Fantasy: 5 offseason moves that will have an impact on your draft
Regardless of whether your NHL team of choice was busy making moves this offseason, every fantasy hockey manager is faced with the opportunity to benefit by drafting players that fell into favorable situations over the summer months.
Here's a look at five offseason moves that will have an impact on your draft a have the potential to shift the balance of power in any fantasy hockey league.
Jason Spezza traded to Stars
Spezza was traded to the Dallas Stars back on July 1, and his fantasy value shot way up in the process.
The 31-year-old is a career point-per-game player, and now slots in as the second-line center behind Tyler Seguin. Not only will this steer him clear of the opposition's top defensemen, it should also set him up with one of two tantalizing linemates.
Spezza displayed great chemistry with winger Ales Hemsky during their brief time together in Ottawa last season, and head coach Lindy Ruff may look to reunite them in Dallas. If Hemsky draws a first-line assignment with Seguin and Jamie Benn, Spezza will likely play with the uber-talented Valeri Nichushkin.
Thomas Vanek signs with Wild
After a wild 2013-14 that saw him play for three different teams, Vanek did the expected and signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild.
The move returns the 30-year-old to the city where he played college hockey, and will reunite him with former Buffalo teammate and good buddy Jason Pominville.
Vanek overcame the turmoil to score 27 goals and average 0.87 points, a slight upgrade over his career rate of 0.83. With his contract situation settled for at least the next three seasons, Vanek is well positioned to hit the 30-goal and 70-point marks.
Ryan Kesler traded to Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks beefed up their center ranks by acquiring Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks, and the 29-year-old is set return to form as a well-rounded fantasy asset for the first time in three years.
Kesler appeared in every regular-season game for the Canucks from 2009-11, averaging 0.84 points while also racking up special-teams points, penalty minutes, hits and faceoffs.
Kesler will find himself in a familiar role with the Ducks, slotted behind elite stars while given prime 5-on-4 time. As such, a return to the 70-point mark is within reach.
Ryan Miller signs with Canucks
Miller was also traded mid-season, splitting the year between the Sabres and St. Louis Blues. Miller posted a .923 save percentage in his last 40 games for the lowly Sabres - then followed it up with a pedestrian .900 mark over 25 games in St. Louis.
Miller favors the West Coast, and he'll get to set up shop there after signing a three-year deal with Vancouver on July 1.
While the 34-year-old netminder will look to remain a high-level goalie, the Canucks aim to re-assert themselves as a playoff threat. Miller will likely be undervalued on draft day, but could prove to be a top-10 goalie option if Vancouver's defense rejuvenates under new head coach Willie Desjardins.
Jaroslav Halak sign with Islanders
Halak - who was supplanted by Miller in St. Louis prior to the 2014 trade deadline - boasts a career save percentage of .918, but opened some eyes by posting a .930 mark in 12 games with the defensively weak Washington Capitals late in the year.
The Islanders are an up-and-coming team in the Eastern Conference, and seem to have found the ever-elusive top-level goaltender that they've been searching for since drafting Rick DiPietro.
The Isles' defense will be boosted by a healthy Lubomir Visnovsky, the continued emergence of Travis Hamonic and Calvin de Haan, and the signings of possession-friendly forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. As a result, Halak should provide value after some of the bigger name goalies have been scooped up.