Buffalo has gone 6-2-0 in their last eight games to climb within six points of a playoff spot, and the GM has gone out and added Wayne Simmonds from New Jersey to bolster the roster. The Devils added a conditional fifth-round pick in the exchange.
Simmonds is a free agent after this season and has eight goals on the year.
To the Sabres
Presumably, Sam Reinhart is locked into the top-line role with Jack Eichel, which means Simmonds is no higher than the second line. Not being able to get to the top line in Buffalo is a death-knell for fantasy value – let's ask Jeff Skinner how his season's going, shall we? Maybe Simmonds adds a minute to his TOI which would, in theory, lead to more peripherals. He's still very much useful in leagues that count PIMs and hits. In leagues that don't? Waiver fodder. His impacts across the board over the last three years are in the negative. It's hard to see a bounce-back here. Is he an improvement over Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues, or Zemgus Girgensons? I doubt it. Even if he is, it would be marginal. If anyone wants to talk about adding a veteran presence, go ahead; they have just six players on the current roster under the age of 25, and many of them are the team's best players (Eichel, Reinhart, Dahlin, Olofsson). They don't need more veterans with experience, they need talent. There's also the chance they stick him on the second PP unit, which is a downgrade for him. That could hurt Conor Sheary, though, as Simmonds would probably take his role on the second PP unit.
This does open up things for the Devils, at least on the power play. I'm not sure that Joey Anderson jumping from the fourth the third line moves the needle at all, but Simmonds had been skating on the team's top PP unit of late. The guy who had rotated in for him at times on that top PP unit? Nick Merkley. Now, again, I'm not sure how much additional fantasy value Merkley has just going from New Jersey's second PP unit to the top PP unit if he's stuck on the third line, but it's additional value nonetheless. He should be a winner here if they keep him on the top PP unit.
Who this helps
Nick Merkley
Joey Anderson
Who this hurts
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