This is the second part of this week’s fantasy hockey rankings as there was too much to digest in one sitting. In Monday’s rankings, we only looked at players who weren’t traded before the deadline.
This is a look at the players who have been traded. At least the ones that have the greatest potential impact on fantasy.
You will find that Rasmus Sandin and John Klingberg are missing here. That’s because they were pulled and singled out separately with Evan Bouchard as the three biggest fantasy deadline winners in Part 1 of this week’s review in the rankings.
Traded forward notes
Timo Meyer, W, New Jersey Devils (up one spot to 16th): They’ll need a game or two to cut time, but Meyer scored on his Devils debut on Sunday. Playing with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, this line should be one of the most dangerous in the league once it hits full speed. Unfortunately for those who don’t have Bratt on their fantasy team, Bratt has already established himself as an everyday rookie, so Meyer’s arrival doesn’t create a new fantasy asset in the line. Bratt even joined Hughes, Meyer, Nico Hishir and Dougie Hamilton on the powerplay.
Patrick Kane, W, New York Rangers (dropped four places to No. 73): It’s been six years since Kane and Artemi Panarin shared the ice as one of the NHL’s most dominant duos. Six years is a long time. Let’s give them more than the 24 minutes they spent together again in a five-on-five game to rediscover their form. Once they’re back in shape, Vincent Trochek should rise to the next level thanks to their presence. In any case, Kane has earned more than two games before we evaluate his role. He was at the top of the Rangers team in terms of power play, so this is a place to build from.
Vladimir Tarasenko, W, New York Rangers (moved up 11 spots to 84th): See Tarasenko for an example of Kane’s plan to achieve fantastic success. In his first nine games as a ranger, Tarasenko scored an odd goal or assist (two of each, to be exact), but has yet to settle in. His last three games? Two goals and three assists despite some losses for the New York team. With Kane locked up with Trochek and Panarin, Tarasenko will have time to develop his chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
Tyler Bertuzzi, W, Boston Bruins (up 22 spots to No. 139): Third for the Bruins isn’t as bad a landing spot as it might seem. However, Bertuzzi has no intention of reclaiming the fantasy glory he maintained until the 2021-22 season. Bertuzzi will take the place of the injured Taylor Hall for now. His potential could be better if Hall was healthy, but Bertuzzi will have to go all out with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederick. He will also benefit from secondary powerplay time.
Ivan Barbashev, C/W, Vegas Golden Knights (ranks in the top 250 at number 183): Landing a role in the Golden Knights top line with Jack Achel makes Barbashev the clear winner on time. The chemistry with Achel and Jonathan Marchesseau is on the rise and Mark Stone may step in at some point to elevate the group even further. If Barbashev can break into the top powerplay, he could even threaten to be the latest signing with the most goals for his new club.
Jakub Vrana, K/V, St. Louis Blues (in the top 250 at number 214): This is a chance to hit the reset button for one of the NHL’s top scorers per minute. Vrana was second only to Auston Matthews in goals by 60 over the previous two NHL seasons combined. His struggles in Detroit off the ice this season took him out of their plans, so this is a chance for redemption. The Blues tried him in a lineup with Briden Schenn and fellow rookie Kasperi Kapanen on Tuesday.
Nino Niederreiter, W, Winnipeg Jets (consistently #216): By joining the Jets’ top six scorers, Niederreiter won’t have to fight for his spot with Cole Perfetti on the injured reserve for the rest of the season. Early signs also suggest that Niederreiter will play powerplays against Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nikolai Ehlers, which is another boon for his potential.
Max Domi, C/W, Dallas Stars (just missed out on the top 250): There’s something positive about Domi being in the top 9 stars instead of the top 6. He won’t get the best time on the powerplay, but the second seems to be on the cards. He won’t break into the established top spot, but playing Tyler Seguin isn’t scary. After all, he doesn’t have as much fantasy potential as Domi at the Blackhawks, where he was the top offensive option along with Patrick Kane this season.
Mikael Granlund, C/W, Pittsburgh Penguins (just missed the top 250): If the Penguins don’t try to try Granlund in the top six soon, this trade doesn’t make sense. That he is destined to take third place with Jeff Carter, given his contract and the cost of the acquisition, simply does not count. The Pans could change public opinion about this deal by having Granlund fire up one of the scoring lines, both of which are short of their potential. Granlund even has a history with Jason Zucker in Wildlife, so they have a place to start.
Evgenii Dadonov, W, Dallas Stars (just skipped the top 250): You can copy and paste the general forecast topic for Domi here. First nine, minor powerplay and time with Jamie Benn. This is not a big plus, but Dadonov will have his moments.
Jesse Pulujärvi, W, Carolina Hurricanes (drops out of the top 250): The Kanese have 12 forwards in their roster every game, so Pulujärvi will have a hard time getting into the roster. If the canesses really want to try him out to see if a change of scenery can ignite him, they almost have to make it as a top 6 as this is where he has potential. But this six is so good, how do they do it? Demote Seth Jarvis? Martin Necas? It’s hard to imagine Pulujärvi this season if he doesn’t get the Keynes forward injured.
Trade Notes Protection
Jacob Chychrun, defenseman, Ottawa Senators (moved up 19 spots to 31st): What a great landing spot for Chichran, not only this season, but for as long as he spends with the Senators. It’s a young core with which he can grow as the team’s No. 1 quarterback, with Thomas Chabot being No. 1B and Jake Sanderson also boasting future prospects. Even if Shabo doesn’t concede the power game lead this season, the Sens will have enough attack to support two units and Chichran will find a way to cash in.
Dmitry Orlov, defenseman, Boston Bruins (up 141 spots to 96th): I won’t lie, I never thought Orlov would be a Boston star. After one game to adjust, Orlov has scored three goals and provided six assists in his last four fights. He’s a fantasy must-have until that streak fades, which isn’t out of the question considering he’s never been involved in regular fantasy actuality in the past.
Shane Gostisbere, quarterback, Carolina Hurricanes (down 52 spots to 138th): The Hurricanes now have the necessary blue liner in Gostisbeher to raise their second power unit to be about as dangerous as the first. He reacted to the new environment with goals in each of his first two games, as well as two more assists in Sunday’s Lightning rout. The Hurricanes can also manage his minutes so that his five-on-five liability is kept to a minimum, which should hone his productivity and keep him valuable.
Luke Schenn, defenseman, Toronto Maple Leafs (down 60 spots to #238): Early results show Schenn isn’t going to play enough minutes with the Maple Leafs to get the stat tally he needs for fantasy value.
Sharing Goalie Notes
Joonas Korpisalo, goaltender, Los Angeles Kings (moving up 56 spots to No. 112): With a solid first start for the Kings, Korpisalo probably quickly set the rotation with Phoenix Copley to the crease. But given how Copley helped save the Kings season, he’s going to have to stumble for Korpisalo to push him aside. With that in mind, the fantasy potential for both of them is limited.
Jonathan Quick, goaltender, Vegas Golden Knights (Unranked): The Golden Knights are a great place to take care of the splits, as evidenced by Adin Hill, who promptly took to the skates of the injured Logan Thompson. Quick will not have a path to regular starts and may not even end up in the 50-50 split whether Thompson returns sooner or later. Hill ranks sixth in fantasy points among goaltenders over the past month.
Source: www.espn.com
