The trade deadline has come and gone with teams making their final moves, either to set up their playoff push, or to sell for the future. I covered all of the trades on this very site over the last week, so if you want to get my previous analysis, go back and take a look. Today, I’m going to take a look at early returns on all of the trades. What role are these players getting, how are they doing, etc. I’m going to go team by team, although I’m be skipping some along the way because nothing there’s nothing notable there. Let’s get to it!
Juuso Valimaki isn’t a new acquisition for the Coyotes, but with Gostisbehere and Chychrun gone, Valimaki has a huge role now. He played almost 24 minutes on Sunday, dishing two assists and adding a shot and six blocks. I would hold Valimaki in 14’ers and deeper, and shallower if you don’t have plus-minus.
Dmitry Orlov is lighting the world on fire, with nine points in five games since the trade to Boston. He’s an easy hold everywhere now. Tyler Bertuzzi went right onto the third line and second power play unit. That’s great for Boston, but not so much for fantasy. He’s a middling streamer.
Things couldn’t have started better for Shayne Gostisbehere. The Carolina power play has been struggling before his arrival. Since he’s come in, Carolina has gone 7-9 on the power play, with Gostisbehere having 2+2 himself. He’s not going to be more than a third pair guy there, but he could easily be a #2 fantasy defenseman the rest of the way.
Evgenii Dadonov has looked rejuvenated with Dallas playing with Johnston and Benn. He has three points in four games with ten shots. Far from a world beater, but enough to get back to a middling streamer. Max Domi is centering Seguin and Marchment while also going on PP2. While that’s a nice spot, it’s nowhere near as good as Chicago. I prefer Dadonov to him right now.
Detroit has done plenty of selling which is opening up opportunity for others. Jake Walman has moved onto PP2 and along Seider on the first pair. He’s a deep league option. It’s getting pretty ugly for Detroit now.
As expected, Evan Bouchard is the big winner in Edmonton. Bouchard had three assists on Saturday, two of which came on the power play. His minutes are also way up playing next to Mattias Ekholm. Bouchard is still available in over 1/3 of leagues but he clearly should be owned everywhere. I’m not considering Ekholm in 12’ers still.
Joonas Korpisalo had a solid first start, stopping 24 of 26 shots in the win over the Blues. I added him on a team that needed goalie help. I don’t know how much he’ll play over Copley, but Korpisalo is available in over 90% of leagues, so he should be there if you need the help. Vladislav Gavrikov has been on the second pair as expected and is still close to useless in fantasy.
Minnesota has had a ton of turnover. John Klingberg was outstanding on Saturday. Even though he didn’t get a point (he had one taken away because the goal was tipped), he was on the ice for all three Wild goals. He went right onto PP1, so he’s a viable option in 12’ers again. I do prefer Bouchard though. Marcus Johansson went on the second line with JEEK and Boldy, tallying an assist with four shots. HE’s a middling streamer. Oskar Sundqvist hasn’t played yet.
Tyson Barrie should actually play more minutes for Nashville than he did in Edmonton given the lack of depth on the team. Barrie scored a goal against the Blackhawks. I would hold him still if I had him, but it’s tenuous.
Timo Meier made his Devils debut on Sunday, playing with Hughes and Bratt. Meier scored a goal on three shots with two PIM and went right onto PP1. That line has “best in the league” type of upside.
Pierre Engvall played over 17 minutes in his Islanders debut, putting two shots on goal while playing primarily with Horvat and Lee. I’d love to see him get these minutes regularly, although he didn’t get any power play time. Engvall is worth monitoring, although I see him as a bottom end streamer for now. There’s more upside though.
I have to say that I didn’t expect it to look so weird with Patrick Kane in a Rangers jersey. Even though he’s been on Chicago for his whole career previously, I thought it would look natural for Kane there. Anyways, he’s with Panarin and Trocheck which is no surprise. He is on PP1 which does surprise me a bit given they have Zibanejad and Panarin for the outside already. Kane hasn’t done much yet, but I would probably still hold.
Jakob Chychrun has started on the third pair, although Smith said he will move Chychrun into the top four eventually. He had a goal and an assist against Columbus, and the Sens schedule is easy for the next week before they go through the gauntlet. Chabot has still held onto the PP1 spot for now, so I see Chychrun as more of a #2/3.
Mikael Granlund went onto the third line as a winger, while Nick Bonino is centering the fourth line. Hard pass on both.
The big development in San Jose is that William Eklund was recalling following the Meier departure. He went right onto the first line and first power play unit, dishing an assist with four shots playing almost 20 minutes in his season debut. I’m a big fan long term, but for now, he’s a middling streamer. Fabian Zetterlund is also on the first line, while Andreas Johnsson is on the second. I prefer Eklund to both.
Kasperi Kapanen went right into the first line and first power play unit, which I didn’t see coming. St. Louis seems intent on giving him the best chance to get his career back on track. He has two goals in three games, so Kapanen is a middling streamer with upside. Jakub Vrana hasn’t played yet.
Tanner Jeannot has continued to hit everything in front of him and not produce offensively. Nothing changed there at the moment.
Toronto has also had a ton of turnover. We’re waiting on an update for Ryan O’Reilly‘s injury, which should come on Monday. It would be a brutal beat if he misses extended time. The defense has been a rotating door. They’ve been playing seven defensemen, which isn’t good for anybody. Erik Gustafsson is averaging under 12 minutes per game in his two games. Huge loss of value there. Luke Schenn also has a much smaller role. Jake McCabe has the biggest role, but has done nothing but jump Myers after he crushed Taveres. Even Timothy Liljegren was scratched which makes no sense. Their blue line is a cesspool now for fantasy.
Ivan Barbashev has moved right onto Vegas’ first line and has produced in a big way. Barbashev has 2+3 in four games, although the shot rate has been poor per usual. He’s a solid streamer again.
Loyal Razzballers know how much I like Rasmus Sandin. Early return in Washington were excellent, with Sandin dishing three assists, one on the power play, in the win over the Sharks. Sandin played over 21 minutes and should be the #1 option, at least until Carlson is back. I would hold him in 12’ers. Craig Smith is playing on the second line and scored two goals in the Sharks game. He’s a bottom end streamer, but back on the radar.
Nino Niederreiter has been on the first line and first PP unit since arriving in Winnipeg, tallying two assists in three games. The problem is that his PP1 could be gone once Dubois comes back, which should be soon. Maybe Wheeler loses it, but my bet is on Nino. He’s an elite streamer right now, but probably will drop to a solid one upon Dubois’ return. Vladislav Namestnikov had an assist in his Jets debut, totaling an assist and a shot on the third line. That said, he’s a bottom end streamer at best.
Three Point Challenge: We will do Tuesday’s games per usual. You can’t select McDavid, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Thompson, Pastrnak, M. Tkachuk, Karlsson, Pettersson, Robertson, or Nugent-Hopkins. I’ll go with Rantanen against the Sharks.
That’s all for now guys. I will be back on Wednesday recapping the action of the next two nights. As always, feel free to ask any questions, make any comments, or give any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
