Several recently acquired players played their first games with their new teams on Saturday, so let's check in on some of those key names.

Two players that wear the number 96 made their debuts with their new teams in Edmonton. We'll start with Mikko Rantanen, who jumped into the Stars' lineup a day after officially being acquired from Carolina. Rantanen seemed to fit right in with his newest team, scoring a goal and adding an assist (both on the power play) with five shots on goal in 19 minutes. Matt Duchene set him up with a nice pass on this goal.

MIKKO RANTANEN FIRST GOAL AS A STAR ⭐

That didn't take him very long.

📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/Y8z5XEuiYG

— NHL (@NHL) March 9, 2025

Rantanen started the game on a line with Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, but then Hintz left the game in the second period after being hit in the face with a puck. Hintz was right in front of the shooter and was bleeding, which didn't look good. After Hintz left, Rantanen seemed to be deployed throughout the lineup with various linemates. Rantanen already looks like a better fit in Dallas than he was in Carolina (6 PTS in 13 GP), which is a positive sign for those rostering Rantanen. The Stars play again tonight (Sunday) in Vancouver, so we won’t have to wait very long to see Rantanen again and find out the severity of Hintz’s injury.

Fantasy Take: Rantanen Moved to Dallas, Gets His Extension

Jake Walman, the other 96, made his Edmonton debut on the right side of an all-left-handed-shot pair with Darnell Nurse. Walman finished with an assist, plus-3, three shots, three blocks, and two hits in 24:40, which was the second-highest icetime total on the team after Nurse. Both Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg missed this game with injuries, so what the Oilers defense will really look like has yet to be determined. I'm guessing Klingberg and Troy Stecher are the odd men out if everyone is healthy. The Oilers did not have a power play in this game, so we have yet to see how Walman fits in there either. The icetime and peripherals coverage seems encouraging as far as him playing a key role, though.  

Fantasy Take: Walman Traded to Edmonton

In the 5-4 win for the Oilers, Zach Hyman scored a pair of goals and added an assist. Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist, with the goal another one to add to his highlight reel.

CONNOR DOING CONNOR THINGS‼️

📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/0gWVKaX7FA

— NHL (@NHL) March 9, 2025

Matt Dumba scored his first goal in 70 games for the Stars. Remember when he was a player you had to have on your fantasy team?

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A day after breaking down when asked about Josh Norris being traded to Buffalo, Brady Tkachuk demonstrated his passion for his team on the ice. Tkachuk scored a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, in the Senators' come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Rangers. In a game with playoff implications for both teams, Tkachuk also contributed his usual peripherals with nine shots and four hits. Tkachuk now has goals in five consecutive games dating back to before the 4 Nations Face-Off.

BRADY TKACHUK SCORES THE OT WINNER IN HIS 500TH GAME! pic.twitter.com/X3WhQ28w6A

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 8, 2025

In his Senators debut, Dylan Cozens registered an assist on Ridly Greig's goal. Cozens played 17:27 while on an even-strength line with Drake Batherson and David Perron and the second power play.

Fantasy Take: Sabres Send Cozens to Senators for Norris

With Adam Fox out, Zac Jones has been elevated to the Rangers' top power play. In four games where he has received over 50 percent of the Rangers' available power-play minutes, Jones has two assists – neither on the power play. Jones was a frequent healthy scratch prior to Fox's injury, so he will need to make good on the opportunity to stay in the lineup. The Rangers also created more competition for minutes on their blueline by acquiring Carson Soucy from Vancouver just before the deadline.

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In the Kraken's 4-1 win over Philadelphia, Matty Beniers scored a goal and added an assist in 19:41 of icetime. The fact that the Kraken were sellers at the deadline might result in additional icetime and power-play time down the stretch for Beniers, as Seattle won't have the kind of depth that it is used to.

In his first start since January 28, Philipp Grubauer stopped 23 of 24 shots in earning his first win of 2025. Grubauer had been recalled from the AHL earlier in the week. Given his league-worst minus-19.62 GSAx, his $5.9 million cap hit for two more seasons after this one, and the emergence of Joey Daccord, Grubauer seems like an offseason buyout candidate.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning were the buyer, and the Boston Bruins were the seller at the trade deadline. Yet the Bruins came out on top on Saturday by a score of 4-0. Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves in picking up his fourth shutout of the season, while Cole Koepke scored two of the Bruins' goals.

Oliver Bjorkstrand appears to be in for a boost in value after being traded to Tampa Bay. Bjorkstrand is on the Bolts' top power play, and he skated on a line with Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel. That seems like a better situation than being one of an infinite number of middle-6 forwards in Seattle. At just 19 percent rostered on Yahoo and 24 percent rostered on Fantrax, Bjorkstrand seems like a player to target. Another reason: Tampa plays four games during the first fantasy playoff week (March 17-23) in many leagues.

