NHL trades with significant fantasy implications just keep coming. We’re back to break down the most recent wave of trades. As expected, the NHL draft resulted in several big deals. You can read about the earlier trades in part one here and part two here.
More Fantasy Breakdown NHL Trades
McTavish Trade
St. Louis Blues receive: Mason McTavish (C/LW)
Anaheim Ducks receive 2026 1st-round pick, #15 Overall, 2026 1st-round pick, #29 Overall
The St. Louis Blues beat out the New York Rangers in a bid to acquire McTavish.
Big things were expected from McTavish this past season, but he didn’t deliver. McTavish struggled, seeing his point production drop to 41 points. When you dig deeper into the metrics, McTavish played well, considering the production. McTavish’s Corsi For percentage (CF%) was the highest of his career, at 52%, and 58% of his faceoffs came in the offensive zone. His five-on-five goals per 60 and shots per 60 were both down, but only a few percentage points. His Individual Point Percentage was down only 6% from 2024-25, which doesn’t fully explain the drop on its own.
McTavish’s ceiling is that of a second-line center who can contribute quite well offensively. With the Blues now saying they don’t expect to trade Robert Thomas, it remains to be seen if he’ll start the year on their first power-play unit.
This move should benefit McTavish. His ceiling remains the same, but the change of scenery should give him an improved chance of hitting it.
McTavish Fantasy Outlook: McTavish has a shot at 55 points this year, with an upside to break 60. Longer term, McTavish has 70-plus-point potential. The window to buy low is closing fast. Jump now.
Peterka Trade
Boston Bruins receive: J.J. Peterka (LW)
Utah Mammoth receive: 2026 1st-round pick, #23 Overall, 2028 1st-round pick (Top-10 protected)
With the hindsight of a full season, the Mammoth would have been better off keeping Michael Kesselring (D, San Jose Sharks) and Josh Doan (Buffalo Sabres, LW/RW).
One year into his seven-year, $7.7 million contract, the Mammoth are moving on. Even with a career-high 72% IPP, it’s safe to say the Peterka experiment didn’t work in Utah. The good news is that they received good value for him.
Boston has a knack for bringing players back from down seasons and helping them reach their potential (See Connor Geekie (C/LW) and Pavel Zacha (C)). Peterka looks to slot onto the Bruins’ second line and top power play unit. He’ll provide them with a second shooting option, which should open up more opportunities for David Pastrnak.
Peterka Fantasy Outlook: Expect a solid bounce-back season. Another 25-30 goal season and a return to the 60-point mark is my projection. If he can get his shot totals closer to 240 (three per game), then he should crack 30 goals for the first time in his career.
Dorofeyev Trade
New York Rangers receive: Pavel Dorofeyev (RW)
Vegas Golden Knights receive: 2026 1st-round pick, #26 Overall, 2026 3rd-round pick, 2028 1st-round pick
Another big name was moved for multiple first-round picks.
Dorofeyev goes from being a big piece in a loaded Vegas lineup to the Rangers’ number one goal-scoring option. He sits at the top of the Rangers’ depth chart and should get all the ice time he can manage.
He was on the ice for 76% of the Golden Knights’ power plays last year; that number won’t go any higher in New York. There is a dip in talent around him; the Rangers don’t have a Jack Eichel (C) or Mitch Marner (RW). At 231 career games and entering his third full NHL season, Dorofeyev is primed for a big breakout season. The hope/expectation is that his breakout supplements the loss of talent around him.
Dorofeyev Fantasy Outlook: Dorofeyev hits 40 goals and 75 points for the first time in his career. There’s room for even more, but he’ll need players like Gabe Perreault to deliver a big season and J.T. Miller to find his game to get there.
Zellweger Trade
Buffalo Sabres receive: Olen Zellweger (D)
Anaheim Ducks receive: Anton Wahlberg (C), 2026 2nd-round pickÂ
This isn’t the best news for Zellweger owners. Even with a 58-point season, Jackson LaCombe doesn’t feel like a true power-play quarterback. Zellweger has the ‘it’ factor that takes time to unlock.
In Buffalo, he is firmly locked behind Rasmus Dahlin (D). As long as Zellweger is a Sabre, he will be limited to the second power play. The only exception will be injury replacements. But we can’t make fantasy decisions based on one-offs and short-term opportunities.
Zellweger Fantasy Outlook:Â For the next couple of seasons, 40-45-point seasons. It’s impossible to predict much more than this when there is such a clear roadblock to bigger production numbers in front of him.
Markstrom Trade
Florida Panthers receive: Jacob Markstrom (G), Angus Crookshank (LW)
New Jersey Devils receive: Jesper Boqvist (C), Evan Rodrigues (C/LW/RW), Ben Steeves (LW)
The only pieces of consequence here are Markstrom. After a disastrous season, he joins a loaded Panthers team. The Panthers were shockingly bad last year. In large part because their captain, Alexander Barkov (C), missed the entire season due to injury. The other reason is subpar goaltending from the tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky (G) and Danil Tarasov (G).
The Panthers are going to beat teams down this year, physically. It’s been a long, long time since a team loaded up on toughness like the Panthers have. Will their style of play translate to a strong defensive game? That remains to be seen. The underlying fear has to be penalties. With Radko Gudas (D), Sam Bennett (C), Brad Marchand (RW), Brady Tkachuk (LW), and Matt Tkachuk (RW), they will draw a lot of penalties. Florida’s defensive structure will be the swing factor – if they limit high-danger opportunities, Markstrom should be okay.
This will create a lot of opportunities for Markstrom to get lit up shorthanded.
Markstrom Fantasy Outlook: Expect strong win totals, but average-to-below-average Goals Against Average and Save Percentage. Buyer beware!
The trades set the stage, but the draft is where the real long‑term fantasy impact begins. Check back in a few days for a breakdown of the draft and the prospects poised to make noise.
