There was a flurry of moves in the days and final hours leading up to the trade deadline with a number of fantasy implications involved. Some players ended up in a much better spot and gained some upside, while others lost some value. There are also a few players who now have opportunities to step up with a teammate being shipped out the door.
Let’s take a look at the most fantasy-relevant moves from this year’s deadline and the ripple effect for all the players impacted by the trades.
Vegas wins Hanifin sweepstakes
Who wins: The Vegas Golden Knights may have landed arguably the biggest piece on defence available at the deadline in Noah Hanifin, but there are some on the Calgary Flames who will benefit. Namely MacKenzie Weegar, who already has 15 goals and should now be a fixture on power play one. Hanifin was logging 1:43 per game on the power play, so those minutes should be divvied up between Weegar and Rasmus Andersson. Oliver Kylington will also see a likely bump in minutes and opportunity with Hanifin gone.
Who loses: I think this is a great move for Hanifin in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup, but maybe not so much for his fantasy value. Vegas probably has the most balanced defence corps in the league, so Hanifin may not be leaned on as much as he was in Calgary. He’ll also have more of a challenge to get power play time. Right now, it looks like he’s starting on the second unit with Alex Pietrangelo, as Shea Theodore retains his spot on power play one. With Alec Martinez on injured reserve, there isn’t a roster decision to make just yet, but when everyone is healthy maybe Zach Whitecloud is the one who sits and Martinez will likely be pushed down the lineup. Or it’s possible Vegas could even roll with seven defenders at times.
Perhaps the player the Hanifin trade hurts the most is Jacob Markstrom. Let’s not forget Markstrom has now lost three key pieces of his blue line in Hanafin, Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev. That’s far from ideal for Markstrom heading into the fantasy playoffs. Markstrom is in the midst of a really strong season, though it’s going to be almost impossible for his numbers not to take a hit given how many pieces the Flames have lost on the back end.
Vegas does it again by bringing in Hertl
Who wins: Vegas just keeps adding. Tomas Hertl joins a really talented and loaded squad from a San Jose Sharks team that wasn’t offering much in the way of fantasy-relevant players this season. There are a number of things the Golden Knights could do with their lines, but there is a natural fit in the second-line centre role for Hertl. He’s a big body that fits Vegas perfectly and Hertl, Anthony Mantha and Chandler Stephenson could form a fairly imposing line. It wouldn’t shock me to see Hertl get top power play time when he’s healthy, too.
In San Jose, this should signal a changing of the guard. William Eklund will eventually be the team’s top centre with Mikael Granlund still around to consume decent minutes.
Who loses: This definitely hurts some emerging Vegas forwards this year who had fantasy value. Nicolas Roy probably slides to the fourth line again after playing well in the top six and William Karlsson likely settles into a third-line role. It’s important to note that Hertl is currently injured. He may not be back for a while, so you don’t necessarily have to drop the likes of Roy just yet. When Hertl is ready, though, I imagine Roy will be tough to roster.
Guentzel joins Carolina with Bunting, picks and prospects going the other way
Who wins: It’s hard to call this an outright win for Jake Guentzel when you leave Sidney Crosby’s wing, but this should help him for the remainder of the season. Sebastian Aho is having a career year and he and Guentzel should make a very productive duo. I’m normally concerned about players joining the Carolina Hurricanes as they play a very structured and balanced game, which can lead to a low ceiling for production. This season, though, the Canes are a lot more explosive and are just outside the top 10 in goals for and own a top-five power play. This should give Guentzel a huge boost, as the Pittsburgh Penguins are near the league’s basement in both categories.
Has anyone been more fortunate with deployment over the past few seasons than Michael Bunting? After playing with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, now Bunting may have stumbled into the Penguins top unit with Crosby. We’ve seen Bunting be very productive playing with great players before, and he could easily score at a 25-goal, 60-point pace playing with someone like Crosby. Even at 36, Crosby is still playing at a very high level and is one of the smartest players in the league, so if Bunting is a fixture next to him, it should be a very fruitful combination.
Who loses: Teuvo Teravainen will likely make way for Guentzel on the top line, and Stefan Noesen could lose his spot on the top power play. The Canes have the NHL’s fourth-best power play, so it’s a big blow to get bumped off that unit.
Back in Pittsburgh, Jesse Puljujarvi and Reilly Smith will now be in tough to move up the depth chart with Bunting’s arrival. Bunting has a history of being productive on top lines and it’s hard to see another Penguins winger overtaking him.
