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

Today we’re giving a breakdown of the NHL’s biggest free agency signings. It may not be the deepest or the star-studded class of free agents as in the past, but that doesn’t mean it is without intrigue or fantasy impact. Today, we’ll focus on unrestricted free agents. Next week, we’ll cover restricted free agents; they deserve their own space.

NHL Free Agency Breakdown

John Carlson (D, Tampa Bay Lightning), 2 years, $8.5M per, Total: 17M

The Carolina Hurricanes traded for the rights to negotiate with Carlson a week before free agency began, without luck. On July 1, he signed a two-year, $8.5M deal with Tampa Bay.

At 36, Carlson is now surrounded by the best offensive talent he’s seen since winning the Cup in Washington. Victor Hedman, also 36, is slowing down. Tampa needed to replace Darren Raddysh’s offense (signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs).

Fantasy Outlook: 60-plus points with heavy power-play production.

Sergei Bobrovsky (G, Toronto Maple Leafs) 3 years, $7M AAV: $21M Total

Turning 38 in September, this one has risk-reward written all over it. Bobrovsky is coming off a horrid season. His .877 Save Percentage (SV%) was by far the lowest of his career. His 3.07 Goals Against Average (GAA) was the second lowest of his career.

Last year, Toronto gave up the most shots in the league and was bottom-five in high-danger scoring chances against. John Chayka has overhauled the Leafs’ bottom six and hired Jim Hiller, whose Los Angeles Kings were a top-five defensive team in the two years he was their head coach. Bobrovsky is also known for bouncing back after a bad season.

Fantasy Outlook:  50-plus starts, 33 wins, .905 SV%, 2.80 GAA. Draft Bobrovsky once he slides outside of the top 3 tiers of goalies. Let someone else blow a high pick on the risk.

Mason Marchment (LW, San Jose Sharks), 5 Years, $6.75M, Total: 33.75M

This is a fun landing spot. Marchment offers the Sharks another rough-and-tumble option that can be deployed in a top-six or third-line role. The Columbus Blue Jackets unlocked Marchment, with 32 points in 35 games. It’s not the first time Marchment has caught lightning in a bottle. In 2021-22, he put up 47 points in 54 games, and in 2024-25, he produced 47 in 62 games. Health will be a big factor. He’s only played more than 70 games once in his seven NHL seasons.

Fantasy Outlook: 60 points if he can get to 75 games. That is a big ‘if.’

Rasmus Andersson (D, Vegas Golden Knights), 7 Years, $8.5m, Total: $59.50M

There was a lot of talk about Andersson not fitting in well with Vegas during the regular season. However, his 17 points in 33 games were pretty close to what we’ve come to expect from Andersson offensively. He’s a 45-point defenceman who gets pushed down to second power-play units and fills in on the first unit in a pinch. Vegas’s forwards are better than he’s played with in Calgary; one has to believe a couple extra points can be found just from exposure to them.

Fantasy Outlook: 45 points, with 50-plus potential. Limited power-play production (5-10 points).

Andrei Kuzmenko (LW, Pittsburgh Penguins), 1 Year, $5M

If you’re looking for an under-the-radar, late-round sleeper option, take a look at Kuzmenko. Sidney Crosby (C) and Evgeni Malkin (C/LW) still elevate everyone around them. We’ll never see Kuzmenko score 30-plus goals again, but he could push for 25 goals with the right deployment.

Fantasy Outlook: Deep pools, last-round option. Waiver wire add when hot: 20 goals, 40 points, with some upside.

Boone Jenner (C, Washington Capitals), 4 Years, $5.75M, Total: $23M

Jenner becomes the third major addition to the Capitals this summer. They have added an entire second line through trades and free agency (Jordan Kyrou, RW, Alex Tuch, LW). For fantasy owners, the hope is that Jenner will slot in as their second-line center. I expect the 2nd and 3rd-line center spots to be fluid at the start of the year and for Washington to roll their lines.

Fantasy Outlook: At 33, Jenner is who he is. Plug and play a 50-55 point pace. Injuries are still a major concern, having not played more than 70 games since the 2020-21 season.

Come back next week for part two of the NHL’s biggest free agency signings.

Thanks for reading.