Congrats to Sidney Crosby for scoring his 500^th career goal, and everyone knew it was going to come against the Flyers.

50 goals against the Flyers… and 500 GOALS IN THE NHL!

Congratulations Sid! It has been our honor to watch every single second. pic.twitter.com/oR6TO7oNDb

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 16, 2022

It's a shame that we were robbed of three of his prime seasons, but even without that he has become one of the best players ever. It's great that he is healthy again, and he should continue to be a dominant player (and fantasy asset) for a handful of years yet. With three cups already though, I do wonder when he just decides to hang up the skates, and take his accolades and his health off into the sunset.

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With the Tyler Toffoli deal on Monday, we got our first trade that looks like a team trying to get out ahead of the deadline. Mike and Dobber covered their own thoughts, so I won't add too much to that one. I do expect we will have a few other key pieces moving, and I wanted to share some thoughts on those guys.

Claude Giroux

It's rumoured that Giroux has told the Flyers that he wants to be dealt to Colorado, and if that's not possible then Minnesota or St. Louis are also acceptable. All three of those teams are already cup contenders, and Giroux would likely be an asset to any of them. However, with the Avalanche on the run they are, there is definitely a case to be made for not changing much (add some depth, but keep the team steady).

You what the Avalanche need?
Nothing.
This is the perfect team, and it's on a 30-3-3 run.

I'm a huge believer in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" strategy.

Unless they can upgrade Kuemper – stand pat. Don't mess up the chemistry

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) February 15, 2022

The Avs don't need Giroux, and unlike in Fantasy, adding one better piece at the expense of your worst player doesn't just automatically make a team that much better. On the other hand, when that player is filling an area of need, the addition can be worth even more than the value of that individual player. For that reason, Giroux probably makes a lot more sense in Minnesota. The team is lacking in dynamic centres, and Giroux would add that dynamic need for the offensive zone, in addition to giving a puck-possession team another weapon on faceoffs where they can gain an even greater advantage. Everyone seems to think Giroux to Colorado is set in stone, and though it does seem like a sure thing at this point that he is moved, don't be disappointed if he ends up in Minnesota instead.

Marc-Andre Fleury

Kelly McCrimmon resolutely refuted the rumour that Vegas was interested in re-acquiring Fleury due to the possible season-ending injury for Robin Lehner. That means Fleury is still on the market, and while he could still end up in Vegas (or Colorado) it's not a given that he does get moved to a contender. Aside from the Avalanche and the Golden Knights, there aren't a lot of contenders who find themselves looking at their goaltending as a position of need.

At the moment, Fleury has a negative GSAA, though to some extent we can blame that on the team in front of him, which has been disappointing, especially in the defensive end. We saw last year that he can still put up Vezina like numbers on the right team, so as long as you're not in a cap league, it may be a worthwhile gamble to acquire Fleury with the hope of his situation improving by the deadline. Worst case is you're getting a goalie with a 2.88 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Don't pay much more than what you would for those kinds of numbers.

J.T. Miller

Miller is currently running at 1.02 points per game, while the next closest player on the Canucks (Brock Boeser) is at 0.63. Miller has just been on another level since joining the Canucks, and has been their best player in that time span. He isn't someone they are trying to run out of town, but if he is moved he will command a huge package in return, which would be better for the Canucks than watching him walk to free agency in 2023.

Miller is seeing a career high 21:10 per game, with 3:30 of that on the power play. With a new team, it's possible that gets rolled back a bit, so some may think that his value could dip due to a trade. On the contrary, regardless of where he goes, it's likely to go up. Only a competitive team is going to be willing to pay the price to acquire him, meaning there should be some high-quality players that he is joining, and the team should shoot better than seven percent with Miller on the ice (as Vancouver is doing now). Additionally, a top-tier team likely already has their defensive line set, meaning we could see Miller's offensive zone start percentage of 54% rise even further, giving him more offensive opportunities than he currently is with the Canucks. The 28-year-old should be worth the acquisition cost in both real life and the fantasy world.

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The Golden Knights get Jack Eichel back tonight, and for now it looks like they're trying to stretch out the forward group to a dep top-nine. The misfit line has been broken up and Chandler Stephenson owners can at least take solace in the fact that he is currently lining up with Jonathan Marchessault.

Golden Knights practice lines today:

Pacioretty—Eichel—Dadonov
Janmark—Karlsson—Smith
Marchessault—Stephenson—Roy
Carrier—Howden—Patrick
Kolesar—Brooks—Amadio pic.twitter.com/AlRyyt19WH

— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) February 15, 2022

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Do you have a burning question about your fantasy team or players in general?  Rick Roos’ mailbag column is the perfect place to get the answer(s) you’re looking for.  If you want to get your question (or questions – posing more than one is fine) to him for inclusion in the column, you can do so by (1) private messaging “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey Forums, or (2) emailing [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.

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The San Jose Sharks got blanked on Monday night by Stuart Skinner. This isn't surprising to anyone who is aware of the fact that NHL teams do not fare well after extended layoffs (typically 4+ days) – the Sharks were off for 12 days. The Panthers return to action tonight after a 14-day layoff to play against one of the best and hottest teams in the league in the Hurricanes. In DFS, or if you just need a streamer, the Canes might be an excellent team to target tonight.

[Igor Shesterkin disagrees with this take, and that's the difference a future Vezina winner can make for a team that was off for 13 days.]

On the flip side, check your waiver wire to see if any of the mid- to upper-tier guys on the Panthers or Sharks were dropped because of the schedule.

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The Lightning for Erik Cernak back from injury last night, and he was feeling his usual self with five hits. Cernak is one of my favourite multi-category fantasy gems, and he's still flying under the radar even three years after he became an NHL regular. He is one of the few players that regularly puts up a combined 6.5 shots (1.9), hits (3.1), and blocks (1.5) per game. Finding players like that to stuff the peripherals on your fantasy team is extremely difficult.

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I said to my brothers a few weeks ago that I think Mercer's game would complement Jack very well and they should give Dawson an extended look on one of Jack's wings.

Results so far tonight: very good. Mercer with 1G, 2A, Hughes with 1G, 1A #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/63F7TTKrqq

— Brandon Holmes (@BHolmes_Hockey) February 16, 2022

Might be worth checking in on Dawson Mercer and Yegor Sharangovich. If this line sticks, those two wingers could both be in a big second half.

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Joe Snively is up to three goals and six points in eight games. He's still available in a large majority of leagues, and makes a decent short-term streamer. Last night he was lined up mainly alongside Conor Sheary and Nicklas Backstrom. However, the Caps may be getting some forwards back from injury soon, in addition to looking at adding a few by the deadline, so Snively's a risk to be dropped in the lineup or scratched later on in the year.

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With the Bruins reeling with injuries, Mike Reilly is shouldering a little more of the lead, playing over 21 minutes in each of the last three games, and of late playing up on the top pair with Charlie McAvoy. That's a plum spot, and if he can hold it for when Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron return, then he should rack up some extra plusses and secondary assists to go with his rising shot rate – over two per game in the second half.

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As much as you can guarantee anything, I guarantee this is the game tonight that you will not want to miss.

The greatest rivalry in hockey is set to battle for gold again 🇨🇦🇺🇸

Canada and the USA will face off in the women's hockey gold medal game on Feb. 16 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT pic.twitter.com/IZTwD6FcZf

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 14, 2022

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Find me on Twitter @alexdmaclean if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments.

Cheers!