Hurricanes take a chance on Kuznetsov
Who wins: I’m not sure how much Evgeny Kuznetsov has left, but going from being waived and sent to the AHL to the one of league’s best teams is at least intriguing. He could theoretically be Carolina’s second-line centre and play with Martin Necas and get some power play time, too. There are worse bets to make.
Who loses: This addition might mean the Canes are more comfortable with players like Jordan Staal and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the bottom six and I think both will be in tough to beat out Kuzentsov for a second-line role in the immediate future. Kuznetsov has more of an offensive pedigree.
Jets bring in Toffoli
Who wins: Tyler Toffoli leaving the New Jersey Devils opens the door for Timo Meier to continue his recent run in the top six. Meier has six goals in his past four games and should be a fixture on one of the top two units for the remainder of the season with Toffoli gone. Dawson Mercer now also has an easier path to work himself off the third unit and back up the lineup. Mercer and Meier will both have an opportunity for increased power play time as well.
Who loses: I love this for the Winnipeg Jets, but Toffoli’s value should take a hit. He played mainly with Jack Hughes this year, so it’s really hard not to lose production when leaving a player of that calibre. If Toffoli plays with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor regularly he should be all right, though that spot has typically been reserved for Gabriel Vilardi this season. If Toffoli gets a shot there with Vilardi sidelined he’ll have to make the most of it. Otherwise, he may likely play with Sean Monahan and Nik Ehlers.
Ehlers, Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti now have another winger in the mix hungry for ice time, and I’d bet coach Rick Bowness is going to be much more comfortable playing the veteran Toffoli.
Devils upgrade in goal with Allen, Kahkonen
Who wins: A big win for Jake Allen, who goes to a team pushing for a playoff spot and gets out of a three-goalie rotation. He should play a lot more and will have a better chance to pick up wins than he did with the Montreal Canadiens. The same goes for Kaapo Kahkonen, as he simply wasn’t going to be fantasy-relevant for the Sharks. Depending on the timeshare in New Jersey, Kahkonen could have some value if the Devils get hot.
This also paves the way for Cayden Primeau to play more down the stretch and be part of the Canadiens tandem with Sam Montembeault going forward.
Who loses: Nico Daws and Akira Schmid haven’t been able to run with the ball in New Jersey this year and it feels like Allen is likely to get a heavy workload the rest of the way. There’s also the possibility the Devils circle back on Jacob Markstrom this summer and move another goalie out in a swap. Allen is signed for next year also, so he and Markstrom could be a strong tandem in 2024-25.
This is obviously a blow for what little value Vitek Vanecek had left this season. If he couldn’t make it work in New Jersey, he’s not going to provide much on a depleted Sharks roster.
Mantha shipped to Vegas
Who wins: This is a great move for Anthony Mantha, who is a 20-goal scorer for the first time since 2018-19. The 29-year-old leaves the league’s 29th-ranked team in goals for to join a Golden Knights squad loaded with talent. He’ll likely slot in next to Karlsson on the right side and eventually Hertl when he’s healthy, a scenario much better than he had with the Washington Capitals. Mantha has a real chance to secure top-six minutes for a strong team with Mark Stone seemingly out until at least the playoffs.
Over in Washington, this should give Sonny Milano, who has goals in four straight, some additional minutes and a regular role in the lineup.
Who loses: Michael Amadio figures to get bumped down the depth chart upon Mantha’s arrival and there’s a good chance he and Paul Cotter will lose their spot on power play two as well.
Tarasenko lands with Panthers
Who wins: This is an obvious win for Vladimir Tarasenko, as even though the Ottawa Senators have some talented players up front, he was shuffled down to the third line at times and saw his lowest average ice time in about 10 years, both overall and on the power play. Tarasenko looks like he’ll play on the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart and see his minutes increase. Barkov is one of the top centres in the game and Reinhart is having an incredible season.
Even if Tarasenko only sees time on the second unit with the man advantage, Florida owns a top-five power play, while the Sens were one of the worst in the league in that area. If his power play ice time doesn’t jump or even drops a bit, Tarasenko will at least have the advantage of quality over quantity in Florida.
Over in Ottawa, players like Mathieu Joseph, Dominik Kubalik and Ridly Greig should have an opportunity to receive more minutes, with Kubalik and Joseph maybe getting a little more power play time.
Who loses: This is not good news for Evan Rodrigues. He’ll likely have a tough time working his way back into the top six and should slot in with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. Those are two fine players but don’t have anywhere near the offensive talent as the Panthers' top two lines. Rodrigues has solid shot volume and triple position eligibility, but he may end up being challenging to roster if his offence really takes a dip.
Oilers snag Henrique
Who wins: Adam Henrique could very well end up being the biggest benefactor at the deadline. The Edmonton Oilers have been searching for the missing piece to their top six all season, and Henrique could very well fill that role. That could mean playing with either Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid on a regular basis, a massive upgrade to what Henrique had in Anaheim. Even if he doesn’t skate with either of those two or starts as the third-line centre, I think it’s going to be sooner rather than later before he gets a look in the top six. Henrique can play both left wing or centre, so the Oilers definitely have some flexibility with how they can utilize him.
Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish should now be Anaheim’s top two centres when healthy, and Ryan Strome will centre the second unit until Carlsson is ready.
Who loses: The Oilers have tried different options like Corey Perry, Warren Foegele, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark in the top six throughout the season, so those wingers would now have to contend with Henrique to get back up there and hold the spot.
Colorado grabs Walker
Who wins: This gives Sean Walker a little bump, even if this isn’t a hugely fantasy-relevant swap. Walker will likely slot in on the third pair and get some easier minutes while having a chance to produce more offence behind a talented forward group that includes Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
Who loses: The one interesting aspect of this is Walker could get more power play time than he did with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Colorado Avalanche have used two defenders on their second power play, and Walker may be able to grab one of those spots if he can push Samuel Girard out. I think it’s a long shot, but it does put some pressure on Girard.
Sabres, Avs swap Mittelstadt and Byram
Who wins: A good old-fashioned hockey trade. We don’t see these very often anymore and I really like this move for Casey Mittelstadt. Colorado has been searching for a second-line centre because Ryan Johansen simply didn’t work out, and with Valeri Nichushkin coming back, there should be lots of talent for Mittelstadt to play with. An ideal scenario for Mittelstadt would be if the Avs move Rantanen down to balance out the lines.
As far as the Buffalo Sabres go, Peyton Krebs now gets a shot at third-line centre duties and an increased role going forward. It’s a good opportunity for Krebs to try and take advantage of some increased ice time.
Who loses: Unfortunately for Bowen Byram, he’s leaving one talented blue line for another, especially on the left side. Rasmus Dahlin has the top power play spot locked down and Byram will have to pass Owen Power for a role on the second unit. This move does hurt Power a little as well since Byram is a legitimate option to potentially challenge him for minutes.
Ross Colton takes the biggest hit over in Colorado as he drops from line two to line three and his power play time could get reduced.
Rangers add Wennberg and Roslovic
Who wins: This clears up a bit of a log jam the Seattle Kraken have at centre and allows Jared McCann to shift to the middle. He and Matty Beniers should be the team’s top two centres moving forward, with Beniers perhaps seeing a bit of a bump in ice time.
I like this most for Jack Roslovic, who’s really been playing well since being promoted to the Columbus Blue Jackets top line. He’s tallied 13 points in his past 12 with good shot volume, and he just received right wing eligibility. There’s plenty of upside for Roslovic in both the short and long term. The Rangers play five times next week and it’s not out of the realm of the possibility Roslovic could grab a top-six right wing spot if he continues to play well.
Who loses: This isn’t great for Alex Wennberg. He’s been playing in Seattle’s top six this season, logging nearly 19 minutes per game with more than two on the power play. Wennberg won’t see anywhere near that in New York as he’s destined for a third-line centre role and should see minimal power play time.
Tampa picks up Duclair
Who wins: Going from one of the league’s worst teams to a squad with a lot of talent up front is certainly good news for Anthony Duclair. Even though it’s been a terrible season for the Sharks, Duclair has still managed 16 goals and has the offensive talent to be effective in the right opportunity. The Tampa Bay Lightning have one of the Hart Trophy favourites in Nikita Kucherov and the league’s best power play, so at the very least Duclair will have plenty of upside if he gets an opportunity in the top six.
This should also give young Sharks wingers like Fabian Zetterlund and Filip Zadina more of an opportunity to play down the stretch.
Who loses: Duclair may end up hurting Michael Eyssimont and Conor Sheary’s chances at securing top six time as well as time with the man advantage.
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