2022 NHL Free Agents & Draft Recap Feat. Cody Janzen (World Hockey Report)
Join the Hacks for episode 70 of the Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast! This week special guest Cody Janzen joins us to recap the 2022 NHL Draft and discuss upcoming free agents, as well as potential destinations! Also, find out who makes John’s List, Headlines, and much more.
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Highlights:
- Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers?
- What is Alex DeBrincat’s upside in Ottawa?
- Evgeni Malkin set to test free agency
- Jack Campbell set to sign in Edmonton
- Evander Kane given permission to speak with other teams
- Matt Murray or bust for the Toronto Maple Leafs
- John Klingberg a good fit in Carolina
- The goalie market has really tightened up
- Did Seattle win the 2022 NHL Draft?
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Special Guest: Cody Janzen
- Host of the World Hockey Report (@WorldHockeyRpt on Twitter)
- Play-by-play for the Saskatchewan Rush on TSN & ESPN
NHL Draft Recap
NHL DRAFT TRACKER
- Who were the big winners in this year’s draft?
- Who were the big losers in this year’s draft?
First Round News & Notes
Hadi Kalakeche (Dobber Hockey) joined us last week to go through the NHL Draft in detail; if you want to listen to that episode, follow this link here. Hadi did a fantastic job assessing the prospects in this draft class, including some NHL comparables.
- Juraj Slafkovsky goes #1 to the Montreal Canadiens
- The New Jersey Devils go with organizational need at #2, select Simon Nemec.
- Shane Wright falls to the Seattle Kraken at #4
- This draft was a win for Seattle, they snagged Jagger Firkus with the 35th overall selection.
- The Edmonton Oilers trade down, opt for size and grit, select Reid Schaefer at #32 overall.
- Kris Letang signed a 6-year, $36.6M ($6.1M AAV) contract extension
- Fantasy Spin: Letang was 7th among D-Men in scoring last season with 68 points and 10 goals; and posted a career-high 171 hits. Letang has managed to stay healthy the last two seasons, hopefully that continues to be the trend. What are the implications here for Evgeni Malkin?
- Alexandar Georgiev was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for the 97th and 161st picks in 2022, as well as a 3rd round pick in 2023.
- Fantasy Spin: Alexandar Georgiev will form a serviceable tandem in Colorado for next season alongside Pavel Francouz. Neither goaltender had spectacular numbers last season (see below); but you have to think playing for an elite-level team like Colorado inflates their numbers. According to Peter Baugh, Joe Sakic acquired Georgiev with the intention of using him as a starter! The Avs view Francouz as a great #2 that can start lots of games. Georgiev then signed a 3-year contract extension on Sunday with a $3.4M AAV. The Colorado Avalanche have dedicated a total of just $5.4M per season for goaltending until 2024-2025.
- Georgiev last season: 15-10-2, 2.92 GAA, .898 SV%, -6.82 GSAx
- Francouz last season: 15-5, 2 SO, 2.55 GAA, .916 SV%, -0.28 GSAx
- Francouz in playoffs: 6-0, 1 SO, 2.81 GAA, .906 SV%, -0.89 GSAx
- Alex DeBrincat was traded to the Ottawa Senators for the 2022 7th and 39th overall picks, and the 2024 3rd round pick.
- Fantasy Spin: Obviously a downgrade in linemates for DeBrincat, but he should be just fine playing alongside Norris and/or Tkachuk or Batherson. Patrick Kane sees his fantasy value take a dip as well, but he may not be in Chicago next season anyway…
- The Montreal Canadiens traded Alexander Romanov and the 98th pick in the draft to the New York Islanders for the 13th overall pick. Montreal then traded picks 13 and 66 to the Chicago Blackhawks for Kirby Dach!!
- Fantasy Spin: It has been a disappointing start to Dach’s career (3-year Avg: 32 Points, 10 Goals), hopefully a change of scenery will do him some good. Does Dach get a chance in the top 6?
- Fantasy Spin: Can Romanov be fantasy relevant for the Islanders? 2.87 hits/GM and 1.82 blocks/GM.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs traded goaltender Petr Mrazek and pick #25 to the Chicago Blackhawks for pick #38.
- Fantasy Spin: Petr Mrazek was not fantasy relevant in Toronto last season, posting a 12-6-0 record with a 3.34 GAA, .888 SV%, and -14.02 GSAx! A move to a rebuilding Chicago obviously hurts his fantasy value, though he should see a significant bump in starts, if healthy.
