In fantasy we're rightly attuned to players doing better than they should due to the team they're on, but what about the other side of the coin? We know, for example, from Tyler Toffoli's brief time in Vancouver, there must be players who, if only they were traded, could do much better than they have been. I realize that a recent edition of the Fantasy Top Ten by Tom Collins (about players who are most in need of a fresh start) touched upon this subject, but let's delve deeper.

Below is a list of 20 players whom I believe could stand to benefit considerably, and right away, if they were traded to a new team. Of course, in many cases, there's no way they'll actually be traded; however, for purposes of this poll, let's say there was a universe in which they could be traded to a better situation, fantasy-wise. The only players excluded from being voting choices were (1) those on Tom's list, (2) goalies, and (3) skaters who have yet to already appear in 100+ NHL games.

Also, since arguably all 20 could do better on another team, you should vote for the top five you think could most benefit by a trade, in terms of improvement in their stats for 2020-21. In other words, for purposes of this poll let's assume they'd be traded this offseason and that you should assess them in terms of how much better they'd do just in 2020-21 if they were, in fact, traded to an ideal landing spot versus if they stayed stuck where they are now.

Here now are the 20 voting choices, listed in alphabetical order. A link to the voting poll is at the end of the column.

Mathew Barzal – Surprised to see Barzal on the list? Sure, he's by far the top forward for the Islanders. But he's a supreme talent on a team not built for offensive firepower. It's not difficult to imagine him being a 90+ point player on nearly any other team.

Jakob Chychrun – The Coyotes thought enough of Chychrun to have him stay in the NHL as an 18-year old, and then, at age 20, to sign him to a six year deal at a cap hit of $4.6M. But in terms of fantasy he's been a disappointment, although it's not his fault since he hasn't been able to crack PP1 and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, signed through 2026-27, looks to be standing in the way of his success, making it tantalizing to imagine Chychrun on a new team.

Vince Dunn – We've seen from Dunn that he has offensive flair and could be a scorer if given the opportunity. That hasn't happened as yet, what with Alex Pietrangelo commanding all the PP1 time. It might be that Pietrangelo signs elsewhere; yet if that happens, who's to say the team doesn't look to Justin Faulk, whom they signed for big money, to step in for Pietrangelo rather than the arguably more deserving Dunn? Picturing Dunn on a new team is definitely intriguing.

Nikolaj Ehlers – Oozing with talent, Ehlers has been stuck on the second line both at even strength and the PP in Winnipeg. For him to put up the numbers he has despite this, only serves to show he great he likely could be if moved to a team that would give him top minutes.

Filip Forsberg – Still only 25, it feels like Forsberg has been in the NHL forever. And yet here we are still waiting for him to fulfill what was considered limitless potential only a few seasons ago. Picturing him on a team that has a more wide-open offense and better line mates, one can only wonder just how great he could be.

Brendan Gallagher – He shoots a ton and is an integral part of the Canadiens offense. But it's an offense not built for high scoring, what with Claude Julien at the helm. Put Gallagher in the right situation on another team and could he score 40 goals?  Even more?

Samuel Girard – No one doubted that Cale Makar would put up strong numbers, but probably not this great and this soon. And lurking in the wings is Bowen Byram, another superb prospect. Girard looks to be the odd man out; yet with his talent, he likely could thrive elsewhere.

Kasperi Kapanen – When there's an injury to someone in the top six, the Leafs turn to Kapanen, who steps in and shows he has the talent to produce. But then it's a ticket back to the bottom six, where he does okay but not great. It would be intriguing to see him moved to a new team where he could strut his stuff in a more prominent role.

Evgeny Kuznetsov – When Nicklas Backstrom re-signed with Washington, the collective groan you heard was from Kuznetsov owners, who knew his path to becoming the top pivot on the Caps was derailed. On another team though, he could be a true #1 center and likely thrive.

Mike Matheson – Another d-man, like Chychrun, who was inked to a very early and lucrative long-term deal. Yet here we are a few seasons later and Matheson is stuck behind Keith Yandle, who gets all the PP1 time, and Aaron Ekblad, who took strides to becoming a true #1 d-man this season. On another team one has to think Matheson could be doing a lot more.

Josh Morrissey – Before the Jets handed the PP1 reins to Neal Pionk, Morrissey seemed to be doing well in the role. But with a depleted blueline and Morrissey best equipped to step into a shutdown role, that's where he was slotted. And he still produced! If put on another team, and given plum minutes, he likely could be doing great things right away.

Darnell Nurse – We saw in 2018-19 that Nurse has the tools to be a scoring rearguard when he stepped in while Oscar Klefbom was injured. But Klefbom was back in 2019-20 and logged huge PP minutes, leaving Nurse with scraps. And to make matters worse the team has Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard ready to make their marks, all but assuring that Nurse assumes a shutdown role, which is a shame since who knows what he could do if given a chance to be "the guy."

Dmitry Orlov – He puts up SOG and has a nose for offense. But he's not a right-handed shot; and on Washington, that means he's not put on the ice with Alexander Ovechkin very much. With the flashes of scoring Orlov has shown, one can only envision how well he'd perform on another team that would let him step into a more offensive role.

Colton Parayko – Perhaps a victim of his own talent, Parayko's abilities at his own end of the ice have relegated him to a largely defensive-focused role, which is a shame since he has a potent shot and has given us enough glimpses to suggest he could be a scoring d-man. On another team he could be the entire package.

Ryan Pulock – Once among the most highly touted defensemen prospects, it was seemingly just a question of when – not if – Pulock would explode. But not being given a PP1 role, plus being stuck on the low tempo Islanders, is hampering Pulock's scoring. His owners can only dream a trade might someday occur. Speaking of defensemen and trades…

Rasmus Ristolainen – With Rasmus Dahlin showing he's perhaps even better than advertised, Risto is an afterthought when it comes to blue line offense, which is a shame since we know he can shoot and run a PP. On the right team he could be Shea Weber 2.0.

Travis Sanheim – Think Matheson, except in this case Keith Yandle is Shayne Gostisbehere and Aaron Ekblad is Ivan Provorov. Sanheim is too good not to be able to shine elsewhere.

Tyler Seguin – Stuck on a low tempo team with aging and broken-down wingers, Seguin is not good enough to make it all happen himself. On a new team with a better supporting case, he likely could be doing great things.

Mikhail Sergachev – Oozing with the tools to succeed as an offensive-minded defenseman, what is standing in his way? Just Victor Hedman, one of the top defensemen in the world. Tampa Bay has the luxury of not needing to lean on Sergachev; but if he was on a team which could benefit from his talent, then that talent likely would be on full display and right away.

Jacob Trouba – Signed to a huge contract, poolies envisioned Trouba parlaying his outstanding 2018-19 into even better things for 2019-20 and beyond. That was before the emergence of Tony DeAngelo and Adam Fox, which left Trouba to be a defensive defenseman. Chances are he's stuck in that role, which is a shame since one can imagine how well he could produce if untethered and once again given plum deployment.

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There you have it – 20 players who, in my mind, would likely all see their fantasy stock rise for 2020-21 if only they were on a new team. It's up to you to pick the five who you think would most benefit in 2020-21 if they were traded to an ideal landing spot this offseason. To cast your votes, click here..

Questions for Mailbag column

I'm on vacation next week, which means the next mailbag column will be in two weeks. And as is so happens, I still have room to answer a few more questions. To get your questions to me, you can either private message “rizzeedizzee” via DobberHockey Forums or, instead, send an email to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.