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.

Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger were named to USA Hockey’s Olympic Orientation Camp in Plymouth, Michigan (Aug. 26-27), joining 42 other invitees from 24 NHL teams as Team USA gears up for 2026 Milano Cortina. The two-day camp is administrative and team-building, with no on-ice sessions. The selection marks an early step toward finalizing the Olympic roster, which already included six players announced in June: Eichel, Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Hughes and McAvoy.

The U.S. sits atop the IIHF rankings and is chasing its first Olympic gold since 1980, after a 4 Nations final loss to Canada earlier in 2025 and a World Championship gold in May. A full invitee list was released by USA Hockey, underscoring the depth and ambition of this roster-building phase.

Florida Panthers dominate the NHL with back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, led by Paul Maurice and Sergei Bobrovsky’s late-season brilliance. They loom as the legitimate favorite in 2026 markets, but the trophy chase remains wide open as multiple teams eye a reset in the Sunshine State’s wake.

Edmonton, Carolina, Vegas and a handful of challengers are framed as the primary threats. Edmonton’s talent and near-misses in finals keep them in the conversation, while Carolina’s regular-season dominance clashes with playoff heartbreak. Vegas, the 2023 champion, is positioned to disrupt again, and the sport’s history-laden Islanders provide a reminder of how hard it is to win three straight. Fantasy managers should lean into Panthers’ core, with Bobrovsky as a potential anchor, while staying alert to league-wide value across contenders.