Greetings. Here are the top Frozen Tools searches for the past week:

This list seems like a mixed bag of veterans and rookies, so today I'll discuss four players that have grabbed my attention and that I haven't covered in previous weeks during this offseason.

Connor McDavid

You can discuss McDavid on a number of different angles right now, but let's start with the more fantasy-relevant topic. In their rankings, both Yahoo and Fantrax have a top 5 of McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, and Cale Makar. In my first mock draft of the season, I listed a top four involving just the forwards, but it looks like Makar has joined the top tier. There's obviously debate on how these players get ranked, but I'd still take McDavid first overall out of that group. He's not as much of a lock there as he has been in seasons past, since he is now a Band-Aid Boy Trainee having missed an average of 10 games over each of the past two seasons.

Now let's get to the bigger overall story, which is the fact that McDavid will be playing in a "contract year" if he is not signed within the next 30 days. There have been rumblings that McDavid will only sign a 3-4-year extension with Edmonton instead of the maximum 8-year term. That makes sense because the Oilers are in their window to win a Stanley Cup now, but who knows where they will be five years from now. After losing in the final over the last two seasons, McDavid has to be hellbent on winning a Stanley Cup.

If you though the Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner stories this past season were huge, this one could be enormous. If McDavid hits free agency, serious suitors will have to clear miles of cap space to make room for him. However, it's possible that he could take a discount if he finds a team that he believes is the absolute right fit. The paradox here is that the teams with the readily available cap space are usually not the teams that are ready to win the Stanley Cup. Can you imagine who Vegas would push aside to acquire McDavid – Marner, Jack Eichel, ? Yes, I'm getting way ahead of myself, but imagine that scenario playing out.

I'll repeat something I said after the 2023-24 season: McDavid will win a Stanley Cup during his career. I'm just not 100 percent sure it will be with the Edmonton Oilers. All of the NHL's generational players have won it at least once: Richard, Howe, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, and more recently, Crosby and Ovechkin. Find me a player of that caliber that hasn't won it. I'd expect McDavid to join that group with a Cup ring once all is said and done.

Getting back to McDavid's fantasy value this season, expect him to be fired up as he hopes the third time will be a charm for Edmonton. That means the Oilers will leave nothing to chance, whether McDavid is signed or not. For example, Stuart Skinner will be on a very short leash, with every really bad start increasing the odds that the Oilers will trade for another goalie. The Oilers will be under a ton of pressure this season, which will already be McDavid's 11^th NHL season. Time sure flies!

J.T. Miller

Following his midseason trade from the Canucks, Miller registered 35 points in 32 games, which was second on the Rangers after Artemi Panarin. Miller scored 13 goals among those 35 points, which doesn't seem particularly high. However, he averaged fewer than two shots per game while benefitting from a 23.6 SH%. That's a sample size of less than half a season, but a dip in goals might be something to watch for. Overall, Miller took 1.9 SOG/GP over the entire season, which was his lowest per-game average since the 2018-19 season.

Miller's most frequent linemate was Mika Zibanejad, who had a better second half than first half. Zibanejad scored 35 points in his last 40 games compared to 27 points in his first 42 games. If Miller and Zibanejad continue to be paired together, this could continue to benefit both players. Both have been used in a shutdown role in the past, so that could continue to be the case. The Rangers have a new coach entering the picture in Mike Sullivan, which is also worth watching.

Remember that Miller's fantasy value extends beyond scoring. He is highly effective in the faceoff circle with a faceoff win percentage above 50% every season since 2019-20 and 55% every season since 2022-23. Miller also maintained an average of more than two hits per game after rejoining the Rangers, and he maintained a spot on the top power play. Overall, Miller's fantasy value didn't change a whole lot following the trade from Vancouver, so his hard-edge style shouldn't provide many surprises to fantasy teams.

Quinton Byfield

Frozen Tools visitors are likely searching the name Byfield to try to determine whether the breakout path will continue. If you expected a continued upward curve in terms of scoring last season, you were probably disappointed. Byfield finished with three more goals but four fewer assists in 2024-25 while playing the same number of games. Many other 2024-25 numbers were similar to 2023-24, including plus/minus, penalty minutes, shooting percentage, and shots on goal.

Part of that flattened scoring could be due to the increased responsibilities that he had at the center position – perhaps a learning curve. Byfield took 942 faceoffs in 2024-25, a much higher number than the 90 he took in 2023-24. He had a similar offensive zone start percentage over the two seasons (just above 50%), so it's not totally accurate to say he took on more defensive responsibilities, though.

Byfield also had a stronger second half than first half. In the first half, Byfield was dropped from many single-season teams after recording just 20 points in his first 41 games. However, he improved to 34 points in his last 41 games, mainly while playing on a line with Kevin Fiala. Do you know who else is known as a strong second-half performer? Fiala, who registered 38 points in his last 41 games after just 22 points in his first 40 games. Keeping these two together could benefit both.

Byfield is also a bigger-bodied (6-5, 225 lb.) forward who is just 23 years old and has played 260 games. According to the Breakout Threshold theory, larger forwards need about 400 games before reaching their true breakout, so Byfield might be a year or two away from really hitting his stride. Or if the second half is any indication, Byfield could build on his scoring total from the past two seasons.

Jimmy Snuggerud

If you're looking for a detailed list of the top Calder Trophy candidates for 2025-26, I encourage you to check out the two recent Journey articles (Part 1 and Part 2) from new author Victor Nuno. On his list, Victor lists Snuggerud as the third-ranked Calder rookie entering the season.

After finishing his final NCAA season with 51 points in 40 games, Snuggerud jumped to the NHL for a late-season stint. He contributed four points in seven games in both the regular season and the playoffs, which could set the stage for a strong rookie season. Snuggerud also had the second-highest power-play time per game (3:11, 53.6%) among all Blues players and the highest among forwards, which in particular is a great sign. That doesn't mean he'll start the season on the Blues' top power play, but it seems like coach Jim Montgomery will at least consider using him there.

As Victor mentioned, Snuggerud was also used alongside Robert Thomas at even strength. Looking at the Blues' depth chart, there seems to be room for Snuggerud in the top 6 and with Thomas if he is used at right wing. Snuggerud isn't guaranteed to make the Blues' opening-night roster, but the odds seem very strong at this point. If you're looking for a sleeper rookie to get on board with, Snuggerud makes sense.

–

Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social