NHL teams face a talent-versus-backlash dilemma as five acquitted players become eligible to sign. Carter Hart is viewed as the clearest on-ice asset likely to attract a strong starting role, while McLeod, Dubé, Foote, and Formenton must navigate reputational risk and varying resumes. The league and PA push for a return, but teams will weigh public reaction against potential production.

For fantasy ecosystems, Hart’s market value could surge on a contender with solid defense; others offer lower, more PR-sensitive upside. Formenton has slid to Europe; the others remain unproven at top-tier levels post-trial, making signing decisions a mix of talent, role certainty, and organizational messaging.

The saga underscores how culture, accountability, and performance intersect in roster-building, creating volatile climate for signings and sudden shifts in fantasy projections as teams balance optics with win-now needs.

ESPN fantasy hockey hinges on goaltending. A starter thriving in saves and wins, while limiting goals against, can swing a season; a couple of bad outings can derail it. Top nets like Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck and Oettinger offer clear cushions, while Shesterkin and Gustavsson present high ceilings. The piece advocates drafting one elite goalie early, then shopping for sleepers to fill the rest in 10-12 team leagues, using workload trends to guide picks.

Beyond the obvious anchors, it spotlights mid-tier options and late-round gambles, such as Swayman, and emphasizes monitoring surges and coaching context. In deeper leagues, secure a one-two punch, then pivot to high-ceiling backups who can emerge. ESPN Mock Draft Lobby is recommended to test rosters and refine the strategy.

Orlando Solar Bears sign Peter Laviolette III for the 2025-26 season, pairing a hardened ECHL forward with a track record of leadership. After three seasons with Wheeling Nailers, he put up 28 points in 110 games and logged 292 penalty minutes, while earning multiple community awards. The move tightens the Solar Bears’ link to the Lightning development system and sits within a hockey lineage headed by his father’s NHL legacy.

Peter Laviolette Jr.—a winningest American-born coach with 846 victories and a 2006 Hurricanes Cup—also spent time steering the New York Rangers, adding a rich dynasty angle to the signing. Laviolette III’s birth on a Nailers game day and his hometown roots underscore a narrative of growth, potential, and a growing Tampa Bay pro-hockey pipeline into the Orlando market.

Devils test depth with four PTOs as camp opens, signaling internal competition for bottom-six to fourth-line spots behind the New Jersey roster.

Across the league, McDavid’s extension with Edmonton remains in flux, Vasilevskiy sits at the pinnacle of goalie toughness, and the RFAs have mostly settled, though Formenton, McLeod, Hart, Dubé and Foote linger in reinstatement talk. For fantasy managers, track PTO winners, contract progress, and goalie workload as teams shape lines and rotations.

Nashville’s rookie camp centers on Brady Martin, the 2025 No.5 pick, with scouts keen on whether he can stand out and force a quick NHL look or whether his path still runs through the OHL. The Predators are also re-evaluating the Molendyk-Gibson pairing amid hints they could be split, a move that would reshape early-season defense depth. Cole O’Hara, a 2022 fourth-rounder with a Pro debut behind him, will push to prove he’s pro-ready. Florida hosts the rookie tournament against Florida, Carolina, and Tampa Bay before the veterans report.

Martin’s Florida showing could tilt Nashville’s nine-game NHL window decision and influence whether he stays or returns to Sault Ste. Marie. The camp will illuminate how Milwaukee’s AHL path could unfold for Molendyk and Gibson, and whether O’Hara’s playmaking can translate to a full-time role. Florida’s tournament acts as the first real barometer before September’s main camp.