Welcome back in, all! There have been so many signings this summer that it’s been tough to keep track of them all. With that in mind, let’s dive into a few more contracts that could have an impact in your salary league.

John Marino (29, D) Signs an 8-Year Contract with the Utah Mammoth, $6.5M AAV | $54M Total Value

When it comes to salary leagues and defensemen, the landscape is littered with $4-Million to $6-Million options who don't provide much offense, but I would say that Marino might not be part of that group. The new contract extension comes as somewhat of a surprise given his age and the AAV rewarded, but there's a chance for some fantasy upside this season.

When it comes to the bigger picture of the Mammoth as a whole, there's a chance that this signing is part of something bigger as I can see to where the Mammoth are going to go out and spend this season if they are in contention come mid-February. They have an aggressive ownership group and a team on the ice that you could make a case was the "hardest" out that the Vegas Golden Knights had to make in the Western Conference playoffs last season.

Marino was a big part of this, as his pairing with Nate Schmidt is excellent defensively, but there are also parts of Marino's game that can contribute to his fantasy production. While you won't see the hits fly off the screen for fantasy points, he does throw his body in front of his fair share of pucks for blocked shots. Where I could see him landing offensively is around the 40-point range with and with his ability to hit stretch passes like we saw last season, there's even room for growth for his overall points when the dust settles come the end of next season.


Jamie Drysdale (24, RD) Signs a 4-Year Contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, $6.5M AAV | $26M Total Value

Let's move to another d-man in the $6-Million AAV range, as Jamie Drysdale signed a contract extension with the Flyers at a $6.5-Million AAV.

I was offered Drysdale in a trade this offseason in my league for a future pick of mine and turned the trade away. It's not that I don't like Drysdale as a player, but first, I already roster Travis Sanhem, and I worry about consistency when it comes to Drysdale's game. Maybe some of that stems back to the inconsistent start of his career with injuries being part of that, but even last season there were stretches to where I was unsure on which d-pair he would skate any given night, and the power play time was a tossup.

All that said, he is still a good option in fantasy as he's easily a top four defensemen with excellent skating ability, but I do wonder if there's more there than the 24–28-point range that he's hovered around in prior seasons. This is a player that quietly is in the 98^th percentile in shooting speed and 92^nd in hard shots. At his age, if Drysdale can stay healthy for say 78-80 games, maybe we will see him creep closer to the 40-point mark in the near future, making him a decent option for salary leagues.

Connor McMichael (25, C/LW) Signs a 6-Year Contract with the St. Louis Blues, $6.75M AAV | $40.5M Total Value

The Blues and McMichael avoided arbitration as the two sides agreed to a six-year deal at $6.75-Million per season. Given that St. Louis traded for McMichael, it always felt likely that an extension would follow shortly after.

So, the Blues got a player in McMichael that last season had 14 goals, 32 assists, and came to grand total of 46 points. They traded Jordan Kyrou for him who last season had 18 goals, 28 assists…put the calculators away – also 46 points. I'm curious which side of this deal sees more offensive opportunities, but because this is McMichael's extension, let's focus on him.

The number that was agreed upon shouldn't be too surprising for fantasy managers, and the Blues are banking on McMichael's offensive upside. He's a good passer and excellent shooter, but I am cautious about what a line looks like with him once the season gets going. Where McMchael's game excels offensively, it struggles defensively, and I don't know if come middle of the season we see a line centered by Mason McTavish with McMichael on the wing. If/when that duo comes up short defensively, there's a chance it's broken up. With the two-way game being an issue, I can also see in some league formats where the C eligibility for McMichael is dropped if the Blues primarily deploy him as a wing.

*Salary Cap data from PuckPedia

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