Lining Up: Bubble Keeper Wingers like Atkinson and Dadonov

Ryan Sheppard

2021-09-07

There was about one week of chaos in this NHL offseason, but other than that it's been pretty quiet. Now, I've had a surprisingly busy summer from a personal standpoint despite never leaving the house, but it really did feel like everything happened at once and nothing since.

After another shortened offseason due to COVID this season seems to be creeping up quicker than anticipated. With that said, let's take a look at some keepers that may be on your radar at the tail end of your list and whether their situation will benefit or hurt them.

Zach Hyman – As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, I had to start with Zach Hyman. While it was a near-certainty he would be leaving the Leafs due to his contract expectations on the open market, it still was sad to see him go. He gave his heart and soul to the Leafs but he has now moved on to the Edmonton Oilers. To be honest, he will be in a very similar role — likely a top line left winger with one of the best players in the game as his center. He may or may not see top power play time regularly but at this kind of money he will certainly get some looks. Hyman was a polarizing player for the Maple Leafs as many either loved him or felt he was overrated. But the fact of the matter is, even if his goal-scoring and point totals were inflated by playing alongside Auston Matthews most of the time, he held his own and looked great doing it. His speed alongside Connor McDavid could be an issue, but that is the case with anybody that plays with McDavid.

Evgenii Dadonov – I am not quite sure what was to be expected with his time in Ottawa, but it was pretty ugly. Dadonov had just 20 points in 55 games — a 0.36 points per game — which was a far cry from his 0.81 points per game in his previous three seasons with the Florida Panthers. He was one and done in Ottawa as he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights where the 32-year-old veteran looks to turn things around. Part of the reason he likely had success in Florida was because of the supporting cast around him allowing him to blend in and do his thing. He was brought into Ottawa to be one of the main guys and it just didn't work out. Playing for Vegas he should be able to go back to just doing his thing as a middle six winger with some time on the second power play unit. I am not entirely sure who he will line up with, as their right side is a bit deeper than the left, I believe he can play both sides. Though, he could end up on the third line given that their top-six is well established as units.

Jaden Schwartz – He has spent his entire career playing for the St. Louis Blues, but Schwartz has had some up-and-down years. However, he has been a pretty reliable player from a fantasy standpoint as a 20-goal, 50-point player when he's healthy. It will be very interesting to see how he does playing for the expansion Seattle Kraken. To say there will be plenty of opportunities for him there is an understatement. This is a team that is unlikely to be very good, though I do like them more than I should. Schwartz was brought in to be a big player for them in their top-6 and likely top power play unit. A lot of Kraken could be slept on this year with many expecting a dumpster fire season. He will likely play on the top line with Alex Wennberg and Jordan Eberle, which could be a low-key solid line.

Mike Hoffman – People forget just how solid of a player Mike Hoffman was for the previous six years of his career before his pretty bad season in St. Louis last season. He had definitely stabilized himself as a 25+-goal scorer that flirted with 60 points each season and he did that in both Ottawa and Florida. He now lands in Montreal on a team that has consistently been on the search for a goal-scorer. With Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher and Tyler Toffoli already there and now Hoffman, their goal-scoring could really sky-rocket this season. Now, Hoffman could be sheltered at even strength but his presence on the power play will give him added value. He will probably end up on the second line with Brendan Gallagher on his other wing.

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Cam Atkinson – The Philadelphia Flyers have a very good top-6 and Cam Atkinson should fit right in. Atkinson had a couple incredible goal-scoring seasons in Columbus with a 35-goal campaign and even a 41-goal campaign, despite never cracking 70 points. His last two seasons have not been great though it's tough to blame anybody for anything over the last two shortened seasons. While Atkinson will unlikely return to being a 30-plus goal scorer in Philadelphia, there is certainly a path here for him to turn things back around as he likely has a better supporting cast, both at even strength and on the power play, compared to the last couple seasons in Columbus. In all likelihood he will play on the second line with Kevin Hayes and the blossoming Joel Farabee.

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