Fantasy Hockey Trade Breakdowns: Noah Dobson, Charlie Coyle and More

Hey folks. Today we are going to start with a funny anecdote. All season we care about draft picks in trades, what round they are in, and how valuable they might be. Until we get to the actual draft. All bets are then out the window, and the only thing that matters is draft position.

While we will finish up the deals made up to the start of the draft, we won't talk about the “draft position swap” trades, which have included two first-round draft picks for one higher draft position first-round draft pick.

Moving on, let's break down the rest of these trades, which include the biggest trade since the postseason, plus all of the notable signings as a bonus!

Shall we?

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Panthers, Capitals Trade

To the Florida Panthers: Second-round draft pick (2026), sixth-round draft pick (2027)

To the Washington Capitals: Justin Sourdif

Sourdif did not play an NHL game last year, but pending his play, could make a push for a bottom six role on the Caps and kickstart his development. He put up 34 points in the AHL as a forward in 43 games played.

A second-round pick seems like a hefty price to pay, however Sourdif's chances of breaking the roster are much higher on the Caps than with the already deep champion Panthers' roster.

Islanders, Canadiens Trade

To the New York Islanders: Emil Heineman, first-round draft  pick (2025), first-round draft pick (2025)

To the Montreal Canadiens: Noah Dobson

This is the blockbuster of the postseason so far. An absolutely huge deal for the Canadiens. While this deal might seem like a hefty price to pay, I am confident this is a home run deal for the Habs. At the same time, two first-round draft picks plus a prospect is a really good return for the now full rebuilding Islanders.

Let's think about this for a second. It's two firsts, yes. But. Neither of those picks were in the top 10.

And Dobson is in the same age group as their young elite core that are the foundation of the team, including Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson.

And they don't have to wait for either of these first-round picks to mature and progress to catch up to their core.

And Dobson is already proven, and is about to go into his prime years with his ceiling not hit and more offense to give, with an already defense first mindset.

And they immediately locked up Dobson for eight years with a $9.5M AAV contract, so they have him for the better part of a decade.

That is a lot of “ands”, and they are all in favor of the Canadiens present and future plans for their franchise. This is a home run for them, no matter how you look at it. And while this may be heavily favoring the Canadiens, let's not forget that the Islanders got a prospect and two first-round draft picks which will help their future greatly, so they did not do badly also. While there may be two winners here, the Canadiens have just won more.

Heineman should not be forgotten about in this deal. He's a young talent who was showing good progress forward and showing his skillset and physical ability.

He had 10 goals, eight assists, and five powerplay points as a forward in 62 games played. He also had 64 shots on goal, 170 hits, and 24 blocked shots.

Dobson had 10 goals, 29 assists, and 12 powerplay points as a defenseman in 71 games played. He also had 196 shots on goal, 56 hits, and 126 blocked shots.

Blue Jackets, Avalanche Trade

To the Columbus Blue Jackets: Charlie Coyle, Miles Wood

To the Colorado Avalanche: Gavin Brindley, third-round draft pick (2025), conditional second-round draft pick (2027)

Given how the Blue Jackets' season went last year, it is no surprise they are trying to bolster their lineup to quicken their rebuilding pace. While they did ride the Johnny Gaudreau train, ownership realized under the right circumstances this team can already compete at a decent level. They are adding some nice pieces here who can make an immediate impact.

Coyle can bring a veteran consistency to the lineup and help these younger players be both insulated, and help chipping in offensively.

Coyle had 17 goals, 18 assists, and seven powerplay points as a forward in 82 games played. He also had 115 shots on goal, 108 hits, and 61 blocked shots.

Wood had four goals, four assists, and 48 penalty minutes as a forward in 37 games played. He also had 60 shots on goal, 48 hits, and 15 blocked shots.

Brindley was a second-round pick in 2023 but is likely not ready to make the jump to the NHL.

Impact Contract Signings

Some of these have been discussed already with all the recent news, but I wanted to recap all of the big impact signings, whether it be on a new team, or their existing team. Keep a note of these as these signings will give us a glimpse of where these players will be for the foreseeable future which is important for your fantasy league drafts and future planning of your roster.

JJ Peterka - Utah Mammoth - $7.7M AAV - Five Years

This happened right after his being dealt to the Mammoth, so he will be a mainstay with his new hockey club.

Jamie Benn - Dallas Stars - $1M AAV - One Year

The captain reups his contract for one more year close to league minimum. After a fierce playoff series, there have been seeds of doubt regarding Benn's physical play being taken too far and his inability to keep his composure. He may be on a short leash this year, despite his captaincy.

Trent Frederic - Edmonton Oilers - $3.85M AAV - Eight Years

The Oilers have locked Frederic up long term after acquiring him at the trade deadline last year. His physical play saw him miss significant time, then play through injury. The Oilers need more sandpaper, and Frederic is and was the typical Bruin, now Oiler. A decent depth pickup for your bangers league.

John Tavares - Toronto Maple Leafs - $4.38M AAV - Four Years

The Maple Leafs “true” captain has taken his second consecutive team friendly deal. After rumors spread that the team and player were far apart, but that Tavares would likely sign for as low as 5x4 at $20M, it's wonderful for the salary cap of the Maple Leafs to see this elite “core four” player come back at such a great salary.

Sam Bennett - Florida Panthers - $8M AAV - Eight Years

After being named the MVP and winning the Stanley Cup, Bennett was captured on video at the championship party on stage yelling; “I ain't f***ing leaving!”. Media wondered if this would hurt his contract negotiations as there had been rumors that Bennett could potentially hit the free market, however shortly after he signed for 8x8, which is a team friendly contract given his physical play, in your face style, and consistent offensive contributions. Further, he thrives in the playoffs and his style suits postseason hockey.