With the Fantasy Guide dropping Monday I'm sure you all have a lot more reading to get through it, and don't want to spend too much time here going over news and rambles about what is happening at the end of July, but I'll try to make it worth your while.

If you haven't bought the guide though, go do that now and then come back to read this after, because the fantasy guide is the pinnacle of what we produce here, and not only is it the most engrossing read, but buying one is also the best way to support the content and the creators here at the site. You can buy it here, or get one of the subscriptions to add a lot of extra content like the prospect guide and playoff tools for only a few extra dollars.

As I'm reading through the guide, I'm not going to be noting contents or copying stat lines or anything, but I will share some fantasy thoughts of mine that come to mind while perusing.

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I was going to cover the remaining arbitration cases first, but with Martin Necas signed earlier in the week, that left us with only one arbitration case: Ryan Lindgren – scheduled for August 2^nd. Lindgren then signed yesterday, agreeing to a one-year deal at $4.5 million with the New York Rangers. He is less fantasy relevant than Necas or others who sought arbitration like Ukko-Pekka Lukkonnen or Kirill Marchenko, but as I've pointed out before, his presence is a big part of Adam Fox's ability to thrive on the Rangers blue line, which is why he got the raise. The lack of dynamism and ability to hold a pairing himself though is likely why the Rangers weren't willing to commit to the price and term combo that he was seeking.

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Four other contracts signed yesterday: Nico Daws, Dustin Wolf Justin Barron, and Arber Xhekaj.

Daws signed a two-year deal at $812,500 per season. The second season is a one-way deal, which likely hints that the Devils will let Jake Allen walk next summer, planning to have Daws back up Markstrom for the last year on his contract in 2025-26.

Wolf got a slight bit more than Daws ($850,000 per year), also on a two-year deal with the second season of it being a one-way contract. Wolf could be one of the two main goalies on the Flames roster this season, but this also opens the door for a signing or waiver claim and for Wolf to spend one more year in the minors. The Flames aren't likely going to be a good team this year, so Wolf may be best served winning in the AHL rather than being hung out to dry at the NHL level this year. Even if he wins a spot out of training camp, fantasy owners all year will be wondering if tomorrow is the day he gets sent down with a stop-gap option brought in. Kevin Lankinen is still a free agent after all, and the Red Wings and Bruins (among other teams) are both going to be putting an NHL caliber goalie on waivers.

Meanwhile, Barron and Xhekaj received two-year deals worth $1.15 million and $1.3 million per season respectively, which give them the inside track on a full-time slot with the Habs this year, despite their crowded blueline.

Xhekaj is a hugely useful fantasy player in leagues with banger categories, specifically his three hits per game and nearly two PIMs per game. It's not volume that you can find in many other places, and if he's playing every game this year then he's so much more rosterable. His 20-point scoring pace and 1.5 shots per game also keep him from being a complete anchor in the more offensive categories like some other bruisers.

Barron's final year in the QMJHL he put up nearly a point per game, but has had some growing pains in translating the offence to the AHL. He has the upside to get into the 40s eventually, but the depth of Montreal's system as well as the slow pro adjustment is not a great recipe for him to eventually hit those heights.

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Back to some guide thoughts. Dalibor Dvorsky isn't shown on the roster, but I can't help to wonder whether he will be given every opportunity to come into camp and win a job for the Blues this year. He's coming off a dominant OHL season, and there is room in the Blues' lineup for them to easily slide him in as a centre or a wing in the top-nine. Radek Faksa is not going to be someone that blocks his way.

His NHL equivalency marker from last year's OHL season was 45 points, which should probably be noted a close to his upside in a full season next year if he makes it. He's a great name to stash if your league allows it and there is bench room, but like most players, the fantasy impact is still a couple years away.

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Mike Reilly taking a large chunk of Noah Dobson's production and power play time last year while under Patrick Roy should not go unappreciated in fantasy circles. Dobson is someone I have so much time for as a fantasy asset, but I don't like the floor/upside combo on him this year with Roy still around as head coach, and Reilly on a new $1.25 million contract.

