There has been some heating of the trading hot stove of late, particularly over in Colorado. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the playoff teams started getting things going of their own, and the New York Rangers did exactly that. They had gutted their right-wing depth over the years by trading Pavel Buchnevich and letting Jesper Fast walk. The idea was that Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière would be ready for the top-6 roles by now, which, they seem to be turning the corner. But they wanted more help and got it in the form of Frank Vatrano. Full deal here:

OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired forward Frank Vatrano from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. pic.twitter.com/6nAjpUVAV5
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 16, 2022

You can get Alex's take here.

The first thing that stands out to me about Vatrano's profile is he's not a playmaker, as Alex pointed out quite clearly. According to some data from Corey Sznajder's tracking projects, it's been a couple years now with well-below-average shot-assists and high-danger assist rates, as well as zone entries via passes. Once he gets the puck, he carries it or shoots it. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. He will, presumably, go to a line with Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin. Those guys are both very good with entries via passes and high-danger assists, so Vatrano doesn't need to do that kind of heavy lifting. Rather, he can focus on what got him to the NHL in the first place: his shot. According to HockeyViz, he has a 3% impact on finishing, which puts him near the 90^th percentile in the league.

This is great news for him, fantasy-wise. He won't get top power-play minutes without injury (or some crazy change), but he was skating under 12 minutes a night of late for Florida, largely in their bottom-6. Conversely, Dryden Hunt is currently skating 15:36 a night over his last 10 games, skating on that Rangers second line. Assuming that's where Vatrano goes, he could be back to 15-16 minutes a night. From 2018-21 in Florida, skating 14:44 a night, he averaged 23 goals, 210 shots, and 123 hits every 82 games. He can be very good in a handful of categories in banger leagues, so be sure to check the waiver wire if he's kicking around. If that line gets hot, he could be an excellent pickup for the balance of the season.

*

Ben Chiarot was also traded on Thursday, with the Habs sending him to the Panthers for a prospect, a 2023 first, and another pick. I wrote about the trade here.

*

Speaking of the trade deadline, it's just around the corner, this coming Monday, March 21^st. For those that may be new to Dobber this season, we will have analysis of the trades as they are made. Please bear with us as writing up impacts can take time and if there are a lot of trades at once, it could be a couple hours before they're all published. But the Dobber team (namely Dobber himself) will be here on Deadline Day to analyze all the major trades and what they mean in the fantasy game. What better way to spend a Monday than checking up on what the trades mean to your fantasy rosters?

*

The Flyers have put Morgan Frost on the second line for what could be Claude Giroux's last game in a Flyers uniform:

Flyers in practice

van Riemsdyk-Brassard-Atkinson
Frost-Giroux-Konecny
Lindblom-Hayes-Farabee
Mayhew-Brown-MacEwen

Provorov-York
Sanheim-Ristolainen
Yandle-Braun
— Olivia Reiner (@ReinerOlivia) March 15, 2022

Frost is an interesting case. It seems everyone (not literally everyone) believes in his offensive talent but it hasn't happened for him, at any level; 48 points in 65 AHL games as a 21- and 22-year-old doesn't scream 'superstar'. He has 19 in 24 AHL games this year but is also under two shots per game. It has been a struggle, but he's getting some prime slotting in the immediate term.

His development is interesting for the Flyers. They, presumably, want him as a full-time 3C next year, if not in the top-6 on the wing. He has more work to do if he wants to get there. Now is not the time to give up on him, though.

*

Tony DeAngelo was seen practicing:

Aho with Svechnikov, Teravainen. Trocheck with Martinook, Necas. Staal line unchanged, Kotkaniemi line unchanged. D pairs the same. DeAngelo is practicing.
— Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) March 16, 2022

He was an extra, but the coach would go on to say that there's a chance he plays Thursday night. While the Hurricanes were still generating chances on the power play, their goal rate over the last few weeks without DeAngelo has plummeted. Correlation does not always equal causation, but he's typically a very good PPQB, so it makes sense they're not generating quite the same quality of chances. If he's not back Thursday, they have two home games on the weekend.

