursts of fantasy relevance from sharing the ice with the Penguins top six. Deep leagues should remember the name for early season waivers if the Pens depth chart takes an unexpected turn. --Allen K'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes: Miller has the potential to emerge as a fantasy asset, though he's not exactly stepping into a bigger role by leaving the Rangers for the Hurricanes. Jaccob Slavin and Sean Walker are established minutes-eaters, Alexander Nikishin could soon claim the No. 1 job, and Shayne Gostisbehere remains the power-play specialist. Still, Miller doesn't need prime deployment to contribute as his fantasy value is driven by hits, blocks and steady-enough offense. He's a confident pick as your fourth fantasy defenseman, with upside to climb your depth chart. --Allen John Klingberg to the San Jose Sharks: He showed well enough during his postseason run with the Oilers to justify the Sharks taking a chance on him as a fallback power-play quarterback. Klingberg hasn't found his footing since leaving the Stars in 2021-22, but now surgically repaired and just 33 years old, he still has some runway left. The Sharks lack a proven puck-mover on the blue line with NHL experience, so Klingberg will be battling the kids for power-play minutes. If he wins those battles, there's sleeper fantasy appeal, at least in leagues that don't still count plus/minus. --Allen Mikael Granlund to the Anaheim Ducks: A resurgence last season helped elevate Granlund's stock back to levels he hadn't reached since his days with the Minnesota Wild. His fantasy value depends heavily on getting big minutes, something that wasn't going to happen down the depth chart in Dallas. So it's encouraging to see him land with the Ducks, where opportunity awaits. If he can secure at least 19 minutes a night and first-unit power-play duty -- both well within reach on this roster -- Granlund could deliver serviceable fantasy stats. He's a solid late-round target once your draft shifts to filling out starting lineup holes. --Allen James van Riemsdyk to the Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond are set, while Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane are expected to stay paired up. That leaves some top-six minutes up for grabs. Veteran van Riemsdyk has flown under the radar in depth roles with the Blue Jackets and Bruins, but he still has a nose for the net as shown by his 16 goals last season despite limited usage. He'll likely get a look alongside one of those top duos. It probably won't translate into fantasy relevance, but you never know. Allen Jonathan Drouin to the New York Islanders: If he lands on a top line and power play with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, the 30-year-old boasts the potential to rake in 60-65 points, with a solid fraction of them counting with the extra skater. Keep in mind, Drouin amassed 37 points in only 43 games with the Avalanche -- alongside Nathan MacKinnon -- this past season. If not during the waning stages of drafts, managers in deeper scoring leagues should at least maintain this fantasy wild card on radar once 2025-26 gets underway. --Matiash Drouin fit with Nathan MacKinnon like a glove and probably doesn't fit anywhere else, including most fantasy lineups. The Islanders are revamping their forward group, but Drouin would need to land in the exact right mix of sheltered minutes and prominent usage for this to work out statistically. Even with everything breaking right for him in Colorado, he didn't produce enough to warrant everyday fantasy use, just the occasional hot streak or injury replacement. Don't draft him, but keep his name handy if he shows early chemistry with a top-line pivot on and off the power play. --Allen Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets: It's hard to know exactly what the Jets will get from Toews on the ice. Still, it's a no-brainer signing for a team with postseason woes, given his leadership qualities and playoff pedigree. For fantasy purposes, though, we're throwing darts until we see him in game action. Toews hasn't suited up since 2022-23 and hasn't been a relevant fantasy option since before the pandemic. Making things tougher, the top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi holds almost all of Winnipeg's bankable fantasy value, and after dominating the league in 2024-25, it's unlikely that trio gets broken up just to create more depth scoring. --Allen Zack Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens: What a fantastic gamble by the Habs in parlaying their defensive prospect depth into a potential steal from the Blues. After the 4 Nations Face-Off last season, Bolduc tallied 13 goals and 2.06 fantasy points per game across 26 contests, helping push the Blues into the postseason, and he did so from a third-line role. At worst, the Habs landed a quality bottom-six contributor. On the upside, Bolduc will surely be given a chance to blossom with more minutes and could be a sleeper for fantasy teams. Nine of his 18 points in those final 26 games came on the power play, too. --Allen Matias Maccelli to the Toronto Maple Leafs: An exceptionally creative playmaker, but with other holes in his game, this M.M. won't deliver fantasy returns anywhere close to the one that got away. But don't sleep on Maccelli too much. The Leafs need wingers for their big scorers and there is a spot wide open alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies on the top line. Maccelli is a