Edmonton’s front office is eyeing two PTO options in Klim Kostin and Brett Leason, signaling a push for roster depth as Connor McDavid’s extension talk heats up. Kostin, a former Oiler, and Leason, a local Alberta product, could fill a winger slot if training camp opens with questions answered about McDavid’s future. Podkolzin remains a wild-card in Oilers’ plans, with a multi-year extension floated and cap-pressures weighed by young guns Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie, plus Andrew Mangiapane’s arrival. Rumors linger around McDavid, Eichel, and McTavish as front offices prepare for a busy summer of negotiations ahead of the 2025-26 season.

In this shifting landscape, fantasy managers should monitor how these moves pressurize Edmonton’s top-six, power play roles, and cap flexibility. Kostin and Leason could quietly become favorable depth options if they secure spots, while Podkolzin’s status could ripple through line combos and ice time in both regular-season and postseason rotations. The pipeline—Howard, Savoie, and Mangiapane—adds upside for opportunistic late-round picks and potential breakout candidates in dynasty formats.

Colorado Avalanche add scoring depth by signing Victor Olofsson to a one-year pact, a move that could pay off for fantasy managers if he slides into a productive role in a deep lineup.

Olofsson, 30, posted 15 goals and 14 assists in 56 games with Vegas last season, and etched his name in Golden Knights history with a 10-game road point streak from December 4 to January 23. He also chipped in two goals in Vegas’ playoff run to the second round. A seventh-rounder by Buffalo in 2014, he has 105 goals and 106 assists in 370 NHL games with the Sabres and Golden Knights, highlighted by milestones that include back-to-back 100th goals/assists in January. A former all-rookie honoree (2019-20), his signing adds a veteran scoring option to Colorado’s forward group as he re-enters North American hockey after a stint in the Knights’ system.

Colorado Avalanche land Victor Olofsson on a one‑year pact, adding veteran scoring depth as they navigate serious roster uncertainty and cap flexibility. Olofsson, 30, arrives after a 29‑point season in 56 games with Vegas, plus four points in nine playoff games, marking his first postseason exposure.

Drafted by Buffalo in 2014 (181st overall), he has 211 points in 370 regular‑season games with the Sabres and Golden Knights. The undisclosed terms leave a clear path for camp competition and a potential role that could yield immediate fantasy value if he earns top‑nine time or power‑play minutes.

Kyle Connor’s camp is not rushing a contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets, keeping a wide-open market vibe as training camp approaches. The Jets are navigating the stalemate, knowing Connor’s elite scoring makes him a marquee asset if he hits the open market next summer. If Connor weighs his options, Detroit’s backstory as a Michigan-born scorer magnet and New York’s hunger for high-end wingers could put the Jets in a bind, especially after Nikolaj Ehlers’ departure chatter and the Eichel/McDavid benchmark chatter that circles Connor’s potential ceiling. The rumor mill also toys with other suitors, including teams that could use a sniper who can swing games in playoff contention. Connor McTavish and Ehlers surface as illustrative names in the broader trade-and-extension discourse, while Connor’s current importance to Winnipeg remains clear: he’s central to the return-to-form plot, but his next move could reshape the Jets’ short- and long-term planning.

Beyond Connor, the piece sketches a widening market for top-tier NHL talent: Rangers as a potential landing spot if Eichel stays elusive, and the broader field of teams that would covet a proven goal-scorer capable of changing a game’s outcome. The backdrop is a league where extensions aren’t a slam dunk and where teams openly weigh cap flexibility against premium talent. The main takeaway is straightforward: Connor’s future in Winnipeg is uncertain enough to keep several contenders watching, while Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel remain the ultimate comparables in the fantasy and betting conversations around who could command markets, dollars, and a rotation-shifting impact in 2025 and beyond.

Victor Olofsson is headed to Colorado on a one-year deal, adding a proven middle-six scoring threat to the Avalanche as the 2025-26 season approaches. The 30-year-old has 20-goal seasons on his resume and posted 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games with Vegas last year after a lengthy run with Buffalo that included a career-best 28 goals in 2022-23. Across 2019-23, he produced at a 25-goal, 52-point pace per 82 games with 32 power-play goals, underscoring his offensive punch and special-teams value. Now, in the thin early stretch of Colorado’s depth, Olofsson could provide another reliable winger for the middle six and contribute on the power play. His defensive numbers showed improvement after joining Vegas, a factor that could influence Bednar’s deployment if he carries the trend into the Avalanche system. In the playoffs, he logged two goals and two assists in nine games, mostly with the man advantage, signaling a potential postseason-role ceiling if he stays productive. Colorado opens the year without Logan O’Connor due to hip surgery, and the bottom six has at least one more vacancy beyond that, even after re-signing Joel Kiviranta. The top two lines look set with MacKinnon and Brock Nelson centering flanked by a mix of Necas, Lehkonen, Landeskog and Nichushkin, but Olofsson adds depth behind them. With Kiviranta back and Olofsson in the mix, Ross Colton, Jack Drury and Parker Kelly face competition for third-line minutes, improving Colorado’s flexibility and threat level in the middle frame.