Hello everyone, and welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed the Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday night. I’m curious, how many games did everyone manage to watch?

Back in the way back, my friends and I would break out every spare TV, laptop, and tablet, on loaded slates to get as many games on at once. I believe our personal record was eight screens running simultaneously.

That was then. This is now.

I’m 36, have a newborn at home, and my eyelids started getting heavy after the Blackhawks' first goal… which came just 28 seconds into the game. So, if we’re estimating, I probably clocked out for the night around 7:03 p.m. Central Time.

We also had a couple of notable signings recently. One could carry some significant fantasy hockey implications, while the other may fly under the radar for everyone except about a quarter of you.

Alex DeBrincat (28 yrs old/LW/RW) Signs a 7-Year Contract Extension with the Detroit Red Wings at a $13M AAV Cap Hit ($91M Total)

UFA in 2034 (Age 36)

We finally have some good news coming out of HockeyTown! Detroit and DeBrincat have agreed to a seven-year extension that will keep him in Hockeytown through his age-36 season. It also feels like a deal that could eventually earn him a “C” on his sweater. On that note, I'm fairly certain the Red Wings are the only team that wear their captaincy letters on the player’s left chest. That's either a great bar trivia question or something I've completely convinced myself is true.

While I'm about 90% sure on the jersey-patch trivia, I was also about 90% sure the Red Wings couldn’t make any significant signings with an interim GM in place. Looking back through the transaction log, however, Detroit had already completed a small trade involving a player on his entry-level contract before the DeBrincat extension was announced.

I first heard about the deal in my league’s group chat through a single message: “DeBrincat!” Nobody followed up, and I had honestly forgotten he was playing on an expiring contract. When we look back years from now, DeBrincat’s Hockey Reference page is going to be a fascinating one. In the present, though, I like this extension quite a bit from a fantasy perspective.

At $13 million, a dual-position eligible winger who should consistently flirt with 40 goals is perfectly reasonable to have on my team’s balance sheet. Last season alone, reaching the 40-goal mark put DeBrincat alongside names like Tage Thompson, Dylan Guenther, and Filip Forsberg. Those are players fantasy managers would gladly create additional cap space to acquire.

One aspect of DeBrincat’s game that often goes overlooked is his durability. Outside of the COVID-shortened seasons, he has been remarkably available throughout his career. That said, there has been a notable shift in his physical game. During his final season with Chicago and his lone season in Ottawa, he recorded more than 100 hits. Then, in his first season with Detroit in 2023-24, despite appearing like he had put on good size that offseason, his hit totals dropped into the 60s. Last season, they fell again into the 30s.

This season, I've liked what I've seen from DeBrincat playing opposite Michael Brandsegg-Nygård. It would not surprise me if the two eventually spent time together in all situations rather than being limited primarily to five-on-five.

For a smaller forward, there may come a point near the end of this contract when age starts to erode some of his fantasy value. Over the next few seasons, however, he should remain a highly productive and reliable fantasy asset.

William Karlsson (33 yrs old/C) signs a 2-year Contract Extension with the Vegas Golden Knights at a $6.752M AAV Cap Hit ($13.5M Total)

UFA 2029 (Age 36)

We have another Vegas extension, this time with Karlsson, and I’ve reached the point where whenever the Golden Knights make a move involving their payroll, I just nod and assume it’s probably a good signing.

I do like this deal for Vegas. When Karlsson returned to full health near the end of last season, it was noticeable how much more productive the Golden Knights’ depth lines became. I try not to let playoff performance heavily influence my regular-season fantasy evaluations, but Karlsson’s nine playoff points were a good reminder that he’s still a useful fantasy asset and an underrated daily fantasy option. Vegas’ second line remains one of my favorite pivot stacks to target.

I was a bit surprised to see Karlsson rostered in just 23% of Fantrax leagues. I expected that number to be closer to 40%. In smaller formats, I understand why he may not be a priority add, but in deeper leagues like mine, he absolutely belongs on someone’s roster. It’s less about what he produces individually and more about the talent surrounding him at even strength, which can regularly translate into 42-46 points.

In larger salary-cap leagues, I’d much rather roster a player like Karlsson than carry an expensive defenseman or a low-AAV center with minor-league eligibility that you’re constantly shuttling between your bench and prospect slots. Those types of players certainly provide salary relief, but how much production are you actually getting from someone skating 13 minutes a night on a fourth line?

Karlsson may not offer elite upside, but he’ll consistently see around 17 minutes per game on one of the league’s better teams. There is real value in that kind of role, especially in deeper fantasy formats where dependable production can be just as important as chasing upside.

For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.