Fantasy Take: Gagner Traded For Spooner

Ian Gooding

2019-02-16


The Edmonton Oilers aren’t in fact done. Just hours after trading Cam Talbot to the Flyers for Anthony Stolarz, they have traded forward Ryan Spooner to the Vancouver Canucks and reacquire forward Sam Gagner in return.

Both Spooner and Gagner have been buried in the AHL, so this represents a fresh opportunity for both. Spooner clearly didn’t fit into new coach Ken Hitchcock’s plans, while Gagner was the odd man out for a Canucks’ team that added more forwards than they needed this past offseason. Overall, this isn’t a trade with major fantasy implications, but let’s go through what it could mean for both teams.

The Canucks have been dealing with injuries to Sven Baertschi, Jake Virtanen, and Brandon Sutter, so the trade for Spooner should give them some much-needed scoring help with a forward that can play both center and wing. Nikolay Goldobin, Markus Granlund, and Tim Schaller have all been healthy scratches recently, so one or more of them could either be waived or traded. Adam Gaudette had been recalled because of the injury to Sutter, but he could be sent back to the AHL if/when Spooner is recalled.

Since Gagner was in Providence, RI, with the Toronto Marlies at the time of the trade, he could be in the lineup as early as tonight (Saturday) against the Islanders in Brooklyn. So we won’t have long to see how he fits in with the Oilers. Expect him to be used on either the first or second-unit power play, as he was a power-play specialist in Columbus and was signed by the Canucks in the hopes that he would improve theirs.

Once the forward lines are shuffled around in Edmonton, the Gagner acquisition could increase the odds that Jesse Puljujarvi is sent back to the AHL. The 2016 fourth overall pick has been held without a point in his last nine games while being used sparingly, and it appears that increased minutes in the AHL would help his cause (if the Oilers don’t trade him!) Colby Cave or Brad Malone are also candidates to be demoted.

Players this helps, in order:

Gagner (has already been recalled)

Spooner (will likely be recalled)

Puljujarvi (long term)

Players this hurts, in order:

📢 advertisement:

Puljujarvi (short term)

Cave

Malone

Goldobin

Granlund

Schaller

Gaudette

Fantasy owners are discussing the trade in the Forum. Give your take here!

Leave A Comment

UPCOMING GAMES

Dec 27 - 19:12 DET vs TOR
Dec 27 - 19:12 BUF vs CHI
Dec 27 - 19:12 CBJ vs BOS
Dec 27 - 19:12 N.J vs CAR
Dec 27 - 20:12 DAL vs MIN
Dec 27 - 20:12 STL vs NSH
Dec 27 - 21:12 UTA vs COL
Dec 27 - 22:12 S.J vs VGK

Starting Goalies

Top Skater Views

  Players Team
LUKE HUGHES N.J
JACKSON LACOMBE ANA
PATRIK LAINE MTL
KIRILL MARCHENKO CBJ
BRYAN RUST PIT

Top Goalie Profile Views

  Players Team
KAREL VEJMELKA UTA
DUSTIN TOKARSKI CAR
FILIP GUSTAVSSON MIN
JONAS JOHANSSON T.B
JACOB MARKSTROM N.J

LINE COMBOS

  Frequency VAN Players
16.4 J.T. MILLER PHILLIP DI GIUSEPPE BROCK BOESER
14.5 KIEFER SHERWOOD DANTON HEINEN TEDDY BLUEGER
14.4 PIUS SUTER DAKOTA JOSHUA CONOR GARLAND

DobberHockey Podcasts

Keeping Karlsson: Short Shifts – EBUP (Emergency Backup Podcaster)

Elan comes in to save the day and records with Shams to bring you all the fantasy news you need to know as we near the Christmas break. They cover the fantasy impact of the Kaapo Kakko trade and the nearing return of Alex Ovechkin and Rasmus Dahlin from injury. After that, they cover many […]

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

📢 advertisement: