We're here to bring you some excitement after a not-so-exciting Trade Deadline Day! Well, if you include all of the trades the last few days, it was alright. Anyways, we breakdown all of the trades that have a fantasy impact, notably Kevin Shattenkirk to the Capitals, Thomas Vanek to the Panthers and the Canucks getting two very nice prospects worth discussing for dynasty leagues. After that, we run down the latest injuries around the league including the mumps going around in Minnesota now. From there, we wrap things up with the Three Point Challenge. Be sure to make your picks in the comments section below. All of that and more on the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Harry's Razors, Seatgeek and Draft!
Hey everyone! Last year's trade deadline post was a hit so I'm back updating all of the latest trades and providing instant analysis. Reid will also be giving his thoughts as well that I will add into this post with mine. An hour or so after the deadline, we will record a podcast that will go up Thursday morning recapping everything in more detail. Anyways, I'll recap everything that happened before 1 AM EST now and starting around 10-11 AM later today, I will start updating this post as trades happen. As always, post any questions or comments in the section below or we will answer them. Let's get to it!
There comes a point in the season where teams are desperate for their superstars to carry them towards the playoffs. That time is now and it's happening in Tampa Bay. Nikita Kucherov has been spectacular all season but he had his best game Monday night scoring a hat trick on seven shots and adding an assist in the 5-1 win over the Senators. Look how remarkably similar all three goals are:
He now has nine points in his last three games and twenty-five shots on goal over the pats four. Kucherov is producing points at the fourth highest rate in the league this season (min 20 GP) and sits as a top ten forward on the season despite missing some time. I had him as a high second round pick going into this season but he's been ever better than that. I expect to have Kucherov ranked as a first rounder going into next season and given that he's still 23 years old, we may not have seen the best from him. Let's take a look at what else has happened in the game around the league the last two nights:
NOTE: There is a separate post going up regarding trades that will be updated throughout the trade deadline. For instant analysis, go here
There was a lot of action in the NHL over the last few nights so Reid and I are back to bring you up to date. We start with the trades (Ben Bishop to Los Angeles, Martin Hanzal to Minnesota and Patrick Eaves to Anaheim) and look at the fantasy impacts for players on both sides. From there, we recap the latest injuries, the hottest players around the league and incompetence behind the bench in Buffalo. From there, we wrap things up with The Three Point Challenge. Be sure to make your picks in the comments section at hockey.razzball.com. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Harry's Razors, Seatgeek, Draft and FanPicks!
First off, I want to apologize for not having notes on Friday. I wrote them up Thursday night, scheduled the post and then when I logged on Friday afternoon, it was nowhere to be found. I have no idea what happened so hopefully it's a one-time incident. Anyways, the first two major trade dominoes fell on Sunday night. We'll get to the Wild's big move later but the first trade of the night was Ben Bishop getting moved. I'm not shocked that he was traded but I am pretty shocked that it was to the Kings. There are a few players impacted by this move. First, Bishop's value takes a massive hit. If you are in a redraft, I think you can just cut Bishop. He probably gets one out of three games down the stretch for the Kings barring another Jonathan Quick injury. That's seven games the rest of the season. I would stream Bishop in all of those games but I don't think it's worth holding. If you're in a dynasty and out of contention, I think it makes a lot of sense to buy low on Bishop on the hopes he lands somewhere nice in the offseason. Peter Budaj goes to Tampa in the trade and he loses all of his value; you can safely drop him. The real winner is Andrei Vasilevskiy who should be the workhorse down the stretch. We know that he's been up and down all season but he should be owned in all leagues now for the upside. Here's what else happened around the league the last few nights:
Reid and I are back bringing you some energy on this Thursday morning! We start off with some injury news including an update on the Ottawa guys and another Penguins defenseman going down. There's a live trade update in regards to the Penguins fix during the podcast! From there, we discuss the flawed playoff format, Patrik Laine vs. Auston Matthews round 2, the streaking Lightning, massive games from Jonathan Toews, Johnny Gaudreau and Nikita Kucherov before making our Three Point Challenge picks. Be sure to leave your picks in the comments section below. All of that and more on the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Seatgeek, Draft and FanPicks!
