Petr Mrazek dubbed the No. 1 (again?), Mike Hoffman contract squabbles, a trio of trades and more …

 

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Buckle up. There was a lot of news Monday.

 

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This is a solid article from James Mirtle that sets the stage for the upcoming week.

And some of the dominos have already dropped.

 

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General manager Ken Holland confirmed what every one knows by dubbing Petr Mrazek as the No. 1 goaltender entering training camp.

Jimmy Howard is a prime trade candidate, but he has a hefty cap hit the next three seasons ($5,291,666). Age, injuries and underwhelming play are also negatives. It's amazing Howard started the first two games of the playoffs.

Mrazek's run from early November through February was incredible:

 

However, he struggled down the stretch with a .886 save percentage and a 3.44 goals-against average through is final 16 appearances, which was the likely reason Howard grabbed the starts in Game 1 and 2 against Tampa Bay.

Mrazek's midseason run included historic numbers at five-on-five, and while there's no questioning his talent, Mrazek likely isn't ascending to the top of his position anytime soon.

Mrazek did nurse a groin injury in late February and March, so it might have impacted his play.

For our fantasy purposes, it's safe to rely on Mrazek as a low-end No. 1 for your virtual club, but he would look a lot better as your No. 2. Based on early rankings from ESPN and NHL.com, Mrazek is in No. 2 territory.

Detroit is expected to be aggressive over the next few weeks, and should continue to be a competitive club again. Mrazek should approach 35 wins with a .920 Sv% and a 2.40 GAA.

I suspect he'll be undervalued next fall, and is currently undervalued in keeper/dynasty setups. The Red Wings have some obstacle in their way right now, but shipping out Howard and Pavel Datsyuk's contract should help them be major players in a stocked free-agent market.

And quickly, sure Holland said it was going to be difficult to move Datsyuk's contract, but what do you expect him to say? He's jockeying.

 

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Sticking with the Red Wings briefly, Holland also said Anthony Mantha will receive every opportunity to crack the roster in training camp.

If he sticks in a scoring-line role, Mantha will return 20-25 goals and 40-50 points. Detroit has a hole in their lineup for a sized-skilled winger, and Mantha fits the need.

 

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Jonathan Marchessault's agent said Tampa Bay has shown interest in re-signing Marchessault, and that Marchessult wants to return.

There isn't a lot of fantasy value in a return to Tampa Bay, and there likely isn't a lot of fantasy value attached to a relocation.

Still, he posted a point-per-game run over eight games in December with an uptick in ice time, especially of the power-play variety. Similarly in late February, Marchessault scored four points through three games with extended minutes.

He's likely good enough for a top-six role on a weak team, but at 25, fleeting opportunities in scoring roles are likely all he'll receive.

 

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San Jose acquired 20-year-old center Maxim Letunov from Phoenix.

“Max Letunov is a player that our amateur guys identified in his draft year,” general manager Doug Wilson said. “He was one of the top offensive guys as a freshman at UConn. … We think he’s a great fit. We’re going to get him bigger and stronger as he progresses through his college career, but he’s just really a player that we’ve identified that fit our needs going forward.”

And, here is the latest take from the DobberProspects:

Arizona traded Maxim Letunov's rights and a 2017 sixth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick and a 2016 fourth-round draft pick. This seems like a odd trade since Letunov was looking like an excellent prospect after a strong freshman season at UCONN, setting the school's rookie scoring record for points, assists and goals. New Coyotes General Manager John Chayka had this to say on the trade: "Signing an NCAA player with lots of development still left is always a concern. That becomes compounded when you have depth at center like we do with our prospects. It's a good fit for San Jose." 

Full profile here.

This is a wait-and-see situation, as Letunov needs to fill out his 6-foot-4 frame, which likely means it'll be a few years before he's fantasy relevant outside of cavernous keeper/dynasty setups.

 

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Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said there was a "cone of silence" on contract talks with Mike Hoffman.

That's not good, and this is my go to point when it comes to Hoffman. Cliffy, don't bogart that tweet, my friend.

The Senators are stuck in a semi-rebuild as a middling team, Hoffman is a piece to build around, not toy around.