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With the Red Wings bringing in a few free agents, and likely promoting Simon Edvinsson from the minors, I'm very curious what the deployment will look like for Jonatan Berggren and Erik Gustafsson. I know that Berggren's upside is high, but I wonder if the perception of him as an offence-only player holds him out of the top-six like it did with Daniel Sprong last year, and Berggren has to similarly settle for scrap of offensive ice time. Sprong did well with it to the tune of 43 points last year, and I think that's probably a ceiling for Berggren next year as well.

As for Gustafsson, it's possible he is running the top power play, but it's also possible that he ends up in the press box a third of the time. Head Coach Lalonde didn't have an issue last year scratching Jeff Petry, Olli Maatta, and others, so we'll likely have to deal with the same treatment for Gus at points too.

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One of the rosters with the least clarity around their forward lineup right now has to be the Columbus Blue Jackets. I'm confident that Johnny Gaudreau will be the first line left wing, and Sean Kuraly should be the fourth-line centre, but after that there's so many questions. Will old running mate Sean Monahan be able to handle top-line duties alongside Gaudreau, or will he instead be centered by Adam Fantilli or Boone Jenner? [Odds are Monahan gets first crack, but there should be some rotation through the year.]

Does the Russian trio of Kirill Marchenko, Dimitry Voronkov, and Yegor Chinakov stick together with a new coach? [They should get a lot of time together, but again a new coach with lots of options needs to shake things up sometimes.]

Are Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger wingers, and does Sillinger even sign before the start of the season? [Johnson should be a winger for now. Sillinger could also get sheltered on the wing this year, but there's no pressure on Columbus to cave into a bigger contract. I think this gets done last minute before the season starts.]

Can Justin Danforth, Mathieu Olivier, Trey Fix-Wolansky, or James Malatesta lock out a spot on the fourth line? [Danforth should, but he'll have competition. Malatesta would be my 12^th forward at this point, with Olivier as the first spare.]

What happens to Patrik Laine? [Laine is already traded in my mind. Columbus will find some fit for him just to get him off the roster.]

Despite there being 15 forwards already mentioned above, can Cayden Lindstrom, Gavin Brindley, or Luca Del Bel Belluz work their way into a roster spot and cause even more lineup chaos? [Unlikely this year, but both Lindstrom and Brindley could walk on next year and be full-timers.]

With all that covered, this is likely a lineup I shy away from at the draft table as a result of all of this uncertainty. On the flip side, later in drafts or early on in the season, this is likely exactly the kind of team you want to focus in on to try and find some players exceeding expectations because of deployment that they can ride at least until the trade deadline. To top it off, Columbus has one of the best H2H schedules of and team this year, so acquiring one or two of them in season could pay big dividends. 

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At some point Sam Malinski is going to get an extended look with an NHL team, and that team is going to realize they have a real power play weapon on their hands. It might be Colorado if there is a succession of injuries, but odds are it will be a non-playoff team who takes a chance on him next summer. I'll have my eye on him then.

Phillip Tomasino, primed for a trade? Upgrading on Dante Fabbro as Roman Josi's defence partner is likely a key goal for the team. Rasmus Andersson could be a great fit as a right-shot that can handle himself at both ends of the ice, and would be workable salary-wise on his current $4.55 Million deal. Fabbro, Tomasino, and maybe someone like 2021 first-rounder Fedor Svechkov would get the Flames thinking.

Regardless of where Tomasino ends up, he's likely going to force himself out of Nashville soon enough because of the logjam in front of him now. When he does, the jump in production could be immediate and impactful for fantasy squads.

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Eric Staal officially announced his retirement as well. Congrats to him on the successful career, and thank you for helping me to a few fantasy league titles.

Eric Staal has signed a one-day contract and will officially retire as a member of the Hurricanes 👏

The #Canes will also retire his number 12 at a to-be-determined date during the 2024-25 season.

Details " https://t.co/2xjEFUBJaJ pic.twitter.com/ERvqpPdY9t

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 30, 2024

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See you next Wednesday, and if you want to keep up with it you can find me on Twitter/X here, or BlueSky here if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments.