With a lack of news stories happening recently (everyone watching the World Cup?) let's take a look at some of the more interesting top Frozen Tools searched players over the past week.

Adam Fantilli

Now that the Ducks have matched Leo Carlsson's offer sheet, the Flyers may consider targeting another young center with all of their cap space. One player they may turn to is Fantilli, who was picked one player after Carlsson in the 2023 draft and is currently an unsigned RFA.

The Blue Jackets have experienced a turbulent offseason with trade rumors surrounding both Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko. On top of that, they still have Fantilli, Cole Sillinger, and Jet Greaves to sign. However, the Jackets have $23 million in cap space to fit all of them in. I don't see how they don't get Fantilli signed, unless the Flyers (or another team) were to issue an offer sheet with an absurdly high amount… like $18 million per season.

I've seen chatter on social media about Fantilli being a potential mid-round target in standard-sized Yahoo leagues. He is listed on the Frozen Tools Next Year Breakout list (as is Carlsson), having played three NHL seasons and just over 200 career games. The 21-year-old center saw a modest improvement from 54 points in 2024-25 to 59 points in 2025-26. On the current trajectory, he should be able to reach 60 points with 70 being a real possibility. Power-play time was a concern for Fantilli heading into 2025-26, but that has been addressed with him eventually landing on the top power play during the season. That resulted in a career high of 13 power-play points.

Fantilli's value increases even more in bangers leagues, as he has reached 100 hits in back-to-back seasons. His shot average increased to 2.6 SOG/GP in 2025-26, and it could climb even further to 3.0 SOG/GP with increased deployment. With Boone Jenner signing in Washington, Fantilli may be tasked with taking on a greater role for the Blue Jackets which could push him over the 20 minute per game mark soon.

Cutter Gauthier

In yesterday's Ramblings, I mentioned that Gauthier is a player that the Ducks have to find a way to retain after matching the Carlsson offer sheet. The current $9 million in cap space probably won't be enough, and the Ducks could probably consider moving a few players to open up the necessary cap space. I won't focus on that, but rather will explain what Gauthier has done to accomplish a potential $10+ million cap hit.

Gauthier led the Ducks in goals (41), points (69), power-play points (19), and shots (285) in 2025-26. The goals and shots are particularly interesting, as Gauthier was one of only 15 players to reach at least 40 goals and one of only six players to reach at least 285 shots. All of the players that took at least that many shots scored as many goals as Gauthier, so it should come as no surprise that the top shot takers in the league typically score goals.

Gauthier is also only 22 years old and just finished his second full NHL season, so the sky might be the limit. He is also on the same Next Year Breakout list as Fantilli. If he continues on this path, Gauthier could reach 50 goals one day on Carlsson's wing. Gauthier doesn't seem to generate enough assists to reach 100 points, though. Gauthier's career high in assists is 28, while his career statistics before the NHL indicate he is more of a goal scorer than a playmaker.

Alexander Nikishin

Matthew Schaefer's dominant rookie season overshadowed a fine campaign from Nikishin, who finished second among NHL rookie defensemen with 33 points. Even though Nikishin wasn't used on the Hurricanes' top power play and averaged only 18 minutes per game, there was still lots to like about his game fantasy-wise. His 10 power-play points were a productive use of the power-play time he did receive, while his 132 hits provide added value in bangers leagues.

Apparently Nikishin is on the trade block, which doesn't make sense at first given how a team should be locking up a young defenseman of this caliber. However, the Canes don't like issuing mega contracts, as no one on that team has a cap hit of $10 million or higher. Then there's the somewhat limited role he received in his rookie season, which he was reportedly unhappy with. Nikishin is currently an offer-sheet ineligible RFA, so the Canes have a tough decision to make with him.

Nikishin should be a very interesting player fantasy-wise if he is traded. He will likely earn more minutes with his new team, while he could even land on their top power play. The flipside to that is that Nikishin benefitted from a 64.1 OZ% in 2025-26, which is a high enough number in a vacuum but is hardly unusual on the dominant puck possession roster that is the Canes. Move him to an inferior team and that number could drop, affecting his overall scoring chances. Whatever happens, Nikishin has a bright future as both a top-4 defenseman and a fantasy asset.  

Shane Wright

Wright has reportedly surfaced on the trade market, and the Kraken's asking price reflects how highly they still value him. Seattle is said to have asked Vancouver for either Zeev Buium or Tom Willander, signaling that they won't move Wright unless the return is substantial (although the price to move him to a divisional rival may be higher anyway).

Wright already has a 44‑point season from 2024‑25 on his résumé, though his production dipped to 27 points last year. Across the past two seasons, Wright has averaged roughly 14 minutes per game with second‑unit power‑play usage. There's a reasonable argument that he deserves more ice time, but on a new team he would need to earn that role rather than be handed it.

It's too early to write Wright off entirely, yet he no longer projects to reach the ceiling once associated with a potential first‑overall pick. His fantasy stock has fallen sharply, but it isn't worthless. Seattle's environment can suppress offensive growth, and a change of scenery could meaningfully revive his value. Like Nikishin, he could be a player of interest on a different team.

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The Top 100 Roto Rankings will be updated in a few days. In the meantime, please leave your feedback on the May rankings.

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