Dallas' 2025-26 blue line looks ready to carry the team, anchored by Heiskanen, Harley and Lindell. Lundkvist seeks a breakout after shoulder surgery, while Bichsel, Lyubushkin, Petrovic and Kolyachonok push for regular roles. Depth is younger and less proven, and the Stars must manage health and a new coaching staff to maximize fantasy upside.

Health of the top pair and the balance between 5v5 and power play will define fantasy upside all season. If Harley continues ascending and Lundkvist locks a top-four role, Dallas could unleash a potent blueline for fantasy rosters, with the youngsters gaining meaningful minutes as the year progresses.

Dallas Stars begin training camp in Frisco under Glen Gulutzan, welcoming a veteran roster that aims to finally push past the Western Conference finals. Roster decisions loom for a seventh defenseman and a potential 23rd forward as the new staff tries to mesh with a group built to win a Stanley Cup.

Defense battles center on Alexander Petrovic, Kyle Capobianco and Vladislav Kolyachonok, while Wyatt Johnston, Oskar Bäck and Arttu Hyry push for NHL roles. Health is in focus after last season's injuries, with updates on Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger guiding expectations for opening night.

Pittsburgh’s 2025-26 Over/Under slate centers on a veteran-heavy depth model. Anthony Mantha can push meaningful goal totals if he stays healthy, with a path to roughly a 14–15 goal pace before a potential deadline flip to a playoff contender. Justin Brazeau, Connor Clifton, and Parker Wotherspoon provide affordable bottom-six and third-pairing value, while Matt Dumba adds a veteran edge with upside softened by a lower scoring ceiling. The plan leans on controlled risk and deadline capital, anchored by Crosby, Malkin, and Jarry.

Mantha’s health and hand-eye around the net remain the keystones for optimism; Brazeau and Wotherspoon help balance depth with defensive value; Clifton slots as a versatile right-shot defenseman, and Dumba’s role hinges on carving out minutes in a crowded back end. If the Penguins can thread favorable matchups and leverage deadline leverage, these signings could pay modest dividends for fantasy and bets alike.

Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) marks five years of grassroots growth with its Summer Fest in Toronto, drawing 2,200 attendees from diverse backgrounds to meet NHL stars and sports figures. The event underscores the HDA’s mission to widen hockey’s reach beyond the rink, a core goal since its 2020 founding amid national protests. Founders Akim Aliu and Wayne Simmonds celebrate tangible progress—reviving community programs, keeping costs down for thousands of kids, and proving the movement’s sincerity. Yet funding and expansion remain the biggest hurdles, as the HDA eyes Vancouver and Chicago while pushing for a potential, eventually aligned partnership with the NHL. The narrative centers on access, inclusion, and a future where hockey is reachable for all socio-economic brackets, not just the traditional pipeline.

Five years ago, the HDA emerged from a group chat into a formal coalition with a bold eight-point pledge and a separate, independent path from the NHL. The organization’s early months faced skepticism and blowback, but its grassroots focus has yielded measurable gains: roughly 1,500 youths are in programs offering 22–26 weeks of free hockey, with 40% girls and 30% white participants and an 80% retention rate. Since 2022, clinics in the Greater Toronto Area have expanded to Montreal and Halifax, with Vancouver on the horizon and talks of Chicago. The aim remains simple: grow the game, make it affordable, and build a more inclusive hockey culture that broadens the talent pool for the next generation.