As promised, it's a little different this week for Hutch's Hockey. After the Friday trade deadline, it's time to take a look at where the dust settled, with the fantasy impacts for each NHL-level move. Prospects are likely to be mentioned, but for the purposes of this recap, the rest-of-season impact for redraft formats is prioritized over the long-term implications in dynasty. Since there was a lot of movement Friday, I'll forgo the waiver-wire outlook for the week and focus on the changes created by the trades.
Blockbusters
Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith to the Hurricanes, Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius and two picks to the Penguins: This was the big move of the deadline, both with the quality of the players on the move and the quantity. For Guentzel and Bunting, the two clear-cut NHLers in the deal, I'm saying this is pretty close to a win-win. Guentzel is getting very close to returning from an upper-body injury, and I'm cautiously optimistic he'll fit in just fine as the first-line left wing alongside Sebastian Aho. I say cautiously because we've yet to really see Guentzel sans Sidney Crosby or outside of the Penguins' system. The Hurricanes are a better team by far, but Guentzel will have to adjust, plus he's coming off of an injury.
For Bunting, the question marks are less prominent. We've seen Bunting in a variety of roles before, from middle-six grinder with the Coyotes to riding alongside Auston Matthews in Toronto. Given an opportunity to play alongside a star, Bunting has found success, and he even looked good at times with the Hurricanes this year despite moving around the lineup a lot. He's come up empty in two games with the Penguins since the trade, but I like the idea of Bunting sharing even-strength and power-play ice time in Guentzel's old spot alongside Crosby.
Among the prospects exchanged here, Ponomarev has the best chance of getting to the NHL this year. He's a defensive playmaker that could take on bottom-six minutes when the Penguins fully throw in the towel on the season. I would love to see Smith get a look in the NHL again, and I'm surprised the Penguins didn't give it to him, but the Hurricanes' stacked blue line won't make it easy. Koivunen is in the Finnish league and likely a year or two away from the NHL. Lucius plays for the University of Wisconsin, and while he's got a solid scoring touch, he's probably peaking at a middle-six NHL role in the future.
Tomas Hertl (knee) and two picks to the Golden Knights, David Edstrom and a pick to the Sharks: This makes my blockbuster tier not for size but for shock factor. Hertl, with six full years left on his contract, looked like a sure thing to stay with the Sharks as their veteran leader through the rebuilding years. Instead, he'll just stay on their books for the remainder of his deal while the Golden Knights get him at a reasonable $6.75 million cap hit. As usual, the Golden Knights are pushing the limits of what teams can do to build a roster -- and count me in the camp where that's good for the sport. Hertl should be a top-six fixture for the Golden Knights as long as he's with the team, filling a role as a defensively responsible forward capable of playing center or wing as needed. Once he returns from his knee injury, Hertl is a direct upgrade over Chandler Stephenson, who could be out the door as a free agent following the season.
A quick note on Edstrom: his path to the NHL is a lot faster in San Jose than it would have been in Vegas, but he's probably still a year or two away.
Significant Impacts
Noah Hanifin to the Golden Knights, Daniil Miromanov to the Flames in a three-team deal: While not quite a blockbuster, Hanifin to the Golden Knights is a great move. Once again, they swung big, landed their target and addressed an immediate need with an upgrade rather than a call-up. Alec Martinez (undisclosed) is out for an undetermined amount of time, and the Golden Knights will have no need to rush him back with a younger, more offensively talented option in Hanifin on the roster. Hanifin is the middle-ground between the team's other two top defensemen -- he's got more defensive chops than Shea Theodore and a better scoring touch than Alex Pietrangelo, coupled with the ability to handle top-four minutes with ease. Add in the upgrade in team situation, and Hanifin's a sneaky-good fantasy target for the rest of the season, and longer if he can sign the extension that was rumored around the time of the trade.
For Miromanov, this trade is a fresh start. The Flames' approach to the deadline can be summed up as trading quality pending free agents for a quantity of depth defensemen, prospects and picks. It's fair to argue that they didn't do that great, but at least they'll have plenty of options to fill out bottom-four minutes the rest of the way. Look for Miromanov to play on the third pairing, but he could also be an option on the second power-play unit. At best, Miromanov could become the Flames' third-best defenseman behind Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar, but I'm bearish on his ability to make a fantasy impact.
Tyler Toffoli to the Jets for two picks: Let's make one thing clear -- the Devils' problems had very little to do with Toffoli's play. He had 44 points in 61 contests with the team, benefiting from a top-six role while still serving as a power-play stud. Toffoli is a very strong supporting player and has no trouble holding his own next to elite forwards. He's yet to make his Jets debut, but fantasy managers who can afford to wait should reap the benefits, especially with Winnipeg fighting for the top of the Central Division. There's no change in role for Toffoli here, so he should be a safe fantasy option the rest of the way.
