Let's start with some contract news from the last couple days. The Predators and Luke Evangelista have finally agreed to a contract, which is a two-year deal with a $3 million AAV. Evangelista was the last remaining unsigned RFA after Mason McTavish and Luke Hughes were recently signed, so no RFAs will be missing to start the season. Evangelista finished the 2024-25 season with 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games, so he seems like a decent bet to be in Nashville's top six this coming season. I wrote more about Evangelista in a late August Ramblings.

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This is from Thursday, but it is worth discussing today anyway. Jackson LaCombe has reached an extension with the Ducks for eight years at $9 million per season. This contract is much higher than expected, especially since it comes off the heels of one particularly strong season. Regardless, the largest contract in team history signals that the Ducks view LaCombe as their top defenseman. Does it mean he will stay on the top power play, ahead of Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger?

Before last season, Mintyukov and Zellweger were more highly sought after by fantasy teams based on their higher draft picks and perceived upsides. However, LaCombe now has the (much) bigger contract, which also serves as a means of priority. That doesn't mean LaCombe is a lead pipe lock for PP1 for the next decade, but it should at least guarantee him heavy minutes and the stats that come along with that. Although Mintyukov and Zellweger could very much have a future with the Ducks and could still even take over PP1 at some point, the Ducks could also part ways with either one at the end of the season when both are RFAs. All three are left shots, so their skill set could become redundant and they could be used to upgrade the team elsewhere.

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Also from Thursday, the Panthers locked up another one of their regulars, extending Niko Mikkola for another eight years at $5 million per season. The man they call The Condor has literally no value in scoring-only leagues, but he offers volume in the way of hits and blocked shots. Prior to his two seasons in Florida, Mikkola was not particularly well-known as a depth defenseman for the Blues and Rangers. Sometimes overlooked players can make a huge difference on championship teams.

The Oilers have signed coach Kris Knoblauch to a three-year contract. Knoblauch was about to enter the 2025-26 season on an expiring contract, which usually isn't the case for coaches that teams wish to retain.

In related news, the Lightning had extended coach Jon Cooper earlier this offseason, although terms were not disclosed.

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Speaking of the Lightning, I thought that the Pheonix Copley waiver-wire add was related to an Andrei Vasilevskiy injury. However, it turns out that Vasilevskiy will play today (Saturday) in the Bolts' final preseason game. Maybe Copley will challenge Jonas Johansson for the backup job.

More injuries: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is set to miss at least one week with a lower-body injury. That rules him out for the Sabres' opening-night matchup with the Rangers. Either Alex Lyon or Alexandar Georgiev should start that game for the Sabres (seems like Lyon will), as Devon Levi has already been sent to the AHL. Trusting any Buffalo goalie isn't easy, although I drafted UPL very late in one league (I'll share the results shortly).

Scott Laughton is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. With David Kampf also placed on waivers, we'll have to watch for whether Easton Cowan makes the Leafs' opening-night roster or starts with the AHL's Toronto Marlies. Debate that one all you want, Leafs fans. There could also be a ripple effect for Nick Robertson – another player whose situation provides fodder for Leafs fans.

Cole Perfetti left Friday's preseason game with a lower-body injury. After the game, Jets coach Scott Arniel stated that "at first glance, the injury doesn't look good." Perfetti will be re-evaluated, but right now it seems that he's at risk for being out for opening night.

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I definitely don't mention every roster reassignment transaction during training camp in the Ramblings, since most aren't fantasy relevant. You can also find what you need in the Frozen Tools Player News. However, one that I'll mention here is that of the Rangers reassigning Scott Morrow and Gabe Perreault to the AHL.

These two players were mentioned as Calder Trophy candidates in the Fantasy Guide, and they both had plenty of interest in my recent slow auction draft – particularly Morrow, since defensemen receive bonus points for scoring in this league. Both players may not be in the AHL all season, but you should look elsewhere for sleepers if you are in a single-season league. Mike Sullivan has been known to lean on veterans, so this news shouldn't be totally surprising.

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I completed my first single-season draft last weekend, with the results showing here and below.

The player that received the most comments in my replies was Adam Fantilli. At pick 174 in the 13^th round, Fantilli might be my favorite pick. One of my league members even messaged me saying they had Fantilli ready to go for their next pick before I chose him. Fantilli looks like he is in a great spot to grow on his 32 goals and 54 points from 2024-25, especially since he finished the season with 39 points in 44 games. He also has the pedigree of being a third overall pick in 2023 – a player that the Jackets can build around.

It might not come all that easy for Fantilli this season, though. The main concern is that Fantilli is not projected to be on the Blue Jackets' top power play. In fact, only four of Fantilli's 54 points came with the man advantage in 2024-25. All four of those points were in the first half, even though Fantilli's power-play time spiked in the third quarter with Sean Monahan out. That issue got me thinking about how much top power-play time matters to be a top scorer (short answer: it matters).

The only player in the top 60 in scoring in 2024-25 with under 50% power-play time was Matt Duchene, and he was barely under (49.5%). I brought up this topic with defensemen in an earlier Ramblings, mentioning Thomas Harley as the top-scoring defenseman with sub-50% power-play time. Interestingly enough, Duchene and Harley both played on that same power play, which shows how deep Dallas's PP2 was last season.

At 82 points, Duchene was by far the highest scorer among players with less than 50% of their team's power-play minutes. The only other top 100 scorers to fall into that category were outside of the top 60 overall in Pierre-Luc Dubois (66 PTS, 48.4%), Aliaksei Protas (66 PTS, 2.9%!), Dylan Holloway (63 PTS, 42.0%), Anthony Cirelli (59 PTS, 28.4%), Morgan Geekie (57 PTS, 38.9%), and Connor McMichael (57 PTS, 41.0%). To see the list, go to the Frozen Tools Big Board, then look under the %PP column.

Like the Stars, the Capitals also had a strong second-unit power play last season, although it seems as though Protas didn't appear on that unit at all. Only one of his points was with the man advantage. That leads to another observation, which is that many of the above players could experience some sort of regression this coming season. I've been on the record as saying one of those players will be Protas based on shooting percentages, and I certainly stand by that prediction today.

For what it's worth, Fantilli could be the next man up on the Blue Jackets' top power play in the event of an injury. The Jackets have several Band-Aid Boy forwards, including Monahan, Boone Jenner, and Kent Johnson. As per the Fantasy Guide, Fantilli has the highest long-term upside of any Columbus forward, so it should only be a matter of time before he reaches the top power play. It could happen as early as this season.

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