Fantasy Hockey Breakdown of the NHL’s Biggest Free Agency Signings: Part II

We’re back with part II of our breakdown of the NHL’s biggest free agency signings. If you missed you can also read my breakdown of the first round of signings.

More NHL Free Agency Signings

Frederik Andersen (G, Edmonton Oilers)

There’s no big payday for Andersen after going 12-3 and leading the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Finals before getting injured. Instead, he settled for a one-year, one-million-dollar deal with the Edmonton Oilers.

This is such a fascinating landing spot for Andersen. It is as high-risk, high-reward as it gets at the goalie position. As a team, the Oilers gave up the 11th most high-danger shots against and a whopping 17.55% of goals against off rebounds. This was the second-worst in the league. With Mike Babcock installed as the new head coach and Riley Shea replacing Darnell Nurse (D, San Jose Sharks), there should be a significant improvement in both areas.

With better defense in front of him, Andersen provides a significant upgrade over every goalie the Oilers have put in the crease over the past five seasons. The big concern is health. Andersen hasn’t played more than 35 games in a season since 2021-22.

Fantasy Outlook: 50 games max. Has a chance to produce 30 wins and a strong goals-against average and save percentage. A great later-round draft option.

Anders Lee (LW, Utah Mammoth) 3 Years, $5.4M AAV, Total: $16.2M

Lee’s best years are behind him. That said, he still provides decent multi-cat coverage. The New York Islanders have never been an offensive juggernaut. Lee finally moves to a team that has the firepower and potential to score a lot of goals. His ability to produce 200 shots, 100 hits, should put him on fantasy radars on its own.

Surprisingly, Lee’s career 82-game pace for points is 49. After all, he’s only produced more than 52 points twice in his 14-year career.

Fantasy Outlook: I’ll take the over on his career average of 49 points. 28 goals, 25 assists with his traditional 200 shots and 100-plus hits.

Claude Giroux (C/LW, Ottawa Senators) 1 Year, $2M

Giroux’s re-signing was a foregone conclusion. We’ve seen his production dip over the last two years with the Senators. At 38, there’s no reason to expect any sizeable jump this coming season.

His shot totals have dipped to 1.7 per game, compared to his career average of 2.5 per game, as well. Let someone else take a run at Giroux come draft day. He’s best utilized as a waiver add when he hits a hot streak.

Fantasy Outlook: I don’t expect more than 20 goals, 25 to 30 assists.

Jamie Benn (C/LW, Dallas Stars) 1 Year, $850K

See my take on Giroux. Benn is one year younger, but the production expectations are the same. At this stage of his career, he is a complementary piece.

The bonus Benn brings is his peripheral value. He still rings up 100-plus hits and 60-plus penalty minutes a year. In a pinch, Benn can fill a void in both points and multi-cat pools.

Fantasy Outlook: Expect 45-50 points. No more, possibly a little bit less.

Alexander Ovechkin (LW, Washington Capitals)

What a treat to get to see Ovechkin for one more season. At 41, fantasy owners really need to temper expectations.

The only time you will see Ovechkin on the ice for a defensive zone face-off this coming year will be if the Capitals ice the puck. They sheltered Ovechkin with over 85% of offensive zone starts. They’ll do it again this year.

With the additions of Jordan Kyrou (RW), Alex Tuch (LW), and Boone Jenner, the Capitals boast one of the strongest forward groups in the league on paper. At this point, Ovechkin is a third liner who will hunker down in his familiar spot and fire one-timers on the power play. Don’t be surprised to see his overall ice time dip to 16 minutes per game.

Fantasy Outlook: Expect limited, sheltered minutes at five-on-five. He’ll continue to receive maximum time on the first power play. His one-timer is still elite. He has a shot to hit 35 goals and 65 points, with 240 shots and 120 hits.

Next up, we’ll cover some of the biggest restricted free agents to have signed this summer.

Thanks for reading.