Fantasy Hockey News

According to NY Islanders GM, Lou Lamoriello, Andrew Ladd is back to skating on the ice. He underwent knee surgery to repair a torn ACL back in late May. (Source: New York Newsday)

Fantasy Impact: Ladd is in a race to be ready for the start of the season. He will likely be eased into action, but could be a candidate for 30+ points if he can stay on the ice.

Patrik Laine stated that he is uncertain about his future with the Jets. He acknowledged that "it's still business" and that he is ready for whatever comes next. His plan as of right now is to remain in Europe until he receives a new contract. (Source: Sportsnet.ca)

Fantasy Impact: Despite a down year, Laine should be a great bet to bounce back next season, assuming the Jets retain the 21-year-old.

Despite being seen practicing at their practice facility earlier this on Monday, the San Jose Sharks do not seem interested in re-signing with forward Patrick Marleau. (Source: Fear the Fin)

Fantasy Impact: Marleau and his family have many deep roots in San Jose as he had spent the first 19 seasons of his career with the Sharks. If Marleau were to sign with a team, he would be entering his 22nd season at age 39. His production has been declining over the last few years as well, and with the Sharks wanting to go in a more youthful direction, Marleau's days playing in the Shark Tank may be numbered. He will go down as one of the greatest players to lace up the skates in Sharks franchise history totaling 551 goals and 1,166 points throughout his long career.

The Detroit Red Wings acquired Adam Erne from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round pick. (Source: Detroit Red Wings on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Erne is a physical player who rarely finds himself in the penalty box. With a plethora of bottom-six players to compete with, Erne has his work cut out for him if he's going to make the roster out of training camp.

Former goaltender Roberto Luongo will become the first player in Panther's history to have his jersey retired. (Source: SportsNet.ca)

Fantasy Impact: Luongo (40), had recently announced his retirement back in June after spending the last two decades in the NHL, primarily with the Panthers and Canucks. He will finish with 489 wins which is the third most among any goalie to play the game and is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner as well. Though he never won a Stanley Cup during these past 20 years, his incredible performance between the pipes for the Panthers was enough for them to award Luongo with this honor. The ceremony will take place on March 7, 2020, at BB&T Center when the Panthers take on the Canadiens.

New York Ranger's president John Davidson expressed that forward Chris Kreider's immediate future in the NHL is with the Rangers. His long-term future on the otherhand, still remains murky. (Source: NewsDay.com)

Fantasy Impact: While the Rangers are still interested in having Chris Kreider around for the 2019-20 campaign, a long-term contract with the team is still way too uncertain at this point. For his career Kreider has compiled 133 goals and 138 assists during 460 regular season games played since entering the league in 2012. Kreider who is now 28, is entering the final year of his contract and is looking for a new deal. He has performed below team expectations, causing New York to feel hesitant on signing him to a long-term deal.

Larkin was one of a few bright spots in the 2018-19 Red Wings campaign and coming into his fifth season, the local kid is ready to take on the responsibility of being Captain. (Source: TSN.ca)

Fantasy Impact: Having played with Henrik Zetterberg and now being under the watchful eye of Steve Yzerman, Larkin will certainly have his work cut out for him to lead the Red Wings back to the playoffs in the coming years, assuming he earns the "C." Considering the pressure that comes with that title in Detroit, it remains to be seen how Larkin will respond. He's a solid pick in the fourth round of drafts with plenty of upside if the talent around him continues to get better.

Kevin Shattenkirk has signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Source: TSN)

Fantasy Impact: Kevin Shattenkirk had a difficult 2018-19 season with the Rangers, managing only 2 goals, and 28 points in 73 games. That was certainly not what the Rangers were expecting when they signed him as a free-agent in 2017. Shattenkirk established himself as an offensive threat in St. Louis, putting up five-seasons of 40 or more points. Now a member of the leagues most powerful offense, there is a strong chance that Shattenkirk improves on last seasons point total. Despite his recent struggles, Shattenkirk has a solid opportunity to rebound with the Lightning.

Samuel Girard has signed a seven-year, $35 million extension with the Avalanche. (Source: TSN)

Fantasy Impact: Samuel Girard has become a key member of the Colorado Avalanche defense over the past two-seasons. Girard finished the 2018-19 season with 4 goals and 27 points, while playing nearly 20 minutes a game. At only 21-years old it is a safe bet that his offensive production will continue to grow. Along with Cale Makar, and Bowen Byram, Girard will be part of one of the most exciting young defense corps in the NHL. There is still plenty of opportunity for growth for Samuel Girard in 2019-20, as he will be counted on to help offset the loss of Tyson Barrie.

It appears the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to trade backup goaltender Louis Domingue this offseason. (Source: TSN.ca)

Fantasy Impact: On Tuesday, the Lightning traded forward Ryan Callahan in exchange for goalie Mike Condon from the Ottawa Senators. Furthermore, Tampa Bay had acquired Curtis McElhinney from Carolina to a two-year deal to serve as the primary backup goalie for starter Andrei Vasilevskiy. Domingue currently has a 55-49-8 record with a 0.907 SV% and 2.97 GAA for his career. With so many goalies on the Lightning's roster, it seems Domingue is the odd man out.

Will Butcher and the New Jersey Devils avoided arbitration as they came to terms on a three-year contract worth $3.73 million. (Source: Elliotte Friedman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: After an excellent rookie season that produced 44 points (23 on the power-play), Butcher experienced the dreaded sophomore slump. He averaged over three more minutes of ice-time, and virtually the same amount of power-play time, yet he posted just 30 points (14 on the power-play) in 2018-19. New Jersey's power-play efficiency as a team dropped 3.7%, so it was to be expected that Butcher's overall production would take a hit as a result. The Devils addressed this regression with the addition of P.K. Subban, so it looks like Butcher will be squeezed off the first power-play unit due to his presence. The Devils have turned themselves into a more threatening offensive team overall, which bodes well for Butcher 5-on-5, but he will likely find himself demoted to PP2.

The Vegas Golden Knights traded the rights to KHL star Nikita Gusev to New Jersey in exchange for a 2020 3rd round pick and 2021 second round pick. Gusev then signed a two-year, $9 million deal with the Devils. (Source: New Jersey Devils on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The 27-year-old Gusev joins Jack Hughes, P.K. Subban, and Wayne Simmonds amongst the notable offseason additions to the Devils attack. Despite having never stepped on the ice as an NHLer, Gusev's 73 goals and 215 points in 173 games over his last three seasons with SKA St. Petersburg in Russia has certainly done enough to turn heads. We've seen elite KHL imports translate into fantasy stars in the past - Alex Radulov and Artemi Panarin being the most notable - so Gusev is certainly someone to keep an eye on, especially since he looks set to line up with either Hughes or Nico Hischier in the top six.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has agreed to an eight-year, $76 million extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning. His AAV of $9.5 million is now the third highest in the NHL amongst goalies. (Source: Tampa Bay Lightning on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Vasilevskiy was money in 2018-19, and now he's being rewarded for it. He was a key factor in the Lightning's historic regular season success as he posted a 2.40 goals-against average and .925 save percentage while amassing an NHL-high 39 wins; he tacked on six shutouts for good measure. As a result, he went on to be awarded the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie. The 25-year-old is already among the elite at his position, and when you consider he'll be backstopping a stacked Lightning squad for eight more years, Vasilevskiy checks all the boxes of a cornerstone keeper league piece. He should be the first goalie off the board in all formats this fall.

David Rittich has signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract extension with the Calgary Flames. (Source: TSN)

Fantasy Impact: The 26 year-old managed a career high 27 wins in 2018-19, along with a .911 save percentage and 2.61 GAA in 45 games. Rittich split time last season with Mike Smith, and will have to hold off newly signed Cam Talbot this season. While he is far from a guarantee, Rittich will enter camp on top of the Flames goaltender depth-chart. If either goalie in Calgary is able to earn the bulk of the starts, there is definite wins potential on a strong team with a very good defense.

Pavel Buchnevich has agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the New York Rangers. (Source: NY Post )

Fantasy Impact: The 24 year-old Buchnevich was on pace for a fairly productive season in 2018-19, with 21 goals and 38 points in only 64 games. If he can stay healthy this season there is reason to believe that he can build on that number. The Rangers have added a few big names to their forward group in Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko. Buchnevich should have every opportunity to stay in the Rangers top-six, and could potentially find playing time with Panarin. Keep an eye on Pavel Buchnevich, he could have some fantasy value playing in the Rangers re-shaped forward group.

Sam Bennett has signed a two-year, $5.1 million contract extension with the Calgary Flames. (Source: TSN)

Fantasy Impact: Bennett has not developed in to the high-end player that many were expecting as the fourth-overall pick in 2014. His best point total to date was 36, which came in his rookie season. The past three seasons have seen totals of 26, 26, and 27, consistent though certainly underwhelming. While there is still some reason to believe that Bennett could break-out, he was a very highly touted prospect, and is still just 23 years-old. It is starting to seem less likely with each passing season. Bennett has struggled to produce early in his career, though his penalty minutes are useful in certain formats.

An independent arbitrator has awarded Andrew Copp a two-year contract extension, with an annual value of $2.28 million. (Source: Sportsnet )

Fantasy Impact: Copp had a career-high 11 goals last season, to go along with 25 points, in only 69 games. He would have easily topped his career-high in points as well, 28 points in 2017-18, had he not missed time on two separate occasions last season. Copp has become an important player for the Jets, but ultimately offers little in fantasy. He will need to move out of his current bottom-six role if he is going to have any impact in fantasy.

Colton Sissons and the Nashville Predators have agreed on a seven-year extension worth $20 million. (Source: Elliotte Friedman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is one of the more unique deals you'll ever see. The 25-year-old Sissons is what he is - a bottom six forward, nothing more. It's rare that this kind of term is given to players like Sissons, but the two parties are clearly happy with each other. Sissons supplied career highs last season with 15 goals and 30 points and if he keeps that up throughout the duration of this deal, both sides should be content. As for fantasy owners, there's not much to see here.

Brock McGinn has signed a two-year, $4.2 million extension with the Carolina Hurricanes, avoiding arbitration. (Source: Elliotte Friedman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: McGinn finished the 2018-19 season with 10 goals, and 26 points, while appearing in all 82 games. That was a slight decrease from the 2017-18 season where he managed 16 goals, and 30 points in 80 contests. McGinn is a valuable role-player for the Hurricanes, he offers some secondary scoring, as well as providing something of a physical element for his team. However, as far as fantasy goes, McGinn can be safely avoided.

The conditional 2020 third-round pick in the James Neal-for-Milan Lucic trade is dependant on the number of goals scored by each player. (Source: Mark Spector on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Oilers will send the Flames a third-round pick in 2020 if James Neal scores a minimum of 21 goals, and he bests Milan Lucic by at least 10 goals. Excluding last year, James Neal has had no trouble hitting the 21-goal mark in any season. Considering the Oilers lack-of-depth on the wing, there is a good chance that Neal will end up in a top-six role in Edmonton. Lining up with any of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, or perhaps most likely Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, should give James Neal every opportunity to hit the 21-goal mark next season.