In the Razzball realm, the panel of writers (total of one) has been down on Jonathan Toews since I've been writing in this space. There were plenty of questions about his overall place 10 days ago when he had 33 points in 46 games. Whatever Toews has been doing over the last four games, he needs to keep that routine going. Toews has been coming on but had the game of the season on Tuesday scoring a hat trick on four shots while adding 2 assists and a +5 rating in the 5-3 win over the Wild. Let's just say the Wild trying to use Matt Dumba against him didn't work well. Now, Toews has 42 points giving you the value you hoped for taking him in the early to middle rounds. The new wingers with Toews (more on them later) have brought an offensive surge that Toews owners can only hope continues. Here's what else happened around the league the last two nights:
Hey everyone! Reid is back this time around running down the recent developments around the league. We start off with the Michael Stone trade and discuss if there's a comparable to what the Kings did with DeMarcus Cousins. From there, we rundown injuries, discuss Claude Julien going to Montreal, Florida's amazing road trip and the unlikelihood of Antoine Roussel's hat trick with Michael Haley's two point game. Afterwards, Reid and I help you out through this week by highlighting the teams with bye weeks and running down each team's holds and cuts. As always, we wrap things up with the Three Point Challenge. Be sure to make your picks below. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by SeatGeek, Draft and FanPicks!
What looked like an amazing weekend for Mark Stone turned for the worst at the last minute. Stone had one of the biggest games of the year on Saturday scoring a goal and four assists with five shots in the 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs. Stone followed that up by scoring a goal and taking a penalty against the Jets on Sunday before a hit to the head from Jacob Trouba knocked him out of the game. As if a hit to the head wasn't concerning enough, Stone has already had a concussion in the preseason, an injury that caused him to become a value in drafts. Stone has been terrific this season with 22 goals and 25 assists through 56 games but now, his fantasy owners are in a tough spot as are the Senators who were decimated by injuries over the weekend. Look for some news to come out later today on Stone's status but here's to hoping it's nothing serious like another concussion. Let's take a look at what else happened around the league this weekend:
I call Joe Pavelski "Mr. Consistency" because every season you can make him down for 30 goals, 40 assists and solid contributions elsewhere. It's generally not flashy, just a consistent point with three shots, but at the end of the year it's good enough to justify a first round pick on him. Pavelski showed on Wednesday night that he's capable of dominating a game. Pavelski had a monster outing, scoring two goals and two assists with four shots in the 6-5 OT loss to Florida. The Sharks looked like they were dead before Pavelski scored 2 goals in the last 3:21 to force overtime. He's on pace for right around 30 goals, a small stepback, but he's compensating by playing at a career high assist rate. The shots are also over three per game, he's +9 and the PPP are coming in per usual. Expect Pavelski to provide the value you hoped for drafting him in the back end of the first round and for him to be ranked in that same ball park going into next season. Here's what else I saw around the league the last two nights:
It's apparently solo podcasting week at Razzball! This time I'm by myself following J.B.'s lead with Reid unavailable. Hopefully you're not bored only listening to my voice! I start off by going over all of Tuesday's games, notably Patrik Laine's hat trick and Robin Lehner continuing to dominant his former team. From there, I breakdown all of the Thursday games discussing my top DFS plays for the slate and make my Three Point Challenge picks. Be sure to make your Three Point Challenge pick in the comments section below. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by SeatGeek, Draft and FanPicks!
If you've watched the Jets play this year, you don't need me to tell you how talented Patrik Laine is. His shot is among the best that I've ever seen and his skating is explosive in its own right. The Jets top six was in a slump so Paul Maurice shuffled the lines on Tuesday. Granted, they play against the Stars, but the early returns were outstanding. Laine led the way scoring another hat trick on six shots while adding two penalty minutes. This puts him at 26 goals and 21 assists in 51 games, the second best goal rate in the league behind Sidney Crosby. I had him ranked in my top 100 going into the season but the days of getting him in that area of drafts is over. Hell, his days of going outside the first two rounds are over. The Jets are loaded with talent around him and Laine will only get better being 18 years old. Is he a first rounder next year? Right now, I'd lean towards no but he's firmly in the second round and it could certainly change over the next six months when I put my rankings out for next season. Regardless, watch this kid when you get the chance because it's remarkable. Here's what else I saw around the league the last two nights:
