Talking the Friday fantasy marathon, Top-Five FA Fantasy signings, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tampa Bay and more …

Friday was a marathon.

It was an insane stretch for fantasy analysts unparalleled in any sport at any time.

Perhaps, trying to recap and provide fantasy advice on the heels of 16 National Football League games is similar, but at least they're spread out. And, really, with the Thursday night game, Sunday night game and Monday night game, it's more like 10 Sunday afternoon games to cover.

So, again, Friday was out of control.

From what I can tell, there were 197 signings yesterday, according to GeneralFanager.com.

The Dobber Team covered 23 of the biggest signings, which can be found right here. Standing ovations to Dobber, Cliffy and Ian.

I chipped in a few articles, but I also have a USA TODAY shift Fridays, so I posted approximately 20 signings and another 20 Major League Baseball updates over a five-hour stretch there.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to throw a list of the top-five fantasy signings — on top of a few notes I had prepped beforehand — and shy away from diving into the ins and outs of too many of the deals. It's been done, and you've got enough to catch up on and browse in that regard already.

Instead, I'm going to fire out my questionable opinion and stir up a bunch of angry comments that'll likely have you all quadruple guessing my comprehension of the game, if you weren't already.

But first, I'll share the few notes I had prepared before the madness began Friday at 12 p.m. ET.

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Columbus president of hockey operations John Davidson was on Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown Tuesday, and he discussed the selection of Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Here is a rough summary of what Davidson said.

He noted the organization has confidence in their scouting staff and Dubios was the player ranked higher on their board. He highlighted twice in his career where he was questioned about picks (Marian Hossa and Alex Pietrangelo) and they turned out alright.

Dubios' character, combine performance and ability to play all three forward positions were keys. Davidson noted the muscle Dubios added over the season was impressive, and Dubios' upside was second to none in the draft class.

Additionally, Davidson said Dubios was a heavily targeted player, and a lot of other team officials commented on how high their individual teams were on Dubios.

Somewhat in response to the criticism the pick received, Davidson discussed the reality of dealing down in the draft and then missing the player you expected to select after trading down. So, when the right deal didn't come together (or fell apart), they took the player highest on their board.

At the end of the day, Columbus added a high-end prospect in the franchise mold. Perhaps, they even grabbed the better prospect. And although it doesn't appear that way right now, you pay a scouting staff, so if after their due diligence, you don't follow their advice, what's the point?

I'm a big believer that his character, which might include being Canadian, had as much to do with this selection as anything. When skills are similar, adding a high-character asset counts. It isn't to say Jesse Puljujarvi doesn't boast similar strong traits, but clearly, Columbus was enamored with Dubios.

Dubios has already inked an entry-level deal, and he'll likely receive a long look in training camp and potentially the nine-game stint with the Blue Jackets. Personally, I would think another season of dominating with the Screaming Eagles and representing Canada at the World Junior Championships is the correct path.

We'll see.

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I have a feeling Tampa Bay is going to make out alright even with all the salary cap issues upcoming. When your captain takes a hometown discount, it sets a precedent, and if the rest of the core follows suit, the Lightning could build around Anton Stralman, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson going forward.

Yes, I know Stamkos is from Markham, Ont., but he's spent the past 10 years away from home, and the past eight in Tampa Bay. Florida is home now. He took a hometown discount — plus all the tax breaks inherent to living in Florida.

Ben Bishop is likely the player lost, and then there will be others who won't be able to stick around, but Tampa Bay should be a perennial contgender over the next three to four years if the rest of the core follows Stamkos' lead.

This is another wait-and-see situation over the next few seasons, but a few savvy moves could keep this core in tact. And this core should remain fantasy gold and push for a Stanley Cup annually over those next three to four years.

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Fast forward a few hours, and it looks like Hedman did follow suit. There isn't going to be money for everyone, but the Tampa Bay core will remain in tact and potent for the foreseeable future.

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Jimmy Vesey's agent has said they would meet with Buffalo in the near future and are "open to anything."

It'll be interesting to see if more draft picks, especially those outside the first round, wait and try to improve their stock. It's worked financially for Justin Schultz, and now Vesey. Additionally, it allows you to have a little more control over where you play.

Vesey should approach 20 goals and 40 points next year.

Watched Vesey play this week on line with Eichel. Great chemistry. Smooth. Intuitive.

— Kevin Paul Dupont (@GlobeKPD) July 1, 2016

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The Blackhawks have a lot of work to do up front, but their blue line is impressive.