pass-first-then-pass-again player, but his 78 assists in 146 games as a role player with the Arizona Coyotes as a 22- and 23-year-old are hints as to what the Leafs hope he can bring to the table with more minutes and elite linemates. He's a great stash to your bench in drafts, with his stock potentially rising as the season approaches if his role gets locked in. --Allen Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins: It's been a long time since Arvidsson was pushing 30 goals a season -- last achieved in 2018-19 -- but it hasn't been as long as you might think since he held fantasy value. He finished both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons firmly in everyday starter territory, with 1.91 and 1.83 FPPG, respectively. That 2022-23 campaign stands out in particular, thanks to 25 power-play points, a relevant stat for a Bruins roster that, outside of David Pastrnak, lacks another forward who deserves power-play minutes. Arvidsson will be a longshot, but one worth considering if your roster construction is light on goals or shots. --Allen Dan Vladar to the Philadelphia Flyers: No, you shouldn't count on a hero story here. Vladar isn't about to arrive in Philadelphia and set the fantasy world on fire. Given how bleak the goaltender landscape has been lately, don't dismiss him without a second thought. They're macro stats, but consider this: the Flyers allowed the eighth-fewest shots on goal per game last season, yet finished fifth in goals against. That suggests a team limiting chances while its goaltenders let in more than their fair share. Vladar has had his struggles, even in a backup role with the Flames, but he does have one season of fantasy relevance on his resume -- 2.44 FPPG as a rookie in 2021-22. Samuel Ersson has more upside and enters the season as the presumed starter. So yes, a lot would have to break Vladar's way but don't forget his name in the twilight rounds if you're looking to stash a third goalie. --Allen Vladislav Gavrikov to the New York Rangers: The upside of Gavrikov moving to New York is he's essentially guaranteed heavy minutes on the Rangers' blue line. They wouldn't be paying him $7-million per season for seven years otherwise. Beyond that, the former King/Blue Jacket can be counted on to fire a good number of shots on net (1.4/game in 2024-25), block shots at an even greater rate (1.7/game) and pitch in on the productive side (30 points in 2024-25). Such a durable player -- he skated in all 82 contests this past season -- can certainly be of use in deeper fantasy leagues that reward defensive categories and ATOI. --Matiash Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild: After averaging only 2.74 goals/game in 2024-25 -- 25th out of 32 teams -- the Wild are gambling on the former prolific sniper to return somewhat closer to form from his earlier years. Averaging 0.86 points/game, heavy on goals, from 2013-14 to 2023-24, Tarasenko put up a paltry 33 through 80 contests with the Red Wings this past season, while logging only 14:47 in ice-time. A more prolific role in Minnesota, perhaps on a second line and power play, should result in a bump in production, especially if the 33-year-old returns to his shooting habits of old. That Tarasenko is entering the final year of his current contract also plays a factor. Such extra incentive to prove he can still contribute in a valuable manner certainly won't hurt. Fantasy managers who could benefit from a 60-point player in deeper leagues might consider rolling the dice on the winger, just as GM Bill Guerin is doing, late in autumn drafts. Contingent, of course, on where he appears to fit in Minnesota's lineup in camp. --Matiash John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings: There's little question, after (finally) being dealt away from the team that drafted him back in 2011, Gibson is set to re-earn the bulk of starts in the crease. At least through 2025-26. Almost 38 years old, Cam Talbot has a single year ($2.5-million) remaining on his contract. Prospect Sebastien Cossa is likely in for another season, for the most part, with Grand Rapids. Trey Augustine, all of 20 years old, is returning to Michigan State for a third turn. If healthy -- an enduring concern -- Gibson should be counted on for around 55 starts with his new squad. As such, sussing out which version of the long-time Duck netminder we'll see in Detroit is the greater challenge for fantasy managers. One of the league's best goalies to start his career, Gibson boasted a 119-77 record, .921 SV%, and 2.42 GAA from game one through 2018-19 in Anaheim. Then matters went south, in no small part due to the lack of support out front. However, the 12-year veteran is coming off a bit of a Renaissance with an improving Ducks squad in 2024-25, posting a .912 SV%, 2.73 GAA, and 9.71 Goals Saved Above Average (Evolving Hockey) through 29 games. If he can replicate those figures with a Red Wings team that arguably compares in quality to the one he's leaving behind, while enjoying a significant increase in playing time, Gibson could serve as a top-15 fantasy netminder in most conventional leagues. Again, if he stays reasonably healthy. Going the other way, Petr Mrazek projects to serve as backup to current RFA Lukas Dostal. The 25-year-old proved capable of serving as a No. 1 this past season, and would have enjoyed greater success had his teammates provided more support. Only the Sharks and Predators scored fewer goals than the Ducks in 2024-25. But with the further