NHL Fantasy on Ice launches season preview episodes with fantasy and betting focus, including Marchenko–Knies trade discussion

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The NHL’s “NHL Fantasy on Ice” podcast has released new season preview episodes built around fantasy hockey strategy, betting angles and NHL EDGE stats coverage as the new season gets underway. The show is hosted by Nick Alberga and Jake Hahn and features additional fantasy input from Pete Jensen and Chris Meaney, with the NHL describing the program as a hub for both season-long players and daily fantasy participants as well as fans following sports betting.

In the newest episodes, the podcast crew reacts to what it describes as a “huge trade” that sends Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Matthew Knies to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The NHL.com preview says the hosts break down the move with “the fantasy spin and the EDGE stats behind the move,” positioning the trade discussion as a key storyline for fantasy owners preparing for weekly lineup decisions and longer-range roster planning.

Alongside the trade focus, the season preview run includes analysis tied to early player usage and short-term fantasy trends. The NHL preview states the crew breaks down Gavin McKenna’s first two NHL games, and it also includes a Week 1 fantasy mailbag segment that addresses roster pickup questions. One of the specific mailbag topics listed in the NHL.com materials is whether fantasy managers should pick up Devon Levi on the Edmonton Oilers, reflecting the podcast’s goalie-oriented look at early-season value.

The NHL.com description also points to “early overreactions” directed at multiple players, naming Vasily Podkolzin and Arturs Silovs among those discussed. It further says the hosts share favorite betting angles and props for the rest of the week, along with “NHL Fantasy Stars” pickups as the season begins, indicating the episodes blend player selection guidance with wagering-focused themes.

For fans looking beyond star-level names, the podcast preview highlights coverage of the waiver market at the start of the season. The NHL.com materials say the crew discusses “the hottest fantasy waiver wire pickups” around the season opener, including the appeal of the San Jose Sharks offense and pickups from the New Jersey Devils such as Luke Evangelista, Anthony Mantha and Jake Allen.

The NHL preview adds that the waiver-wire episode includes “sneaky rookies” and mentions Roman Kantserov, Konsta Helenius and Luca Cagnoni as part of the segment. It also states that the crew provides Stanley Cup picks and recorded an entire season preview episode covering awards candidates and other futures betting angles, tying weekly fantasy management to longer-term postseason and awards storylines.

The NHL describes additional episodes as covering a broad set of fantasy preparation themes for upcoming drafts and roster construction. The listed topics include Fantasy mock draft 2.0 and Fantasy mock draft 1.0, keeper and rookie rankings, top 250 rankings and debates, and rankings by position including forward and defensemen categories. The NHL.com preview also references separate goalie-focused content such as keeper/dynasty and rookies, along with “Point and win projections,” sleepers, breakouts and bounce-backs, and “Training camps & draft bargains,” indicating coverage designed to map out player value before and during the early stages of the campaign.

Fans can listen to “NHL Fantasy on Ice” through NHL.com/podcasts and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart and other platforms. The NHL.com preview also directs listeners to NHL.com/Fantasy for additional fantasy hockey news, rankings, podcasts and NHL EDGE stats coverage spanning all 32 teams, and it notes the show’s “NHL Fantasy” presence on Twitter and Instagram under @NHLFantasy.

As presented in the NHL.com announcement materials, the episodes are primarily a fantasy-and-betting media package rather than an on-ice or league operations update. The trade storyline involving Marchenko and Knies is referenced in the podcast preview context, but the NHL.com text provided does not include transaction terms or further confirmation details beyond the players and teams named in that discussion.