Fantasy Take – Latest NHL Moves

With the way the season has gone, it was obvious that San Jose would be sellers heading into the deadline. They’d had a couple guys already be shipped out when their biggest deal of the day came down: Barclay Goodrow was traded to Tampa Bay, along with a third-round pick this year, in exchange for [...]

The Calgary Flames have traded a third-round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Erik Gustafsson. They also traded a conditional fourth-round pick to Los Angeles for rearguard Derek Forbort. The Flames get: An enigma in Gustafsson. There is no other way to describe it. Gustafsson is either one of the best power-play quarterbacks [...]

In a head-scratcher of a move, Robin Lehner - a starting goaltender - was traded to a team that already has a starting goaltender. The Vegas Golden Knights sent backup Malcolm Subban and prospect defenseman Slava Demin to Chicago in return. Vegas gets: one of the better, and obviously underrated, goaltenders in the league. Until [...]

The Carolina Hurricanes trade prospect Janne Kuokkanen, defenseman Fredrik Claesson and a second-round draft pick to the New Jersey Devils for rearguard Sami Vatanen. They then flipped a first-round pick to the New York Rangers to land defenseman Brady Skjei. The Hurricanes get: A mobile, puck-moving defenseman in Vatanen and a big two-way rearguard in [...]

The Boston Bruins have traded winger Danton Heinen to the Anaheim Ducks straight up for Nick Ritchie. The Bruins get: a budding power forward. And although fantasy owners are losing patience (or have lost patience) with Ritchie taking so long to blossom, the reality is he is right on track. I spoke of this in [...]

The Edmonton Oilers trade Sam Gagner and two second-round draft picks to the Detroit Red Wings for speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou and prospect Ryan Kuffner. The Oilers get: One of the fastest players in the league. Athanasiou is enigmatic in that he has first-line talent but we only see it in spurts. Think playing with [...]

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 [...]

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired veteran winger Patrick Marleau from the San Jose Sharks for a third-round draft pick. If the Penguins win the Stanley Cup, the pick becomes a second rounder. The Penguins get: A former point-per-game forward and eight-time 25-goal scorer. Marleau's production has slowed, dipping from 0.57 points-per-game to 0.45 in 2018-19 [...]

The Colorado Avalanche traded a 2021 fourth-round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for forward Vladislav Namestnikov. The Avalanche get: A versatile and steady forward capable of playing both center and wing, and who historically has complimented scoring-line players as well as chipped in from a checking line. Namestnikov's points-per-game average has been between 0.37 [...]

The Carolina Hurricanes have traded forwards Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark and prospects Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie to the Florida Panthers for center Vincent Trocheck The Hurricanes get: A very good second-line center who has first-line upside. But on a team like this, already with a top young center in Sebastian Aho, Trocheck will of [...]