Fantasy Take: Lightning Land Gourde and Bjorkstrand in Blockbuster with Kraken

Victor Hedman did not suit up after the Lightning flip-flopped on whether he would play. One of my pet peeves in fantasy hockey is scratches just before game time. I understand that players are testing injuries in warmup and don’t always know before the game whether they are ready to play. But if you're like me, you don't always have time to make a quick substitution. You may not be able to see the entire tweet below, but you can figure out how it played out.

Isn't fantasy hockey wonderful? My last 30 minutes:

🔹 Tampa beat reporters: Hedman is GTD
🔹 Tampa beat reporters: Hedman is on the ice, as expected
🔹 Tampa beat reporters: Hedman looks good to go, Raddysh likely scratched
🔹 Tampa beat reporters: Hedman is IN
🔹 RotoWorld:… pic.twitter.com/wDQXRzPJAi

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) March 8, 2025

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Vitek Vanecek was probably a goalie you were staying away from while he was in San Jose. That could be a different story in Florida, as he posted a 21-save shutout in his Panthers debut against Buffalo. The Panthers are attempting to win the Atlantic Division to avoid a first-round matchup with either Tampa Bay or Toronto, so Sergei Bobrovsky will still likely start the bulk of the games during the final quarter. Vanecek might be a worthwhile streaming option during that time, and he will probably start even more once the Panthers have a better idea what their playoff position will be.

Fantasy Take: Panthers Quickly Address Goaltending by Acquiring Vanecek

In three games with the Panthers, Seth Jones has yet to pick up a point, and he has not bumped Aaron Ekblad from the top power play. However, Jones took four shots in Saturday's game.

Fantasy Take: Jones Get His Wish, Traded to Panthers

Josh Norris made his Sabres debut on Saturday, logging 20 minutes while on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. That’s probably the best place for him to be as far as his fantasy value goes.

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Dustin Wolf made another case for the Calder Trophy on Saturday, stopping all 26 shots in picking up his third shutout of the season. Wolf's 11.65 GSAx is just outside of the top 10 in the league, while he is tied for fourth with several other goalies with 6 steals (new stat on Frozen Tools). Wolf is the main reason the Flames currently sit in a playoff spot – somewhere they didn't expect to be before the season.

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The Brock Nelson acquisition has had an immediate impact on Valeri Nichushkin. In Nelson's debut with Colorado, Nichushkin picked up a hat trick and an assist with a plus-2, five shots, and three hits in a 7-4 win over Toronto. The Nichushkin – Nelson – Jonathan Drouin second line could be one to watch down the stretch. Nelson, by the way, finished with "just" one assist. Drouin scored a goal.

Fantasy Take: Avalanche Acquire Nelson from Islanders

Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals, becoming the first player to reach 100 points this season. Nate Dogg has reached triple-digits in points for three consecutive seasons.

Mitch Marner, who was reportedly asked to waive his no-trade clause (and didn't) in a proposed Rantanen trade, scored two goals in the first period for the Leafs. John Tavares also scored a pair of goals, while Auston Matthews chipped in with three assists.

In his Leafs debut, Scott Laughton centered the third line with Max Domi and Bobby McMann. Laughton was held without a point with a minus-2 in 11:54 of icetime.

Fantasy Take: Leafs Land Laughton

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The Kings are the latest team to give Andrei Kuzmenko a trial. They didn't waste any time finding out whether he can click with their top scorers, placing him on a line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe while also adding him to the top power play. Kuzmenko finished without a point (or much of anything else) in 16 minutes of icetime in the Kings' 2-1 overtime win over St. Louis. Kuzmenko is on the final year of a contract worth $5.5 million, so his stay with the Kings may not last beyond this season anyway. Don't expect consistent scoring, even with this ideal deployment.

Fantasy Impact: King Kuzmenko – Andrei Traded to Los Angeles

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Did you drop Steven Stamkos during his long slump? If you did, you might want to check into his availability again. Stamkos scored all three goals for the Predators with seven shots in their 3-2 win over Chicago. How's this for hot and cold: Stamkos went 13 games without picking up a single point. Since then, Stamkos has four goals and four assists over his last three games. Sometimes, it just takes one positive break for the floodgates to open. For Stamkos, that was Tuesday's game against Boston, when he broke the lengthy slumber with a goal and two assists.

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Jean-Gabriel Pageau was mentioned in trade rumors before the deadline, but he managed to stay put. That decision turned out well for the Islanders, as he scored a goal and added two assists in a 4-2 win over San Jose. With Nelson gone, Pageau has an opportunity to play in more of a scoring role at the center position. That could make him sought after in multicategory leagues, as he consistently provides over a hit per game and a plus-50% faceoff win percentage.

Macklin Celebrini assisted on both Sharks’ goals while firing a career-high 10 shots on goal. The rookie is now flirting with point-per-game numbers (48 PTS in 53 GP). Only 18 years old, Celebrini appears to be on the fast track to stardom.

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