Buffalo has gone 6-2-0 in their last eight games to climb within six points of a playoff spot, and the GM has gone out and added Wayne Simmonds from New Jersey to bolster the roster. The Devils added a conditional fifth-round pick in the exchange.
Simmonds is a free agent after this season and has eight goals on the year.
To the Sabres
Presumably, Sam Reinhart is locked into the top-line role with Jack Eichel, which means Simmonds is no higher than the second line. Not being able to get to the top line in Buffalo is a death-knell for fantasy value – let's ask Jeff Skinner how his season's going, shall we? Maybe Simmonds adds a minute to his TOI which would, in theory, lead to more peripherals. He's still very much useful in leagues that count PIMs and hits. In leagues that don't? Waiver fodder. His impacts across the board over the last three years are in the negative. It's hard to see a bounce-back here. Is he an improvement over Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues, or Zemgus Girgensons? I doubt it. Even if he is, it would be marginal. If anyone wants to talk about adding a veteran presence, go ahead; they have just six players on the current roster under the age of 25, and many of them are the team's best players (Eichel, Reinhart, Dahlin, Olofsson). They don't need more veterans with experience, they need talent. There's also the chance they stick him on the second PP unit, which is a downgrade for him. That could hurt Conor Sheary, though, as Simmonds would probably take his role on the second PP unit.
This does open up things for the Devils, at least on the power play. I'm not sure that Joey Anderson jumping from the fourth the third line moves the needle at all, but Simmonds had been skating on the team's top PP unit of late. The guy who had rotated in for him at times on that top PP unit? Nick Merkley. Now, again, I'm not sure how much additional fantasy value Merkley has just going from New Jersey's second PP unit to the top PP unit if he's stuck on the third line, but it's additional value nonetheless. He should be a winner here if they keep him on the top PP unit.
Who this helps
Nick Merkley
Joey Anderson
Who this hurts
Related Posts
UPCOMING GAMES
WSH
CAR
VGK
EDMStarting Goalies
Top Skater Views
TOR
FLATop Goalie Profile Views
VAN
WPG
LINE COMBOS
| Frequency |
 S.J Players
| |
|---|---|---|
| 23.9 | TYLER TOFFOLI WILL SMITH MACKLIN CELEBRINI | |
| 20.7 | NIKOLAI KOVALENKO DANIL GUSHCHIN TY DELLANDREA | |
| 20.1 | ALEXANDER WENNBERG CAM LUND WILLIAM EKLUND | |
DobberHockey Podcasts
Fantasy Hockey Life: Fluto Shinzawa Boston Bruins Preview
Fluto Shinzawa of the New York Times joins the show to break down the Boston Bruins. Jesse and Victor ask him about David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, Matthew Poitras, Fraser Minten, Charlie McAvoy, Mason Lohrei, Hampus Lindholm, Jeremy Swayman, and Joonas Korpisalo. Cat’s instincts covers prospect goalies Brandon Bussi and […]
Keeping Karlsson: First Round Fly-Bys
Elan and Brian fly by each of the eight NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs quarter-final series, highlighting stand-out performances and storylines of the first round so far.
Fantasy Hockey Life: TIDY Champs Roundtable
What does it take to win a division of our Tiered Dynasty league? Champs Sasha, Scott, Kevin, and top tier champ Mason Black join Victor, Jesse, and TIDY co-commish Simon for a roundtable chat. It’s a great dynasty strategy talk. Have a listen! Our show is part of the Dobber Podcast Network and sponsored by […]
Fantasy Hockey Life: Hot Take Review
Back in episodes 362 and 363 Victor and Jesse made hot takes about all 32 teams for the season. Today we go back to see how many we got right. Have a listen! Our show is part of the Dobber Podcast Network and sponsored by Fantrax.com. Email fantasyhockeylife@gmail.com and ask to join our free discord. […]
Keeping Karlsson: End-of-Season Beginnings, Vibesgoaliebord
Elan and Brian express their interest in players on the verge of playing their first NHL games, make some playoff predictions with no promises, and do a vibes-based draft for goalies they are willing to commit to rostering for the entirety of the next NHL season.