Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider aims to become a better two-way player. After posting a career-high 60 points in 2025-26, Seider established himself as one of the top offensive defensemen in the league. Now, he wants to become more effective in the defensive zone. "I want to establish myself as a guy that people are not happy to see on the ice," Seider said. "I think that's one of the biggest compliments you could get is that people are not happy to see you -- in a good way. I think that's where I see my challenge is to do everything I can to shut the best forwards down in every single game. And I think if I can approach that, I give our team a good chance to win." At 25, Seider should have room to improve. He is only entering his prime and is likely to be a fantasy stalwart for years to come.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has one season left on his contract, but he's unlikely to start the new season on an expiring deal. "We continue talking," Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said over the weekend. "I'm pretty confident that he'll be signed before the season starts." Makar is expected to get a big raise from his current deal, which pays him $9 million annually. Colorado and fantasy managers alike have received plenty of value from Makar during his current contract, as he has led all defensemen in scoring since signing his extension in 2021. During the course of the deal, Makar has also won the Norris Trophy twice as the NHL's best defenseman.

Washington Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois (hand) is healthy and appears to be at 100 percent ahead of training camp, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports. Dubois broke his hand late last season. Due to health issues, the 28-year-old's campaign was frustrating all around, as Dubois appeared in only 29 games. He notched five goals and 14 assists. Across the previous two seasons, Dubois hadn't missed a single game, so hopefully the injury troubles are behind him. Only a year removed from a career year, Dubois remains a name for fantasy managers to watch.

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is healthy and raring to go ahead of the new NHL season, Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com reports. The German superstar was banged up during the playoffs and missed a significant chunk of the regular season. Limited to 65 outings, Draisaitl was unable to extend his streak of consecutive 100-point campaigns to five years. He has a chance to start a new run in 2026-27. Since the 2021-22 season, only Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon have recorded more points than Draisaitl. Although he'll be 31 in October, Draisaitl is still performing at his highest level.