Happy Monday y'all! This week we'll be diving into some familiar faces in new places. These players have a new lease on life now that they have changed organizations and will be looking to make the most of their opportunity. Our new Eastern Edge writer, Khurram Sher, will take a look at some new Eastern Conference faces tomorrow. Make sure to check it out!

Vincent Trocheck (NYR —> UTH) – The Trocheck sweepstakes ended last month as the Utah Mammoth traded for the Olympic gold medal winner. Trocheck is coming over on a down year statistically, but who didn't have a down year for the Rangers? If you're in a league that counts peripheral stats (hits, blocks, faceoff wins), the American center is one of the top ranked players as he contributes all across the board. He will still be an asset in a lot of those categories, but potentially playing behind Logan Cooley and Nick Schmaltz, his ice time should drop to 16-17 minutes a night (he averaged over 21 minutes per game the last three season, along with three minutes of powerplay time).

Jaden Schwartz (SEA —> COL) – Schwartz signed a three-year deal with the one team where he could play himself back into fantasy relevance, the Colorado Avalanche. If you look back at his Kraken tenure, he averaged 0.55 points per game with a franchise that boasts 50-point players. With the Avs trading Val Nichushkin, a major spot in their lineup opened up, and with Gabe Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen's injury history, there should be plenty of opportunity for Schwartz to score some time with Nate MacKinnon and put up 55-64 points. 

Erik Haula (NSH —> LAK) – The Kings are going to look very different down the middle in 2026 as their longtime captain and 1C, Anze Kopitar, retired. Los Angeles is hoping Quinton Byfield can take the next step in his development and fill those skates, but after him, the organization doesn't contain much depth at the position. Haula has always been a versatile player who can skate up or down the line up, but the one time he was given a prominent second line role, he averaged over 17 minutes and scored 55 points. 

Devon Levi/Frederik Andersen (BUF/CAR —> EDM) – I put both of these goalies together because obviously only one starts. Andersen would be my bet to start the season, but as the year goes on, he will probably get hurt and at that point, I would expect Levi to take the keys. It's always nice finding a starting goalie late in drafts, especially if you operate a "zero goalie" strategy, and the fact that the Edmonton Oilers are going all in, you should at least expect some wins from this crease.

Mavrik Bourque (DAL —> NSH) – The Dallas Stars have done an excellent job of drafting and developing players in the last decade, but they can't afford to keep everyone. Bourque was dealt because he was a restricted free agent and the Stars didn't have the space. The new management team identified the winger as a piece of their puzzle and should be given ample opportunity to make a name for himself in Smashville.

Mason McTavish (ANA —> STL) – After many Ducks fans were expecting years of Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish as the one, two punch down the middle, McTavish did not thrive under Joel Quenneville's system. That landed him in the dog house by the end of the season and an eventual send off to the St. Louis Blues. Robert Thomas is the top dog for the Blues, but by giving up two first round picks in 2026 to acquire McTavish, that signals that they have big plans for his future in St. Louis.

Bowen Byram (BUF —> CHI) – After being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres, Byram signed a major extension on July 1. The defenseman will be the top powerplay quarterback for a group that should grow together these next few years. He only averaged a minute and a half with the extra man last season, so expect that to double. And with a career high of 42 points last season, you should bet that hits 50+ next year.

Sebastian Cossa (DET —> UTH) – After the Red Wings failed to use Cossa at the NHL level consistently, he requested a trade and landed in a beautiful spot. The Mammoth worked Karel Vejmelka into the ice last season, but now they have someone to take the keys and become their future number one. Don't get me wrong, Vejmelka had a great campaign in 2025-26, but Cossa should get at least 35 games in this year.

Simon Nemec (NJD —> CGY) – General Manager Craig Conroy moved a lot of assets to acquire Nemec and then awarded him with a monster contract without ever putting on a Flames sweater. Personally, I think that's always a big gamble, but from a fantasy perspective, that usually signals that they'll give the player a ton of opportunities to earn that money.  Having Zayne Parekh may cut into some powerplay time, but you can guarantee Nemec will receive more than the 19 minutes he was playing in New Jersey.

Like I said earlier, with Khurram taking over Eastern Edge, I just wanted to shout out Mike for all of his contributions to the article last season. Good luck in your future endeavors, Mikey!

Have a great week everyone!