We are finally getting down to the nitty gritty for the current fantasy season. This week marked the first week that some trade deadlines came and went depending on your league and format. Have you wheeled and dealed your way to a championship? Or if you are in keeper or dynasty league, perhaps you saw the writing on the wall and decided to sell off some pieces to re-focus on the future. Either way, this is one of the most compelling, and sometimes controversial times of the season.  If you aren't one for bartering with your fellow leaguemates, there's still old reliable: the waiver wire. 

Dawson Mercer

The New Jersey Devils' sophomore forward is one of the hottest players in the league right now and he still is relatively available to be had. Mercer was drafted in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft at 18th overall.  He posted 42 points in his rookie campaign on a pretty shoddy Devils team. He's on the verge of blowing past those numbers this year, and what is surprising to me is that he actually is getting slightly less opportunities this season. 

Both his average ice time and his power-play usage are down this season, and while that's not great for fantasy, it does support the idea that he's improving as a player. If he is doing more with less, he's certainly trending in the right direction. This season in 59 games so far, he's managed 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points in total. In his last six games alone, he's put up 10 points which is a sign that he's going steady right now. His personal success also goes hand-in-hand with New Jersey's team success, as the Devils are 7-3 in their last ten games.

Mercer has found success on a line with Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar as of late. I really like having Mercer moving to the wing to play with Hischier. Hischier is really starting to look like the number one overall player the Devils had hoped he would be, and for Mercer to ride shotgun with him is a great opportunity. Mercer is on pace to break 50 points this season, but if he stays hot, perhaps he could surpass that number. 

If you choose to add Mercer to your team, know that he is mainly there to provide offense. It's also nice that he is dual-eligible for both center and right wing, but he does lack in most of the peripheral stats. Also as I mentioned before, this season the Devils are much improved, but as a result, Mercer isn't getting much time on the man advantage. So there is definitely some downside to him if he doesn't continue putting up offense. In the short-term though, Mercer is a great option. He is just 33% owned in Yahoo leagues, while on Fantrax he is up to 60% owned.

Philip Tomasino

Thanks to the trade made Saturday, there should be more playing opportunities for Tomasino, who is a second-year winger for the Preds that has a ton of potential. The trade in question was Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a second-round pick. Definitely a solid pick-up for the Jets, but I am more intrigued to see if a player like Tomasino can do more in what will hopefully be an expanded role. I would keep a keen eye on the Preds/Coyotes game today and see where Tomasino slots into the lineup. 

The Preds are already pretty depleted with some injuries, so there's no reason why they shouldn't give some of the younger guys a shot down the stretch here. Tommy Novak is another relative newcomer for Nashville and is already enjoying a nice little hot streak of his own. Why not put the two sophomores together and see if they can get some chemistry brewing?

Tomasino has only recently been with the big club in Nashville. After spending almost his entire rookie season with the Preds, he's only appeared in six games so far this season, having just been called up a couple weeks ago. In his limited action, he's managed a goal and three assists. I do like that he's racked up ten hits already. If he can continue to provide those kinds of hit numbers, that makes him even more worth a speculatory add. 

For now you can probably hold off for a game or so and monitor Tomasino's deployment. If you see an uptick in his usage, he could be worth adding to see what he can do for you. Don't go dropping any bonafide stars for him, but if you need to fill a void on your roster, Tomasino could foot the bill. He's still widely available in almost all leagues and formats. On Yahoo he is just 2% owned, while Fantrax shows that he is 29% rostered. 

Mike Matheson

Honestly, I am starting to question my sanity with all these Montreal Canadiens recommendations over the past few weeks, but Matheson could be a sneaky good addition for your roster's blueline should you need to fill a hole. It's been a bit of a tumultuous season for Matheson to date, having only appeared in 25 contests. But he's been healthy and playing on a consistent basis for a decent stretch now, and as of late he's been pretty good!

In his 25 games he has four goals and 12 assists for 16 total points. In his last four games specifically, he's put up five points. There's actually a lot to like here. He's shooting a pretty solid rate of 2.3 shots per game, which is actually the highest average of his career up to this point. Outside of his offense, he's also chipped in 35 hits and 32 blocks as well. To be able to add someone who averages over a hit and a block per game, and to also have a flash of offensive upside is nothing to shake a stick at!

And these numbers seem to be pretty sustainable because he is getting a ton of ice time right now. He's averaging over 23 minutes per game, and he's also getting top-tier time on the man advantage to boot. In fact he's played on 62% of the power play opportunities that he's been in the lineup for. There are two caveats that come with Matheson. First is that he is pretty injury-prone, but anyone can get hurt on any play, those are the risks you gotta take. And the other thing is that if you are a league that tracks plus-minus, keep in mind the Habs aren't exactly world-beaters this season. Though with that being said, Matheson still has managed to be a plus-six somehow this season, and on top of that the Habs have won five of their last seven games! That's no way to get your hands on Connor Bedard! 

The Habs have a pretty easy schedule coming up too, as they are about to embark on their west-coast road trip against the likes of San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim. Matheson kind of reminds me of Jeff Petry when he was on the Habs in some ways. If you are lacking in defensive depth, he's worth a shot right now. On Yahoo he is 17% rostered, and on Fantrax he is owned in 49% of leagues.

That's all she wrote for this week. As we continue to approach the NHL trade deadline, keep an eye on any breaking trades and really think about the repercussions of each deal. Not only should you consider the players themselves that were dealt, but also what opportunities are created, or even taken away due to the circumstances of said trade. The deadline is Friday, so I imagine next Sunday I will have lots of things to speculate about! Until then, have a great week!