Kevin Bieksa solidifies Anaheim’s blue line, but what about his fantasy stock?
The Anaheim Ducks dealt a second-round selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the Vancouver Canucks for Kevin Bieksa Tuesday, June 30.
The deal solidifies the Ducks’ blue line with Bieksa joining Cam Fowler, Clayton Stoner, Sami Vatanen, Simon Despres and Hampus Lindholm as an admirable starting point. Unrestricted free-agent Francois Beauchemin would appear to be relocating from Orange County due to the acquisition of Bieksa.
It is a logical move. Beauchemin would be looking for term and money, and Bieksa can fill the void for a season before Vatanen, Lindholm and Despres become restricted free agents and are after raises.
So before judging Anaheim to harshly for acquiring a declining 34-year-old defenseman, the upcoming contract extension details need to surface.
Bieksa has regressed statistically for three consecutive seasons, and his ice time, and more importantly, his power-play minutes have, too. His fantasy value is tied to his peripheral statistics, and he is far from a lock for 30 points, let alone 20.
Seriously, though, take a look at those stats, and the name value is far higher than the fantasy value. I don’t doubt his on-ice contributions, and I like Bieksa, but he isn’t a fantasy commodity worth pursuing aggressively.
The Vancouver media, and to a lesser extent the entire Canadian media, have skyrocketed his stock. He is a solid contributor in blocked shots, hits, penalty minutes, and now, his plus/minus rating will help, too. Anything in the point column should be considered bonus. He a late-round flier in the majority of formats.
In Vancouver, the deal opens a hole. Expect the Canucks to add a free agent or two. Adam Clendening should make the jump, but he is also the only in-house option who jumps off the page.
Alexander Edler, Dan Hamhuis, Christopher Tanev and Luca Sbisa are the only defensemen currently under contract with the Canucks with any substantial experience .
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