Hello and welcome back to the most trusted salary cap fantasy article in the Chicagoland area. Specifically, the south and southwest suburbs…maybe some of the west burbs as well along the BNSF Metra line. Anything north of the Lake Forest Oasis and ya lost me.

This week let's catch up on some recent signings that took place and of course, see how this impacts your salary cap league.


Mike Matheson signs a five-year, $30M ($6M AAV) with the Canadiens

If there were any trade rumors surrounding Mike Matheson, I think they have been officially put to bed with him signing to stay in Montreal for the next five seasons. I sort of think that maybe he could have gotten more in free agency, but if you like where you're playing, and the numbers make sense for both sides, thenyou're set. This is a good top four defence groupthat the Habs have put together with Matheson, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle,and Lane Hutson. Keep in mind as well, that is also factoring in the defensive talent that Montreal could potentially see joining this club on a more permanent basis as Adam Engstrom could be up longer term, and David Reinbacher has played well in the AHL.

For fantasy, one thing is somehow certain. Trust me on this. People who roster Mike Matheson in leagues where there is a yearly draft, somehow end up with him on their roster each year and never even entertain the idea of parting with him. I feel as though this is the same for dynasty. He'll jump from $4.8M to $6M but unless you'reway at the tippy top of your league and have plenty of big ticket players on your roster, then I think you should be able to absorb the extra salary on a rising cap.

Shane Pinto signs a four-year, $30M ($7.5M AAV) with the Senators

So, this was buried in some other larger signings, but we must talk about it. The cap hit here I'm actually alright for Shane Pinto at $7.5M, believe it or not. Trust me when I say that this will be the new going rate for a 2C/3C in this rising cap NHL that we will all soon be living in. The term is where I scratch my head a bit, but I suppose for a player that is still in his age-25 season this is a buy low move? The Sens now have all of their top three centers in Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, and Shane Pintosigned until the 2029-30 season and as I step back, I do like that model. Sure, it's great to have your goaltending figured out long-term, but I think that right behind that is center depth. You may not find anyone out there who is more of a fan of having depth down the middle, specifically if those players can also help you generate offense. Just think of it from a fantasy standpoint, outside of those top centers that come to mind who may be some of the best players in the NHL, there's a large gap of C's who fall in a tier in the middle, so being able to have value in the dot is two thumbs up, in my book.

For salarycap leagues, that must have been a fun notification that came through your phone when this contract came through. If the person in your league hasn't tried to shop Pinto already, then I'd imagine that could be coming unless this person has salary to burn or in the bottom of your league…or both. I do like Pinto as a fantasy player though, he gets good ice time and does see some decent power play time for the Sens, this is a player that I'm fine rostering for this season, but next season I would want certainty of where he'll fit on the Senators top nine. I think ofthis like Tomas Hertl (who makes $1M less)…carrying an AAV of $6.75M to $7M on the third line can be tougher to sit with, but the power play exposure does at least help with value.  

*Salary Cap data from PuckPedia.com  

For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.