Macklin Celebrini has signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Sharks. As you probably know by now, Celebrini was the first overall pick in the recent 2024 entry draft.

I've already seen questions about where to rank Celebrini. Well, you have an answer already, as he was included in Dobber's Top 300 Keeper League Skaters. Keep in mind that this is keeper value beyond this coming season, and for points-only leagues.

It seems like Celebrini will be playing in San Jose this coming season. As a freshman, he dominated the NCAA, winning the Hobey Baker while recording 64 points (32 G – 32 A) in just 38 games for Boston University. That was good for third in NCAA scoring, behind future Sharks teammate Will Smith and future Duck rival Cutter Gauthier. With Smith signing his own entry-level contact earlier this offseason, and Gauthier already playing his first NHL game at the end of the 2023-24 season, these three could be in the preliminary discussion for the Calder Trophy.

As far as Celebrini's single-season value goes, it's very difficult to project rookies. I won't add him to the Top 100 Roto Rankings (yet), but he will get there at some point. As precedence, I did not have Connor Bedard in the Roto Rankings until early last season, when injuries started to open up some spaces.

I also had a somewhat conservative estimate for Bedard of 60 points, so I'd guess something a bit lower for Celebrini – maybe around 55 points. They’re both first overall picks with high expectations playing for teams in the middle of a rebuild that will likely need a few more seasons before they are a legitimate playoff threat.

The only Shark to eclipse 50 points last season was Mikael Granlund, which demonstrates how bare the cupboard was last season. However, Tyler Toffoli has been signed to give Celebrini and/or Granlund a potential scoring winger, which could really boost their point totals. Although Celebrini and Smith should give the Sharks a crazy good 1-2 punch in the future, they are probably too young to be leaned on as the 1-2 centers for the Sharks in 2024-25, given all of the demands of the position.

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Artyom Levshunov, the second overall pick from the 2024 draft, has also signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Jett Luchanko, the first-round pick of the Flyers, also signed his entry-level deal.

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The Jets have acquired defenseman Dylan Coghlan from the Hurricanes for future considerations. (As I was typing, I almost capitalized "future considerations" like it was a real person.)

The Jets also signed defenseman Logan Stanley and forward David Gustafsson to two-year contracts. Stanley's contract has an AAV of $1.25 million, while Gustafsson's contract has an AAV of $835,000.

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The Wild have signed RFA defenseman Declan Chisholm to a one-year, $1 million contract. Chisholm split the season between Winnipeg and Minnesota, registering nine points in 31 games. Five of his nine points came on the power play, where he averaged 35% of the Wild's available power-play minutes. He's not someone I would draft in standard-sized fantasy leagues, but the possible power-play production means he could be a waiver-wire add during the season.

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Updating my list of leftover UFAs from two days ago, guess how many have been signed? None of them! At least to my knowledge as I write this. It's funny how the market dries up right after July 1. Maybe there's a mini-surge after one comes off the board.

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The recent free agent signings and trades not only had an impact on the players changing teams, but they also affected the players around them. Here are some players in the Top 100 Roto Rankings that may be affected.  

Risers

Jake Guentzel

There isn't much that I can say beyond what I wrote in the Fantasy Take for the Lightning adding Guentzel. In fairness to Steven Stamkos, Guentzel's signing can improve not only Guentzel but also the players around him: Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman.

This increase isn't a major one. In fact, many of the Top 100 players that are projected to have increases in value can't ascend much farther than they already have.

Filip Forsberg

Forsberg may have been due for a decline from his career-high 48 goals and 94 points this past season, even if the advanced stats suggested that this production is sustainable. However, the recent free agent additions could certainly help offset these moves.

Nashville's power play was about the middle of the pack in 2023-24, but beyond Forsberg and Roman Josi it didn't seem imposing. Enter Steven Stamkos, who has recorded at least 35 power-play points for the past three seasons. Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei could also help the power play to a lesser degree. That means that Forsberg looks like he can reach 30 power-play points for the second consecutive season.

Forsberg's goal total was aided by the fact that he averaged over four shots per game. Only four players took more shots in 2023-24 than Forsberg (347 SOG). Expect the Preds to become more offensively focused with their offseason additions, which keeps Forsberg in a great place.

Fallers

Brandon Montour

When writing the Fantasy Take on July 1, I wondered what the rationale for Seattle adding Montour was, especially with Vince Dunn and his $7.35 million cap hit handling the top power play. Since then, it became a little clearer with the Kraken trading Brian Dumoulin to Anaheim. The pairings now look like Dunn – Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak – Montour, and Josh Mahura/Ryker Evans – Will Borgen.

The Dumoulin trade still hasn't answered the question of who will play on the top power play in Seattle. With so many forwards hovering around the 50 percent mark, it's difficult to project what that top power play will look like. Montour had lost the top power-play spot in Florida to Oliver Ekman-Larsson during the final, but that's probably a minor detail in all of this. I wouldn't rule out a 3 F – 2 D top power play because of a lack of game-breaker forwards on the Seattle roster, but Montour could be looking at a sub-40-point season if he is on the second power play.

Before I introduce the next player, can you tell me who is missing from the following picture?

Edmonton's new look top six looks dangerous. #NHL pic.twitter.com/CoGqpzd5TB

— OfficePools.com (@officepools_com) July 2, 2024

If the picture didn't turn out on the device you're using, or you're simply not sure, it's…

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Evander Kane

We already started to notice a decline with Kane during the playoffs, where he finished with eight points in 20 games while skating just under 15 minutes per game. Granted, he was battling an abdominal injury during the playoffs, and he currently has a hip issue that may require surgery. Kane was up and down the lineup during the playoffs but usually in the top 9.

The offseason signings of Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner do raise some concerns, though. So does the fact that Kane was on a 47-point pace this season (44 points in 77 games), which is his lowest pace since the 2015-16 season. Kane's downturn in scoring and shots has been offset by an increase in hits, so his multicategory value won't sink. But his overall fantasy value, especially scoring-wise, has been on a slow and steady decline for the past two seasons.

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Don't forget about the Fantasy Hockey Guide, which will be available on July 29. Everything that you've come to know and love about the guide is included again this season – its 19^th year. Preorder yours today!

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