After a busy week of transactions in the NHL, Sunday's calm gave us a chance to catch our breath and collect our thoughts. With this opportunity, I thought it'd be worthwhile to evaluate how certain players have seen their fantasy outlooks upgraded/downgraded after signing with new teams. Here are my thoughts on a few players:

Elias Lindholm – Upgrade

From Calgary/Vancouver to Boston

Lindholm started last year in Calgary, where he played a major role with the Flames. He saw nearly 21 minutes of action a night, with a sizeable 62% share of the team's total power-play time. Although he got plenty of opportunity, the team lacked the scoring ability it had during Lindholm's more productive years, which contributed to his lacklustre 53-point pace with the Flames last season. Lindholm was then traded to Vancouver, where his average ice time dropped to under 18 minutes a night, and his power-play share shrank to 43%. With the Canucks, he posted a shocking 37-point pace. Although his role was reduced, he was still seeing enough opportunity to be way more productive than he actually was. However, we have to remember that his stop in Vancouver was very short. Although he had exposure to higher quality players than he did in Calgary, his linemates changed often until he eventually settled into a third-line role. There was no time to acclimate, so it's hard to be too critical of his struggles with the Canucks.

We've established that there were factors in both Calgary and Vancouver that made Lindholm's fantasy outlook less than ideal last year. However, it seems those factors aren't as prevalent in Boston, setting the stage for a redemptive debut season with the Bruins. Calgary may have lacked superstar talent for Lindholm to work with, but that shouldn’t be an issue in Boston as Lindholm is likely to line up beside David Pastrnak. If he needs some time to get acclimated to his new surroundings, he'll still have the majority of the campaign to produce once he's settled in. The luxury of time is not something he had during his short stint with the Canucks. Given the magnitude of his contract, the Bruins are incentivized to find a long-term fit for him. Expect him to see big minutes with the team's most talented players. A much better situation should lead to much better production.  

Sean Monahan – Upgrade

From Montreal/Winnipeg to Columbus

The way I see it, Columbus courted Monahan in an attempt to rejuvenate Johnny Gaudreau. It's no coincidence that Monahan signed for five years, when that's exact amount of time Gaudreau has remaining on his contract. We often forget because of all the injuries Monahan battled during his final years in Calgary, but he and Monahan formed a lethal duo for the Flames. Between 2017 and 2019, Gaudreau ranked 11^th in the league with 1.13 points per game and Monahan wasn't too far behind, sitting 30^th with 0.96 points per game. That's the kind of magic that Columbus is trying to recreate, and I'd be very surprised if Monahan and Gaudreau don't start the upcoming season together.

With Monahan likely to fill a top-six center slot, I imagine Boone Jenner will drop to the third line, into a role that better matches his defensively skewed skillset. Returning our focus to the purpose of this article – has Monahan's fantasy outlook improved since signing with the Blue Jackets? My answer would be yes. Sure, he found himself in favourable situations last year, seeing prominent scoring minutes in both Montreal and Winnipeg, but reuniting with Gaudreau – a player he's shown great chemistry with – could help him produce even more going forward. Although Columbus has a good amount of young talent knocking on the door, I'd expect them to give Monahan significant opportunity based on the magnitude of his new contract and his potential to save the team's biggest investment.

Erik Gustafsson – Upgrade

From NY Rangers to Detroit

Typically, offensive defensemen need prominent power-play roles in order to be valuable in fantasy leagues. Gustafsson's fantasy value last year was limited because he sat firmly behind Adam Fox in the Rangers' power-play depth chart. When Fox went down with an injury in November, Gustafsson stepped into more of an offensive role and racked up 11 points in 10 games, with five of those points coming on the power play. In Detroit, Gustafsson has an easier path to consistent top unit power-play time. Sure, he faces some threat from young Moritz Seider, but the 23-year-old defenseman took a backseat to Shayne Gostisbehere on the power play last year. Seider's two-way potential is elite, but an offensively focused defenseman might be better suited to run the team's power play right now. I imagine Gustafsson will fill the hole that Gostisbehere left when he chose to sign with Carolina instead of reuniting with the Red Wings. For reference, last season, Gostisbehere enjoyed a 62% share of power-play time and racked up 29 points with the man advantage. I don't see why Gustafsson can't flirt with similar numbers in the upcoming year. Detroit has the forward talent to ice a lethal power-play again, setting Gustafsson up for a productive year if he can prove himself as the team's top PP quarterback.

Steven Stamkos – Downgrade

From Tampa Bay to Nashville

This one is based on one thing and one thing only: power-play production. Over his past three seasons in Tampa, Stamkos racked up 110 power-play points – a total that ranks sixth in the league. During that time, the Lightning boast the league's second-best power play, with a success rate of 25.9%. Nashville sits 14^th in the same span, with a rate of 21.2%. That may not seem like a big difference, and you might even think Nashville's number is bound to improve now that they have Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault on the top unit. However, it often takes time to integrate new personnel into a power-play unit. Tampa's power-play prowess was a result of many years of chemistry and while there's potential for that same chemistry to exist in Nashville, I don't imagine it'll happen overnight. I expect it'll take some time for everyone to find their role on that top unit. Stamkos had been the primary shooting threat on Tampa's power play, but it'll be interesting to see if his role changes beside Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Jonathan Marchessault – three players that didn't hesitate to shoot the puck last year.

Cam Talbot – Downgrade

From LA to Detroit

The 37-year-old netminder had a solid showing last year, posting a 2.48 GAA and .913 save percentage through 54 games with the Kings. The thing is, I get the feeling that those numbers were at least partially a product of LA's strong defense. The Kings posted an expected goals per 60 of 2.41 at even strength last season, the fourth-lowest number in the league. In contrast, Detroit put up an xGA/60 of 2.82 last year, which ranked 21^st  in the league (via NaturalStatTrick). There's nothing to suggest that Detroit's defense has improved based on the team's moves thus far, so I'd say Talbot's numbers are likely to suffer this season as he won't have the same insulation he did last year.

Brandon Montour – Downgrade

From Florida to Seattle

On the surface, it's clear to see why Montour's fantasy value took a hit after he moved from Florida to Seattle. He went from the clear-cut top power-play defenseman on an elite Florida team, where he was frequently exposed to superstar forwards, to a Kraken team that currently lacks high-end offensive ability – underscored by the team ranking bottom-five in goals per game last season. It also doesn't help that the Kraken have split time relatively evenly between two power-play units in the past, and that Vince Dunn has proven himself as a capable power-play quarterback. For reference, Dunn led the team in power-play share last year and he sat at just 58%. Montour was above 70% in each of the past two seasons with Florida.

To sum up, Montour's fantasy value is lower than last year because his new situation seems like it will feature less power-play opportunity, less exposure to high-end talent, and more competition for offensive deployment. All this being said, I think it's important to note that Montour had shoulder surgery last summer and recovery from that procedure caused him to start the year late. I don't think it's far-fetched to say that the freshness of the surgery may have impacted his play last year. Feeling 100% might allow him to find the scoresheet more often than last year, even though he's facing less favourable circumstances.