Fantasy Hockey News

The Edmonton Oilers have decided to trade Milan Lucic to the Calgary Flames, in exchange for right winger James Neal. (Source: Ryan Rishaug on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The two Alberta rivals have decided to unload bad contract situations on their respective ends of the spectrum. Lucic may not be what he once was during his days in Boston, but he does have postseason experience, which can be a big plus for the Flames. Calgary took a huge step forward last season, and they appear ready to go even further in 2019. Expect Lucic to have an immediate impact on his new team.

Calgary Flames forward James Neal has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers, in exchange for Milan Lucic. (Source: Ryan Rishaug on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Both teams were in bad contract situations with their respective players prior to the trade occurring. Neal will look to return to form as he now joins a young and hungry Oilers squad looking to return to the playoffs in 2019. His veteran presence on offense will certainly be a big boost for Edmonton this year.

J.T. Compher and the Colorado Avalanche have avoided arbitration and agreed to terms on a four-year deal that will pay the winger $14 million. (Source: Elliotte Friedman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Compher is coming off of a career-best season in what was his second "full" year in the NHL. He tallied 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 66 games. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has yet to crack the 70 game mark in his young career, having dealt with injuries - including a concussion - in the past. In spite of this, the Avalanche clearly still believe in his abilities by signing him to this deal. But from a fantasy perspective, there's better options out there.

Jakub Vrana has signed a two-year, $6.7 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals. (Source: tsn.ca)

Fantasy Impact: Vrana had his most productive season to date in 2018-2019, recording 24 goals and 47 points. Still only 23 years old, and with a first-round draft pedigree, there is reason for optimism going forward. The young winger will look to build on last season where he finished third on the team in goals and sixth in points.

Ryan Dzingel has signed a two-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes that will pay him a total of $6.75 million. (Source: TSN.ca)

Fantasy Impact: The 27-year-old Dzingel experienced what could be considered a mini-breakout last season in his third full year in the NHL. We've seen a steady upward trend in his production so far in his career; jumping from 32 points to 41, up to last season's 56 (26 of which were goals). The most encouraging part of this trend is that 21 goals and 45 of his points from last season were at even-strength. If Dzingel's talent can translate at even strength in Ottawa of all places, it's easy to be optimistic about his prospects in Carolina with what's become an intriguing group of young forwards.

After 21 seasons, Matt Cullen officially announced his retirement from the NHL. He recorded 266 goals, 465 assists for 731 points over 1516 games. He added 132 more games played in the playoffs. (Source: TSN.ca)

Fantasy Impact: The 42-year-old officially hangs them up after having spent half of his life as a player in the NHL. It's been even longer in the NHL circle when you consider he was drafted by Mighty Ducks of Anaheim back in 1996. He never managed to eclipse the 50-point plateau in the regular season, but he still played a role in three separate Stanley Cup championships during long career.

Michael Ferland and the Vancouver Canucks have agreed on a four-year contract that will pay the left winger $14 million. (Source: Darren Dreger on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The 27-year-old is coming off a season where he collected 17 goals and 23 assists with the Hurricanes. Not bad, until you consider he ended the season on a 17-game goal drought (plus seven playoff games). On the bright side, he contributed 182 hits, which was fourth among forwards with 40 or more points. Ferland is naturally a checking-style player, but he's managed to not look completely out of place when lined up in situations with skilled playmakers. This issue being, those aren't exactly abundant in Vancouver. His physical play coupled with consecutive 40-point seasons keeps him on the fantasy radar for now, but he'll be in tough to eclipse that threshold again this season.

Danton Heinen and the Boston Bruins avoided arbitration as they came to an agreement on a two-year, $5.6 million deal. (Source: TSN.ca)

Fantasy Impact: The 24-year-old Heinen is coming off of his second full season in the NHL which saw him post 11 goals and 34 points. This came as a bit of a disappointment, as Heinen managed to put up 16 goals and 47 points back in his rookie season. Unfortunately for Heinen, the Bruins don’t tend to spread the offensive wealth across their lines; cramming Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand on what is arguably the best line in the NHL. Heinen is a decent middle-six forward but he receives little to no power-play time. He’s worth keeping an eye on in case the Bruins happen to shuffle their studs around the lineup, but otherwise, he’s probably best left alone outside of deep leagues.

Kevin Labanc has agreed to a one year, $1 million extension to remain with the San Jose Sharks for next season. (Source: Kevin Kurz on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This contract is nothing short of a steal for the Sharks. The 23-year-old right-winger is coming off the most productive season of his young career, posting career-highs in goals (17), assists (39) and points (56). On top of that, he solidified himself as a fixture on the Sharks power-play, recording 20 points with the man advantage. Joe Pavelski and Gustav Nyquist have moved on, so the path to top-six minutes is even clearer in San Jose. With Labanc already having proved worthy of advanced offensive responsibility in a feisty Sharks offense, he could be a very solid value pick in fantasy drafts.

