It’s set to be a busy offseason in the NHL, as free agents are free to sign with new teams starting on July 1. Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett and Nikolaj Ehlers are among the top names who are expected to hit the market, while many more players could be available by trade.

If you’re looking for an edge with your fantasy hockey teams, knowing how roles change and which prime spots will open up is crucial to evaluating risers and fallers before your drafts.

Check back here regularly with each new free agent signing and trade, and their expected fantasy impact.

NHL Offseason HQ: Team needs | Dynasty rankings | Draft rankings

Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights: The now-former Maple Leaf is poised to score more goals on a top line and power play with play-making center Jack Eichel, while again amassing 90 to 100 total points. Which slightly enhances Marner’s fantasy value in leagues that reward putting the puck in the net at a premium. An increase in shots on net can also be anticipated from the 28-year-old winger. Even in leagues where goals and assists are valued equally, Marner remains must-draft once the fantasy elite are off the board.

More interestingly is how this sign/trade deal (with depth forward Nicolas Roy landing in Toronto) might affect Mark Stone. Should Marner supplant the veteran on Eichel’s flank as anticipated — it’s difficult to see Vegas stick their new $12-million player on a second line — Stone is due to see a decrease in production at even-strength. Couple that potential shift with the oft-injured skater’s unreliable durability, and he projects to regress as a performer after averaging 2.1 fantasy points/game this past season in ESPN standard leagues. Meanwhile, either Stone or Pavel Dorofeyev — Tomas Hertl less so — appears the likeliest candidate to drop to the secondary power play in making room for Marner on the primary unit. Best guess today is Dorofeyev, who racked up 17 power-play points this past season.

In Toronto, GM Brad Treliving now has a significant hole to fill up front following Marner’s exodus to the desert. While whoever ends up skating on a top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies is going to score, this particular figure might not even be part of the organization as of early July 1st. Considering newbie Matias Maccelli, or any other current Leaf forward, doesn’t strike as an ideal full-time substitute for Marner, fantasy managers should keep a close watch on who else joins the organization this summer. –Matiash

Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild: After averaging only 2.74 goals/game in 2024-25 — 25th out of 32 teams — the Wild are gambling on the former prolific sniper to return somewhat closer to form from his earlier years. Averaging 0.86 points/game, heavy on goals, from 2013-14 to 2023-24, Tarasenko put up a paltry 33 through 80 contests with the Red Wings this past season, while logging only 14:47 in ice-time. A more prolific role in Minnesota, perhaps on a second line and power play, should result in a bump in production, especially if the 33-year-old returns to his shooting habits of old.

That Tarasenko is entering the final year of his current contract also plays a factor. Such extra incentive to prove he can still contribute in a valuable manner certainly won’t hurt. Fantasy managers who could benefit from a 60-point player in deeper leagues might consider rolling the dice on the winger, just as GM Bill Guerin is doing, late in autumn drafts. Contingent, of course, on where he appears to fit in Minnesota’s lineup in camp. –Matiash

John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings: There’s little question, after (finally) being dealt away from the team that drafted him back in 2011, Gibson is set to re-earn the bulk of starts in the crease. At least through 2025-26. Almost 38 years old, Cam Talbot has a single year ($2.5-million) remaining on his contract. Prospect Sebastien Cossa is likely in for another season, for the most part, with Grand Rapids. Trey Augustine, all of 20 years old, is returning to Michigan State for a third turn. If healthy — an enduring concern — Gibson should be counted on for around 55 starts with his new squad. As such, sussing out which version of the long-time Duck netminder we’ll see in Detroit is the greater challenge for fantasy managers.

One of the league’s best goalies to start his career, Gibson boasted a 119-77 record, .921 SV%, and 2.42 GAA from game one through 2018-19 in Anaheim. Then matters went south, in no small part due to the lack of support out front. However, the 12-year veteran is coming off a bit of a Renaissance with an improving Ducks squad in 2024-25, posting a .912 SV%, 2.73 GAA, and 9.71 Goals Saved Above Average (Evolving Hockey) through 29 games. If he can replicate those figures with a Red Wings team that arguably compares in quality to the one he’s leaving behind, while enjoying a significant increase in playing time, Gibson could serve as a top-15 fantasy netminder in most conventional leagues. Again, if he stays reasonably healthy.

Going the other way, Petr Mrazek projects to serve as backup to current RFA Lukas Dostal. The 25-year-old proved capable of serving as a No. 1 this past season, and would have enjoyed greater success had his teammates provided more support. Only the Sharks and Predators scored fewer goals than the Ducks in 2024-25. But with the further growth of young skaters like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, plus the addition of veteran Chris Kreider, Anaheim is on the upswing. All unfolds as anticipated, Dostal could finish in the top-20 in fantasy points in ESPN standard leagues by season’s end. –Matiash

Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens: Despite a substantial relapse in production in 2024-25 after erupting for 70 points the previous season, Dobson still averaged 2.0 fantasy points/game in ESPN standard leagues. Not too shabby, all considered. Fantasy managers should anticipate a similar rate with his new team in Montreal, where the 25-year-old will be counted on to skate heavy minutes at even-strength, while competing on the secondary power play. Assuming reigning Calder winner Lane Hutson continues to anchor the primary unit. Even without putting up sparkling scoring numbers, Dobson serves as a well-rounded performer who shoots on net often and blocks shots with regularity. He should be drafted accordingly, depending on league size.

On the Islanders, Dobson’s absence opens up the opportunity for No. 1 draft selection Matthew Schaefer to take over the reins as the top power-play anchor. Should the teen crack the lineup, which is hardly guaranteed. A situation that deserves close monitoring through camp and the start of 2025-26. –Matiash

JJ Peterka, to the Utah Mammoth: While Peterka is undoubtedly on the rise — having crested into fantasy relevance at just 23 with 1.72 fantasy points per game in 2024-25 — it’s not unthinkable he sees fewer key minutes with the Mammoth. After averaging 18:11 per game with the Sabres, including 2:54 on the top power-play unit, he may have to do more with less on a suddenly crowded depth chart. For Peterka to top last season and become a true fantasy difference-maker, a spot on the top power play is essential. With Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley arguably locks, Peterka needs to secure the final forward spot. His jump of 11 power-play points from 2023-24 was the catalyst behind his breakout, so that deployment matters. The future remains bright in keeper leagues, as Peterka is locked into a core that should be fantasy-friendly for years to come. Dynasty managers should boost his value accordingly. Going the other way to the Sabres, both Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan could offer situational value for 2025-26 depending on their usage. Their rate stats suggest fantasy upside if they get the minutes, but no need to draft either, as they’ll be waiver material early on.

Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks: After missing the entirety of the 2024-25 season, Kane showed he was still effective enough for fantasy consideration in the Oilers run to the Stanley Cup final. He earned 1.7 fantasy points per game across 21 playoff contests — borderline relevancy in standard leagues. That was without a ton of access to “McDraisaitl” (Leon Draisaitl was fifth among Kane’s teammates at forward for shared minutes at five-on-five, while Connor McDavid was seventh). With the expectation that Brock Boeser is moving on from the Canucks and pending other offseason moves, Kane might be the best option for scoring from the wing the Canucks will have going into the season. That could push him back into a fantasy role, especially if he secures the time with a (hopefully) rebounding Elias Pettersson and time on the power play (which he wasn’t getting a lot of in Edmonton). –Allen

Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken: Marchment is the type of fantasy pickup that can be useful in streaks if he has the right linemates. The Kraken are the ideal environment for that type of winger, as the lineup is built around depth, not star power. So, arguably, Marchment could find himself anywhere from the third line to the first line depending on how the deployments shape up. (Alternatively, you could argue any of the Kraken top three lines is its first or third.) The trouble is that his ceiling is capped by minutes, which may still hover around 15 per game, unless he lucks into an assignment alongside Matty Beniers. He has shown Selke-like ability, so if you still use plus/minus in your league, Marchment’s appeal — top 20 among forwards across the past four seasons — improves. –Allen

Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers: If you are at the end of your draft and your starting lineup is built out, there are worse players to take a … ahem … flier on than Zegras in a new home with the Flyers. The hype level surrounding Zegras has come a long way since his “Michigan”-fueled rookie season, but how much of the lost luster can be attributed to his surroundings and injuries? The glass-half-empty outlook would point out that his surroundings aren’t significantly improved with a move to the also-rebuilding Flyers. But if we are viewing the glass as half full, surely he can’t run afoul of injury luck for a third consecutive season. Zegras missed 76 games over the past two seasons, and his fantasy production cratered. Even when he played an 81-game season in 2022-23 and averaged 18:49 per game, he only posted 1.65 fantasy points per game — not good enough. Zegras will be jockeying with Sean Couturier and Noah Cates for center minutes, but the opportunity is there. With wingers like Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny to play with, the upside remains. –Allen