The NHL trade deadline is coming up in a few days (March 8^th) and many fantasy leagues mimic the same deadline.

I’m in two keeper leagues. One deadline is the same day as the NHL trade deadline on Friday, but pushed back a few hours. The other is on Sunday. This gives us a chance to see what impact NHL trades might have on our fantasy squads.

Oftentimes, players who are dealt to a new team see a small boost in their production until they go back to their usual numbers. I’m not just talking about goals and points, but blocked shots, hits and fighting majors could see an uptick after a move.

While much of the focus is on big names such as Jake Guentzel, Pavel Buchnevich, Jacob Markstrom and Vladimir Tarasenko, an overlooked player can also have significant impact.

Below are 10 players who can be found on various trade boards, who may not be getting the press as many of the big names, but may get that small production boost on a new team. That boost may last a couple of weeks, or just a game or two.

10. Tony DeAngelo

You can’t trust the defenseman to play defense, but he does have a history of strong offense. The question is, is there a playoff team that needs some help on the power play, that could deal with his defensive deficiencies? Or maybe even a team that needs an offensive player for a playoff push? We know he can produce in the right opportunity (he has shown that in both Carolina and on the Rangers). He’s not getting that opportunity with the Hurricanes this time around, as he’s averaging just over 14 minutes per night, along with a bevy of healthy scratches. However, he could get back into a more productive role elsewhere.

9. Alexander Barabanov

This has been an extra disappointing season for Barabanov. The Sharks forward was underrated a season ago, when he had 47 points in 68 games, a 57-point pace. This year, he has 10 points in 37 games, a 22-point pace. The 29-year-old has dealt with injuries, and both his overall ice time and power-play time have dropped. He had great chemistry with Timo Meier a year ago, so we know he can produce in the right situation. Maybe a trade to a new team will give him the opportunity to find the right situation.

8. Rasmus Ristolainen

If you’re in a league with peripherals, a smart play would be to pick up one or two players who usually pick up a ton of hits and blocked shots (and maybe PIM) once you see that player has been dealt. They will usually look to make an immediate impact on their new team through hitting, fighting and blocking shots. In 2022, for example, the Wild picked up Nicolas Deslauriers at the trade deadline. In his first game with Minnesota, he had six hits (plus a goal, which was a bonus). In his second game, he had seven hits. By his fifth game, he picked up a fighting major. Ristolainen has four 200-hit seasons and four 110-plus blocked shots seasons, so he may have that same immediate impact as Deslauriers. 

7. Nick Seeler

Just like Ristolainen, Seeler could provide a small boost in peripheral categories after a trade, even more than he is already contributing. He’s already at a career high in PIM and blocked shots, and is only 20 away from matching his career high in hits. Among all players, Seeler is tied for fourth when you combine hits and blocked shots, and fourth when you add PIM to that total. He’s also a plus-15, tied for tops on the Flyers.

6. Anthony Duclair

If Duclair is dealt this week, he would be on his eighth team in 10 years. That’s a lot of teams for one player, but there’s a reason teams are willing to give him a shot, and a reason why you should as well. It wasn’t long ago that he had a 31-goal season. He also has back-to-back 60-point pace seasons in the 2020s. He can contribute with the man advantage if there is a spot for him there on a new team. You would also hope that he can up his shot total from 1.7 shots per game back to his usual 2.2-2.4 range.

5. Dominik Kubalik

Kubalik was expected to net 20 goals this season, but he has struggled in Ottawa. A big reason for that is the extreme drop in his shot totals. In each of his first four seasons, he averaged at least 2.1 shots per game. This year, that has dropped to 1.2 shots per game. So while his shooting percentage is high, he’s simply not shooting enough, which has led to nine goals so far. That’s pretty disappointing, considering he has a 20- and 30-goal campaign under his belt, along with 17 goals in the 56-game Covid season. His hits, power-play points and ice time are all down significantly, but a move to a new team could help boost those numbers.

4. Adam Boqvist

Boqvist has shown flashes of offense during his time as a Blue Jacket, but injuries have derailed any long-term progression. Any time Zach Werenski is out of the lineup, Boqvist gets a promotion to the top power-play unit and produces (he had five points in six games earlier this year in the same situation). However, the Blue Jackets made some baffling moves last offseason, where they traded or signed a multitude of defensemen. A deal to a new team probably won’t give him top power-play minutes but should lead to more consistent deployment.

3. Jordan Eberle

You should treat Eberle as a 50-point player for most of the season, but he could get a boost if traded. In the right situation, Eberle could get that final push needed to get to 20 goals, and it wouldn’t take much of an increase to get him to 60 points (he’s currently on pace for 51). He never turned out to be the great fantasy asset that many of us hoped for a decade ago, but he can still be great for stretches at a time.

2. Andrew Peeke

In the past, Peeke has been a beast in multicat leagues. Last year, he had 180 hits and 197 blocked shots. That combined total of 377 hits and blocked shots was the seventh highest in the league. The year before, he had 191 hits and 169 blocked shots, the eighth highest when you combine both categories. This year, however, he has 41 hits and 43 blocked shots. He's has only played in 21 games thanks to a glut of defensemen in Columbus (as mentioned earlier). This has forced Peeke to be a healthy scratch for most of the season. When he is in the lineup, he's only averaging 15:36 per night – down from the 21-plus minutes per night of the previous two seasons. He’ll be anxious to show a new team what he can bring to the table, so look for him to have great multicat games in his first couple of contests if he is dealt.

1. Mikael Granlund

The Sharks forward may be posting his best season ever, even though the numbers aren’t necessarily there. Despite playing in only 47 games due to injury, he leads the team in assists, points, and power-play points, and is third in shots per game. He is the only Shark on an 82-game pace of at least 60 points. He and Tomas Hertl are the only Sharks currently on pace for at least 40 points (although Hertl is currently on the IR). The only issue with Granlund is that it normally takes him a couple of seasons with a new team to become productive (four years in Minnesota and three years in Nashville). He doesn’t have that same amount of time to make an impact if he is dealt, but he has proven that he can put up a 60-point pace on numerous occasions.