In case you missed it, Dylan Larkin has reportedly requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings. Teams that could be in the market for Larkin include Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Montreal. Larkin is as consistent a center as there is in the NHL, as he has ranged between 30-35 goals, 67-79 points, 70-85-point pace, and 212-244 shots over each of his past five seasons. Those numbers place him in the tier of a weak first-line center or a strong second-line center.

A Larkin trade would have significant implications in fantasy leagues for both the acquiring team and the Red Wings, since he is currently the Wings' number one center. Unless the Wings receive a top-6 center in return in a trade, a former top-10 pick like Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson would need to fill the void. Losing a player of Larkin's caliber could force the Red Wings to take a step back when they were close to making the playoffs this past season. 

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A pair of Habs were announced as NHL award recipients on Friday. Cole Caufield has won the Lady Byng Trophy, while Nick Suzuki has won the Selke Trophy. Caufield was one of two players to reach 50 goals this season (finishing with 51), while he received just 14 penalty minutes. His linemate Suzuki was one of eight players to reach 100 points (finishing with 101), while he had the sixth-highest faceoffs taken total (1449).

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According to Michael Russo, pending UFA Marcus Johansson has signed a contract with Farjestad in Sweden. Johansson finished with 49 points for Minnesota in 2025-26, which was his best output since the 2016-17 season with Washington. At age 35, Johansson's days in the NHL might be finished.

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The Fantasy Prospects Report is now available! If you don't have yours yet, get it at the Dobber Sports Store.

#FantasyHockey Prospects Report is now live. Pick it up now in your downloads folder at DobberSports!#2026NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/rDiUwQxLqU

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) June 1, 2026

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There's a growing belief that the regular season and the playoffs are two distinct entities. In other words, what happens during the playoffs has absolutely no bearing on what will happen the following season. Is there any chance that an amazing playoff run can translate into something meaningful the following season? This is a good opportunity to acknowledge the success of several players in the Stanley Cup Final and discuss what might be in store for next season.

Brett Howden

Howden has emerged as the top sleeper of playoff pools, surpassing his regular-season output of 12 goals in 58 games with 13 goals in just 18 playoff games. Over a third of the shots he has taken during the playoffs have gone into the net, while a 39.4 SH% is never sustainable.

Prior to the playoffs, Howden had yet to emerge as anything more than a third-line forward. Howden, who was a late first-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2016 but started his NHL career with the Rangers, has a career high of 40 points set in 2024-25. However, he has been a 20-goal scorer, as 23 of those points were goals. The 2024-25 season was also the only season in which Howden has taken more than 100 shots, while his shooting percentage is consistently over 10 percent.

Two recent developments have worked in Howden's favor. One is the hiring of John Tortorella. Power-play time was nonexistent for Howden until the final quarter, where he emerged on the second power play. Although none of Howden's playoff points have been with the man advantage (but three shorthanded goals), the increased scoring responsibility should be noted. Howden might be Torts' kind of player, as he has reached 100 hits in three of his past four seasons. The other development is that Howden has been lined up with playmaker Mitch Marner frequently during the playoffs, resulting in more scoring opportunities.

Based on prior regular seasons, Howden doesn't need to be on your radar for next season's drafts except maybe for deeper leagues. However, the recent usage is interesting enough for Howden to be a legitimate waiver-wire option next season. 

Carter Hart

I'm not sure anyone knew what to make of Hart's statistical projections once he was reinstated by the NHL. Inactive for nearly two years, Hart seemed rusty upon his December return to the NHL with a 3.28 GAA and an .870 SV% in 12 games before a lower-body injury sidelined him for three months. Yet following his return, Hart has been the goalie we thought he would be in Philadelphia. He gave us a sneak peek of what was to come during the playoffs by finishing the regular season with a 1.66 GAA and .930 SV% in his last six regular-season games. 

You never know how Vegas goaltending will play out, as the Golden Knights are VERY much a "what have you done for me lately" organization. However, Hart should have no issues entering the 2026-27 season as the starter. Adin Hill has not played since April 9, although his $6.25 million cap hit with five years left dwarfs Hart's $2 million roll-of-the-dice cap hit, which lasts another season. Hill had been slowed by multiple injuries this season, playing in just 27 games.

If Hart wins the Stanley Cup, then he should have a bit of rope (as Hill did at first). Hart may simply be showing that he always had the talent but just needed the right environment. That seems ironic to say, as Vegas's regular-season .884 team save percentage was 27^th in the league. I guess they can thank Torts for the defensive turnaround.

Taylor Hall/Logan Stankoven/Jackson Blake line

You know the saying "In order to win, your best players have to be your best players"? That hasn't been true for Carolina in advancing to the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes' four leading scorers during the regular season were Sebastian Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis. But for the playoffs? The four leading scorers are Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, Logan Stankoven, and Ehlers. Aho and Svechnikov in particular have seen their scoring drop with just eight points each in 15 games, while Jarvis has nine points in 15 games.

The Hall-Blake-Stankoven line has picked up the slack during the playoffs with both a 69.2 SF% and a 65.8 CF%. If you didn't add any of these players to your playoff pool, you can't really blame yourself that much. Blake was the high scorer among the group with 53 points in the regular season, followed by Hall with 48 points and Stankoven with 44 points.

Overall, all of these players should have a safe floor but not a sky-high ceiling next season, because the Carolina way will never massively boost individual stats. Blake and Stankoven seem like good bets to improve next season – particularly Stankoven, who produced well over point-per-game numbers in both the WHL and AHL. Because Stankoven is a smaller forward (5-8, 165 lbs.), he may need a few more seasons of runway to completely reach his upside. Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Hall has not scored at a 50-point pace since 2021-22. Don't expect him to suddenly leap well beyond that in the back half of his career.

Frederik Andersen

Fun fact: Andersen had more really bad starts (12) than quality starts (11) during the regular season. That hasn't mattered during the playoffs, as Andersen was the Dobber writers' favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Whether you believe Andersen has truly found new life in his game or he is a product of Carolina's system, Andersen has been one of the great stories of the playoffs.

Even though has taken his team to the Stanley Cup Final, Andersen may not be back with the Hurricanes next season. Andersen will be a UFA, while both Pyotr Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi (remember them?) are both still under contract. By the way, Kochetkov and Bussi splitting starts 50-50 seems to be the most likely outcome in the Canes' net next season.

As for Andersen, he is a potential tandem option himself given his age (36) and injury history. Andersen won't ever be a top tier fantasy goalie again due to the likely limit on games played. However, he could be productive enough to be a G2 or G3 on fantasy teams next season. We'll have to wait and see where he lands next season.

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