There was a lot of wheeling and dealing before the end of the trade deadline. Here are the most important changes and their possible impact:
Antoine Vermette was dealt to Columbus. He had a very average season with the Senators so far, scoring 9 goals, 19 assists, 2 power play goals, 8 power play assists, with a rating of –12 and 42 penalty minutes. He is expected to play on a line with Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius.
Given the fact that Vermette is playing for a contender now I expect his fantasy value to increase. He should see some extended power play time as well.
He is definitely an option if you’re in a deep league.
Jordan Leopold went from Colorado to Calgary. He has not been a fantasy factor so far but this might change now. He might be partnered with Robyn Regehr.
I would be surprised if his fantasy value didn’t increase but I would still monitor the situation first before I’d consider picking him up. He will only be of interest if you’re in a deep league.
Mikael Tellqvist has been sent to Buffalo. This may indicate that Ryan Miller’s injury is more serious than we thought.
Phoenix’ former backup goalie could become the Sabres’ starting netminder as Patrick Lalime is struggling big time.
Tellqvist is a solid goalie that could help you down the stretch. He’s certainly worth adding if he can get the starting role. I’d expect his GAA to be below 2.80 and a save percentage of around .910.
Mark Recchi changed from Tampa Bay to Boston. He’s quite hot right now and had 5 assists in his last game for the Lightning against Calgary.
Recchi will join a much more talented team but I don’t expect him to get more playing time than the 16:52 minutes he’s been averaging so far. His numbers should still increase slightly, most noticeable in the +/- section.
He will be of value if you’re in a deep league.
Olli Jokinen got to Calgary in a 3-player trade. His tenure with the Coyotes was a disappointment considering the expectations.
I would be surprised if he didn’t end up playing on a line with Jarome Iginla and Michael Cammalleri.
Jokinen was supposed to be the leader in Phoenix and couldn’t quite live up to the expectations. In Calgary he is one leader among many and that is going to be the difference maker. His productivity should see a significant increase. You wont be able to find him on waiver wire but you may find someone who is naïve enough to trade him low. Act fast though.
Steve Montador moved to Boston from Anaheim. I believe that he had a decent season so far, considering that he played only 16 minutes per game.
I think he is going to be more of an addition rather than being an impact player but he could actually bring some offensive skills to a second line.
I don't really expect his numbers to change significantly. Let's not forget that his value is mainly based on his penalty minutes.
Bill Guerin left the New York Islanders for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guerin has a very decent season so far but he has gone a little cold these past few weeks. He is still capable of roughing things up and he still has a scoring touch on power play.
The Penguins have a lot of talent on the first two lines so I can’t say yet whether he will be on the 2nd or 3rd line. His value will increase though. He is worth being picked up in a deep league as he can contribute to every category.
Nik Antropov was traded from Toronto, which was going nowhere, to the playoff contender New York Rangers. He had a very solid season up to this point and is taken in most leagues.
I expect him to play alongside Brandon Dubinsky and Chris Drury, with Nikolai Zherdev most likely to become a 1st-liner.
With much more talent around than in Toronto I believe his numbers will improve. Not necessarily in the +/- column though.
Add him if you can find him on waiver wire. He should have value as 7th forward.
Derek Morris is another player who joined the New York Ranger and another player who left the Coyotes. He has been very ineffective so far.
He joins a very good defense and should see an increase in production. While he might be declining at this stage of his career he has still some offensive skills, which may pay off on power play.
I don’t recommend adding him right away bur he’s worth keeping an eye on. He should still be available if he improves significantly and might help you in a deep league.
Dominic Moore is heading to Buffalo from Toronto. He did reasonably well, especially in the penalty minutes category.
Unfortunately for him this trade might turn out to have a negative effect. The Sabres have some of the most productive forwards, which will land Moore a spot on the 3rd line. Subsequently his productivity will decrease.
Before the trade Moore was an option in a very deep league. Feel free to monitor the situation but I don’t expect him to have any relevant fantasy value down the stretch.
Daniel Carcillo is another player who left Phoenix and will play for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is league leader in penalty minutes.
His ice time will remain very low and he will play on the Flyers’ 3rd line at best.
Even though Carcillo has some offensive skills I expect him to be ineffective there, even in Philadelphia.
He can only help you if you are desperate for penalty minutes. Do not expect anything else from him, especially as he may line up with other enforcers on the team.
Scottie Upshall went the other way round, from Philadelphia to Phoenix. You have to feel sorry for this guy. Not only does he not have a good a season as expected, but he will now play for one of the least talented teams in the NHL.
It doesn’t really matter on which line he will play because regardless of his talent he will have a lack of support.
It would surprise me if he was an option in even very deep leagues now but it is still worth keeping an eye on him for a couple of games.
Steve Eminger was traded again this season, this time to the Florida Panthers. I found him to be a serviceable low-end defenseman in Tampa Bay and even had him on one of my teams for a while. He has his qualities on power play.
Eminger’s impact is not that clear to predict. Florida have a lot of productive defensemen but they have some internal problems also.
I would expect his numbers to stay pretty unchanged but his +/- should make a turn in the right direction.
You should monitor the situation if you’re in a deep league and looking for a defenseman. But it remains to be seen where he’s going to play. I do expect him to log a lot of minutes though, but probably less than his season average of 22:24 minutes.
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