Blackhawks trade Ryan Hartman to Predators

Fantasy Impact: The Chicago Blackhawks have traded gritty winger Ryan Hartman to the Nashville Predators for prospect Victor Ejdsell, and 2018 first- and fourth-round picks.

The Predators get: a gritty third-line winger with a bit of scoring upside. Hartman has 25 points, but don’t forget that he had five points in the first game of the season and nine in his first seven games. So just 16 points in his last 50 games. But he’s the style of player that Nashville needed. If you could imagine a third line with Nick Bonino, Scott Hartnell and Ryan Hartman. Crash-and-bang at its best (Hartman has 94 hits so far, but good for more than two per game in the right situation).

The Blackhawks get: a pick to replace the one they used to draft Hartman to begin with (30^th overall in 2013) plus another pick, plus a solid Swedish forward who was Allsvenskan’s forward of the year and MVP last season. You can read our scouting report on Ejdsell here. If Chicago is in sell mode, Ejdsell could very well be a second-line forward on their roster next season.

Fantasy Players Impacted: Hartman needed a fresh start, but while he’ll get one in Nashville he won’t crack their top six and likely won’t see a lot of power-play time. Ejdsell went from having very little chance of NHL action ever…to being a serious fantasy prospect on a team with openings. This move impacts Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith in that there isn’t as much ice time to go around. And Miikka Salomaki could find himself in the press box. In Chicago, the space this creates gives Vinnie Hinostroza more ice time and also helps Anthony Duclair.

Fantasy Players this helps, in order:

1. Ejdsell

2. Hinostroza

3. Duclair

Fantasy Players this hurts, in order: <