On Saturday, Patrick Kane and even Sam Lafferty joined the "roster management" club. Already included in that prestigious group are Jakob Chychrun, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Luke Schenn, while Timo Meier is believed to be recovering from an upper-body injury. If any of these players are on your roster, how do you feel about that? I'm guessing most, if not all of these players are dealt before the day of the deadline (Friday), but what drama if they're hours away from the deadline and still on their current rosters – particularly the Big 3 of Kane, Chychrun, and Meier, who are the most relevant to fantasy teams.

In case you missed it, here are a list of the Fantasy Takes that I wrote on Saturday:

Kapanen to St. Louis

Kravtsov to Vancouver

Niederreiter to Winnipeg

Of course, you can follow all of the important player transactions dating further back at the Fantasy Take – Latest NHL Moves page. More of these should appear during the coming days.

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Igor Shesterkin was one of the first – if not the first – goalies drafted in single-season fantasy leagues this season. He hasn't lived up to his draft-day expectations lately, though. Shesterkin allowed five goals to the Capitals on Saturday, recording his second consecutive Really Bad Start while getting pulled after two periods. He's allowed at least four goals in each of his last four games and at least three goals in each of his last seven games. Moreover, he hasn't had a game with at least a .900 SV% in his last six starts, which given the All-Star break and bye week amounts to January 25 as his last quality start. Maybe the Rangers need to acquire defensive help more than they need to acquire Patrick Kane.

Shesterkin can still make saves like the one below. However, talent can only go so far if the team in front has trouble preventing high-danger scoring chances. To compound the Rangers' issues, Ryan Lindgren left this game with an upper-body injury. Even if the Rangers could receive Kane at a discounted rate because he will only play for New York, defensive help should be a priority. Teams don't win in the playoffs without being able to defend.

Igor Shesterkin makes an incredible toe save to rob Trevor van Riemsdyk blind at the side of the crease#NYR pic.twitter.com/5Vi8zBuezO

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) February 25, 2023

T.J. Oshie recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick with two goals, an assist, and a fighting major. Oshie now has power-play goals in back-to-back games along with eight combined shots. He's rostered in just 22 percent of Yahoo leagues, so he's one option if you need goals and power-play points.

Evgeny Kuznetsov broke a three-game point drought with a big game: 2 G, 2 A, +4, 4 SOG. I inherited Kuznetsov and his $7.8 million cap hit on the multicategory salary cap team that I took over last summer, and I've managed to keep him for his scoring. His scoring is rather assist-heavy, so if he's not providing the assists or power-play points, then it might be time to move on from him.

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The Edmonton/Columbus game was one that must have nearly given Oilers play-by-play commentator Jack Michaels a heart attack. Columbus raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second period before the Oilers tied the game within the same period. Then Jack Roslovic scored two goals in the third period to ice the game for the Jackets. Roslovic also finished with two assists, a plus-3, and five shots. He snapped a 13-game stretch without a goal, making the most of lining up with the offensively inclined Patrik Laine and Kent Johnson.

Given the high score, the Oilers/Blue Jackets game seemed ripe for Draisaitl Hat Tricks (G, A, minus). Yet it was the Blue Jackets and not the Oilers providing these.

Laine: 1 G, 2 A, -1

Boone Jenner: 1 G, 1 A, -1

Connor McDavid did his usual thing, scoring two goals and adding two assists with a plus-3 and seven shots. He also added a bonus five hits that you probably didn't expect. McDavid now has two goals and at least seven shots in three consecutive games. He seems like a pretty good player, but I'm guessing he's not available on your waiver wire.

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Here's hoping your fantasy league could somehow count Linus Ullmark's goalie goal. Your fantasy team might score many goals, but a goalie goal is something extra fun to savor.

WE GOT A GOALIE GOAL!!!! LINUS ULLMARK SCORES A GOALIE GOAL pic.twitter.com/aS1PHPdpFe

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 26, 2023

If your league doesn't count goalie goals, hopefully you were okay settling for another win and quality start from Ullmark. He hasn't slowed down at all, registering five consecutive wins and nine consecutive quality starts. He's been the top goalie in fantasy leagues and also has to be the Vezina Trophy favorite. The only gripe might be that he has to split starts with Jeremy Swayman, but there's no reason for the Bruins to overwork him given where they are in the standings.

Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov made their Bruins debuts on Saturday, although neither recorded a point. Orlov played 20:04, while Hathaway played 11:40. One concern with Orlov is that he didn't see any power-play time, whereas he was used on the second unit in Washington.

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As you might expect, the shots on goal in the Carolina/Anaheim game heavily favored Carolina playing at home. 53-15, in fact. Yet it was the Ducks who came out on top by a score of 3-2, thanks to John Gibson making 51 saves. In spite of some high goals-against totals this month, Gibson has made at least 50 saves three times over the last six games. He is only the second goalie to record three 50-save performances in one month in NHL history. Gibson now has back-to-back wins and three consecutive quality starts. He is a talented goalie playing for a bad team. His value could skyrocket with a move out of Anaheim.

Brent Burns played in his 737^th consecutive game, which ties him with Jay Bouwmeester for the second-longest streak by a defenseman in NHL history. Given his all-around contributions in various fantasy categories through the years and his age (soon to turn 38), it's a wonder he's been virtually bulletproof in the injury department. That speaks to how tough a player Burns is.

Burns did not record a point on Saturday, but he led the Canes with eight shots. His five-game point streak came to an end, but he has seven points over his last six games.

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Dawson Mercer is near the top of the Frozen Tools top searches and for good reason. With another goal on Saturday, Mercer now has goals in six consecutive games and eight goals over that span. Prior to that, Mercer had scored just one goal over his previous 12 games, showing the inconsistency typical of a 21-year-old sophomore. Mercer has found a nice spot on a line with Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar, both of whom are also on a roll. Hischier has eight points in his last five games, while Tatar has three points in his last two games. Mercer will cool off, as his season shooting percentage currently sits at 17.4%.

Because Mackenzie Blackwood is out with another injury, Akira Schmid receives another go at the NHL. Schmid stopped all 24 Flyers shots he faced in a 7-0 shutout – the first of his career. Among goalies with at least 10 games, only Ullmark has a better goals-against average than Schmid (1.98 GAA). Blackwood is an RFA with arbitration rights this offseason, so the Devils have an interesting decision to make this offseason. Schmid appears to be NHL ready and at the very least seems able to serve as a backup to Vitek Vanecek.

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Andrei Vasilevskiy overcame a six-goal Really Bad Start against the Sabres on Thursday with a 45-save shutout of the Red Wings on Saturday. Only Ullmark has more wins than Vasilevskiy (28) this season.

I couldn't trade Victor Hedman despite my best efforts (see my Twitter), but maybe that was a blessing in disguise. Hedman has brought it in the peripheral categories this week, taking 15 shots with five hits and 12 blocked shots. He helped Vasilevskiy in not facing even more shots in the latter's shutout, leading the Bolts with eight blocked shots on Saturday. A reason that I wanted to trade Hedman has to do with the Lightning's schedule down the stretch, where they have one of the lowest games-played totals of any team during my fantasy playoffs. Yet if he can still provide in multiple fantasy categories, then maybe I shouldn't be that worried.

If you need to check your fantasy team's games played total next week or during your fantasy playoffs, might I suggest the Schedule Planner on Frozen Tools.

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He's part of the all-name team in hockey and he's also found his way onto fantasy teams with his bangers ability, but unfortunately he's also done for the season. Arber Xhekaj will undergo season-ending surgery on his shoulder next week. Even though he has been out of the lineup for over a week, Xhekaj still leads the league with 101 PIM and in the top 20 with 159 hits. Don't forget about him in your bangers leagues drafts next season.

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In a minor trade on Saturday, the Avalanche acquired veteran goalie Keith Kinkaid from the Bruins for Shane Bowers. The acquisition of Kinkaid could mean that Pavel Francouz is out for a while. Jared Bednar decided to start Alexandar Georgiev on back-to-back nights, which isn't ideal for their number one goalie but it may be understood while the Avalanche are trying to secure at least a wild-card spot. Jonas Johansson is simply not a reliable option at the NHL level, while Justus Annunen is only 22 and best served starting at the AHL level. Kinkaid may not even play at the NHL level this season, but the Avalanche situation is an example of why goaltending depth is important.

As the Avalanche hit their stride, Georgiev has now won four consecutive games and also has nine wins in his past 11 games. He stopped 28 of 29 shots in the Avalanche's 4-1 win over Calgary.

Jacob Markstrom, or Dan Vladar? How about neither?

Flames goaltenders own an NHL-worst .847 save percentage since the All-Star break

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 26, 2023

Although Markstrom might have been more of a victim of bad defending on Saturday (looking at you, Nikita Zadorov), he has posted his second consecutive Really Bad Start. In fact, four of his past six games have been Really Bad Starts (games with a save percentage below .850). Only four goalies have a worse GSAA (goals saved above average) than Markstrom (-18.19 GSAA). He's clearly been a below-average goalie this season – not what we expected. Avoid starting him until he shows signs of turning it around.

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Patrick Marleau's #12 jersey being raised to the rafters in San Jose.

12 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 Teal 💙 pic.twitter.com/EbRSzYIUTQ

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) February 26, 2023

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.