Make sure you pick up the 2014 Dobber Prospects Report. It’s exactly the tool you need for your keeper league.

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With draft time swiftly approaching I think it's worth taking a look at "NHLe", a metric for which Byron Bader at NHL Numbers makes a case for:

NHLe is an equivalency formula used by some in the hockey analytics community.  It's a method of standardizing scoring across various major and junior leagues.  Standardized scoring gives an idea of how players, generally younger prospects, perform at the NHL level. Some argue its merit as a valuable metric in assessing future performance.  The following provides a framework of how it can be used as a possible drafting qualifier.

There's a whole lot of math and explanations for why these models are good but let me get to the punch line:

This year, there’s five players (North American skaters anyways) that fit the “can’t miss” 35+ NHLe mold in the draft class. They are: Sam Reinhart (43.1), Leon Draisaitl (40.4), Sam Bennett (39.3), Nikolaj Ehlers (39.3), Robert Fabbri (36.9). Dal Colle (34.9) is right there as well. Over-ager Louick Marcotte (35.5) also fits the bill but he’s two years older than the rest of the crop.  He could be worth a late-round flier though. I bet we hear a lot about all of these guys in the coming years and they turn into very productive players for their respective teams.

Now those are the big names we've all been talking about anyway but you can be pretty confident selecting any one of those guys based on the NHLe metric.

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A few signings to talk about from yesterday…

Marian Gaborik re-upped with the Kings for seven years and $34.1 million. Fantastic deal for the Kings. The term is a bit ridiculous for a player his age and given his injuries but the AAV is splendid. Even with his injuries factored in, Gaborik just became a risk worth taking in cap leagues.

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The Kings also signed defenseman Matt Greene for four years and $10 million. This is much ado about nothing on the fantasy side of things. Pretty reasonable deal if you ask me.

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Ryan Callahan re-signed in Tampa Bay for six years $34.8 million. This is pretty much what was expected considering his UFA status. It's basically impossible to sign a big-name UFA without over-paying. So considering the context, this deal isn't horrible, even though Callahan is likely on the downside of his career.

I don't besmirch his poor playoff performance. He only got to play four games, anyone can go on a bad run in a sample that small. Plus, you may not recall but Callahan did in fact have a goal disallowed on a really miserable goaltender interference penalty. So he actually did put something on the board in the playoffs. It just got wiped off. I'd look for him to be reasonably productive in Tampa.

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It was Nikita Nikitin who won the day, however, signing for two years and $9 million with the Oilers. That deal is wholly unreasonable. I guess that's Edmonton paying the loser tax but holy mackerel!

Nikitin is now their highest paid defenseman. Just because your defensemen suck doesn't mean you go and overpay a mediocre one! But hey, it's a short deal and at least that's a BOLD MOVE.

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The Lightning are set to buyout Ryan Malone. Once a very solid rotisserie contributor he's been past his expiry date for a while now. I honestly don't think he has much value any more, what with his off-ice troubles and seriously declining game.

Maybe he could be a depth contributor on a cash-strapped team but what kind of fantasy value is that going to bring? And will he stay healthy? He's a write-off.

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On the other hand, Daniel Alfredsson should be returning for another go.

Daniel Alfredsson has told #RedWings he wants to play another season. Sides will talk again later this week.

📢 advertisement:

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) June 23, 2014

He's injury prone to be sure but he'll help make just about everyone else in the Detroit lineup better during the 60-odd games he does play.

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The Penguins do not expect to have UFAs Matt Niskanen and Jussi Jokinen return. This isn't for lack of desire, this is simply what happens when you have a bunch of guys already signed to big money. So the depth goes out the window chasing big money of its own. This should be another red flag for the Niskanen owners out there.

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Interesting look at why drafting out of the NCAA might be beneficial:

It's nearly impossible to predict how recent draft picks will pan out, so it makes sense to go back a little ways. In a study of the draft from 2000-2006, College Hockey Inc. noted that 70% of NCAA players drafted in the first round went on to play 300+ career games (100+ for goaltenders), while only 57% of players drafted elsewhere accomplished the same.

Any study using games played as an indicator of successful drafting has its flaws but I still think this is intriguing.

It's worth noting that players from the CHL made it to 300 games 64% of the time, which isn't a huge leap from the NCAA guys. I couldn't tell you if this is just random or if NCAA players really are better prepared but I'd venture a guess that the fact that they play in North America and can be well scouted means that it's easier to figure out the best talent. I'd also suggest that a good portion of the players drafted out of the NCAA are late birthdays from the previous year which is why they were able to get in a season of NCAA play. These late birthdays would actually make these players the oldest in their draft class and thus more developed.

Interesting none the less.

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It's looking like Max Domi and Henrik Samuelsson will both have real good odds of making the Coyotes this fall.

Samuelsson has "future rotisserie stud" written all over him, while Domi could be a nice fetch in points-only leagues.

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I loved Justin Bourne's blunt assessment of the Hartnell trade:

The Flyers traded Scott Hartnell for R.J. Umberger, immediately got worse.

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Sean McIndoe with an off-season primer:

To some extent, the draft has replaced trade deadline day as the most likely source of blockbuster deals (with the added bonus of then seeing those deals awkwardly announced live by Gary Bettman). This year features an unusually high number of star players who could be moved. And you know what that means: Get ready to hear endless reports about teams wanting "a player, a pick, and a prospect."

McIndoe also gives you a sneak peek inside his awards ballot.

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You can follow me on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.