What did you think of the trade deadline? Did you expect more than was delivered? Were you satisfied with your team’s effort to improve itself?
This week’s waiver wire report focuses on the recently completed trade deadline. Not just for traded players, but also players whose values could be positively impacted by a recent trade and who could be available in your league. So if your league’s trade deadline has already passed, you can at least look to your waiver wire for players who are hotter commodities now that the dust has settled.
Ondrej Palat, LW, TB
The Triplets are not only back together, they’ve found their form from two seasons ago (more line combinations here). With Nikita Kucherov scorching hot (12 points in his past four games!) and Tyler Johnson returning to fantasy relevance, the third member of the line is still available in a surprising number of leagues. Palat himself has four points in his past four games and eight points in his past nine while receiving at least 20 minutes of ice time in four of his past five games. He should continue to receive a heavy dose of ice time (and power-play time) now that Brian Boyle and Valtteri Filppula have been traded.
Radim Vrbata, RW, ARI
Vrbata would have looked good on a contending team’s roster. But for the second consecutive season, he will remain with a non-playoff team. Although his 10-game point streak was snapped on Thursday, Vrbata has been scoring at a point-per-game pace since mid-January. There was no guarantee that his fantasy value would have improved in a trade; after all, he may have ended up on the third line of a deep roster. With the Coyotes, his plus/minus might be a risk. But staying put makes him the devil you know instead of the devil you don’t know.
Frans Nielsen, C, DET
The Red Wings were in an unfamiliar position as sellers just before the trade deadline. Yet one veteran the Wings did not part with was off-season free agent pickup Nielsen, who has experienced a recent spike in production (four points in his past four games). Three of those points were scored on a suddenly effective Wings power play, where he has the second-highest ice time per game among Wings forwards. With first-unit power-play regular Thomas Vanek now in Florida, Nielsen will be leaned on even more heavily in offensive situations for the remainder of the season.
Alex Burrows, LW, OTT
Senators fans may not have been thrilled that their team traded prospect Jonathan Dahlen for the 35-year-old Burrows. But the agitator wasted no time in making an impression, scoring two goals in his Senators debut on Thursday. Since both goals were assisted by Mike Hoffman, and since Burrows spent time on a line with Derick Brassard and Mark Stone, it appears the Sens have him projected more as a scorer than as a checker. Burrows has proven he can score with top-tier linemates (Sedins), so there could be some sneaky value in adding him.
Nikolay Goldobin, LW, VAN
As sellers, the Canucks have to be considered one of the trade deadline winners, acquiring two legitimate prospects in Dahlen and Goldobin. Unlink Dahlen, Goldobin is projected to play for the Canucks this season. The three-lines deep Sharks simply did not have room for him right now, so he has been lighting up the AHL with 41 points in 46 games. Since the rebuilding Canucks have little scoring depth beyond the Sedins and Bo Horvat, Goldobin could very easily see time on one of the top two lines as well as earn power-play time. His keeper league value certainly improves with this trade.
Jarome Iginla, RW, LA
Iginla has had a fine career, but he’s fallen a long way and shouldn’t have been anywhere near your roster this season. But in his Los Angeles debut, he was placed on a line with Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik – two scorers who have also seen better days. If you’re still scoffing at the idea of Iggy as a fantasy option this season, remember that past-his-prime Vincent Lecavalier scored 10 goals after being brought over for a half season with the Kings last season. So there’s always a chance, albeit a slim one, that he returns to relevance.
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