2 years agoThe Seattle Kraken have acquired forward Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Blue Jackets in exchange for a third- and fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft. The 27-year-old had a career year during the 2021-22 NHL season, scoring 28 goals and finishing with 57 points through 80 games. The Blue Jackets needed to trade Bjorkstrand in order to stay below the salary cap after the free-agent signing of forward Johnny Gaudreau and recent contract extension for forward Patrik Laine. Bjorkstrand will have late-round fantasy draft value heading into the upcoming season as a key forward for the Kraken in their second season as a franchise.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 years agoColumbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine has signed a four-year, $34.8 million contract extension with the team on Friday. The 24-year-old was a restricted free agent, and the new deal has an average annual value of $8.7 million. Laine was limited to only 56 games throughout the 2021-22 NHL season, but he had a productive season with 26 goals and 30 assists to lead the team in points per game. Fantasy managers will have high expectations for Laine heading into the upcoming season as he is one of the elite goal scorers in the league when healthy. The Blue Jackets have made improvements to the team, most notably by signing forward Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year deal at the beginning of free agency.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 years agoThe Maple Leafs have signed forward Calle Jarnkrok to a four-year, $8.4 million contract, with an average annual value of $2.1 million. The 30-year-old spent the 2021-22 NHL season with the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames, while totaling 12 goals, 18 assists and 30 points through 66 games in the regular season. Jarnkrok added four points in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and his postseason experience will benefit the team as he has been in the Playoffs each year since 2015 as a long-time member of the Nashville Predators. Jarnkrok has a chance to set career-highs in goals, assists and points as he joins a dynamic offensive team with the Maple Leafs.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 years agoThe New Jersey Devils have acquired defenseman John Marino from the Penguins in exchange for defenseman Ty Smith and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Marino has five seasons remaining on a six-year, $26.4 million contract, while the 25-year-old appeared in 81 regular season games and finished with a career-high 24 assists. Smith, who was drafted 17th overall in 2018, spent the previous two seasons with the Devils and had a solid rookie season. Marino carries more value in re-draft fantasy formats as he is established at the NHL level and the 25-year-old will help the Devils compete after a busy offseason with notable additions to the team.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 years agoThe Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Ryan Poehling from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Mike Matheson and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Petry's production declined during the 2021-22 NHL season as the 34-year-old scored six goals and finished with 27 points, ending a streak of four consecutive seasons of 40-plus points and double-digit goal totals. Petry has three years remaining on his four-year, $25 million contract, and the veteran defenseman will gain fantasy value from his move to the Penguins heading into the upcoming season.
--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 years agoFormer Tampa Lightning winger Ondrej Palat will be suiting up for the New Jersey Devils in the fall. As a veteran forward, Palat cashed in, signing a five-year deal at $6 million AAV. The 31-year-old is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who was known for coming up big for the Lightning in critical situations. He averaged over 16:00 minutes of total ice time in last year's regular season. Playing on a weaker team in New Jersey, Palat will undoubtedly get more ice time and contribute on the scoreboard more frequently.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Chris Johnston
2 years agoThe Vegas Golden Knights traded sniper Max Pacioretty to Carolina. He and Dylan Coghlan were traded for future considerations, which is a salary dump for the cash-strapped Golden Knights. Pacioretty has been a consistent goal-scorer for most of his 14-year career. Spending 10 years playing for the Habs and another four for Vegas, the forward has netted 323 goals and added 319 helpers. Pacioretty could be a point-producing machine for fantasy managers come October while suiting up for a solid Carolina club.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
2 years agoFormer Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau surprised the hockey world Wednesday. Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the first official day of free agency. The Salem, New Jersey, native will make a lot of money in Ohio as his contract is $68.6 million over seven years. He will play a significant factor in fantasy but maybe not as much as last year since Columbus is a weaker team than the Flames.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Mike Gould
2 years agoFormer San Jose Sharks defenseman Brett Burns was dealt to Carolina Wednesday. Burns was traded along with Lane Pederson for Steven Lorentz, goalie prospect Eetu Makiniemi and a conditional 2023 3rd-round pick. The veteran defenseman spent 11 years in Northern California playing for the Sharks. Burns played in all 82 regular season contests this past season, tallying ten goals and 44 assists. He will be a significant piece of Carolina's offense, and the 37-year-old will be a considerable threat in fantasy hockey.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
2 years agoColorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen will be back with the Stanley Cup champions for the 2022-2023 season. He signed a five-year contract worth $4.5 million annually. Colorado will be a strong contender to repeat as champions next season as they have been able to sign five free agents on last year's cup-winning team. Lehkonen logged 19 goals and 19 helpers in 74 regular season contests for the Avalanche. In addition, he played exceptionally well for Colorado in the playoffs.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Frank Seravalli
2 years agoFormer St. Louis Blues winger David Perron signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings on the first day of free agency. Perron has spent the last four years with the Blues, which was his third stint with the franchise. Last season, the Sherbrooke, Quebec, native collected 57 points in 67 games. He is a player that would be an excellent fit on any fantasy roster, as he has been successful in producing offensively for most of his playing career.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: @DetroitRedWings
2 years agoFormer Florida Panthers forward Claude Giroux will be playing for his hometown team for this upcoming season, the Ottawa Senators. Wednesday, he signed a three-year $6.5 million AAV contract to skate for the Senators. The 34-year-old spent his entire 15-year NHL career with Philadelphia before being moved over to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline this past season. Giroux should play an essential role in fantasy next year as Ottawa has improved their roster this offseason.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
2 years agoFormer New York Rangers forward Andrew Copp will be suiting up for his home-state team, the Detroit Red Wings, in October. Copp was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and played for the University of Michigan. He spent most of the last campaign with Winnipeg before being traded to the Rangers at the trade deadline. His new contract is worth $5.625 million annually over five years.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Darren Dreger
2 years agoFormer Colorado Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper became a Washington Capital on Wednesday. The recent Stanley Cup winner signed a five-year deal worth about $5.5 million a season. He will not be competing for playing time with netminders Vitek Vanecek as he was traded to the New Jersey Devils. Ilya Samsonov will now be between the pipes for Toronto. Kuemper struggled at times in Colorado's Stanley Cup run; he still managed to get the job when needed. He should be a valuable asset for any fantasy manager roster this season.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Frank Seravalli
2 years agoColumbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam Boqvist signed a three-year, $7.8 million contract with an annual average of $2.6 million. The Swedish defenseman had a career year, producing 11 goals and 11 assists in 52 regular-season games. The 21-year-old averaged just over 17:00 of total ice time per game. He should be a player to watch come fantasy drafts as the Blue Jackets expect plenty of offense from the blue line.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: @BlueJacketsNHL
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