In today's Ramblings, we'll discuss players that could indirectly benefit from recent trades and signings. You'll notice I said indirectly, so the players below aren't the ones that signed new contracts or got traded, but the ones staying put that will feel the effects of this summer's arrivals and departures.   

Cole Perfetti – Winnipeg Jets

This one's a bit tricky because there's a fine balance between the opportunities created and lost following Nikolaj Ehlers' departure from Winnipeg. On one hand, the spot Ehlers held on PP1 last year is now vacant and Perfetti seems like a logical fit for that role as one of the Jets' most offensively gifted players. We saw Perfetti take on a bigger role with the man advantage in April while Ehlers was sidelined with an injury, so it makes sense that would be the case again now that Ehlers is gone. On the other hand, though, Ehlers and Perfetti frequently skated together at even strength last year, so Ehlers signing with Carolina also takes a high quality linemate away from Perfetti. Unless Winnipeg breaks up the top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi, Perfetti won't get to work with as much offensive talent at even strength, potentially slotting in beside Gustav Nyquist and one of Jonathan Toews or Vladislav Namestnikov. Still, the power-play gain could be huge as Winnipeg finished with a league-leading 28.9% success rate on the man advantage last season. Perfetti finished with 15 PPPs, which is solid given mostly second-unit deployment. However, top-unit opportunity could help him add another 7-10 PPPs to that total, propelling him towards a 60-point pace in 2025-2026. One important thing to note with Perfetti is that he's just 23 years old and coming off a 50-point campaign. Not only is there potential for his situation and deployment to improve this season, but he too is improving and developing as a player. That sounds like a recipe for strong fantasy value to me. 

Check out Mike's take on the Ehlers' signing here.

Tomas Hertl – Vegas Golden Knights

This one's also a bit tricky because Vegas has so many options after acquiring Mitch Marner. Although it's most likely Hertl benefits from Marner's arrival, there's also a small chance that he doesn't. At even-strength, that small chance would be if Vegas decides to stack the top line with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Marner. However, what's more likely is Stone and Marner being split up on two different lines, giving Hertl access to an elite two-way winger that he didn't have last year. On the power play, the unlikely, unfavourable scenario would be Marner replacing Hertl on the top unit, but I think it'll probably be Pavel Dorofeyev or Stone dropping down to PP2. I think there will be a lot of attention on Eichel and Marner in fantasy drafts, allowing Hertl to fly under the radar before he indirectly cashes in on Marner's arrival.

Check out my take on the Marner trade here.

Mavrik Bourque – Dallas Stars

Drafted 30th overall in 2020, Mavrik Bourque turned heads when he led the AHL in scoring at the age of 22, racking up 77 points in 71 games. His rookie season in the NHL wasn't quite as flashy, featuring a modest 25 points in 73 appearances with Dallas. However, a closer look shows that he might benefit from an increase in opportunity – which should be on the menu this season. In his first three months of action, Bourque tallied just 0.21 points per game, averaging a measly 11:17 of ice time. He was trusted with more opportunity from that point on and made the most of it, posting 0.45 points per game while skating nearly 14 minutes a night. The Stars have parted ways with Mikael Granlund and Mason Marchment this summer, which should open up some even-strength minutes and secondary power-play time for Bourque in the upcoming campaign. It may only be his second year in the NHL, but he's 23 years old and has already had a lot of success in the AHL, so he's more seasoned than your typical sophomore. I think there's potential for Bourque to take a big step this year, hopefully into that 40-50-point range. 

Check out Mike's take on the Marchment signing here and the Granlund signing here.

Alexis Lafrenière – New York Rangers

This one doesn't require too much elaboration. Across five seasons in the NHL, Lafrenière has tallied a whopping 16 power-play points. That's a total, not an average. He wasn't able to produce much with the man advantage while limited to second unit PP time. However, with Chris Kreider out of the picture, Lafrenière finally has a path to top unit deployment. I say path because there is a world where the Rangers roll Artemi Panarin, JT Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and Vincent Trocheck on one unit, although a more likely scenario features Lafrenière with that group instead of Trocheck. Access to PP1 and the ~20 PPPs that come with it would be a huge boon for Lafrenière's fantasy value, giving him potential for 70+ points. All that being said, make sure his fantasy draft cost hasn't been inflated in your league. The cost to acquire him should reflect the fact that potential is worth less than actual results. If you're using a high draft pick to acquire him, as if he's already a point-per-game player, you might not be maximizing value at the draft table.

