We are into the month of September and with the expanded schedule, we have real NHL games at the end of the month! Being only three weeks away, I'm sure we will start to see some of these veteran free agents starting to take PTOs and "prove it" contracts with clubs, so make sure you have your copy of Dobber's guide because he updates his projections constantly!

Speaking of contracts, let's go over a few players who are in contract years that will affect their fantasy production for the present and the future.

For Artturi Lehkonen and the Colorado Avalanche, the writing is on the wall. The 31-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027 and the Avs will not have enough cap space to re-sign him as Cale Makar and others have new deals kicking in. But for fantasy purposes, we love this because we know the winger will be doing all he can to earn that payday. 

It also helps that he has all-star linemates; the Finn played over 50% of his even strength time with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas last season, recording 48 points in 70 games. Something tells me he'll do his best to remain healthy and shoot for 80 games this year, which should land him about 55 points.

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The last time Vince Dunn was on an expiring deal, the defenseman gave us 14 goals and 50 assists in 81 games. The Kraken defender is only 29 years old so he has an opportunity to sign a max deal as an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Canadian has the keys to Seattle's top powerplay unit so I would not be surprised to see him approach 60 points again and help the Kraken's extra man unit improve in 2026-27.

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Speaking of defensemen, if you didn't think Zeev Buium was the centerpiece of the Quinn Hughes trade before, you sure better believe it now. The massive extension means they are committed to him being a top pairing guy and will give the defenseman plenty of opportunities because there are no other real offensive defenders in the pipeline or on the current roster. Filip Hronek may start the season as PP QB1 to make Buium earn the role, but he is the only other defender with that offensive upside. 

The new management group this offseason signed big, tough defensemen (Luke Schenn and Jamie Oleksiak) to help insulate and protect the Canucks young investments. With a rising cap, this deal could look like peanuts in a few years or it could look like a charity deal, but that is the risk in signing your young players to such big contracts.

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Another contract that is still up in the air is Cutter Gauthier. With the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, Gauthier is looking to get paid as well. The Ducks will be put right up to the cap limit, if not over, depending on where they settle. I'm not starting to panic over this yet, but as we are strolling into the second week of September and reports are that they are still a little ways apart, could we see the American winger miss games? Anaheim can not afford that after the fiasco of an offseason they endured, plus winger Troy Terry will be out until at least November.

As we count down the days until training camp, let me know if you have any draft/keeper questions. Hit me up on Twitter, @LAM1926. Have a great week everyone!