Vladimir Tarasenko to the Panthers for two picks: If the Panthers win the Stanley Cup, this could very well be the trade of the year. Tarasenko only wanted to play for Florida, which lowered his acquisition cost. He had a respectable 41 points in 57 outings for the Senators and made a huge impact with two goals and an assist in his second game with the Panthers. I'm a little nervous for Tarasenko's impact on the rest of the team -- he's been on the top line, but on the left wing after playing as a right wing for the majority of his career. I won't complain too much, as a spot alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart is money, but fantasy managers of Evan Rodrigues (lower body), Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen should be worried about their rest-of-season stats. In Ottawa, Tarasenko's departure means a larger role for Mathieu Joseph.
Anthony Mantha to the Golden Knights for two picks: The first of the Golden Knights' moves chronologically, acquiring Mantha from the Capitals is a savvy move to strengthen an injury-ravaged team. Mantha is no Mark Stone (spleen), but he's a capable middle-six winger with a good shot. He's come up empty in his first two games with the Golden Knights, but he put up 20 goals and 14 assists in 56 outings with the scoring-challenged Capitals prior to the trade. I'm not actively seeking out Mantha for fantasy, but I like him in this spot.
Anthony Duclair to the Lightning, Jack Thompson to the Sharks: It wouldn't be a trade deadline without a splash from the Lightning, who definitely needed a scoring boost to help them keep pace in the wild-card race. Just a month ago, Duclair would have raised some eyebrows, but he had 10 points over 10 games following the All-Star break and added two points in his Lightning debut Saturday. Duclair's speed and shot give him plenty of upside, as long as his offense doesn't get streaky like off-brand window cleaner. Don't look at his season-long stats too much -- playing for the Sharks would put a damper on anyone's numbers. Thompson, a defenseman, had 32 points in 46 contests with AHL Syracuse prior to the trade. It's unclear if he'll get an NHL look this season, but he should have a chance to help the Sharks' defense within a year given their lack of depth.
Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to the Oilers in a three-team deal: The Oilers went Duck hunting at the deadline, making a great move to acquire Henrique and Carrick from Anaheim. Henrique is the centerpiece of the deal, a strong two-way forward who gives the Oilers' offense flexibility. He's seen time as a second-line winger, but he has not recorded a point in three games with the Oilers so far. His role in Anaheim as a top-six option was far more fruitful -- for fantasy purposes, he's a safe drop in shallow leagues, while he could be worth holding in deeper formats that reward his non-scoring work. It's also possible he'll see time as a third-line center, which would greatly diminish his fantasy value in all formats.
As for Carrick, he's no guarantee to be in the lineup at all, but he gives strong defensive effort and can chip in with supporting offense and penalty killing. Carrick isn't really a fantasy option anyway, and his move from the Ducks to the Oilers is lateral at best.
Bowen Byram to the Sabres, Casey Mittelstadt to the Avalanche: This was a straight-up, one-for-one deal. Byram gets a minor upgrade -- he was a bottom-four defenseman in Colorado due to the presence of Cale Makar and Devon Toews as the top pairing. In Buffalo, Byram looks more like a top-four blueliner. There's some nuance here, as he may end up being a second pairing option anyway, but I think there's a lot more upside for him with the Sabres, both now and in the years to come.
Mittelstadt addresses an obvious need for the Avalanche -- a reliable second-line center. The Avalanche tried multiple players in that role to mixed results. Ryan Johansen (below) just didn't fit with the team, while Ross Colton is a fine player, but a little miscast as a top-six option. Mittelstadt had 47 points in 62 outings prior to the trade, and while the Avalanche's offense is a little more top-heavy, he could be a solid contributor once he settles in.
Alexander Wennberg to the Rangers for two picks: This was another strong example of a team addressing a need. The Rangers' top six is as good as anyone's, but the lack of a proven third-line center was critical since Filip Chytil (head) is done for the season. Wennberg fills that need expertly for the remainder of the season, offering solid two-way play and a playmaker mentality on offense. His fantasy value gets a slight boost by being in a much stronger offense, but he's the type of player who is often better regarded for his on-ice work than his scoring.
Evgeny Kuznetsov to the Hurricanes for a pick: What Kuznetsov can be and what he is at this point in his career are two vastly different things. What was clear was that he was no longer a fit with the Capitals. Between declining production and increasing attrition, a change of scenery was needed. Kuznetsov could get a look in a top-six role for the Hurricanes while Jack Drury (lower body) is out, but he'll have to prove himself quickly. Kuznetsov has more potential than Jesperi Kotkaniemi for the rest of the season, but there's little reason to believe he'll be able to turn that into actual offense. He's pretty much off the fantasy radar after posting just 17 points in 43 contests with the Capitals, but a strong couple of weeks with the Hurricanes could rebuild his stock.
