Discussing the Art Ross race, Backstrom ties for the league lead, and more…

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I did a radio spot for Fantasy Sports Network yesterday. I'll throw up a link to the audio if I can track it down. I bring this up because the NBA trade deadline was yesterday and they got so busy with all the moves that they had to push my spot back by 20 minutes. I only hope that the NHL deadline is just as wild. For some perspective, if you aren't tuned into the NBA and what went down yesterday, 9% of players in the league changed hands in one day. If that went down in the NHL we'd see over 50 players change teams. Don't hold your breath.

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Check out Justin Bourne on the six candidates still in the race for the Art Ross trophy. He has Patrick Kane finishing one back of Sidney Crosby for the trophy, which may in fact kill me if it happens given my $10 bet on Kane at 35/1 to win the trophy prior to the season.

Figured I'd lead with this considering five of the six contenders were in action last night.

Bourne has Nicklas Backstrom as a contender but not in his top-two. Maybe time to change that after Backstrom's hot date with Ondrej Pavelec. Three points for Backstrom vaults him into a tie for first in league scoring with Kane. You could have had Backstrom at 50/1 prior to the season, in case you are wondering.

Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin are tearing teams apart right now. Ovechkin also made the list but ranks well back for Art Ross contention. He's got the Rocket Richard trophy on lockdown though. His 38^th goal of the season keeps him two up on Rick Nash (who also scored last night) and given Ovechkin's pedigree we might as well hand him the trophy with that kind of lead.

The Jets were absolutely playing with fire giving the Capitals six power play chances. They ceded three goals on those chances. Can't give the Capitals any rope right now.

To be perfectly honest, I was kind of writing Backstrom and Ovechkin off in the Art Ross race as well. Not that I didn't think that they'd be around, just that I had them at a lower tier. Stupid thinking on my part though. Both have 100-point history and it won't even take 100 to win this year's Art Ross.

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Tyler Myers has enjoyed his Jets experience so far with four points and 13 SOG in four games. He's not a top power play guy for Winnipeg, sitting behind Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom on the depth chart so I'm not sure that this run continues. Perhaps a mini opportunity to sell high following the trade and instant results.

The Jets damn near saw their season go up in a puff of smoke as Blake Wheeler was hobbled blocking a shot. Thankfully he was able to return and finish the game. They are banged up enough as it is. He goes down, they may as well start thinking about next season.

Word is that the Jets are shopping Alexander Burmistrov around for help at the deadline. Obviously teams would only be interested in Burmistrov if he actually returns. I could see him willing to come back to a non-Winnipeg destination. Sorry Winnipeg but you popped up in the top-two (along with Edmonton) for destinations most frequently found on no-trade lists.

That link is to a Deadspin article, which links to the actual poll on ESPN but it's an ESPN Insider article and there's no way I'm paying for that (too much quality content available for free elsewhere) so I didn't link to the actual ESPN article itself.

Back to Burmistrov. His KHL numbers (63 points in 105 games) are underwhelming and he never really got off the ground in three years in the NHL either. Makes me question how much of a fantasy impact he'd make if he actually returned. Wouldn't be rushing out to add him.

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