*

Robert Thomas was back for St. Louis:

#stlblues on the ice and both Krug (maintenance) and Thomas (illness), who did not practice Tuesday, are on the ice today.
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 16, 2022

Quietly, Robert Thomas is having the breakout season we've been waiting for. He has 48 points in 51 games, skating nearly 19 minutes a game. He is the second-most used forward St. Louis has at the moment, behind only Ryan O'Reilly. He is neck-and-neck with Jordan Kyrou for the team lead in primary shot assists per 60 minutes and controlled zone entry percentage, two good signs for his playmaking and transition game. He is driving the play, making his line mates better, and doing it all at 22 years old on a playoff team. That line mate statement isn't conjecture, either: according to Hockey Viz, not a single Blues skater has a higher expected goals-for per 60 minutes when skating away from Thomas than with him:

The only long-term fantasy concern is just how good a player he can be in that St. Louis offence. They split the power-play time, so it'll be hard for him to rack up the PPPs, even if the power play does get hot. It is difficult to post huge power-play totals when you're getting half the ice time (or less) of the top options like Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, or Sidney Crosby. Not that he's in their league in the fantasy game, but there are also guys like Bryan Rust, Anthony Duclair, and Nick Suzuki earning double his PPTOI. It will be tough to reach that next level skating 1:45 a night with the man advantage.

📢 advertisement:

It will also be tough if he doesn't boost his shot rate. Even with 18:49 a night, he's still managing just 1.6 shots per game. It will be tough to rely on more than 20 goals if he's landing 120 shots a season.

With the negatives out of the way, he's clearly taken a big step forward. Whether he turns into a Brayden Point-type in fantasy, or a Ryan Johansen-type, remains to be seen. We will cross our fingers for the former.

*

Jake Allen looks ready to make his return:

Jake Allen should be back tomorrow. At least that's the plan. @CanadiensMTL
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) March 16, 2022

There is one more year left for the netminder at $2.875M AAV. There have been talks of him being traded, as there has been lots of talk of Habs players being on the move. They may have to swallow some salary to do it, but he could have a new home in a few days' time. Not that he'd get a lot of starts almost wherever he went, but the team itself will likely be better.

*

Matt Roy to the injured reserve:

And, per Kings, defenseman Matt Roy on injured reserve, retroactive to March 12.
— lisa dillman (@reallisa) March 16, 2022

Alex Edler has been seen practicing so maybe this isn't a huge hit, but this is a team with playoff aspirations. They can't keep losing defensive regulars and hope to put forth a charge over the final 20 games.

With all the injuries, Jordan Spence has seen some huge minutes in his brief time with the big club. It may be worth checking out because if he plays well enough, he could force their hand, even when everyone is healthy.

*

We had a Jesse Puljujarvi sighting at Oilers practice:

Practice lines…
Kane-McDavid-Yamamoto
Hyman-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Foegele-Shore-Ryan
Archibald-Mcleod-Kassian
Malone

Nurse-Ceci
Keith-Bouchard
Russell-Barrie
Lagesson-Broberg

Smith in starter net.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) March 16, 2022

it isn't to say that he'll be in the lineup right away, but the fact that he's practicing in a normal line is a good sign for his value upon returning. We will see if he gets his PP role back or not.

*

The Sharks signed Tomas Hertl to an eight-year extension with an AAV of $8M. There really isn't a lot to say about it, fantasy-wise. It is a big raise and he's not exactly an elite fantasy option. He could be good for 30 goals or so, but he's not a heavy volume shooter, not a big hitter, and the team around him is declining. In other words, point-per-game seasons are not likely in his immediate future. Cap league owners are going to have a real decision to make.

This is a really funny contract from the Sharks, though. Marc-Edouard Vlasic has $28M left over four years, Brent Burns has $24M over the next three, and Erik Karlsson is at $11.5M per for five more seasons. None of those players are worth the money they're getting, and Vlasic is completely cooked. Add in Logan Couture's $8M a season, and the Sharks now have over half their cap tied up in five players for the foreseeable future. I guess the teardown will come at a later date.