- The Edmonton Oilers traded Zack Kassian, pick #29, 2024 3rd round pick, and 2025 2nd round pick to Arizona in exchange for pick #32 in 2022.
- Fantasy Spin: None. A salary dump for the Oilers, which they hopefully use to acquire a goaltender.
Second Round News & Notes
- The New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek and the #46 pick in 2022 from the Washington Capitals for picks #37 (2nd round) and #70 (3rd) in 2022.
- Fantasy Spin: Vanecek was inconsistent last season, frustrating many fantasy GMs. I would be surprised if his play improves in New Jersey… Vanecek last season: 20-12-6, 2.67 GAA, .908 SV%, -3.87 GSAx.
- 📈Samsonov’s fantasy stock
- 📉Blackwood’s fantasy stock
- The St. Louis Blues traded Ville Husso to the Detroit Red Wings for a 3rd round pick in 2022. Detroit then signed Husso to a 3-year contract extension with a $4.75M AAV.
- Fantasy Spin: Husso last season posted a 25-7-6 record, 2.56 GAA, .919 SV%, 14.3 GSAx, and the 4th-best HDSV% (.853). Possibly the biggest implication of the Husso trade is that Jordan Binnington takes back complete control of the crease in St. Louis. Alex Neljkovic will also be fighting for his share of this crease with Husso in Detroit, obviously hurting his fantasy appeal.
- The Carolina Hurricanes traded Tony DeAngelo, plus a 7th round pick in 2022 to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2022 4th round pick, 2023 3rd round pick, and a 2024 2nd round pick. Update: DeAngelo has signed a 2 year $10 million contract with the Flyers.
- Fantasy Spin: I can’t see any scenario where moving from the Carolina Hurricanes (3rd in the NHL with 116 Pts) to the Philadelphia Flyers (28th in the NHL with 61 Pts) will improve DeAngelo’s fantasy value.
NHL Free Agents
Top Free Agents Available
Free agency begins on July 13th, so we wanted to discuss some of the fantasy relevant free agents, potential destinations, and a few fantasy thoughts for next season.
- On a scale of 1-10, how concerned are you about the Oilers goaltending situation? Any chance we see Claude Giroux in Edmonton next season? Dylan Strome?
- Does Evgeni Malkin stick around in Pittsburgh?
- Any chance we see Cam Talbot get moved?
- Does Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews get moved this summer or at next year’s trade deadline?
FORWARDS
Johnny Gaudreau, UFA | ADP: 70.5
- 115 Pts, 40 Goals (82 GP)
- Possible Destinations: Calgary, New Jersey, Philadelphia
Nazem Kadri, UFA | ADP: N/A
- 87 Pts, 28 Goals (71 GP)
- Possible Destinations: Toronto, Washington, Pittsburgh, NYR, NYI
Evander Kane, UFA | ADP: 131.0
- 39 Pts, 22 Goals (43 GP)
- UPDATE (July 11TH): Kane has been given permission to speak with other teams. It’s believed the Oilers have offered just 4 x $4.5M… Very unlikely at this point that we see him back in Edmonton next season.
- Possible Destinations: Edmonton, Calgary, Washington, Seattle
Claude Giroux, UFA | ADP: 143.5
- 64 Pts, 21 Goals (75 GP)
- Possible Destinations: Florida, Edmonton, Ottawa
Ondrej Palat, UFA | ADP: 82.5
- 49 Pts, 21 Goals (77 GP)
- Possible Destinations: Seattle, New Jersey, New York
NOTE: Patrick Kane is expected to submit a trade request by Wednesday; and according to one source, the Rangers are thought to be the preferred destination, reuniting Kane with Artemi Panarin.
DEFENCEMEN
John Klingberg, UFA | ADP: 113.5
- 47 Pts, 6 Goals (74 GP)
- Possible Destinations: Carolina, Seattle,
GOALTENDERS
Darcy Kuemper, UFA | ADP: 18.5
- 37-12-4, 2.54 GAA, .921 SV%, 16.23 GSAx
- Possible Destinations: Toronto, Edmonton, Washington, Buffalo
Jack Campbell, UFA | ADP: 59.0
- 31-9-6, 2.66 GAA, .914 SV%, -6.16 GSAx
- Possible Destinations: Toronto, Edmonton, Washington, Buffalo
John’s List
If you have been listening to our podcast for a while, you’ve undoubtedly heard about “John’s List”; which is basically John’s $h!t list of players past and present. We’ve decided to make this a regular segment on the podcast and will include it in the blog for fun as well. If you have any suggestions for players we should add to the list, let us know!
