Well, we have a Stanley Cup Final series now. There's no way the Panthers wanted to make the long trek back to Edmonton for another crack at winning the cup. The good news for Florida is that at least they still have two more cracks at it. The bad news is that if they can't seal the deal in Game 6, then they are on the verge of one of hockey's all-time great collapses. As a fan of neither team in the final, I'm here for the drama.

Connor McDavid leads the playoffs with 42 points in 23 games. Then Evan Bouchard with 32 points and Leon Draisaitl with 30 points. Matthew Tkachuk is fourth and tops on the Panthers with "just" 22 points in as many games. With that dominant a performance, I don't see how there's a better argument to give the Conn Smythe to someone other than McHockey at this point. Even if the Oilers lose the final in six games.

There's even precedence for a Conn Smythe winner from the losing team in the final, and also (I didn't know this until I looked it up) from a losing team that is eliminated in fewer than seven games. Only once has a non-goalie from a losing team won it, and that was Reggie Leach in 1976 when the Flyers were swept in the final by the Canadiens. Leach set an NHL playoff record that season with 19 playoff goals, a total that has only been equaled by Jari Kurri in 1985 (The Hockey Writers).

I'm still marveling over this goal. Reminds me a bit of the "Lemieux oh baby" goal from the 1991 final.

Just gonna let this video speak for itself… 🤩 #StanleyCup https://t.co/0WMOslGWqO pic.twitter.com/lEyuB7i7kB

— NHL (@NHL) June 19, 2024

Something to watch in Game 6: In the Panthers' Thursday skate, Oliver Ekman-Larsson was on PP1, with Brandon Montour moved to PP2. Both are UFAs after the season, so this could be a moot point in fantasy leagues if both players are on new teams next season. Aaron Ekblad has experience in that role, although I wouldn't be surprised if Gustav Forsling is handed an opportunity there.  

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The Penguins are bringing back Alex Nedeljkovic, signing him to a two-year extension with a $2.5 million average annual value.  

Nedeljkovic began the 2023-24 season as the backup to Tristan Jarry but took the reins as the hot starter from about mid-March until the end of the season. During the final month of the regular season, Ned backstopped the Penguins in their playoff push, compiling a 9-1-3 record over the final month.

Although Nedeljkovic was clearly the better goalie during what was the fantasy playoffs in many leagues, he and Jarry finished the season with very similar numbers. Jarry has both the larger cap hit and term, so he is the likely starter next season despite his final-quarter woes (10 GP, 2-6-1, 4.50 GAA, .874 SV%). That being said, there are rumors that the Penguins could try to trade Jarry, as they have nearly $8 million invested in goaltending.

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During the offseason, there's usually a major void in topics for the Ramblings because of the lack of games. One topic that flicked the lightbulb on for me was players on the trade block and what their fantasy value could look like on different teams, so I decided to jump on it.

After prewriting earlier in the week, the content that I wrote about two players on the block became irrelevant: Filip Hronek (re-signed with Vancouver) and Jacob Markstrom (traded to New Jersey). So I would have had even more for you had these teams waited a bit longer to begin their offseason transactions. By the way, you can read about the Markstrom trade here.

Before this becomes outdated, here is Part 1 of this topic. I'll present more players in Part 2 this weekend.

Linus Ullmark

The fact that Jeremy Swayman started in the playoffs for the Bruins could mean the end in Boston for Ullmark. In shopping Ullmark, the Bruins will be able to choose among a variety of teams looking to upgrade at the goaltending position. The Bruins are light when it comes to draft picks and prospects due to years of contention, so an Ullmark trade would allow them to stockpile in that area. Acquiring a legitimate top-6 center is also a pressing need.

Ottawa is one team that has been rumored to be targeting Ullmark. How he would fare in Canada's capital would be interesting, to sway the least. The Sens had a league-worst team .888 SV% last season, so Ullmark could easily improve on that team number while watching his own ratios take a hit. Ullmark's save percentage has never dipped below .900 in a single season, even during some lean years in Buffalo, so he could bring some much-needed stability to the goaltending position in Ottawa. We could discuss other teams here, but Ullmark will more likely than not be traded to a team that struggled with its goaltending.

Ullmark would be a significant upgrade over Joonas Korpisalo, although the Sens also have Anton Forsberg under contract for one more season. Fun fact: Ullmark has never played in 50 games in a season, but he has won 40 games in a season (during his Vezina Trophy winning 2022-23 season). Ullmark could play in 50 games for Ottawa, but 60 games might be a reach considering that the Sens will also be trying to get something out of Korpisalo because they are paying him $4 million per season for four more seasons.

Nikolaj Ehlers

There are rumors abound that Ehlers would welcome a change of scenery and is not interested in signing an extension with the Jets. Ehlers has only one more season left on his contract, so the Jets could try to get ahead of things and shop Ehlers around. For what it's worth, new coach Scott Arniel mentioned on a podcast recently that he wants to get Ehlers going.

The main issue that fantasy leaguers have always had with Ehlers is his lack of power-play time. When new coach Arniel was filling in for Rick Bowness last season for two different stints (October 23-November 22, March 19 – end of season), Ehlers' power-play time wasn't any different. Ehlers has never registered more than 13 power-play points in the season, which I wouldn't bet on changing if he stays in Winnipeg.

From what I've been told, and I'll share this as many times as I need to: A Winnipeg media member once told me that Ehlers is never on the top power play because he wants the same spot that Mark Scheifele has. Hence, his usual deployment on the second unit, although Scheifele and Ehlers were on the same unit at times during the 2023-24 season.

To determine Ehlers' fantasy value if he is traded, you might start by projecting where he fits on his new team's pecking order of scorers. You can also go one step further to determine whether his acquiring team has a player that is usually positioned on the left half wall on the power play. A sample of Ehlers and Scheifele power-play goals that I've scanned through shows that both players tend to score from that position. Power-play usage will be key in whether Ehlers can take that next step beyond 65 points, which has been his ceiling for his nine-year career (point pace aside).   

Martin Necas

Necas has been at or near the top of the list of trade speculation this offseason, with multiple reports suggesting that many teams have contacted the Hurricanes about him. Necas is set to become an RFA, but it is believed that he has not been happy with his role in Carolina. Like Ehlers, Necas has generally not received the favorable power-play minutes. On top of that, Necas was often skating alongside players like Michael Bunting, Jack Drury, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi at even strength – not exactly the Canes' top options.

Even without the best available linemates, Necas was still able to use his speed to drive play enough to reach 50 points for the second consecutive season. It wasn't 71 points like the previous season of 2022-23, though. Taking a closer look at that season, Necas was more frequently on the top power play, registering double the number of power-play points (26) as he had in 2023-24 (13). Not all of that point drop in 2023-24 was in the form of power-play points, but most of it was. Necas' linemates varied during that season, although there seemed to be more minutes with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.

Look for both an uptick in both even-strength and power-play deployment in order for Necas' value to increase with a trade. Being happier on a new team might also count for something. That being said, being traded to a team that does not play at the same level of puck possession as the Canes might work against Necas, who has been a 58 CF% over the past two seasons.

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