Here's his start to last season:

 

 

There are only a handful of players who can post those numbers. It wouldn't be surprising to see him in a new uniform if this isn't tidied up soon.

 

Cody Ceci is nearing a deal. He's a fine depth defenseman with some upside down the road, but being behind Erik Karlsson, Dion Phaneuf and potentially an incoming rearguard hinders his upside. Those in leagues using real-time stats would love to see him throw a few more body checks to hit the triple-digit mark in shots, hits and blocked shots.

He'll also need more power-play time after averaging just 32 seconds per game last year.

 

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Here is a level-headed approach to signing aging players from St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong:

“I think what you find now, the players that signed in their mid-to-late 20s, that was the premium contract,” Armstrong said. “Now there’s a group of players that want that second premium contract. That’s difficult to branch out and think where guys are going to be at (age) 34-35-36.

“I’m not worried about 2016-17, or ’17-18. But when you start projecting out long-term, players, wear and tear on their body, their production decreases and you need to have a contract that can stand the test of time.”

The just of the article is Jaden Schwartz is going to get paid, and if it means David Backes and Troy Brouwer hit the open market, that's the sacrifice.

Just for comparison:

 

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Lists are fun this time of year, and here are the five dos and don'ts for the Vancouver Canucks, in the opinion of The Province's Ben Kuzma.

The No. 2 don't:

I don't completely disagree with his point, it's a grind and players wear down playing physical hockey over the course of the season.

But, citing Jared McCann is shortsighted. Rushing and leaning on a slender 19-year-old pivot was the problem. Or perhaps, it's was not having a better option that was the problem.

Plus, it isn't like Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin are pillars of strength. They've fared alright in the daunting Pacific Division over the years.

 

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Jakob Chychrun's stock has plummeted somewhat after an underwhelming showing with the Sarnia Sting this year. He's still a lock to go in the first round and has star potential, though.

Here's a solid read on Chychrun, and I'd suspect he is selected 10th overall Friday, give or take a few picks.

 

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There were a few other deals Monday.

Dobber hit up Andersen here, Yandle here, and Vesey here.

 

Frederik Andersen was my top breakout goalie last fall at USA TODAY, and while there are some injury concerns, this was the best goaltender on the market and he's proven to be an elite fantasy option when in the crease. Splitting time has been the only downfall.

There could be some ups and downs over the immediate two seasons, but for the back half of his five-year contract, Andersen could be a league-winning netminder, assuming he's healthy.

Dobber does a great job of accounting for injuries. Sometimes there are patterns that develop, but sometimes things just happen. For the most part, we have to bake in a few games lost each season, but at some point an injury prone player is going to have a healthy season.

If Darren McFadden can do it, anyone can.

Personally, I'm not concerned with Andersen's spotty history with minor ailments.

 

The Keith Yandle deal tells me Florida isn't going to be re-signing Brian Campbell, and they see a window with Roberto Luongo that is closer to closed than open.

There isn't much to add to what Dobber laid out. I was overly impressed with Michael Matheson, but I don't see him as ready to make the jump as a rookie and excel through an 82-game season. The Colton Parayko comparison works, but Parayko's best offensive stretches basically aligned with when one of Kevin Shattenkirk or Alex Pietrangelo were out of the lineup, remember.

With Campbell gone, and Dmitry Kulikov involved in trade rumors, this is an excellent fit for Yandle and Florida.

 

Vesey isn't signing with Buffalo.

Peter Donatelli, who represents Jimmy Vesey, had this to say about the Buffalo Sabres acquiring the rights of his client from the Nashville Predators: "In our opinion, the only thing that has happened is now the Sabres have stepped into the shoes of Nashville for exclusive rights [to negotiate] until Aug. 15. However, at this time, it doesn't change Jimmy Vesey's intention to become a free agent on Aug. 15."

Maybe he considers Toronto, but it seems most likely he rides shotgun with David Krejci or Patrice Bergeron next year in Boston. A 20-20 rookie campaign is very much within reach in that setting.

 

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And, here is a final list.

The Tragically Hip albums ranked.

Enjoy the day, Dobberheads.