The purpose of Friday afternoon news drops is to try to push through major (bad) news at a time when very few people might be paying attention. However, Friday afternoon's trade definitely rocked the hockey world.

The Quinn Hughes trade rumors had ramped up over the past week to the point where a deal this season seemed inevitable. I just didn't think it would be this week. But in case you missed it, Hughes is now a member of the Wild, with a trio of young players (Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren) and a 2026 first-round pick headed to Vancouver.

I wrote quite a few words about the trade in the Fantasy Take, so I'll just add that this is a rough day to be a Canucks fan. By trading arguably the most talented player in team history and unquestionably the best defenseman in team history, Canucks management dropped the ball on surrounding Hughes with the right mix of players and selling him on remaining a Canuck through his prime years. The return should give Canucks fans a glimmer of hope for the future, especially if it means they'll shift toward a proper rebuild instead of win-now moves to simply make the playoffs. However, this trade means they'll have to be patient for a while longer.  

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Earlier in the day, the Penguins and Oilers swapped goalies, with the Oilers acquiring Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin from the Penguins for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick. Mike Clifford wrote the official Fantasy Take for this deal.

In the end, Skinner wasn't the modern-day Grant Fuhr or Bill Ranford – a goalie that could backstop a high-octane Oilers squad to a Stanley Cup. Now that responsibility turns to Jarry. The question is whether Jarry is truly an upgrade over Skinner, or whether the Oilers are simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. If looking at this season's stats, then this seems like an upgrade, albeit not a major one. If the comparison extends into last season and even before that, I'm not so sure.

My personal opinions aside, these two goalies are very similar stats-wise according to the Frozen Tools Goalie Compare. In other words, one low-end starting goalie is being traded for another. It may then come down to the Oilers simply needing to make a change for the sake of making a change. What's interesting is that Jarry could have been claimed for free off waivers last season, so an argument could be made that the Penguins are selling high.

Coincidentally, Jarry and Skinner are similarly rostered in Yahoo leagues (just above 60%). Of the two, I'd pick Jarry simply because I think he'll win more games over the rest of the season. But if his stats resemble Skinner's within a defensive system that needs improvement, we're talking empty-calorie wins (ie. mid to poor ratios) with about a 50/50 chance of a quality start. Do with that what you will.

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There was actual hockey played on Friday, although it only consisted of two games. I'll start with the most important news, which might normally be the headline if not for a trade or two.  

Connor Bedard injured his right shoulder at the very end of the Chicago/St. Louis game. Bedard was in the faceoff circle with Brayden Schenn and got pushed back. Following the game, coach Jeff Blashill said that Bedard will not play on Saturday with the next update coming on Monday. This doesn't sound good if he will already miss the next game, so it might be best to look for Bedard replacements for not only today but also next week. Blashill described it as a "freak accident", which makes sense. Bedard missing extended time would be a tough break, as he has taken a big step forward toward superstardom this season.

Bedard assisted on both Chicago goals in this game, while Andre Burakovsky scored a goal and added an assist. Wyatt Kaiser scored the other Blackhawks goal.

Justin Faulk, Matt Luff, and Logan Mailloux each scored for the Blues, while Robert Thomas registered two assists. Mailloux's goal was his first of the season and his first as a Blue.

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In the other game, Utah skated to a 5-3 victory over Seattle. Nick Schmaltz finished with a goal and two assists, while Kevin Stenlund recorded three assists. Schmaltz has been a streaky player this season, starting off with 22 points in 19 games before an eight-game point drought. Now he is back on track with seven points in his last six games.

Mason Marchment scored two of the goals for the Kraken, doubling his season goal total. Marchment also broke a six-game point drought with the pair of goals. He also took six shots in this game, giving him 12 shots over his last four games.  

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The Top 100 Roto Rankings will be updated for December in a few days. In the meantime, leave me your feedback on who you think should go up or down the rankings, as well as who is missing and who shouldn't be there.

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Here is something to help you maximize your end-of-week push for your head-to-head matchup.

Teams with games on both Saturday and Sunday: Carolina, Edmonton, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

I feel compelled to discuss the Carolina goaltending situation. There are clear benefits to rostering goalies on stronger teams such as the Hurricanes. However, timeshare situations can reduce the value of each goalie due to the limited number of starts. The Canes have taken this one step further to confuse you with a three-headed monster of Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, and Brandon Bussi. The multiple injuries of Kochetkov combined with the general injury proneness of Andersen has led to the necessity for Bussi to remain on the roster all season. With a 10-1-0 record and solid ratios (2.07 GAA, .909 SV%), Bussi might be here to stay – even if it means the Canes carry three goalies the rest of the way. Rostered in about a third of Yahoo leagues and less than half of Fantrax leagues, Bussi is worth adding where available.

Any half-serious Quinn Hughes trade proposal involving the Devils had to include Simon Nemec. There's no need to expand on that any further now that Hughes is traded, but I will say that perhaps Nemec has been paying attention to the scuttlebutt this week to prove he should be an indispensable member of the Devils. Nemec followed up a goal against Ottawa on Tuesday with two assists against Tampa Bay on Thursday, totaling eight shots over the two games. Those who pay close attention to the power-play formations will have also noticed that Nemec has been moved onto the top power play over Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes this week, with Nemec also recording his first power-play point of the year this week. Nemec is still rostered in fewer than a third of Yahoo leagues, so add him where available. 

Lost in the Friday trade for the Penguins was the fact that Rickard Rakell has been activated from IR. Rakell has produced at a 70-point pace dating back to last season, and he should rejoin Sidney Crosby's line as well as the top power play. Rakell is rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues already, but he is worth looking up if he happens to be available.

Teams with no games on either Saturday or Sunday: St. Louis

Cam Fowler's value increased in a major way after he was traded to the Blues last season (36 PTS in 51 GP). Yet so far, Fowler has 12 points in 33 games. He might still be the Blues' best power-play option on defense, as seven of those 12 points have been with the man advantage. Still, if you need to make room on your roster for a streamer or a player you can't live without (or need to downsize with a player coming off IR), Fowler might be the odd man out. It's clear that he has been impacted by the Blues' struggles this season, while his production last season may have been more of a product of their second-half run toward a playoff spot.

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