With the NHL trade deadline now less than a month away, talk is certainly picking up league-wide. As a fantasy owner, you have to stay on top of what’s going on – transaction wise – in the real world. There’ll be plenty of fantasy fallout.
A sizeable chunk of the deals consummated between now and the 3 p.m. ET deadline on Feb. 25 will have considerable fantasy implications.
Losers of five straight games, a storm is clearly brewing in Columbus.
1. Artemi Panarin is easily the top fantasy talent who’s reportedly on the trade market. In a statement about his client’s future this past week, Panarin’s agent Dan Millstein illustrated that his camp has no aspirations of negotiating in-season with the Blue Jackets. My translation: he’s not re-signing. Keep tabs.
2. While Panarin continues to excel – despite the growing circus – goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is a different story. The 30-year-old has surrendered 19 goals over his last five outings. I’d consider moving on from Bobrovsky right now if the return makes sense.
3. Similar to Columbus, the Ottawa Senators have two stressful decisions to make when it comes to pending UFAs Mark Stone and Matt Duchene. Both have been solid this season and a trade to a contender would only strengthen their fantasy standing. Given Ottawa’s recent history, expect the unexpected in regards to this situation.
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4. Don’t expect much – fantasy wise – from Jake Muzzin now that he’s with the Maple Leafs. The Woodstock native was brought in to shore up the team’s glaring needs defensively. If anything, Muzzin’s arrival could have a positive impact on both Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner offensively.
5. With Muzzin gone, Jeff Carter could be the next L.A. Kings staple to be shown the door. A fresh start could do wonders for the four-time 30-goal scorer’s confidence and fantasy value. Be alert.
6. New Penguins forward Nick Bjugstad should be on your radar. With Evgeni Malkin sidelined, he’s been centring Pittsburgh’s second line alongside Bryan Rust and Phil Kessel. Long-term, Bjugstad will be given plenty of opportunity to skate with the likes of Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Take a flier.
7. Justin Schultz deserves your attention. The forgotten blue liner is close to a return after missing nearly fourth months with a broken leg. He should provide Kris Letang with some much-needed offensive insulation on the back-end. Schultz registered four assists in four games to start the season before going down.
8. Derick Brassard could resurface back into fantasy focus, provided he returns to a permanent top-six role. Interestingly, the centre played right wing on Florida’s second line with Vincent Trocheck and Mike Hoffman in his debut on Saturday night. He picked up an assist.
I still expect Florida to flip Brassard again at the deadline.
9. Marcus Johansson’s recent consistency is good news for the Devils. They’re actively looking to deal the pending UFA. The 28-year-old is currently riding a modest four-game point streak (2 G, 3 A, 5 P). Johansson could provide you with sneaky fantasy production down the stretch.
10. It’s a good time to gauge the market on Mika Zibanejad. Quietly, the 25-year-old is hovering around a point per game and is easily on pace to smash career highs across the board. That said, the Rangers are poised to selloff much of their established talent like Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes. If that’s the case, Zibanejad’s numbers will take a substantial hit. Be ahead of the curve.
11. Travis Sanheim has emerged as an in-house replacement for the injured Shayne Gostisbehere. The 22-year-old has three points (1 G, 2 A) in the four games that Philadelphia has been without its top offensive defenceman. He’s still considered day-to-day with a lower-body ailment.
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12. The Flyers are hotter than Gritty right now. They’ve won seven in a row but are still well out of post-season contention. It raised some eyebrows recently when general manager Chuck Fletcher labeled only captain Claude Giroux as an untouchable in terms of the trade market. Yeah, there’s no point in even mentioning Carter Hart.
For my money, I don’t expect much anything drastic from Philadelphia until the off-season. It’s still likely Wayne Simmonds will go but the Flyers are making one last effort to try and re-sign him.
13. Looking for a goalie to target on the trade market? Go after Ben Bishop. The 32-year-old has surrendered two goals or less in five of his last six outings. Additionally, expectation is that the Stars will eventually acquire some secondary scoring. Watch out for Dallas in the unofficial second half. Their current win streak is up to four games.
14. A dark horse candidate to be moved is Detroit’s Andreas Athanasiou. With six helpers over the last six outings, the speedster is starting to cook offensively. Imagine him on a line with Connor McDavid? It’s fun to dream.
15. Speaking of the Wings, you should be taking note of Gustav Nyquist. Similar to fellow Swede Mike Zibanejad (above), Nyquist is enjoying a breakout campaign. He’s on track for his first 70-point year. A move to a better team will only help to bolster Nyquist’s luster.
16. Again, Hawks defenceman Erik Gustafsson is a relative unknown that you can land for cheap in a trade. The 26-year-old has unquestionably supplanted Duncan Keith as Chicago’s power-play quarterback and go-to offensive number on the blue line.
17. Need a spot-starter? Don’t hesitate to venture to Chicago (Collin Delia / Cam Ward) or St. Louis (Jordan Binnington / Jake Allen). Both Central teams have somehow ventured back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
18. Now dual position eligible (C, RW), considering scooping up Jack Roslovic. The 22-year-old has found recent success playing on Winnipeg’s second line with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine. Roslovic has five goals and six points over the last four games. He has a bright fantasy future.
19. With Tampa Bay cruising, expect Louis Domingue to see plenty of action over the next couple of months. The goal is to keep Andrei Vasilevskiy as fresh as possible for the games that matter the most.
20. Need help with your Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool roster? This upcoming week will feature 55 games in total. You’ll be fine dressing players from every team but Calgary. The Flames have just two contests so don’t go too heavy on the cattle.
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