Brad Richards – Off To Dallas
Dobber Sports
2008-02-26
The firesale continues in Tampa Bay as Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist has been traded to Dallas for Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern.
Dallas gets: a first-line center. With Modano, Ribeiro and Richards they have the best 1-2-3 punch in the league. In Holmqvist they get a backup goaltender to replace Smith.
Tampa Bay gets: A goalie they have been dying for – is Smith the answer? I think he is their best answer to date. Jokinen is a solid second line player, but most importantly – a lot of cap space has been freed up here. Look for a big move in the summer now.
Fantasy Players Impacted: A fresh start is always a good thing for star players. Richards is an 85-point guy and he will start playing like one. Expect a small pull-back in Ribeiro's production due to less PP time and ice time in general. Jokinen becomes a first-line player in Tampa Bay. That's over his head, but for now he becomes a 65 or 70-point type of player. A big boost in fantasy value.
Mike Smith is a No. 1 goaltender now. That's HUGE fantasy junkies! Even if he fails, he will have 30 wins next year. You see how TB keeps throwing their goalies out there no matter how bad they play. If he succeeds, I can see 40 wins. The biggest jump in value here.
Discuss this giant deal right here – see what your peers have to say!