While Friday was mostly quiet, there were a couple big moves along with some nice depth acquisitions. I’m going to cover those moves and give some first impressions on players with their new teams. Let’s get to it!
Winnipeg acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Devils for second and third round picks. Toffoli didn’t play on Saturday so we don’t know exactly where he’ll slot in, but I love this move for Winnipeg. With a healthy Toffoli and Vilardi, it’s a loaded top six with good depth behind them. Toffoli is owned almost everywhere, so saying that he’s a hold everywhere doesn’t really change anything. The upside is undeniable, whether he plays with Scheifele and presumably Connor, or with Ehlers and Monahan. Going from the team with the worst goaltending to arguably the best should fix the plus-minus and the shot rate should stay at 3+. What will swing his value the most is whether he goes on the first power play unit. They have Connor, Scheifele and Morrissey as locks. Then you have two spots for Toffoli, Vilardi, Ehlers and Monahan. We should find out on Monday, although Vilardi being out increases his chances, especially because Bowness hates Ehlers for reasons unknown. I would bet on a big finish from Toffoli.
Carolina acquired Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Capitals for a third round pick. Wow. I didn’t think anyone would gamble on Kuz, even at 50% retained. That said, he’s been awful for the last two seasons, so it’s going to take some successful games stringed together before I consider streaming him.
Vegas acquired Tomas Hertl and two third round picks from the Sharks for David Edstrom and a first round pick. Vegas strikes again. Hertl, who is currently injured, gets moved to the defending champs. He’s been fairly good considering how horrible the Sharks have been. We haven’t been given an updated timeline on Hertl so it’s hard to say when he’ll return, but I would own him in all formats once he returns. Long term, it’s a massive commitment with Hertl having six years left on his deal. Does this mean goodbye to Stephenson? Marchessault? It’s never boring in Vegas. Edstrom was the best prospect in Vegas’ system. He’s incredibly safe and should be a third line center for a long time. That’s not exactly the most exciting for fantasy, but there’s still value in that, especially if he works his way into a power play guy.
The Devils acquire Jake Allen from the Canadiens for a conditional third round pick. They also acquired Kaapo Kahkonen from the Sharks for Vitek Vanecek and a seventh round pick. It’s no surprise that Fitzgerald was fed up with his goalies this season. For the rest of the season, nothing would surprise me with Allen or Kahkonen. Both could get hot, both could be awful. They’re risky propositions, especially with how bad the Devils are defensively. Now, next season, I’m bullish on a Devils bounce back with a healthier season. Allen is signed for next season, while Kahkonen is not. In dynasties, Allen is a great trade target because if he’s the 1A next season, he has the upside of a bottom end #1 and I’d feel pretty good about him at least being a solid #2.
The last trade worth mentioning is Jack Roslovic going to the Rangers for a conditional fourth round pick. It’s worth talking about because Roslovic went onto the first line right away with Kreider and Zibanejad. While he had no points in his Rangers debut, he did play over 16 minutes. Roslovic has been known to go on hot streaks, so he’s a great streamer for tonight against the Devils to see what happens.
Bowen Byram‘s start in Buffalo couldn’t be going any better. He scored a goal on his first shot with the team, he added an assist, and has pushed 25 minutes in both games. Byram has also been on the first power play unit. He’s available in about 40% of leagues but in his current situation, Byram is must own everywhere. The only thing is that the Sabres have played more games than most. I’ll get into that with my Playoff Manifesto coming out soon.
Casey Mittelstadt‘s minutes were limited in his first game, but he looked the part with Val Nichushkin returning and sliding onto Mittelstadt’s wing. I’m still bullish on him going forward.
Noah Hanifin stepped right onto a pair with Pietrangelo, with both playing on the second power play unit. Hanifin had two assists in his last game, and this role is enough that it should be a bump up from what he was doing in Calgary. Anthony Mantha also went onto PP2 and went on the second line. While that’s not a bad thing, it’ll be more exciting if that lasts when Hertl returns. For now, Mantha is a middling streamer.
Anthony Duclair played with Stamkos and Cirelli in the 7-0 bludgeoning of the Flyers, scoring a goal and an assist. Duke should be a solid streamer, although it’s hard to see better since there’s no real path to him going onto PP1.
It was a dream second game for Vladimir Tarasenko. Playing with Barkov and Reinhart, Tarasenko scored two goals and an assist against the crumbling Flames. Tarasenko won’t be getting top power play time, but even without it, he’s firmly on the fringe. I have a slight lean towards holding him just because I want as much of Florida as possible right now. Well, not Kyle Okposo, who I am thrilled for that he’s going to a contender while also thrilled I never have to watch him in a Sabres uniform ever again.
Three Point Challenge: We will do Tuesday’s games per usual. You can’t select MacKinnon, Kucherov, McDavid, Pastrnak, Panarin, Miller, Nylander, Rantanen, Draisaitl, or Matthews. I’ll go with Kaprizov against the Coyotes.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Wednesday, either recapping the action from the last two nights, or starting my big fantasy hockey playoff manifesto for those of you that play head to head. If you haven’t read the previous versions, I break down every team’s schedule for the last four weeks of the season, looking at what teams have the best and worst schedules for fantasy. JKJ is off this week, but Jules’ streaming piece will be out later today, so be sure to check it out! As always, feel free to ask any questions, leave any comments, or give any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
