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Free-agent winger Tomas Tatar has agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Colorado Avalanche. (Source: Elliotte Friedman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Tatar will give the Avalanche another inexpensive scoring option as part of a forward group that will be missing captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee) for the second consecutive season. The veteran winger is coming off of a solid 20-goal, 48-point 2022-23 season that saw Tatar lace up his skates for all 82 games with the New Jersey Devils.


The Ottawa Senators traded Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings for Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a 2024 fourth-round pick, and a 2024 conditional first-round pick. (Source: Frank Seravelli on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: DeBrincat’s acquisition by Red Wings general manager gives a club moving in the right direction a legitimate goal scorer to put alongside captain Dylan Larkin to fortify Detroit’s top line for the foreseeable future.


Filip Zadina has been placed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings according to Elliotte Friedman. (Source: Elliotte Friedman on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Zadina will look for a fresh start somewhere else, unable to ever fulfill his potential as a legitimate goal scorer for general manager Steve Yzerman after being drafted by the previous front office. Health and consistency issues have plagued the enigmatic winger to this point and fantasy managers will be best served by practicing a cautious approach wherever Zadina ends up.


Max Domi has agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs according to Chris Johnston. (Source: Chris Johnston on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Domi fortifies a revamped Toronto forward group attempting to replace free-agent departures Michael Bunting and Ryan O’Reilly for head coach Sheldon Keefe. The center finished with 56 points (20 goals, 36 assists) in the regular season as well as 13 points in 19 postseason games for the Dallas Stars last season.


Michael Bunting has agreed to a three-year, $13.5 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. (Source: Pierre LeBrun on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Bunting joins a Carolina squad in need of the forward’s combination of finishing ability and toughness as part of a forward group lacking the latter. The 27-year-old will look for a third consecutive 20-goal season as Carolina head coach Rod Brindamour looks to push his squad deep into the playoffs this upcoming season.


Ryan O’Reilly has agreed to a four-year, $20 million deal with the Nashville Predators. (Source: Pierre LeBrun on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: O’Reilly joins a Nashville squad attempting to re-tool under new head coach Andrew Brunette after moving on from Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene prior to the beginning of free agency. The veteran center should provide a solid scoring option in the top-six forward group in desperate need of more offensive punch as they attempt to capitalize on netminder Juuse Saros between the pipes most nights in hopes of returning to the postseason this upcoming season.


Tyler Bertuzzi has agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs according to Chris Johnston. (Source: Chris Johnston on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Bertuzzi fills a hole in a top-six forward group that lost Ryan O’Reilly and Michael Bunting to begin free agency. The enigmatic winger has flashed an elite finishing ability while also disappearing at times, but will look to reach his full potential playing alongside the core four forwards of William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Auston Matthews for head coach Sheldon Keefe this upcoming season.


Bo Horvat has agreed to an eight-year, $68 million contract with the New York Islanders. (Source: New York Islanders on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Horvat is now locked in for the long term after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks Monday. The 27-year-old instantly injects an inconsistent forward group with a legitimate force in the offensive zone, carrying a 1.10 point per game average (31 goals, 23 assists) for a team that looks serious about contending for the foreseeable future.


Matt Boldy and the Minnesota Wild agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract extension. (Source: Frank Seravalli on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Boldy is now locked in with the Wild through the 2029-30 season and should play a key role alongside Kirill Kaprizov. The 21-year-old has recorded 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 42 games so far this season.


Alex Nedeljkovic has been placed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings according to Chris Johnston. (Source: Chris Johnston on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Nedeljkovic had struggled mightily in net for the Red Wings behind No. 1 goaltender Ville Husso and was eventually sent down to AHL affiliate Grand Rapids to work on his conditioning. It will be interesting to see if any organization is willing to take a chance on the netminder, carrying an abysmal 4.09 GAA and .880 save percentage in eight starts (2-4-2) in the crease this season with Detroit.


The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have activated forward Max Pacioretty from the injured non-roster list. (Source: Carolina Hurricanes on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Pacioretty has yet to suit up for the Hurricanes after undergoing surgery for an Achilles tear on Aug. 10. Acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights this summer, Pacioretty notched 37 points in 39 games last season and posted 154 points over 158 games over the last three seasons. As long as he's healthy, he's a point-per-game player with a boatload of shots on goal and should be on every fantasy roster when he gets into the Hurricanes' lineup.


The Los Angeles Kings released veteran forward Nate Thompson from his professional tryout on Tuesday. (Source: Chris Johnston on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Thompson signed a PTO with the Kings on Sept. 14 but it appears he'll be looking for a new home for the 2022-23 NHL season. The perennial bottom-six forward has skated in parts of 15 NHL seasons, spending the 2021-22 campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers while registering just one goal and three points across 33 contests.


The Vancouver Canucks released veteran defenseman Danny Dekeyser from his professional tryout Tuesday. (Source: Chris Johnston on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: After spending parts of 10 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Dekeyser latched on with the Canucks via a PTO on Sept. 9. A former hot commodity out of college, Dekeyser's game never materialized into fantasy relevance but he could garner further NHL interest given his experience.


James Neal released from PTO

Mon, Oct 3rd 2:53pm EDT
By Brenton Kemp

The Columbus Blue Jackets have released veteran forward James Neal from his professional tryout. (Source: Aaron Portzline on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Once a fantasy stud, Neal has struggled to keep his footing at the NHL level of late. The former 40-goal winger split last season between the St. Louis Blues and their AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, tallying just two goals and four points across 19 NHL contests. He could earn further NHL interest based on a productive 14 goals and 26 points across 28 games at the AHL level last season.


Alex Galchenyuk had signed a professional tryout with the defending Cup champs on Sept. 20 but has been released from that deal. (Source: Peter Baugh on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The journeyman has looked to revive his NHL career with several clubs over the last few seasons and it appears that search will continue towards the 2022-23 campaign. A former 30-goal scorer, Galchenyuk most recently tallied six goals and 21 points across 60 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.


Andrew Peeke was rewarded with a three-year, $8.25M contract extension by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The deal runs through the 2025-26 season and carries a $2.785M cap hit. (Source: Aaron Portzline on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Known more for his defensive work than his offense, Peeke recorded just two goals and 15 points while skating in all 82 games a season ago. However, he also recorded 169 blocks and 191 hits, ranking sixth and tied for 31st in those categories, respectively.


Former Montreal Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen has been traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for prospect defenseman Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick. Montreal is retaining half of Lehkonen's $2.3M cap hit this season. He will be an RFA in the offseason. (Source: Frank Seravalli on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Lehkonen, just 26, is a fantastic middle-six player who makes his teammates around him better. Largely considered the darling of hockey analytics, he is an extremely underrated player who will significantly improve Colorado's cup chances. He has 13 goals, 16 assists, and 29 points this season, while managing to have a 0 plus/minus rating despite being on one of the worst teams in the history of the NHL. As good as he is in real life, his skills don't quite translate to fantasy. However, while he should not be on fantasy rosters at the present moment, he may become a valuable commodity surrounded by better talent on a contending roster. Montreal gets a decent return for their best player this season as they begin their rebuild.


Former Anaheim Ducks winger Rickard Rakell has been traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a large haul including forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon, a 2022 second-round pick, and prospect goaltender Calle Clang. Rakell, a UFA after this season, carries a cap hit of $3.9M, and Anaheim will retain 35% of it in this deal. Aston-Reese and Simon will also be free-agents this offseason. (Source: Bob McKenzie on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Rakell, 28, is a strong goal-scoring forward who struggles defensively at times, scoring 16 goals and 12 assists in 51 games this season. He will provide a large scoring boost for Pittsburgh as the arms race in the Eastern conference continues. He should certainly be rostered in fantasy leagues and watched with intent. Aston-Reese and Simon are better known for their elite defensive play in the bottom-six, and have 11 and nine points respectively this season. Neither are worth considering in fantasy. Clang, just 19 years old, is having a fine season in the SHL and is not yet with Anaheim. Anaheim begins its rebuild by acquiring very solid bottom-six pieces and a potential replacement for John Gibson. Should Pittsburgh go far in the playoffs, they likely won't mind the high price tag it took to acquire the sniper.


Former Winnipeg Jets center Andrew Copp has been traded to the New York Rangers, along with a 2023 sixth-round pick, in exchange for prospect center Morgan Barron, two conditional second-round picks, and a 2023 fifth-round pick. The first conditional second-round pick becomes a 2022 first-round pick if the Rangers win two rounds this year and Copp plays 50% of the games. The second conditional pick is Winnipeg's choice of St. Louis's 2022 second-round pick, initially acquired by New York in the Pavel Buchnevich trade, or New York's 2023 second-round pick. Copp is on the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $3.64M. Barron has one year remaining on his entry-level contract, valued at $0.925M per year. (Source: Darren Dreger on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Copp immediately provides a massive boost to New York's playoff push as a middle-six forward. The 27 year-old has 13 goals, 22 assists, and 35 points in 56 games this season. If available in fantasy leagues, he should be added, given his new team. A good even-strength player, he also takes face-offs particularly well. Barron, just 23, serves as a gritty depth piece for Winnipeg and should be disregarded for fantasy. He has one point in 13 games this season.


Former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Justin Braun has been traded to the New York Rangers for a 2023 third-round pick. Braun is in the last year of a two-year deal, and will be an unrestricted free-agent this offseason. (Source: Jeff Marek on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Braun offers little offensively, but is a strong shutdown defenseman that will push for time on the third pairing. Look for veteran Patrik Nemeth or rookie Braden Schneider to receive reduced roles. He is best left on waivers for fantasy purposes, but will help the Rangers' playoff push, providing a valuable veteran presence.