Let's not waste any time and start with the juicy stuff, shall we? According to multiple sources, Toronto and Vegas have been in conversation about a Mitch Marner sign-and-trade, although the deal has not been completed at the time of writing. A sign-and-trade would allow the Golden Knights to sign Marner to a maximum eight-year contract. Vegas would be a great fit for Marner, and Marner would significantly upgrade the fantasy values of multiple Vegas forwards. I won't break it all down here, in case Vegas's big plans fall through.

Elliotte Friedman also added that Nicolas Roy could be sent to Toronto if the deal is completed. In addition, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said that Nicolas Hague, who is currently an RFA, could also be headed to Toronto if this gets done. As it stands, Vegas has only $5.6 million in cap space according to PuckPedia. That wouldn't be nearly enough to sign Marner, so they would need to move bodies in order to make room. The good news for Vegas is they have plenty of experience in this area, ruthlessly sacrificing someone in order to capture the shiny new toy.

Did you know the Golden Knights are also skilled in using LTIR to their advantage? According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, GM Kelly McCrimmon said the team is still looking for clarity on Alex Pietrangelo's health status for next season. This news is obviously something of concern for those rostering the 35-year-old Pietrangelo. The Vegas blueliner has dealt with injuries over the past few seasons, averaging only 69 games played over the past three seasons. His production has declined to a 40-point pace over the past two seasons, as has his power-play time. Regardless, move Pietrangelo down your rankings.  

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Day 2 of the draft went down on Saturday, with teams picking in Rounds 2-7. Full draft results can be found at the NHL Draft Tracker on the league's website.

Many NHL fans aren't familiar with most of the names being picked, so it's a matter of tracking which players your favorite team picks, or looking for certain players that play for nearby junior or college teams. I don't follow prospects as closely as the crew at Dobber Prospects, but I'll say that one particular player selected in Day 2 stood out to me.

That player happens to play for a junior team that is located not far from where I live, but I still believe he deserves mention as a potential sleeper for those of you in deep multiple round entry drafts. That player is Cameron Schmidt, who was drafted late in the third round (94^th overall) by the Dallas Stars.

The Prospects Report ranked Schmidt at 34, which would have had him being picked early in the second round. Schmidt was even discussed as a possible first rounder, yet his size (5-7, 157 lbs.) and tendency to be a perimeter player scared teams off in the first and second rounds. Teams figure they can teach skill but they can't teach size, which is why talented smaller players can fall down the draft while bigger players get the benefit of the doubt.

Look at the Stars' draft record and their organizational depth. This was a team that drafted Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, and Jason Robertson in one draft. Schmidt could very well be a Logan Stankoven-type pick, as Stankoven was drafted in the second round (47^th overall) in 2021. Stankoven was also overlooked because of his size (5-8, 165 lbs.), although COVID was also wreaking havoc on junior leagues at that time. The Stars are a successful organization because they bet on talent when they draft.

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Saturday also saw two trades of note. The Ducks traded John Gibson to the Red Wings for Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. I wrote the Fantasy Take of the trade.

Also, the Senators acquired Jordan Spence from the Kings for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. There's also a Fantasy Take for this trade.

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The Flames have signed Kevin Bahl to a six-year extension worth $32.1 million ($5.35 million AAV). Bahl does not contribute many points, as 20 points from 2024-25 is his career high. However, the 6-6, 230 lb. Bahl was a reliable blueliner, averaging 21:23 per game (third on the Flames) while being Rasmus Andersson's regular defense partner. Bahl was also credited with over 100 hits and over 100 blocked shots for the second consecutive season, so he plays a physical style while also killing penalties. Six years seems like a long time to be betting on such a player, but Bahl is only 25 years old.

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The Blues have given goalie Joel Hofer a two-year extension worth $6.8 million ($3.4 million AAV). Hofer has appeared in at least 30 games in back-to-back seasons for the Blues as Jordan Binnington's backup. He has been a fairly reliable backup at that with a 58.1% quality start rate. Expect him to play in a similar number of games next season. And as the Blues' X account stated, Hofer won't be subject to offer sheets this offseason.

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The Penguins have traded Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau to the Sabres for Connor Clifton and a 2025 second-round pick. Timmins scored 15 points in 68 games split between Toronto and Pittsburgh this past season, averaging just under 17 minutes. He was a promising prospect at one time, but he can probably be ignored in most fantasy leagues at this point. Meanwhile, Clifton does not provide much offense, but he has some bangers value. Clifton has accumulated over 200 hits and over 100 blocked shots in each of his past three seasons.  

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According to the Seattle Times, the Kraken will not buy out Philipp Grubauer's contract, instead opting to work with him to try to improve his game. Grubauer has largely struggled during his time in Seattle with a sub-.900 SV% during each of his four seasons. In addition, Grubauer has failed to record 20 wins in a season in spite of being handed a six-year contract with a cap hit of nearly $6 million. Joey Daccord has statistically been much better than Grubauer during his two full seasons, playing in at least 50 games in each of those seasons. Expect Daccord to continue to start the bulk of the games for the Kraken.

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Now that I've been able to process the Evander Kane trade, it seems a little easier to digest for me as a Canucks fan. Kane’s off-ice issues are well documented, and his acquisition has raised concerns among many, especially considering the Canucks' dressing room problems this past season. Sure, Kane's off-ice reputation will be impossible to shake for the duration of his career, but he seemed to be a model citizen in Edmonton from what I'm reading.

The Canucks had a gap at power forward after J.T. Miller was traded, and few players in the league can fill that like Kane. The upside for Kane should still be 25 goals, 50 points, 200 shots on goal, and 150 hits, which is tremendous production in multicategory leagues. However, injuries have to factor into Kane’s fantasy value, as he has missed significant time in recent years. That includes the entire 2024-25 regular season with a laundry list of injuries: surgeries to repair both abductors, two hernias, two abdominal tears, and a knee injury. This could be wear and tear from playing a high-event "banger" style since debuting in the NHL in 2009-10.

One path for his overall fantasy value to improve with the trade to Vancouver could be through the power play. Kane was usually on the second power play for the past two regular seasons he has played in, as well as during the playoffs for his entire four-season stint in Edmonton. During his three regular seasons in Edmonton, Kane averaged just over four power-play points per season. Getting onto the Canucks' top power play might be a little easier, as they currently feature Quinn Hughes, then Elias Pettersson I guess, then Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk? We'll have to wait and see what else the Canucks have in store for the offseason. Their plan to trade the 15^th overall pick at the draft for a center didn't pan out.

Another word about salary: Kane is on the final year of his contract, so the Canucks aren't holding the bag long term if this trade turns out to be a disaster. Kane also has incentive to be on his best behavior, as he will be 34 years of age next offseason and likely trying to earn at least one more NHL contract.

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