Marcus Johansson has agreed to a two-year, $9 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres. (Source: David Amber on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The 28-year-old Johansson has only managed to play in 87 games over the past two seasons combined due to concussion issues. But after being acquired by the Boston Bruins from New Jersey at last season's trade deadline, he proved he still had the ability to produce in a middle-six role, putting up 11 points in the playoffs on a run to the finals. Johansson produced 58 points in his last full season back in 2016-17, but the 40 point mark is probably a more reasonable expectation for Johansson if he can maintain his health with the Sabres.

Cody Ceci has agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million dollar extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Source: Darren Dreger on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The 25-year-old was originally acquired from the Ottawa Senators in a six player trade. While nothing is set in stone regarding how head coach Mike Babcock will deploy the right-handed shot defenseman, it appears he will likely find himself on the second pairing alongside Jake Muzzin. Ceci tied his career high with 26 points last season, so he's not a viable fantasy option outside of leagues that count blocks and hits. That being said, there's no denying he's in a better offensive situation than he was in Ottawa.

Alex Kerfoot has agreed to a four-year contract extension with Toronto that will pay him a total of $14 million. (Source: Darren Dreger)

Fantasy Impact: After his restricted free-agent rights were acquired by Toronto from Colorado in a blockbuster trade, Kerfoot and the Maple Leafs made quick work in coming to terms on an extension. The 24-year-old has put up 34 goals and 85 points across the first two seasons of his NHL career and appears poised to fill the Leafs third-line centre role that was left behind with Nazem Kadri's departure to the Avalanche. Kadri collected 44 points in this role a season ago, so gauge your expectations for Kerfoot accordingly.

The Carolina Hurricanes have officially matched the offer sheet extended to Sebastian Aho by the Montreal Canadiens. The deal is worth $42.27 million and will keep the 21-year-old in Carolina for the next five years. (Source: Carolina Hurricanes on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Aho posted career highs across the board in what was his third full season in the NHL. This included 30 goals and 53 assists for 83 points while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. Given this production, it's no surprise a team would take a stab at prying the centerman away with an offer sheet. Despite signing the offer sheet, Aho appears very comfortable to remain with the 'Canes. This is a young team looking to build off of a surprising Conference Finals appearance and Aho will be leading the way once again. He will be a very attractive fantasy option going forward, especially in keeper formats.

St. Louis Blues starting goalie Jordan Binnington has decided to file for salary arbitration this offseason. (Source: TSN.ca)

Fantasy Impact: Binnington's name showing up on the list of players filing for salary arbitration this offseason may come as a surprise to some, due to the fact that he has only played in the NHL for approximately half a season. Despite not having as many years of NHL service as some of the other players on the list, Binnington did play an integral role in helping St. Louis capture their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. In 30 starts during the 2018-19 regular season, Binnington had a 24-5-1 record with a 1.89 GAA and 0.927 SV%.

The New York Islanders were able to come to terms with UFA Anders Lee this offseason. It will be a seven-year deal worth $49 million. (Source: Pierre LeBrun on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Lee was one of the most sought out UFA's on the market this offseason after scoring over 25 goals the last three seasons with New York. The Islanders have decided to build their team around one of their most important offensive weapons for years to come.

After being bought out by the Anaheim Ducks in June, Corey Perry has found a new home in Dallas by signing a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. (Source: DallasStars.com)

Fantasy Impact: Perry was drafted by the Ducks in 2006 and has played the last 13 years with Anaheim. In that 13-year frame, Perry amassed has 359 goals and 751 points as well as a Stanley Cup championship in 2007 with the Ducks. The 35-year old veteran hopes to prove he still has something left in the tank to be a useful asset on his new team in the "Lone Star" state.

Joe Pavelski has decided to leave the San Jose Sharks to sign a three-year $21 million contract with the Dallas Stars Monday. (Source: Matthew DeFranks on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Pavelski has spent the first 13 years with the San Jose Sharks and has been their captain since 2014. During his tenure with the Sharks, he has scored 355 goals and dished out 406 assists in 963 games played. The Stars are looking to taking the next step in claiming a championship this year and they hope that Pavelski's veteran presence can get them over the hump. It will be exciting to see how Pavelski adapts with some of the other high levels of talent present on Dallas, such as Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.

Tyler Ennis has signed a one-year contract worth $800,000 with the Ottawa Senators Monday. (Source: Bruce Garrioch on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Ennis recorded 12 goals along with six assists in 51 games played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018. He will look to make his presence known with his new team in Ottawa this season.

The Florida Panthers have come to terms with defenseman Anton Stralman on a three-year $16.5 million contract. (Source: NHL.com)

Fantasy Impact: The 32-year old veteran defenseman has played over 700 games with the Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Lightning. During that span he has scored 47 goals, 195 assists, and owns a plus-72 rating as well. The Panthers hope that by adding Stralman, it will strengthen their blue line heading into the new season ahead.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Curtis McElhinney will be heading to Tampa Bay after signing a one-year $1.3 million deal with the Lightning Monday. (Source: Pierre LeBrun on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The 36-year old journeyman served as Carolina's backup goaltender this past season where he maintained a 20-11-2 record, along with a 2.58 GAA and 0.912 SV% in 33 starts. His veteran presence is comfort for Tampa Bay to have in case anything happens to their star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy