Hello hockey heads! Welcome to the third and final installment of "Players Who Could Help Your Team If Traded". I'm Eli Feldman.

In the wake of the majorly successful 4 Nations tournament, the NHL regular season picked up right where it left off yesterday afternoon with a jam-packed 14-game slate. By the looks of it, the games continue to ramp up in intensity as the league bolts towards the March 7 trade deadline (now less than two weeks away) and the playoffs.

When we contemplate the formula for playoff hockey success, sacrificing the body and stellar goaltending are both top-of-mind. And would you look at that: these "ingredients" (hits, blocks, and goaltending stats) constitute the focus of this article. Here we go!

HIT: Trent Frederic

Although the facial-hair-growing abilities of 27-year-old Trent Frederic are somewhat dubious, make no mistake about the baby-faced banger: he packs a punch. Since breaking into the NHL six seasons ago, Frederic has never shied away from delivering punishing hits and mixing it up after the whistle.

Frederic has always played with an edge, but established himself as a preeminent banger last season by setting a new career-high in hits with 204, nearly 100 more than his previous single season best. Despite achieving informal "banger league beauty" status in fantasy hockey realms last season, Frederic clearly wasn't satisfied – he's currently pacing to amass more hits (214) this year than last. Entering play on Sunday, Frederic's 152 hits are ranked 21^st overall, making him a trustworthy hits source in all fantasy leagues counting that stat.

As a beloved member of the Boston Bruins, it's difficult to envision Frederic rocking another team's colours. However, if the Bruins find themselves on the outside looking in come March 7, it may be difficult for GM Don Sweeney to resist pulling the trigger on a pending UFA with a team-friendly $2.3M cap hit.

If Frederic swaps teams before the NHL trade deadline, you can bet your bottom dollar he'll continue doing what he does best: banging bodies.

BLK: David Savard

Along with bearing no relation to Denis or Serge, the defensive-minded David Savard plays a much different game than both Hall of Famers. Regarded as a conservative rearguard, Savard is the type of player who's generally at his best unnoticed.

Although Savard may not make the highlight reel too often, he is a respected defender thanks to his elite shot blocking ability. For well over a decade, Savard has protected his net with vigor, planting himself between rubber and mesh whenever he takes the ice.

Given his fearless playing style, managers – both in fantasy and real life – should note that, unfortunately, Savard has missed considerable time in his career due to injury. In fact, Savard hasn't played more than 62 games since 2019-2020 and has played a full 82 games just twice in his 14-year NHL career.

Thankfully for managers, it's clear that Savard's extensive injury history hasn't impeded his willingness to block shots. Indeed, Savard currently ranks 7^th overall this season in blocked shots per game among defencemen with 20+ GP, after ranking 4^th and 2^nd over the past two seasons, respectively. 

Unlike many other players featured in this series, David Savard is no stranger to the NHL trade deadline. In 2021, Savard was dealt by the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Tampa Bay Lightning two days before the deadline in a three-team deal. As some may recall, Savard and his new Lightning teammates proceeded to do some damage in the ensuing Stanley Cup Playoffs – by winning the Stanley Cup.

With the Canadiens faltering and Savard set to become a UFA this offseason, the stage is set for Canadiens GM Kent Hughes to cut ties with Savard, who promises to continue eating up pucks wherever he ends up (provided he stays healthy, of course).

W/GAA/SV%: John Gibson

Like many of his goaltending contemporaries, John Gibson's NHL career has followed the ups-and-downs of a rollercoaster. Just five years after breaking into the League, Gibson emerged as an elite NHL goaltender, finishing the 2017-2018 season with a sparkling 21.8 GSAA, ahead of all three Vezina trophy finalists that year: Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Pekka Rinne (who ultimately won the award). But just six years after that (last season), Gibson's -9.6 GSAA ranked eighth worst leaguewide. Oh, the life of an NHL goaltender.

Luckily, this season has been much kinder to Gibson. Despite missing the first 12 games of the year after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, Gibson's 15.5 GSAA places him among the league's best yet again. Gibson's strong play has been rewarded by head coach Greg Cronin, who has entrusted Gibson to appear in 12 of a possible 19 games since the new year. 

Drawing the start last evening in Beantown, Gibson stopped 19 of 20 shots through two periods before exiting the game with an upper-body injury. While the severity of Gibson's injury remains unclear, the ailment comes at a terrible time for the Ducks, who were no doubt exploring trade options for their longtime netminder. Although a serious injury may preclude Gibson from being moved by deadline day, he's a viable "wait-and-see" option for now.  

It feels like he's been around forever, but Gibson is still just 31 and likely has plenty of hockey left. Set to make $6.4M for the next two years, Gibson's immodest contract makes him a salary retention candidate in the event he's moved. However, if he returns to full health and the Ducks find a way to make the money work, Gibson may be the "Zero G" you need to reach fantasy hockey's promised land.

***

That's it for this week and series! I hope you all enjoyed. Have a great week and best of luck to all!