With the Stanley Cup final about to get underway, most NHL teams and fantasy leagues are already looking ahead to this summer.

In one of my dynasty cap leagues made up of Dobber forum members, our trading re-opens next week, our deadline to cut down to 30 keepers is July 22 and our prospect draft begins August 3. League members have been consistently updating their trade block in anticipation of the big day, and it won't be unusual to see numerous trades on the first few days.

Since it's a cap league, it's a smart move by league general managers to take stock of what they think will happen this offseason. There are plenty of tough decisions in figuring out potential salary increases, prospects on the cusp of making it and potential NHL trades impacting players one might have rostered.

Below are 10 questions fantasy general managers should be asking leading into this summer.

10. What will this postseason do for the players’ fantasy value?

Each postseason will see the fantasy stock rise and fall of certain players the same as if they were on the stock market. Players who underperformed, such as Mitchell Marner and Mark Stone, may see a brief drop. Players who surprisingly excelled, such as Cole Caufield and Alex Tuch, will see their value increase. That value increase will probably last until the draft. It would be smart to capitalize on a small sample size to improve your squad as soon as possible.

9. Will teams go big on netminders?

They say the NHL is a copycat league. If that's true, then NHL teams may decide to stop scrimping on goalie salaries. The old theory was NHL teams should save money on the goaltending position, but this playoff run might have teams rethinking that theory. Three of the top five goalies in terms of cap hit made it to the final four. Only three netminders make at least $9.5 million per season, and two of them are meeting Monday night in Game 1 for the Stanley Cup. What does this mean for free agents such as Tuukka Rask, Frederik Andersen, Phillip Grubauer, Petr Mrazek and others? Could they be in for a bigger payday if teams want to make sure they have the goalie they desire? If so, this would have a significant impact on cap leagues.

8. What will happen to Anthony DeAngelo?

No one knows 100 per cent what will happen to DeAngelo this offseason, but the most popular theory is he will be bought out and become an unrestricted free agent. How wanted will he be? On one side, his 53 points in 2019-20 were tied for fourth in points from defensemen. However, his defensive game was so bad he was a healthy scratch this season. He was also such a bad colleague that he fought a teammate after a game, causing DeAngelo to be removed from the squad. Rumours said Habs GM Marc Bergevin was interested in acquiring DeAngelo at the trade deadline, and you have to assume other GMs have at least talked about it. Will another team be willing to take a chance on the talented player? For fantasy purposes, it makes more sense to acquire him cheaply now instead of waiting until he is with a new team and seeing his value skyrocket.

7. How many big names will be traded?

We see this every offseason. The national media reports that so-and-so has asked for a trade, and everyone gets excited. Thinking there might be 30 NHL superstars that might trade teams, fans are expecting a huge offseason but are disappointed. However, if you temper your expectations, you'll see there are a few worthwhile deals. In the past couple of offseasons, we've seen Josh Anderson, Max Domi, Kasperi Kapanen, Tyson Barrie, Nazem Kadri, Phil Kessel, Andre Burakovsky, J.T. Miller, P.K. Subban and Neal Pionk all switch teams. The rumour mill has been just as crazy this year, with names such as Seth Jones, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Matthew Tkachuk, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Johnny Gaudreau and Evgeni Malkin on possible trade lists.

6. Is this the best UFA class ever?

I'd be hard-pressed to remember a time when we saw this many impactful unrestricted free agents this close to the first day of signings. Sure, many of them may wind up re-signing with their team, but for now, it's fun to speculate. There's Alex Ovechkin, Taylor Hall, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Alec Martinez, Mike Hoffman and David Krejci leading the way. Then there are also names like Zach Hyman, Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault, Kyle Palmieri and Jaden Schwartz. Ovechkin is probably the only person on that list close to a guarantee to re-signing with his current club, but any of these players who sign with a new squad will impact their fantasy value, not to mention their teammate's values.

5. What happens with Jack Eichel?

Eichel deserves a ranking all of his own. It's looking like Eichel will not play another game with the Sabres, and this could be one of the most significant trades of this generation. When was the last time an elite player was almost a certainty to be traded and everyone knew about it? Most of the time, unless the player is an upcoming UFA, trade talks involving your superstar are under wraps. Reports have Buffalo asking for the moon and its first-born son in return for Eichel. The biggest impact would be wherever he winds up, but Buffalo would also be affected. Imagine Sam Reinhart, Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Dahlin and the rest of the Sabres crew without Eichel.

4. What will happen at the NHL draft?

This year might be the craziest draft we've ever seen. Numerous prospects couldn't play many games and scouts couldn't watch them in person. The picks will be all over the map, especially once you get past the top few picks. What this will do for the value of draft picks? Will teams be willing to trade them as much as in the past in hopes of getting a gem late? Might they be more willing to trade those picks if their scouting department isn't as high on draftees because of lack of viewing? As for your fantasy squad in dynasty and keeper leagues, how comfortable will you be going into your draft not knowing as much about the prospects as normal and knowing there was no consensus on picks after the first 10 picks or so?

3. Who will the Seattle Kraken select?

Many figured the Golden Knights would be awful after their expansion a few years ago. However, that was quickly shown not to be the case. Marc-Andre Fleury won 29 games, five forwards had at least 55 points and Colin Miller became a 40-point defenseman. While the Kraken probably won't be as lucky, you have to look at the benefits from a fantasy perspective. At the start of next season, there will be more choice as there will be six new top-six forwards, a new defenseman to quarterback an NHL power play and a new number one netminder.

2. How will the flat cap impact trades/signings?

This will be most impactful in cap leagues, but don't overlook the trickle-down effect on non-cap leagues as well. Tampa Bay may be the most common example. They are already $5 million over the cap for next season. Even if they can convince another team to take Tyler Johnson, as has been rumoured, the Lightning still need to find more cap space to roster a full team. Teams may be forced to get weaker by trading away players to keep under the cap. Big-name veterans signing for less money might force other players down the lineup and prospects to stay in the minors.

1. Are the top RFAs about to get paid?

As good as the UFA list is, the list of upcoming RFAs is even better. There's already rumours that Kirill Kaprizov will be offered a contract in the KHL, which means the Wild may have to pony up serious money to keep him. Aside from him, Cale Makar, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Pavel Buchnevich, Andrei Svechnikov, Kevin Fiala, Patrik Laine, Rasmus Dahlin and Brady Tkachuk lead the RFA list. Then there's players such as Conor Garland, Jakub Vrana, Neal Pionk, Joel Eriksson Ek, Anthony Beauvillier, Miro Heiskanen and Tyler Bertuzzi. Don't forget netminders Juuse Saros, Alex Nedeljkovic, Ilya Samsonov, Ilya Sorokin, Carter Hart and Igor Shesterkin. Many will sign bridge deals but some teams may want to lock some of these players up long-term. It will be interesting to see how much money will be given to these players this offseason.