Hey folks, welcome back. In the dog days of summer, fantasy hockey news can be slow or non-existent. However, over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen some notable movement through both trades and the oh-so-rare offer sheet (times two).
Let’s take a look at what’s transpired and the potential fantasy hockey impact.
Fantasy Hockey News
NHL Trade Breakdowns
Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets
Montreal Canadiens Receive: Patrick Laine, LW/RW, 2026 2nd Round Draft Pick
The second-round pick was included as an incentive for Montreal to take on the entirety of Laine’s $8.7 million x 2 contract. A trade felt inevitable even before Laine took a personal leave for mental health reasons.
Even though Laine never seemed settled or happy in Columbus, he produced. Over his last three seasons, he tallied 117 points in 129 games—a 74-point pace over an 82-game season.
Many have soured on Laine, but I see him as a perfect buy-low candidate. This trade brings optimism that he could return to his former 40-goal form, though doubt lingers.
If there’s any concern with Laine, it’s around injuries. He hasn’t played more than 68 games in a season since 2019-20. Montreal has been decimated by injuries the last two seasons, so perhaps this should be a potential flag.
The Canadiens boast a solid and improving top-six, headed by Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky. Laine’s addition provides Montreal with two bonafide scoring lines.
The safe prediction here is for Laine to produce above 0.8 points per game. His health will dictate whether that translates to 50 points or 75. There’s always been an upside beyond 75 points, but he’s never fully realized that potential.
Columbus Blue Jackets Receive: Jordan Harris, D
On the other side of this deal is Harris. He has the potential to become a legitimate second-pairing defenseman, but his offensive potential is limited. Don’t expect big offensive seasons from him.
His real-life value far exceeds his fantasy hockey value. Zach Werenski is the number one offensive option on the roster, and prospects like David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk, and Stanislav Svozil have higher offensive ceilings.
San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators
San Jose Sharks Receive: Yaroslav Askarov, G, 2025 3rd Round Draft Pick, Prospect Nolan Burke, C
The writing was on the wall when Nashville signed Juuse Saros to an 8-year, $7.74 million AAV extension earlier this summer.
Askarov is possibly the best goalie prospect in the NHL (Jesper Wallstedt being the other side of the argument). He’s landed in one of the best spots possible. The Sharks just drafted franchise-altering center Macklin Celebrini and boast one of the best prospect pools in the league. They lacked a goalie prospect with Askarov’s pedigree.
Askarov will enter camp with a legitimate opportunity to challenge for a roster spot. The Sharks have two one-way goalie contracts on the books: MacKenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanacek.
Blackwood and Vanacek are both unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2024-25 season. Askarov will challenge for a roster spot in camp, but for him to make the opening night roster, the Sharks would likely need to waive one of their goalies.
Expect Askarov to start the year in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda and get cups of coffee by mid-season. The Sharks may also look to move one of their goalies in-season to call Askarov up.
The Sharks have found what should be their franchise goalie. The path for Askarov to ascend to that role is there for him to take.
Nashville Predators Receive: David Edstrom, C, Magnus Chrona, G, Conditional 2025 1st Round Pick
The Predators get two main pieces the Sharks received in the Tomas Hertl trade. Edstrom doesn’t project to be a big point producer at the NHL level, likely ending up as a third-line center with some offensive contribution. At best, he becomes a second-line center with limited offensive capabilities—a better real-life prospect.
The 2025 first-rounder is unlikely to have any fantasy impact for several years. It’s good for Nashville, but fantasy managers won’t care for years to come.
Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets
Pittsburgh Penguins Receive: Rutger McGroarty, LW
It’s becoming more common for prospects to request trades in their entry-level contracts, or even before they sign, as in McGroarty’s case.
The Penguins sorely lacked a prospect like McGroarty in their system. They paid a solid price to acquire him in Brayden Yager.
This trade was all about NHL readiness for the Penguins. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang all in the twilight of their careers, McGroarty offers a more NHL-ready option than Yager did.
That said, he’ll find it tough to break camp with the Penguins. Most roster spots are already spoken for, and the Penguins have several players vying for the few open spots.
Expect McGroarty to start the year with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL. He is waiver-exempt, while most of the other players are not, which usually serves as the roster tie-breaker.
Winnipeg Jets Receive: Brayden Yager, C/LW
For the Jets, obtaining Yager was all about replacing McGroarty as much as possible. Yager appears to be one to two years away from making the Jets’ starting lineup. When he does, he offers legitimate top-six upside.
If he develops properly, Yager should become a reliable 30-goal scorer. He finds himself amidst a much deeper pool of prospects, but luckily, few spots with the Jets are spoken for long-term.
The Jets received close to equal value but will have to wait a bit longer for Yager to be ready.
Dual Offer Sheets: St. Louis Blues vs. Edmonton Oilers
St. Louis Blues signed Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets
We haven’t seen an offer sheet since the Carolina Hurricanes signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to one in 2021. Even though neither player holds significant fantasy value today, the rarity of offer sheets increases intrigue and makes them fantasy hockey newsworthy.
This year, the Blues dropped two on the hockey world, marking the first dual offer sheet in the salary cap era. The Edmonton Oilers had seven days to match the offers and sign either or both players. Surprisingly, they decided not to match either offer sheet. Both players are now St. Louis Blues.
The Blues signed Broberg to a two-year contract worth $4.58 million per season and Holloway to a two-year contract worth $2.29 million per season. This cost the Blues their second and third-round picks in the upcoming 2025 NHL entry draft.
While this is good for the Blues, it’s not necessarily an improvement in the playing situation for either player.
Holloway does lose out on playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. However, he joins a team where a spot in the top nine this season is realistic. There is also a better opportunity to increase his role and earn a top-six spot at some point.
Broberg, however, finds himself stuck in a logjam on the Blues’ blue line. Torey Krug is expected to miss significant time, if not the entire season, but Nick Leddy and Scott Perunovich are still ahead of him on the left side. The Blues also signed Ryan Suter, picked up Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Tyler Tucker. Let’s not forget Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk on the right side.
There was a clearer path to a top-four spot on the Oilers than exists on the Blues right now.
There is a possibility the Blues move one of their veterans during the season, creating an opportunity for youth to take on a bigger role. Trade rumors have swirled around Parayko for two seasons now.
Long-term, the opportunity to gain access to first-powerplay minutes is better with the Blues, but it will be a wait-and-see game for both players entering this season.
As September approaches, fantasy hockey news will pick up. We’ll start to see player tryout offers tendered, and prospects stand out during rookie camp and training camp. The fun season is approaching.
Buckle up.
Thanks for reading
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