The NHL Schedule Maker – The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames play just 3 times next season, none of which take place during the second-half of the season.
OR
Chicago Blackhawks – The Chicago Blackhawks received very little in return for Alex DeBrinact, and the same can be said for Kirby Dach. Meanwhile, Kane and Toews remain with 1 year left at $10.5M! #BombForBedard
Headlines With The Hacks | July 4 – 11, 2022
The 2021-2022 regular season has wrapped, but if you’re planning to defend your fantasy hockey championship next season be sure to get your draft kit from our partner, Left Wing Lock. Stay tuned for details.
News This Week
- Former Oiler Mike Grier, was named the general manager for the San Jose Sharks, becoming the first black GM in NHL history.
- Hayley Wickenheiser was named an assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The former Team Canada legend continues to make Saskatchewan proud!
- Adam Boqvist signed a 3-year, $7.8M ($2.6M AAV) contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Frank Seravalli reported that John Klingberg will not re-sign with the Dallas Stars; plans to test the open market as a UFA. No surprise here in my opinion.
- FANTASY SPIN: Excited to see what Miro Heiskanen does with a full season on PP1! With more PPTOI (just 2:18/GM) and some positive regression in his iSH% (3.2% last season, 6.6% in 2 of 3 seasons prior), could be a bargain in fantasy hockey drafts.
- Frank Seravalli also reported on Wednesday:
- Vladimir Tarasenko has no plans to rescind his trade request; he would still like to move on. The St. Louis Blues are also exploring the trade market for defenceman Torey Krug.
- Four teams have made substantial offers for Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat!
- Six teams are in the mix for Edmonton’s winger Jesse Puljujarvi, but it sounds like the market for JP is still fairly soft…
- The NHL released the 2022-2023 regular season schedule!
- The season starts with a double-header on October 11th, and concludes with a packed 15-game slate on April 13th.
- Fantasy Spin:
- The Vegas Golden Knights play the fewest back-to-backs next season with just 7, followed by Seattle with 8. If healthy, Robin Lehner could be a great option. Edmonton, Dallas, and Calgary all have the next fewest back-to-back games with 10. Jake Oettienger, Jacob Markstrom, and whoever starts for the Oilers (Jack Campbell?) next season should all be draft-day targets. Conversely, Columbus and New York both play the most back-to-backs with 16 next season. The Blue Jackets can be avoided, but Igor Shesterkin will undoubtedly be the second netminder off the board.
- The top 5 teams in terms of “light days” next season includes Anaheim (41), New York (34), Winnipeg (34), Minnesota (33), and Edmonton (33). Draft accordingly.
- According to Bob McKenzie, the Chicago Blackhawks will not be extending a qualifying offer ($3.6M) to Dylan Strome on or before July 11th; he will become a UFA on July 13th.
- Duncan Keith has decided to retire this summer, according to Pierre LeBrun. The Edmonton Oilers clear approximately $5.58M on the cap for next season. The Blackhawks will have a cap recapture fee of $5.5 million this season and $1.9 million next season.
- Adrian Kempe signed a 4-year, $22M ($5.5M AAV) contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings.
- Pierre Lebrun reported that Ondrej Palat is expected to hit free agency on Wednesday, will not return to Tampa Bay.
- Filip Forsberg signed an 8-year, $68 million ($8.5M AAV) contract extension with the Nashville Predators.
- Evgeni Malkin has decided to test the free agent market. Reports mention he has never been a free agent before and would like to see what his options are.
- Some notable names were not issued qualifying offers by their teams.
- Ilya Samsonov – Washington projected he would come in at $3-3.5 million and they did not want to pay that much money for a player they considered to be a backup goalie.
- Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik – from the Chicago Black Hawks. The Black Hawks are clearly #BombingforBedard
- Sonny Milano of the Anaheim Ducks.
- The Colorado Avalanche have promoted Joe Sakic to President of Hockey Operations and Chris MacFarland has been promoted to General Manager
- Speaking of the Avs, they signed Valeri Nichushkin to an 8 year contract extension with an AAV of $6.125 million
- Matt Murray has been dumped to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ottawa also sent a 3rd round pick, 7th round pick and retained 25% of his salary for future considerations. (Austin Matthews)
- Rickard Rakell signed a 6 year contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins with an AAV of $5 million per season
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