growth of young skaters like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, plus the addition of veteran Chris Kreider, Anaheim is on the upswing. All unfolds as anticipated, Dostal could finish in the top-20 in fantasy points in ESPN standard leagues by season's end. --Matiash Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens: Despite a substantial relapse in production in 2024-25 after erupting for 70 points the previous season, Dobson still averaged 2.0 fantasy points/game in ESPN standard leagues. Not too shabby, all considered. Fantasy managers should anticipate a similar rate with his new team in Montreal, where the 25-year-old will be counted on to skate heavy minutes at even-strength, while competing on the secondary power play. Assuming reigning Calder winner Lane Hutson continues to anchor the primary unit. Even without putting up sparkling scoring numbers, Dobson serves as a well-rounded performer who shoots on net often and blocks shots with regularity. He should be drafted accordingly, depending on league size. On the Islanders, Dobson's absence opens up the opportunity for No. 1 draft selection Matthew Schaefer to take over the reins as the top power-play anchor. Should the teen crack the lineup, which is hardly guaranteed. A situation that deserves close monitoring through camp and the start of 2025-26. --Matiash JJ Peterka, to the Utah Mammoth: While Peterka is undoubtedly on the rise -- having crested into fantasy relevance at just 23 with 1.72 fantasy points per game in 2024-25 -- it's not unthinkable he sees fewer key minutes with the Mammoth. After averaging 18:11 per game with the Sabres, including 2:54 on the top power-play unit, he may have to do more with less on a suddenly crowded depth chart. For Peterka to top last season and become a true fantasy difference-maker, a spot on the top power play is essential. With Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley arguably locks, Peterka needs to secure the final forward spot. His jump of 11 power-play points from 2023-24 was the catalyst behind his breakout, so that deployment matters. The future remains bright in keeper leagues, as Peterka is locked into a core that should be fantasy-friendly for years to come. Dynasty managers should boost his value accordingly. Going the other way to the Sabres, both Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan could offer situational value for 2025-26 depending on their usage. Their rate stats suggest fantasy upside if they get the minutes, but no need to draft either, as they'll be waiver material early on. Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks: After missing the entirety of the 2024-25 season, Kane showed he was still effective enough for fantasy consideration in the Oilers run to the Stanley Cup final. He earned 1.7 fantasy points per game across 21 playoff contests -- borderline relevancy in standard leagues. That was without a ton of access to "McDraisaitl" (Leon Draisaitl was fifth among Kane's teammates at forward for shared minutes at five-on-five, while Connor McDavid was seventh). With the expectation that Brock Boeser is moving on from the Canucks and pending other offseason moves, Kane might be the best option for scoring from the wing the Canucks will have going into the season. That could push him back into a fantasy role, especially if he secures the time with a (hopefully) rebounding Elias Pettersson and time on the power play (which he wasn't getting a lot of in Edmonton). --Allen Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken: Marchment is the type of fantasy pickup that can be useful in streaks if he has the right linemates. The Kraken are the ideal environment for that type of winger, as the lineup is built around depth, not star power. So, arguably, Marchment could find himself anywhere from the third line to the first line depending on how the deployments shape up. (Alternatively, you could argue any of the Kraken top three lines is its first or third.) The trouble is that his ceiling is capped by minutes, which may still hover around 15 per game, unless he lucks into an assignment alongside Matty Beniers. He has shown Selke-like ability, so if you still use plus/minus in your league, Marchment's appeal -- top 20 among forwards across the past four seasons -- improves. --Allen Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers: If you are at the end of your draft and your starting lineup is built out, there are worse players to take a ... ahem ... flier on than Zegras in a new home with the Flyers. The hype level surrounding Zegras has come a long way since his "Michigan"-fueled rookie season, but how much of the lost luster can be attributed to his surroundings and injuries? The glass-half-empty outlook would point out that his surroundings aren't significantly improved with a move to the also-rebuilding Flyers. But if we are viewing the glass as half full, surely he can't run afoul of injury luck for a third consecutive season. Zegras missed 76 games over the past two seasons, and his fantasy production cratered. Even when he played an 81-game season in 2022-23 and averaged 18:49 per game, he only posted 1.65 fantasy points per game -- not good enough. Zegras will be jockeying with Sean Couturier and Noah Cates for center minutes, but the opportunity is there. With wingers like Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny to play with, the upside remains. --Allen
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