This week we take a quick look at how teams might incorporate new acquisitions from Monday’s Trade Deadline into their lineup. For a recap on what happened yesterday, I highly recommend you check out Dobber’s trade tracker. The boys did a great job of providing instant analysis on every trade.

Evander Kane – Logan Couture – Tomas Hertl

There’s reason to believe Kane sees time beside Pavelski this season, as the two played together in the KHL during the 2012-2013 lockout.  However, Kevin Kurz – who covers the Sharks for The Athletic – thinks Kane debuts alongside Couture and Hertl on Tuesday night. After a scorching start to the season that saw him tally 19 points in his first 20 games, Kane has cooled off considerably, with just five points in his last 20 contests. We should expect something in between going forward, but I really think this change of scenery will prove to be beneficial. This fresh start with the Sharks will allow him to play meaningful hockey again, he can look forward to his first career playoff game. This isn’t just me speculating, Kane himself told The Athletic:

“Excited probably doesn’t do it enough justice to how I feel. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity of possibly playing in the playoffs, and just hoping to add as much as I can to that group, and hope to get us in there and go on a long run.”

The hope is for Kane to use his size and strength to create more space for a ‘skill’ guy like Tomas Hertl. Hertl hasn’t had an ideal season with just 33 points in 60 games, and a single point in his last five contests. I expect Kane will bring new energy to this line, allowing Hertl to improve his production going forward. Logan Couture on the other hand just needs to keep doing what he has been doing – 21 points in his last 25 games? Not too shabby.

Jake DeBrusk – David Krejci – Rick Nash

The Bruins’ used the trade deadline as an opportunity to prove they’re more than a one line team. Personally, I think they paid a steep price for a depth-scoring rental. However, Nash was acquired for more than just point production, as he still plays a very effective two-way game. Prior to the trade, Boston’s second line featured Jake Debrusk, David Krejci and Ryan Spooner. That trio wasn’t exactly trusted in both ends of the ice, as each of them hovered around the 70% mark for offensive zone start %. Since scoring 42 goals back in 2014-2015, injuries have prevented Nash from reaching even the 25-goal mark. At the age of 33, it’s no secret that his offensive production is on the decline. However, with Nash’s defensively responsible style, coach Bruce Cassidy will be able to deploy this new second line in more situations. Perhaps this leads to an increase in ice-time for David Krejci, who is currently averaging only 16:45, despite playing 18-20 minutes in previous seasons. Nash’ presence can also be beneficial for rookie Jake DeBrusk’s development.

After being drafted 14^th overall in 2015, DeBrusk is having a respectable rookie season, with 30 points in 56 games.  One thing I’d keep an eye out for is his shot total, and if it drops now that he’s playing with a high-volume shooter in Rick Nash. For more information on the 21-year-old’s development, check out what DobberProspects has to say over here.

Nikolaj Ehlers – Paul Stastny – Patrik Laine

Even before the Jets acquired Paul Stastny, I considered their forward core to be elite. Now it’s just ridiculous. Upon first glance, Stastny’s 40 points in 63 games aren’t the most impressive. But then you realize 29 of those points have come at 5on5. That’s as many as Phil Kessel. That’s more than Sidney Crosby or Tyler Seguin. What does this mean? Well, even though Stastny is expected to be a part of the special team units, he doesn’t have to rely on power-play production. This is reassuring because Winnipeg boasts more PP options than St. Louis, so Stastny probably won’t be seeing as much time with the man advantage. A couple of those ‘PP options’ will be playing alongside the former Blue. Patrik Laine has 67 goals in 135 career games. Nikolaj Ehlers is on pace for another 60-point season. You don’t need me to sell you on the high quality of Stastny’s new linemates, I’m just intrigued to see if the trio finds instant chemistry.

Tomas Tatar – Cody Eakin – Alex Tuch

“We went into the deadline with one thing circled on our board and that was adding one more top-nine forward, and we accomplished that today.”

Considering GM George McPhee referred to Tatar as a ‘top-nine forward’, I would expect him to debut on the third line, likely replacing Ryan Carpenter. It’s hard to demote Carpenter when he has seven points in his last six games, but Tuch’s development appears more important to the team going forward. Selected 18^th overall in 2014, Tuch is seeing a sheltered 14:53 of ice-time with plenty of power-play exposure (2:16). I don’t see Tatar cracking the top-six this season because of how good Vegas’ first two lines have been together. It’s hard to imagine them disturbing the great chemistry of Jonathan Marchessault – William Karlsson – Reilly Smith, or David Perron – Erik Haula – James Neal. Neal’s offensive output has been the ‘worst’ of the six and he’s still on pace for 30 goals…

With all that being said, Tatar is not necessarily chained to a bottom-six role. George McPhee went on to tell The Athletic that:

“He can play all over the lineup. First line, second line, right wing, left wing. He scores goals and plays hard enough and competes.”

He has been a pretty consistent 20-goal scorer in the National Hockey League, and all that Vegas touched turns Golden, so…

For the latest injury updates and line combinations, follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza!