Injuries and contract drama spark a sprint to evaluation as camps open across the NHL, creating early openings for risers while stars watch from the sideline. Edmonton’s Conor McDavid faces questions off the ice as the team navigates extension chatter, and Mason McTavish and Luke Hughes sit out, opening doorways for others. Kirill Kaprizov chatter and several holdouts shape the pace of signings and line-shuffles, with a tightened preseason fueling rapid assessments and fantasy pivots.

Boston leans into Marco Sturm’s 200-foot, defense-first philosophy after a subpar year, banking on Arvidsson’s offensive bite to jump-start scoring alongside Pastrnak, Zacha and Geekie. Secondary scoring from Middlestad, Minten, Lysell and a healthier Makavoy-Lindholm pair should stabilize the defense while Swayman shoulders a bigger workload. The goal is a bubble playoff push in 2025-26.

Five through six is a real-estate grab in this Monday mock draft, with Cale Makar and Kirill Kaprizov pegged as the obvious core pieces to anchor a title-run. The convo leans into a heavy-forward build, wary of spending early picks on goalies, and leans on elite peripherals from players like Pastrnak, McDavid, and MacKinnon to fuel counting stats. The boys dissect positional balance, the zero-goalie approach, and late-round value plays like Wyatt Johnston, Tage Thompson, and Noah Dobson, crafting a blueprint for a competitive lineup even before preseason has begun. The banter stays sharp on risk: rising stars, injury considerations, and the inevitable snipe picks that shift rosters in a flash.

Mailbag questions are heating up for the Chicago Blackhawks as they prepare for the NHL draft. The burning topic revolves around the third overall pick, with fans debating whether to keep it, trade up, or target players like David Pastrnak from Boston. The team has a unique opportunity to bolster its roster quickly, but any aggressive move will likely involve giving up significant prospects.

The hosts speculate on the implications of trading the third pick for established players, emphasizing the need for immediate impact players rather than just potential future stars. The draft class is wide open, with many prospects considered interchangeable at the top. There's even talk about the Utah Mammoth's new logo and uniforms, which has sparked mixed reactions. As they analyze the IceHogs' performance, the focus remains on how these decisions will shape the future of the franchise.