Now that I have a chance to catch up and ramble on things, I'm going to run through some of my thoughts that I didn't get to discuss from all the moves from the Draft through to today.

Maybe the biggest move in the DeBrincat trade, and how it affects two teams in very similar spots in the East. In Ottawa, DeBrincat's absence won't be felt too harshly, as they have some excellent top-of-the-lineup players, and assuming Josh Norris is healthy, the lineup looks to be deep enough to run three scoring lines, especially after the addition of Tarasenko.

Add in some very capable puck-moving defencemen, and three reasonable albeit uninspiring goalies in Joonas Korpisalo, Anton Forsberg, and Mads Sogaard, and they could very well be the surprise team above Buffalo and Detroit that ends up stepping forward into the playoffs. Who misses this year (at the expense of Buffalo and Ottawa)? Of last year's teams that made the playoffs, I expect the Islanders and Panthers to take a step back and miss the playoffs. The Isles because Sorokin won't carry them quite as far this time, and the Panthers because they have been stretched thin, don't have as much depth as other teams, and are nursing a lot of injuries to top players.

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Meanwhile, Detroit does seem to be moving a little more slow and steady, and while DeBrincat adds a dimension they have not had in a long time, then depth and the star power isn't quite there yet. Ville Husso also did what most younger goalies do, and really tailed off at the end of the season. Goalies that don't have the experience of managing a full workload over a full NHL season really struggle in the second half, and especially in the final quarter of the season. His insurance this year is 35-year-old James Reimer, not exactly an awe-inspiring tandem to make up for the shortcomings elsewhere.

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The Sharks are going to be a very interesting team this coming season. Before we get to games though, we are going to have to sit through some more Karlsson rumours. It seems likely that he does get moved to Pittsburgh one way or another, though it is also possible that they hold onto him for now. Carolina was rumoured to be the other possible landing spot, but their back end appears to be full at the moment. If they do move Karlsson, then the power play quarterback role is going to be wide open (likely going to someone like Ty Smith who may be sent back in the deal).

Internally, there could be some competition between Leon Gawanke, Mario Ferraro, and Henry Thrun for the role.

Up front, it feels like Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl are older than their respective 29 and 34 years. This looks like the core of a competitive team, with the top four or five names on their roster list, but the depth really trails off after that. Additions of upside players such as Anthony Duclair, Filip Zadina, and Fabian Zetterlund could add the depth that this team has been sorely lacking for the last half-a-decade.

On top of that, apparently William Eklund played hurt for most of last season, nursing a bum shoulder that has now been properly rehabbed through the summer. Hopefully that bodes well for a rebound and continued growth at the NHL level. He could be someone that has been knocked down draft boards and seen his trade stock take a hit, so he's worth checking in on.

Where the Sharks really need some of their fortune to turn around is in net. Kaapo Kahkonen struggled mightily as a platoon starter last season, and the only support brought in is Mackenzie Blackwood, who hasn't played more than 25 games or posted a save percentage above .900 since 2020-21. If he's healthy there is some upside, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Sharks target goaltending in any deals they are making this season. Their entire depth chart is uninspiring when it comes to their goaltending present and future.

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One of my favourite moves of the offseason was the powerhouse Devils going out and adding even more scoring, in Tyler Toffoli. They didn't give up much for him, and he can slot in on any of the top-three lines. He adds another dynamic scorer without overcomplicating things, while his bargain contract has also allowed the Devils to address all of their other needs and pending contracts.

Toffoli has paced for 70 points in two of the last three seasons, and while a reduction in ice time and power play exposure may knock his production down a peg or two, an improved supporting cast around him should make up for most of the difference. I feel like it will be one of the Devils or Hurricanes at the top of the conference by the end of the regular season.

As a result, I think both Vitek Vanacek and Akira Schmid end up being valuable goalies worth owning in any league with 12 or more teams this year. Likely Vanacek sees 50-55 starts, but there is definitely a few versions of the multiverse where Schmid ends up with a larger share of the pie.

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It may not appear that the Penguins have changed much since missing the playoffs last year, however the addition of Reilly Smith really does wonders towards lengthening the lineup. If Alex Nylander can turn into a playable top-nine forward, then suddenly the Penguins have three full solid lines, and a reliable third-line centre in Lars Eller for the first time since Nick Bonino left (not counting the month where Jeff Carter looked as though he had turned back time).

Smith may be coming off of a cup win, but being the first name traded after that win can also be a powerful motivator, and he has shown an ability to play well with star players before. A jump above the 60-point mark for the first time in his career could be in the cards here.

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The Washington Capitals getting Max Pacioretty at a $2 million cap hit is an excellent gamble for them, and the kind of thing that could make a very big difference in their season. There haven't been any indications yet as to when Pacioretty may be able to return to game action, but considering the timeline the first time he had the injury (surgery Aug 10^th, 2022 – return to ice mid-January), the fact he returned in less than six months bodes well for his timeline this time around.

After suffering the relapse of the injury in mid-January, there isn't any indication I could find of exactly when he had the second surgery. It sounds as though common practice is to perform the procedure within two weeks of the injury, which would mean at the latest for Pacioretty it would have been early February. A six-month recovery would put him back in game action right around the start of the season. Even factoring in an extra month to be cautious, Pacioretty should be back before American Thanksgiving.

His assist rate has gone down the last few years, but playing with one of Nicklas Backstrom or Evgeni Kuznetsov should mean that he can keep up with his goal scoring to still pace for at least a goal-heavy 50 points. If the tiny five-game sample size in Carolina is anything to go off of, then the shot rate isn't going to be an issue either, as he had 16 shots in just over four games there.

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I'm very curious how the additions of Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, and Ryan Johansen all play out for the Avalanche. If I had to guess, Drouin gets tried out first in the top-six with Nathan MacKinnon, Johansen gets the second-line centre slot to start, with Colton being tried as the second-line LW and third-line C. Once Johansen struggles for a bit, Mikko Rantanen moves back to centre line two, and they end up having some success there with one of Drouin or Colton up on the top line. Having watched Johansen for a while in Nashville, I don't have a lot of faith in him being able to help carry a top-six line, which is why I think we end up with Rantanen being tapped to carry that burden.

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As another reminder, the Guide drops today. Make sure you have it ordered so that you don't fall behind your league-mates.

In case you missed the big news last night…

Dobber's 18th annual #FantasyHockey Guide PDF and Draft List spreadsheet is *NOW* available!!
🔥🔥🔥🔥
The first Guide of 2023, the best Guide of 2023.

Don't get left behind.https://t.co/UZBx5JDNQ0
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— Dobber (@DobberHockey) July 26, 2023

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See you next Wednesday! In the meantime, you can find me on Twitter (I will continue to call it that) @alexdmaclean if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments.