The NHL offseason movement got off to a "wild" start when free agency opened a little more than a week ago. Obviously it's enormous news in the hockey world that the top forward and top defenseman available both signed identical 13-year contracts with the same club. But to the fantasy hockey world, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter hooking up with the Minnesota Wild doesn't necessarily take top billing.

ESPN.com's Victoria Matiash will weigh in on Suter later this week. But for Parise, the change of uniform doesn't change his fantasy value at all. Different jersey, same player. Parise rebounded nicely late in the 2011-12 season from the knee surgery that kept him out for almost all of the previous campaign. With a nice playoff run as additional evidence, it was already safe to expect nothing less than top-25 value from Parise no matter what team he landed with. Moving from a solid line alongside Ilya Kovalchuk and Adam Henrique on the New Jersey Devils to a line that will be centered by the underrated Mikko Koivu doesn't impact his value any. Parise's best years were when he was the catalyst of the top line (Parise-Jamie Langenbrunner-Travis Zajac in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 season, during which Parise had a combined 176 points in 163 games). That kind of a line, with a playmaking centerman and gritty veteran winger, will be easy for Parise to recreate with the Wild.

Simply put, Parise will be Parise, no matter where he plays. He is a fantasy star and should perform like one. What we in the fantasy world should look at after a signing like this are the aftershocks and vacuum values. Could Parise re-energize Dany Heatley as a linemate? Or does he help by taking the pressure off Heatley on a different line? Do any of the Wild's top prospects factor into the team's new-look top six? How does this change the Devils' top line? Those are the questions to ask.

As of now, the smart money is on Heatley to be the sniper on a much-improved second line for the Wild. Having Koivu center Parise and another winger of the ilk of Devin Setoguchi or Pierre-Marc Bouchard will allow Parise to shine on the top line and take a lot of the opponent's defensive focus away from Heatley and the second line. To say that Heatley has had a couple disappointing seasons is an understatement. He very quickly went from 40-goal threat to 25-goal also-ran over the past two seasons. But the skill is still very much there. If Heatley has some of the pressure taken off him, a 35-goal season is quite possible, and that would make him a solid fantasy starter again.

The next big question is whether Wild super-prospect Mikael Granlund steps in and fills a role on one of the top two lines. Granlund is an all-world prospect with playmaking skills and should be making the move from Finland for the coming season. If his skill translates quickly, which it should, he is a candidate for either the wing spot opposite Parise or the second-line centerman role. In either case, his skill and linemates will make him worthy of draft-day consideration and an early candidate for the Calder Trophy.

The Wild's gain was the Stanley Cup finalist Devils' loss. Parise leaves a large void that isn't easily filled by any player currently on the Devils' roster or even in their system. Ilya Kovalchuk is the focal point on offense, obviously, but all bets are off for his linemates. Does Travis Zajac's experience trump Adam Henrique's amazing rookie season? It's tough to say, but Henrique had a better 2011-12 season as the centerman for Kovalchuk than Zajac did in 2010-11. Then again, Henrique had Parise on the other side, while Zajac's season with Kovalchuk occurred with Parise on the sidelines. And what of Patrik Elias' role? Does he play on his off-wing to complete the top line, or does David Clarkson get a chance to play on the top line? Or is the team forced to use Dainius Zubrus as a top-liner? One must think the Devils aren't done retooling their forwards for the coming season, and we should perhaps give them more time to do so before thinking about this too much.

Parise was the biggest forward to make a move so far, but he certainly wasn't the only one. Let's look at the impact of a few other transactions involving top 100 fantasy forwards.

Rising and Falling

Top 100 Forwards Note: Sean Allen's top 100 forwards are ranked for their expected performance in ESPN standard leagues from this point on, not on the statistics that have already been accrued. ESPN standard stats include goals, assists, power-play points, shots on goal, plus/minus, penalty minutes and average time on ice. Last week's ranking is indicated in parentheses. 1. Evgeni Malkin, Pit (1)
2. Steven Stamkos, TB (2)
3. Sidney Crosby, Pit (3)
4. Daniel Sedin, Van (4)
5. Claude Giroux, Phi (5)
6. James Neal, Pit (6)
7. Corey Perry, Ana (7)
8. John Tavares, NYI (9)
9. Anze Kopitar, LA (10)
10. Henrik Sedin, Van (11)
11. Alex Ovechkin, Was (12)
12. Pavel Datsyuk, Det (13)
13. Ilya Kovalchuk, NJ (8)
14. Jason Spezza, Ott (14)
15. David Backes, StL (15)
16. Patrick Sharp, Chi (16)
17. Zach Parise, Min (17)
18. Scott Hartnell, Phi (18)
19. Marian Hossa, Chi (19)
20. Nicklas Backstrom, Was (20)
21. Tyler Seguin, Bos (21)
22. Marian Gaborik, NYR (22)
23. Gabriel Landeskog, Col (23)
24. Brad Richards, NYR (24)
25. Eric Staal, Car (25)
26. Jordan Eberle, Edm (26)
27. Henrik Zetterberg, Det (27)
28. Phil Kessel, Tor (28)
29. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edm (29)
30. Jonathan Toews, Chi (30)
31. Johan Franzen, Det (31)
32. Taylor Hall, Edm (32)
33. Jamie Benn, Dal (38)
34. Joffrey Lupul, Tor (33)
35. Patrice Bergeron, Bos (34)
36. Patrick Marleau, SJ (35)
37. Joe Pavelski, SJ (37)
38. Brad Marchand, Bos (39)
39. Ray Whitney, Dal (40)
40. Ryan Kesler, Van (41)
41. Jordan Staal, Car (42)
42. Matt Moulson, NYI (36)
43. Milan Lucic, Bos (43)
44. Joe Thornton, SJ (44)
45. Milan Michalek, Ott (45)
46. Patrick Kane, Chi (46)
47. Mikko Koivu, Min (58)
48. Blake Wheeler, Wpg (47)
49. Rick Nash, Cls (48)
50. Radim Vrbata, Pho (49)
51. Evander Kane, Wpg (50)
52. Logan Couture, SJ (51)
53. Max Pacioretty, Mon (52)
54. Nail Yakupov, Edm (53)
55. T.J. Oshie, StL (54)
56. Jarome Iginla, Cgy (55)
57. Thomas Vanek, Buf (56)
58. Loui Eriksson, Dal (57)
59. Jeff Carter, LA (59)
60. Andy McDonald, StL (60)
61. Dany Heatley, Min (95)
62. Martin St. Louis, TB (61)
63. Ryan Getzlaf, Ana (62)
64. Tyler Ennis, Buf (63)
65. Andrew Ladd, Wpg (64)
66. Olli Jokinen, Wpg (73)
67. Mike Richards, LA (66)
68. Stephen Weiss, Fla (67)
69. Drew Stafford, Buf (68)
70. Jeff Skinner, Car (69)
71. Alex Burrows, Van...