Breaking down the fantasy impact of Kerby Rychel's relocation to Toronto …
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Kerby Rychel from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Scott Harrington and a conditional draft pick Saturday, June 25.
Deal Breakdown
On the surface, this appears to be a head-scratcher for Columbus. Rychel was the 19th overall selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and posted a 27-point season in the American Hockey League this year through just 37 games while scoring nine points over 32 games with the Blue Jackets.
Harrington, on the other hand, couldn't stick with the Maple Leafs this season, and then he played just 17 games with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL before a season-ending injury. At 23, Harrington appears to have hit a plateau and checks out as a fringe NHL defenseman, and that may be the best-case scenario.
Rychel has a power-forward build and offensive upside that could gel perfectly with the young-skilled forwards Toronto has assembled. He should crack the Maple Leafs this fall and begin acclimatizing himself to the NHL.
The pick in TOR-CBJ is a conditional 5th. If Harrington is put on waivers by CBJ and gets claimed, CBJ gets a 5th. If he clears, no pick.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 25, 2016
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The conditional pick doesn't make a lot of sense. Columbus just traded a former first-round pick for a depth defenseman or a fifth-round selection.
Fantasy Skinny
At this point, Harrington has no fantasy value.
Rychel, similarly, likely has limited upside for yearly setups next season. However, he grabs a huge upgrade in keeper/dynasty formats because of the need for his style alongside an already star-studded cast of young Maple Leafs.
Adding Rychel likely hurts the fantasy prospects of Zach Hyman, Nikita Soshnikov and Kaspero Kapanen in the near future and down the line.
Should Rychel break camp in a scoring role this fall, he's worth a late-round flier in the majority of seasonal leagues. Still, it's likely better to keep expectations in check and count on an inconsistent season in 2016-17. Expect a solid step forward in his age-22 season, just know it might not translate to the scoresheet.
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As a Canuck fan and Leaf hater….. all these moves Toronto is making are killing me, especially while Benning is handing out 2nd round picks like fun size Snicker bars at Halloween.
There is no way Columbus wins this deal, while it could be a huge win for the Leafs.
I feel for Canucks fans right now. Didn’t like the London dman pick over fellow teammate Tkachuk at the draft either. A proper rebuild will be finally coming in Vancouver in the not too distant future.
lol
Great deal by Lou, hopefully Rychel can be a solid third or fourth line contributor long term and have the ability to play on line two if there’s injuries and maybe get some PP time too. A fresh start should do this kid well.