Check out Mike's take on the Kreider trade here.

Kirby Dach – Montreal Canadiens

Whether or not Dach has a strong fantasy campaign really hinges on one factor: his health. If he's able to avoid the injury bug this year, he could benefit from some of Montreal's early offseason moves. The Noah Dobson acquisition gives the Canadiens another blueliner who can turn defense into offense, generally helping the team's forwards create scoring chances. Not only would Dach benefit from Dobson's presence at even strength, but the two are likely to skate on Montreal's second power-play unit together. On paper, Montreal's PP2 is looking more dangerous than your typical secondary unit. Bringing in Zack Bolduc gives the team a strong set of middle-six wingers, so Dach should be skating beside good players whether he centers the second or third line. I'm not as bullish on Dach as I once was because other players have passed him on the depth chart and taken away his path to top line/top PP opportunity. However, there's still untapped potential and I think he has the right supporting cast to surpass expectations this year.  

Check out Mike's take on the Dobson trade here and the Bolduc trade here.

Tony DeAngelo – New York Islanders

With Dobson out of the picture, DeAngelo becomes the top candidate to quarterback New York's power play for the 2025-26 campaign. It's a role he held frequently after joining the Islanders in January, even while Dobson was in the lineup. Now, quarterbacking a unit that converted on just 12.6% of its opportunities last year might not seem like the best gig, but I think there's potential for improvement this year. For starters, Mathew Barzal missed most of last season with an injury. Getting the team's most offensively gifted player back should fuel some improvement with the man advantage. The Islanders also added more offensive firepower this offseason by signing Jonathan Drouin and KHL star Maxim Shabanov. Sure, it might take some time to find the right combination of players on the top unit, and then for them to build chemistry, but it seems there's nowhere to go but up after such a poor showing on the power play last year. If you're targeting DeAngelo in fantasy formats, I'd warn against using an expensive pick to acquire him. His offense-only approach as a defenseman often irks coaches and could land him in the doghouse at any time, so his role is far from guaranteed long term. Snag him in the later rounds so you can maximize value.

Check out Dobber's take on the Shabanov signing here, and Ian's take on the Drouin signing here.

Filip Chytil – Vancouver Canucks

Chytil has had some promising offensive seasons in his young career, but he's been limited by a troubling track record of concussions, suffering another one at the end of 24-25 campaign. With Pius Suter leaving for St. Louis, Chytil's role as Vancouver's second-line center has solidified unless the Canucks makes another move. Beware though, because Suter handled heavier shutdown assignments due to his defensive prowess, so although Chytil should see more ice time with Suter gone, not all those extra minutes are going to be easy. There's also potential for Chytil to skate on Vancouver's top power-play unit, but he'll probably face some competition from Conor Garland and/or Evander Kane.

Check out Alex's take on the Suter signing here.

Zach Benson – Buffalo Sabres

With JJ Peterka shipped out to Utah, the Sabres have an opening in their top six and top power-play unit. There are a few candidates who could step into those coveted roles, but I'm focused on a young player with sky-high potential. Drafted 13th overall in 2023, Benson has two NHL seasons under his belt and is still only 20 years old. His production has been modest thus far, but he's been skating less than 15 minutes a night and has only seen a miniscule role with the man advantage. He plays a responsible game at both ends of the ice, making him an option coaches can trust. Benson is deserving of more opportunity this year and that extra ice time should help him elevate his output. This may not be the season he explodes offensively, but I do think he'll take a significant step forward. Other young Sabres that could take advantage of extra ice time following Peterka's departure include Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn. I'm picking Benson over those two because he's had more time to adapt to the NHL than Kulich has, and is much more reliable in his own end than Quinn is – but all three are worth considering.

Check out Mike's take on the Peterka trade here.

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Thanks for reading! Hope you have an awesome week ahead!