0.26 (D.W.)

0.50 (J.W.)

0.87 (D.W.)

1.76 (J.W.)

2.17 (D.W.)

1.60 (J.W.)

2.04 (D.W.)

2.06 (J.W.)

0.28 (D.W.)

0.16 (J.W.)

2011-12

0.56 (D.W.)

0.77 (J.W.)

1.38 (D.W.)

1.04 (J.W.)

1.61 (D.W.)

1.54 (J.W.)

2.13 (D.W.)

2.06 (J.W.)

0.24 (D.W.)

0.25 (J.W.)

The mystery deepens for Wideman, as his Shots have been flat and his highest PP Points per game output came in one of his two down seasons (2012-13). Beyond that, we see he's a solid multi-cat contributor who can normally be expected to contribute not only about one PIM per two games and more than one Hit per game, but also significant Blocked Shots, where he sits ninth overall for 2014-15 thus far and finished 19th in 2012-13.

Wisniewski is no slouch in most of these categories either, generally averaging between two or three Hits plus Blocks per game. His Shots per game also has been pretty consistent, but not his PP Points, where during 2013-14 he produced more than one per every three games, resulting in 28 PP Points (third among all NHL d-men) and a scoring rate of 5.59 points per 60 minutes of 5×4 (fifth among the 85 defensemen who played 100+ minutes of 5×4 that season). While we haven't seen Wisniewski's 5×4 IPP for 2013-14, it's looking more and more like we can expect it to have been unsustainably high.

Luck-Based Metrics

And there we have it – Wisniewski's 2013-14 IPP tied him for second in the entire NHL among the 85 rearguards who played 100+ minutes at 5×4. Not only that – it would've put him 8th among forwards who played at least 100 minutes at 5×4 that season!

And the statistical impact was significant, since it meant Wisniewski had a point on 24 of 29 goals scored while he was on the ice for 5×4 (his other four PP points came at 5×3 or 4×3). If his IPP at 5×4 had been 60% (i.e., the average of what it was in these other three seasons), then his PP Points would've dipped by seven, and with that his season output from 51 points to only 44, which is much closer to his 42.8 points scoring pace over the other three seasons.

Wideman's numbers continue to confound, as all that really sticks out are his 62.2% Offensive Zone Starting % in 2013-14, which was sixth highest among d-men who played 40+ games, and his 78.6% IPP at 5×4 in 2013-14, which was 11th among d-men who played 50+ minutes at 5×4 that season. But those two seasons were his two least productive among these four!

One interesting note about Wideman is that with the emergence of T.J. Brodie in 2014-15 as a top pairing defender to go along with Mark Giordano, those two are shouldering tougher minutes that might've otherwise gone to Wideman. Look no further than their Offensive Zone Starting percentages for the 2014-15 season, as Giordano's is down to 42.5% (from 44.1% in 2013-14) and Brodie's is 41.7% (from 41.9% in 2013-14). There's no reason to think these trends will reverse next season, which in turn means we should see Wideman's Offensive Zone Starting % remain above 50% as Calgary continues to lean on Brodie and Mark Giordano to occupy a key shutdown role.

Value and Injuries

In Yahoo leagues, Wisniewski was drafted, on average, as the 22nd defenseman, compared to 51st for Wideman. Fast forward to now and both are owned in 71% of Yahoo leagues; but it's been somewhat of a flip-flop in ranking, with Wisniewski now rated 40th and Wideman 26th. We can expect Wisniewski's ownership numbers to get a bump in the aftermath of his trade to Anaheim, resulting in him having a higher perceived value as well.

Wideman has missed more than seven games in a season once (in 2013-14) since his rookie campaign. But he's no iron man either, as his average number of games played in his first six seasons was 75.5. As for Wisniewski, he's every bit a Band-Aid Boy, as only twice has he ever missed fewer than 11 games in a season and since becoming an NHL regular in 2007-08 he's missed an average of 18 games per season. But with any luck, he'll only miss ten or so this year between the five Blue Jacket games he sat out and his current injury, which is projected to only cost him a week or two.

Who Wins?

This match is an example of how fantasy value can hinge other players. The emergence of T.J. Brodie has led to best of both worlds type of situation for Wideman in that he's still been able to maintain coveted PP Ice Time yet now has an easier role at 5×5. In contrast, Wisniewski – an injury-prone rearguard who lucked into his 2013-14 output and now has a higher perceived value than deserved – had begun to take on a much lesser role with Columbus due to strong play from their younger defensemen, and will likely have to deal with more of the same in Anaheim. Wideman is the winner in all league formats.

If you own Wisniewski in a keeper league, you'll want to seriously consider flipping him before the start of next season. As we saw from the data above, he's is a 40-45 point player when luck isn't smiling upon him; and that's if – always a big if in his case – he manages to stay healthy for anything resembling a full season. Given that he was just dealt to a team that gets a lot of fantasy attention, which will help inflate Wisniewski's perceived value, you'd likely be best served seizing upon post-trade hype to deal him before next season, when the Ducks figure to prioritize giving even more productive minutes to the likes of Fowler, Vatanen, and Lindholm over Wisnewski.

As for Wideman, it would be hard not to at least explore selling high if he manages to post 50 points this season, since the chances of him doing that again on Calgary are low. But you can't be faulted for holding onto him instead, as he looks to be a decent bet for 45 points per season while on this Calgary team and he's not given the fantasy respect he deserves, which means you likely won't get proper value for him in return.