This article is part of our From the Press Box series.
Mark Giordano needs season-ending surgery on a torn biceps tendon. He's the Flames' best player and leading scorer. How do they work around this?
They are built on getting their defense to lead the rush. They still have T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell as solid puck-movers but Giordano is the team's leader; his leadership will be just as hard to replace as much as his skills at both ends of the ice. The Flames won't replace his intangibles, but these three teammates will see increased roles the rest of this season.
Keith Yandle is now a Ranger. Was does the move east do to his value?
He should be energized by the chance for a long playoff run. He immediately becomes the PP QB here as an upgrade to Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein. A power play that features Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis now has a bigger threat from the point. The three solid offensive d-men on this roster are a luxury that few playoff foes will be able to match.
James Wisniewski moves to the Ducks. How much does that improve the blueliner's outlook?
Wisniewski has 26 points, second highest for Anaheim's defensemen. This club now has four blue liners who have more than 25 points this season. He is a very solid guy with a pair of 50+ point seasons on his resume. I think a deep Ducks team just got a whole lot stronger. Fantasy owners should make note that his
Mark Giordano needs season-ending surgery on a torn biceps tendon. He's the Flames' best player and leading scorer. How do they work around this?
They are built on getting their defense to lead the rush. They still have T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell as solid puck-movers but Giordano is the team's leader; his leadership will be just as hard to replace as much as his skills at both ends of the ice. The Flames won't replace his intangibles, but these three teammates will see increased roles the rest of this season.
Keith Yandle is now a Ranger. Was does the move east do to his value?
He should be energized by the chance for a long playoff run. He immediately becomes the PP QB here as an upgrade to Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein. A power play that features Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis now has a bigger threat from the point. The three solid offensive d-men on this roster are a luxury that few playoff foes will be able to match.
James Wisniewski moves to the Ducks. How much does that improve the blueliner's outlook?
Wisniewski has 26 points, second highest for Anaheim's defensemen. This club now has four blue liners who have more than 25 points this season. He is a very solid guy with a pair of 50+ point seasons on his resume. I think a deep Ducks team just got a whole lot stronger. Fantasy owners should make note that his Anaheim debut will be delayed a week or two with a bone bruise on his foot.
Zbynek Michalek is now in St. Louis. A good move in the real world, but does it change Michalek's outlook in fantasy?
Michalek comes into a deep defensive corps as a third-pairing guy at best. This looks like a move that a team makes when they expect a deep playoff run. It's a two-month trek through the postseason and he gives the Blues some veteran insurance against injury to another member of the rearguard. Don't count on him for big offensive totals just because he's on a much better team. His best offensive days are behind him; he is just being asked to play a safer game here.
Chris Stewart has been dealt to the Wild. Will the move finally wake him up after such a down season?
He is going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer and gets a chance to restore his early-career image as a power forward, who twice scored 28 goals. He has been suffering through a lost season in Buffalo where he lost some of the motivation in his game. Now he's in the playoff run in Minnesota. Stewart should find a new lease on his hockey life with this opportunity.
Motown Moves
Detroit is headed for their 24th straight postseason and they made a couple of moves to bring in more veteran savvy into their roster.
Eric Cole has had a nice year with 18 goals and 33 points for Dallas before being dealt to Detroit. He has a shot at a key role with the Wings, as there is some doubt about Johan Franzen's health with a concussion issue that could sideline him for the rest of this season. Cole will be that veteran big-body presence who should find regular playing duty on the Detroit power play as well as a top-six forward role, surrounded by loads of talent up front.
Marek Zidlicky has long been known as a proficient offensive defenseman, and the Wings could sure use another one of those to fall in behind lynchpin Niklas Kronwall. He has been a consistent point-producer, with six seasons of at least 40 points during his 11 years in the NHL. Zidlicky will boost an already potent Detroit power play, but his greater value will be in taking on minutes that have been going to some inexperienced blueliners. That means they will be able to distribute minutes more appropriately and keep those depth players away from the most stressful situations.
Antoine Vermette/Kimmo Timonen with the Blackhawks
The Hawks' deal that brought in Timonen was a nice response to the loss of Patrick Kane, who will likely be out for the entire playoffs, even if they get back to the finals. Timonen is apparently fully recovered from his multiple blood clot issue in his legs. He gives a deep Chicago blue line yet another experienced puck-moving defenseman. That depth normally comes in handy for teams that make it to the final stages of the two-month playoff marathon. Vermette, 32, is a potential UFA this summer. He is a versatile veteran forward who can play center or wing and is also an excellent skater who will be a nice fit in the up-tempo Chicago attack. I think he will get an immediate look as the center of their second line.
The Maple Leafs Deal Two Pending UFAs for More Assets
The Leafs are apparently in rebuild mode and they were able to parlay two expiring contracts into future assets. First, they flipped Olli Jokinen, whom they had acquired only two weeks ago, to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Joakim Lindstrom (another expiring contract) and a conditional sixth-round pick that will become a fourth-rounder if Jokinen plays a part in an extended playoff run for the Blues. In a similar move, they sent defenseman Korbinian Holzer to the Ducks in exchange for the expiring contract of Eric Brewer and a fifth-round draft pick.
All told, Toronto made enough deals to retrieve five picks that they can use in the next two amateur drafts. It sure helps that they were able to take back so many contracts that will only cost this rich franchise some loose change over the next few weeks.
They are apparently following the Buffalo Sabres model, as their Atlantic division rivals have already accumulated a similar number of selections that will position them to dominate the early rounds at the upcoming draft tables.
Montreal Gets Another Puck-Moving Blueliner…Will He be Worth the Trouble?
The Canadiens are clearly a top contender in the Eastern conference and were on the lookout for another offensive-minded blueliner to fit into a defensivee corps that drops off quickly after the top pairing of P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov. They were able to get Jeff Petry out of Edmonton in the hopes of filling that need. He was thought to have a high ceiling since he was a second round pick by the Oilers in 2006, but he has never approached those expectations, bottoming out with 15 points and an ugly minus-25 rating. The Habs have to hope that their deeper roster and better overall structure will lead to a much better output from this enigmatic rearguard. The cost to acquire him was a second-round and a conditional fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Penguins Will Find Out If You Can Go Home Again
In one of the surprising deals of the day, Pittsburgh brought in Ben Lovejoy back to the team that he broke into the NHL with back in 2008. He is not being brought in for anything other than a dependable veteran who will be a good fit on the third defensive pairing. The price to get him, from the Ducks, was Simon Despres, whose size and toughness was a scarce commodity with the Penguins. He was also showing a decent offensive upside with 17 points in 59 games despite little involvement with the Pens' power play. He seems to fit the prototype of a deep and physical Anaheim squad.
So the upshot of these moves could be good for fantasy owners of players who have moved onto better NHL teams. These and other players who are now headed for an unexpected playoff appearance have a chance to impress their new teams and get a new contract. They will all require attention from fantasy owners who get to make a second evaluation of them under these new circumstances.
