Each week, I will take a trip around the league and dig into the numbers to find insights that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions.
This week, training camps begin, which means injuries and a team suspension are the biggest stories to follow.
#1 The Winnipeg Jets have suspended star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for not reporting to camp. Hellebuyck requested a trade and reiterated the request publicly before camp opened. It’s a complicated situation, because Hellebuyck has had a fantastic career, which includes three Vezina Trophy wins and a Hart Trophy as MVP in 2024-2025, but his postseason record has not been great, which could give teams pause when it comes to committing to the five years remaining on a contract for a goalie who is now 33 years old. Rumours have had the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Hurricanes as potential landing spots for Hellebuyck though Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has clearly not been impressed with the offers that he has received for his star goaltender. Ultimately, Hellebuyck is probably going to be a premier goaltender for fantasy purposes, provided he gets moved, because he is extremely durable, averaging more than 60 games per season across the past nine seasons and his 89.84 Goals Saved Above Expected in the past three seasons is the best mark in the league by more than 15 goals.
#2 The Jets seemed to expect a shake-up in the crease this offseason because they signed Stuart Skinner as a free agent, and his $3.75 million salary cap hit over the next two seasons is rather pricy if the Jets expected him to fill the backup role behind a goalie as durable as Hellebuyck. Skinner had some early success in Edmonton but his past couple of seasons, which included a trade to Pittsburgh in 2025-2026, have not been as effective. Skinner’s fantasy value has massive variance because on one hand, he could be the starter for a Jets team that still has a path to being a competitive playoff team. On the other, he could be splitting time with another goaltender (that presumably comes in a Hellebuyck trade) and that would limit his upside. As it is, Skinner is worth keeping an eye on while the Jets sort out their goaltending mess.
#3 Hellebuyck isn’t the only U.S. Olympian who asked to be traded. Detroit Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin reportedly has a trade list that includes four teams – the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, and Dallas Stars – and a deal could not be worked out with Steve Yzerman as Red Wings GM and now it will be up to interim GM Shawn Horcoff to figure this out. Considering those four teams, it seems difficult to find a deal that will be suitable for Detroit, though Minnesota might be able to put together a viable package for Larkin. The Wild have been seeking a bona fide No. 1 centre for years, so Larkin would likely be a great addition. Larkin is out with an upper-body injury as training camps get underway.
#4 A huge challenge for the Red Wings is that they want to end their playoff drought, and it’s virtually impossible to imagine if they trade away their captain and No. 1 centre and don’t adequately fill that void. The most likely path to securing a deal might be for the Red Wings to find a package of picks and prospects that can then be flipped to another team that might have more immediate help available. Failing that, the Wings are looking at a centre depth chart that includes Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Marco Kasper, and possibly Nate Danielson. Kasper might be the most interesting of that group. After scoring 37 points (19 G, 18 A) in 77 games as a rookie in 2024-2025, Kasper’s role was reduced last season, and he managed just 19 points (9 G, 10 A) in 81 games. Kasper has accrued 337 hits in the past two seasons so if he can earn consistent ice time with the Wings this season, he might fill the stat sheet enough to have deep league fantasy appeal.
#5 When the Anaheim Ducks matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet to centre Leo Carlsson, it almost assured that they would have to move out at least one of their veteran wingers to make room and without a trade, the Ducks came to an agreement to put Chris Kreider on waivers to void his contract. Very quickly, Kreider signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, re-connecting with Habs Executive VP of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton, who was in the Rangers’ hockey ops department for a good portion of Kreider’s time in the Big Apple. Kreider is 35 but can still skate and his size will help address a need for the Habs. Kreider has topped 20 goals for eight consecutive seasons and should be expected to cross that threshold once again.
#6 The Devils pulled off a surprising early September trade to acquire right winger Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators for draft picks then signed him to a five-year, $36.25 million contract extension. Evangelista scored a career-high 56 points (12 G, 44 A) last season, despite scoring on just 6.8 percent of his shots on goal, so there should be some room for positive regression on the goal-scoring front.
#7 With Evangelista moving on, the Predators are opening up room in the top six for Matthew Wood, their 2023 first-round pick who had 30 points (17 G, 13 A) in 71 games as a rookie last season. Wood produced 1.70 points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play as a rookie last season, which ranked fourth on the Predators behind Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, and Evangelista. Wood played just 12:19 per game, so if he sees his ice time get bumped up to more than 15 minutes per game, he could be poised for a scoring increase in his second season.
#8 With Kreider moving on from Anaheim, and Mason McTavish traded to St. Louis, there may be a better chance for veteran Frank Vatrano to have a bounce-back season. Vatrano had just nine points (5 G, 4 A) in 50 games last season but had 58 goals and 105 points in the previous two seasons, the most productive campaigns of his career. Prior to last season, Vatrano was also a reliable shot generator and hitter, too, recording at least 200 shots on goal and 150 hits in each of the previous two seasons before 2025-2026.
#9 The Buffalo Sabres made a major investment in centre Noah Ostlund, a first-round pick from 2022, signing him to an eight-year contract for $52.8 million. He had 27 points (11 G, 16 A) in 60 games last season, but that’s just the starting point. Ostlund produced 47 points (22 G, 25 A) in 54 AHL games, a good indication that the 22-year-old centre has some untapped offensive potential at the NHL level. See where the Sabres decide to play Ostlund before diving in, but the organization obviously believes in him.
#10 Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned as a restricted free agent and has said that he wants to be traded. The 6-foot-3 blueliner who recorded 33 points (11 G, 22 A) in 81 games as a rookie last season, has presumably seen the marketplace explode for player salaries this summer and is ready to make the most of his opportunity. If Nikishin wants to be traded, and the Hurricanes are inclined to move him, then there wouldn’t be too much difficulty finding a taker for a skilled defenceman with size. Going back to point No. 1, Nikishin would seem to be a prime candidate to trade to Winnipeg if the Hurricanes decide to make a push to acquire Hellebuyck.
#11 While waiver wire candidates are not typically going to bring much fantasy value, it’s going to be worth tracking the status of Boston Bruins forward Matthew Poitras, who is not waiver exempt and could be squeezed out if James Hagens and Alex Steeves earn spots on the Bruins’ roster. Poitras has 27 points (7 G, 20 A) in 69 career NHL games and advanced metrics indicate that he’s a reliable two-way player as well. If the Bruins don’t have room for Poitras, he has the credentials that should make him a worthwhile pickup for teams in need of forward talent.
#12 Recently named captain of the Blackhawks, centre Connor Bedard is recovering from shoulder surgery that is expected to keep him out until November. Obviously, that leaves a huge hole in Chicago’s lineup, but it does present an opportunity for someone to fill in as the team’s No. 1 centre in the meantime. One candidate is Anton Frondell, who is a Calder Trophy contender that scored nine points (3 G, 6 A) in a dozen games for Chicago last season after he produced 28 points (20 G, 8 A) in 43 games for Djurgardens in the SHL.
#13 Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand is going to miss the start of the season after having surgery in August. He tried to play through the injury last season and rehab in the offseason but ultimately surgery was required. Panthers GM Bill Zito said that Marchand will be ready early in the season but emphasized that the Panthers won’t rush the 38-year-old agitator back into the lineup. With Marchand out, that could open the door for a player like Sandis Vilmanis to secure a spot in the Panthers’ top nine to start the season. Vilmanis may not score much – he had five points (3 G, 2 A) in 19 games for the Panthers last season – he also had 39 hits in those 19 games, so he does have some of his own statistical appeal.
#14 Buffalo Sabres winger Jason Zucker is not going to be ready for the start of the season as he is recovering from sports hernia surgery. The veteran winger’s absence could result in some line shuffling in Buffalo, with potentially better opportunities opening up for rookie Konsta Helenius. Helenius can play centre, and that might be his long-term position, but if the Sabres need a sufficiently skilled forward to fit in their top six, then Helenius might be the option. He had four points (1 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in nine games for the Sabres after putting up a point per game (21 G, 42 A) in 63 AHL games. Helenius is a Calder Trophy candidate and getting a chance to play a scoring role early could help elevate his status.
#15 Although the New York Islanders have not ruled out Mathew Barzal playing on opening night, he is not expected to skate for a couple of weeks, which would certainly put that timeline in doubt. Barzal is the Islanders’ most dynamic forward, so if he is going to be out of the lineup for any extended period, it creates a heavier load for the rest of the team’s top forwards. With Barzal out, there is likely a better chance for someone like Simon Holmstrom to move up the depth chart and while he’s an effective player, that’s still a significant drop off in offensive skill.
#16 Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi is out indefinitely after complications following offseason lower-body surgery. Domi was already expected to miss some time, but his absence appears to be more significant now. The Leafs operated in the offseason expecting that Domi would be recovering from surgery, so their lineup is still relatively settled, but Domi’s absence could affect Toronto’s lack of scoring depth if any of the team’s key forwards get injured.
#17 Stanley Cup champion Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes is not expected to be ready for the start of the season after having shoulder surgery in June. While he is back on the ice, it’s still reasonable to expect Jarvis to miss the first month of the season, and possibly more. The Hurricanes are a next-man-up kind of squad, so they could easily fill in for Jarvis with a depth winger like Eric Robinson in the short term but this could also present an opportunity for a prospect like Bradly Nadeau, a first-round pick in 2023 who had three goals in 12 games for Carolina along with 56 points (27 G, 29 A) in 52 AHL games last season.
#18 Veteran Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry is working his way back from hip surgery, on a timeline that is likely going to keep him out of the lineup for the first couple months of the season. The Ducks might want to invest in a bargain free agent to help shore up a forward group that has lost Kreider and Mason McTavish. Failing that, Terry’s absence could open the door for prospects Nikita Klepov or Roger McQueen to start the season with the Ducks, with a chance to play regular minutes right away.
#19 After suffering a broken leg at the Olympics last winter, Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala is still recovering and not expected to be on the ice for at least three weeks. It’s possible that he could return to action in early November, but the Kings will need to find more secondary scoring in the meantime. It’s worth noting that the Kings are trying Adrian Kempe down the middle of the ice and that could help a lot because it would allow Quinton Byfield to slide to the second line and Kempe-Byfield down the middle would allow the Kings to be more flexible when they start moving wingers around the lineup.
#20 Calgary Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau remains out of action as he recovers from the hip injury that landed him on the shelf in February. While he has generally had a disappointing tenure in Calgary, Huberdeau’s absence will require players to step up and handle offensive roles. Young wingers Matvei Gridin and Samuel Honzek are both players that the rebuilding Flames should encourage to play bigger roles while Huberdeau rehabs his injury.