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook

Brian Campbell – Niklas Hjalmarsson

Trevor van Riemsdyk – Michael Kempny

Michal Rozsival – Erik Gustafsson

If their top two lines can produce similar to last season, they'll be fine. They'll piece together the bottom trios to tread water in limited and favorable minutes.

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I was under the impression Alexander Radulov had signed and was returning to play in the Kontinental Hockey League. So, I didn't include him in our top-available free agents.

There's more to come on Radulov, and it's already been cleared that Shea Weber is over the sour taste left in his mouth following Radulov's 2011-12 stint with Nashville. Still, though, this is 2014-15 Toronto Maple Leafs stuff that soap writers couldn't even dream up.

Remember this?

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Top-Five Fantasy Signings

W Alexander Radulov, Montreal Canadiens

Obtaining an elite offensive scorer is next to impossible in the NHL in 2016. You draft early and develop, or you luck out with a diamond in the rough. On a rare occasion you're able to acquire a high-end talent in a trade (Phil Kessel, Tyler Seguin, Taylor Hall — maybe it isn't that uncommon?), but otherwise, you're chasing complimentary scorers.

Make no mistake, Radulov is not a secondary weapon. He's a mercenary, and he could make a killing over the next two or three seasons signing one-year deals bouncing between teams and scoring.

Just having Radulov back in the NHL makes him the most intriguing player involved in transactions Friday. However, it's an incredible fit in Montreal, and now the Habs have two potential 40-goal scorers.

Radulov carries risk, sure, but he's likely to be available after the first four or five rounds of fantasy drafts, and at that point, he boasts more upside than anyone. He could easily score 35 goals and flirt with a point per game.

W Loui Eriksson, Vancouver Canucks

The third wheel next to Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin has always been a fantasy dynamo, and Eriksson has some obvious chemistry connections with the twins. Additionally, Eriksson finally landed in a full-time, top-six role with the Bruins last season and posted the second 30-goal campaign of his career.

He's a far better real-world player than fantasy asset because of the 200-foot game he plays, but this should be the perfect setting for Eriksson to take a run at returning to the 70-point mark. If Alexandre Burrows can score 35 goals playing with the Sedins, Eriksson can score 30, right?

We need to separate ourselves from the nonsensical reasoning behind Vancouver sitting in limbo between being competitive and rebuilding and acknowledge the fantasy boost Eriksson receives in his new setting.  He's going to have a nice season.

Expect Eriksson to be one of the biggest ROIs in the late middle rounds of drafts this season, and as long as he isn't relegated from the No. 1 line, he's also one of the safest grabs at that stage of the draft.

W Kyle Okposo, Buffalo Sabres

There shouldn't be a significant shift in fantasy value for Okposo, however, it must be noted that he spent significant chunks of the 2015-16 season away from John Tavares. With all apologies to Frans Nielsen, Okposo will always be skating with an excellent pivot this year.

Regardless of whether Okposo jumps out with Ryan O'Reilly or Jack Eichel, the newly minted Sabre is locked into a top-six role and likely duty on the No. 1 power-play unit. He is force down low and has the offensive jam to help improve any trio he plays with.

The up-and-coming Sabres added a veteran with tread on the tire, and while Okposo is unlikely to approach being a No. 1 fantasy winger, he has that upside and a high floor as an undervalued commodity with undervalued surroundings.

Expect Okposo to be available well into the middle rounds, which means there is plenty of profit potential.

W Teddy Purcell, Los Angeles Kings

No one should confuse the Kings as a team on the rise, but they're top heavy with three excellent offensive contributors up front: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli. Purcell stands to play with at least one of them, unless the Kings foolishly stack the top line with all three (as dreamy as it would be for our fantasy pursuits).

Purcell has always been able to score when given an opportunity (51- and 65-point seasons in Tampa Bay in his first full campaigns in the league), and he returned 11 points in 15 games down the stretch after joining Florida at the trade deadline. It's worth highlighting the run with Florida because it shows his ability to jump into a lineup and produce, which is rare.

He's older now, obviously, but during his two-best seasons with the Lightning, Purcell scored 11 power-play goals with 29 PP assists. With a look at the No. 1 power-play unit, he could easily top 50 points, and even with just second-unit time, Purcell should score 20 goals and approach the 50-point mark.

Considering he is likely going to be free this fall, as in available with your last pick or off the waiver wire, Purcell's an immediate late-round target, and potentially, a screaming value.

W Milan Lucic, Edmonton Oilers

#ConnorMcDavid

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Thanks for reading, Dobberheads. Enjoy the remainder of the long weekend.