Another forward traded at the deadline is Chris Stewart who now finds himself with the Minnesota Wild. At the very least it should help correct his ugly plus-minus for the time being. So far he is not seeing more ice time than he was getting in Buffalo and has not yet translated his high-volume shooting to his new environment. Although he is playing with better players in Minnesota, most notably Mikko Koivu, one has to wonder how much Stewart will really produce down the stretch.

For Buffalo this trade, along with their other roster-destroying moves of this year's deadline, has given opportunities for newcomers to make their mark in the NHL. So far in terms of lineup configuration Phil Varone and Johan Larsson have the best short-term opportunities. Varone has responded well to the promotion to the top line with two points in his first game in the new role. Also, his 65 faceoffs won over 12 NHL games this year show that he could be a nice short-term addition in deep multi-category leagues for the final weeks. Unfortunately, at his size he remains a longshot to remain in the NHL long-term. For Larsson, the production has not come just yet but has been excellent down in the AHL and is getting decent ice time of late. This is a perfect opportunity for Larsson to jump-start his career and reward those who have been investing in him in keeper leagues.

From: Doran Libin

Subject: Trade Deadline Discussion

Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2015 21:07

To: Eric Daoust

Lance Bouma is about as big of a sell-high as there is the NHL right now. I watched this guy play for the Vancouver Giants and never saw anything that suggested anything other than a depth grinder. Bouma’s big win came with Backlund’s return and whatever he is doing to keep his 15% shooting percentage. I prefer his linemate David Jones, he has not been as hot lately but his numbers are much more sustainable and he has done it before. In both cases this trades helps them keep their spots.

I love Minnesota as a team. Great shot suppression and depth. I don’t understand why they went out and got Stewart but it is the opportunity he needs. Click on any of the top three lines and he can resurrect his fledgling career. The Stewart acquisition is killing Justin Fontaine though. He was looking like a great buy-low for the rest of the season with Jason Zucker down. I worry that Stewart does not fit the mold of the player who seems to be succeeding with Koivu and Vanek, namely the speedy winger creating space. I also don’t see Stewart getting power play time.

When I look at Buffalo I’m thinking about next year. Larsson needs to show something because I don’t see how Grigorenko and Reinhart don’t make the team given the AHL squad they have now. With Kane, McEichel, Grigorenko and Reinhart coming in the potential for a bad team with good fantasy numbers is right around the corner. The other interesting development is we get a chance to see what they have in Andrey Makarov.

From the dregs of the league to the Kane-less Blackhawks made what I think is the sneaky-best move of the deadline. Picking up Kimmo Timonen is huge. Historically he has been a rock with good offensive numbers. I see him on the second power play unit, basically the minutes Leddy got last year. He’ll also get some pretty sheltered even-strength minutes behind Chicago’s top four. I’d target him as a late season pick-up or in playoff pools. What do you think of the Vermette pick-up?

From: Eric Daoust

Subject: Trade Deadline Discussion

Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2015 13:05

To: Doran Libin

The Vermette trade is a very interesting one from a number of perspectives. I do not see this helping him from a fantasy standpoint down the stretch. In Arizona he was one of few competent scoring forwards. In Chicago that is not the case and a reduction in power play responsibilities great diminishes his upside as 13 of his 35 points this year have come on the man advantage. Instead look for Vermette to enhance his new club with his versatility. Of course, his plus-minus will be much better in Chicago and his other peripheral stats will remain strong for the most part. Meanwhile, Timonen is definitely a wild card and should be avoided outside of deeper leagues. So far he has been very sheltered and has not had much of a presence on special teams compared to past years when he was a true workhorse. With that said, it is certainly possible that Timonen's ice time will gradually decrease down the stretch and if he can get some positive momentum he could be a potent producer in the last couple weeks.

From Arizona's perspective this trade makes them even more awful than they were before the trade deadline. But with every void created there is an opportunity for someone to step up. In particular, Mark Arcobello has been solid since arriving in the desert and the departure of Vermette only solidifies his hold on a top-six spot. Despite being bounced around a lot this year, Arcobello has shown that he can produce decent fantasy numbers when the stars align. With five goals in 11 games with the Coyotes, his shooting percentage is quite high so expect a bit of a slow-down in the goal-scoring department. However, with just one assist in those contests, it is not unreasonable to think that over time he will chip in with a few more helpers. Overall, consider his current scoring pace to be his upside for the rest of the year.

The other center to receive a hike in ice time is Kyle Chipchura. The former first-round choice has not translated into an overly effective NHL player but has received more than 20 minutes of ice time in each of the last two games. It will probably amount to nothing given his poor scoring history and lack of power play time even in his new role, but the fact that he has seven shots in the last two outings bears watching.

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