Depth Moves
Jason Zucker to the Predators for a pick: I've referred to the Coyotes as a fountain of youth for a few years now, but it seems the well ran dry this season. Zucker had a solid but unremarkable 25 points over 51 contests in Arizona -- it's decent production for a middle-six winger, but not worth the $5.3 million cap hit. He'll fill a similar role with the Predators, who moved out Yakov Trenin (below) amid some small, skill-over-grit remodeling to their roster. Zucker will need to make hay on the power play, as the Predators have generated little fantasy value from any player that isn't on the top line or Roman Josi this season.
Sean Walker to the Avalanche, Ryan Johansen to the Flyers (for now): As mentioned above, Johansen was not a fit for the Avalanche's second-line center spot. He struggled with 23 points in 63 games this season, and the team decided to move him to the Flyers, who immediately waived him and sent him to AHL Lehigh Valley. The Flyers' brass doesn't see a future for Johansen in Philadelphia, but he's under contract for one more year. Expect a buyout or a trade in the summer.
Walker is a pending free agent, one of two defensemen that fit that bill for the Flyers ahead of the trade deadline. They signed Nick Seeler and sent Walker packing to Colorado, where he'll fill the bottom-four role left open in the Byram/Mittelstadt swap. Walker has punched above his weight this season -- he had 22 points in 63 contests with the Flyers while adding solid non-scoring numbers. With a smaller role ahead for the Avalanche, including a total lack of power-play time, there's little reason to keep him on most fantasy rosters going forward.
Anthony Beauvillier to the Predators for a pick: Beauvillier is on his third team this year. Aside from an uglier plus-minus in Chicago, his production was roughly the same between the Canucks and the Blackhawks. The problem is that he had 14 points over 45 outings for those two teams. Given the Predators are in the middle of the pack, Beauvillier will like score at a similar rate for the remainder of the season, but that's not a pace that makes him a fantasy option.
Denis Gurianov to the Flyers, Wade Allison to the Predators: With the addition of Beauvillier, Gurianov was deemed expendable. The sun's setting on Gurianov's NHL chances -- he's on his fourth team in two seasons after posting just two points over 14 appearances with the Predators. He's shown a scoring touch before, but never with enough consistency to stick in a lineup.
Given Gurianov's struggles, it's surprising the Predators got anything more than a late-round pick. Instead, it's Allison who heads to Nashville after posting 17 points in 46 games with AHL Lehigh Valley. At 26 years old, Allison has aged out of prospect status without claiming an NHL job. He's a tweener, though his diminished scoring numbers in the AHL don't bode well for him joining the Predators' playoff push unless injuries pop up with the big club.
Matt Dumba to the Lightning for a pick: No one should be thinking that Dumba is a fantasy option in most formats at this stage of his career. He had just 10 points over 58 games with the Coyotes while averaging 20:04 of ice time per game, and he had a career-worst minus-13 rating this season. That plus-minus should recover with the Lightning, but he's nothing more than a bottom-four option who isn't afraid to hit or block shots. Remember: he hasn't even reached 30 points in any of the last six seasons following his 50-point campaign in 2017-18.
Goalie Market
Kaapo Kahkonen to the Devils, Vitek Vanecek to the Sharks: It's important to note the goalie market never really took off at this trade deadline. This was the big goalie deal, mostly because it involved two teams remodeling their options between the pipes by trading with each other. Vanecek (lower body) is reportedly done for the season, so the Sharks acquiring him is more for next season than this one. To get him, they had to part with Kahkonen, who has been better analytically than in actuality. Kahkonen went 6-20-3 with a 3.82 GAA and an .895 save percentage with the Sharks. It'll be hard to be worse than that with the Devils. I expect Kahkonen to be in a timeshare, mostly because of the following trade...
Jake Allen to the Devils for a pick: The Canadiens ended their three-headed goalie rotation by shipping Allen to the Devils. This is great news primarily for Sam Montembeault, while Cayden Primeau should settle in as the backup. Meanwhile, Allen had hideous numbers this season -- he went 6-12-3 with a 3.65 GAA and an .892 save percentage in Montreal. Again, it can't get much worse. Allen's a veteran, while Kahkonen is still young enough to be a 1A goalie for a few years. The workload distribution will be important to watch here, but both Allen and Kahkonen are depth options in fantasy for a Devils team that has vastly underwhelmed.
Devin Cooley to the Sharks for a pick: At one point, the Sharks officially had no healthy NHL goalies on their roster on deadline day. For now, it'll be Magnus Chrona and Devin Cooley until Mackenzie Blackwood (groin) is ready to return. Cooley struggled with AHL Rochester, posting a 3.77 GAA and an .891 save percentage. The good news is he's used to playing behind an AHL-caliber team, so he should fit right in with the Sharks for as long as he's in the NHL. The 26-year-old had no future in Buffalo with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi providing far better outlooks. Cooley will get a chance to make an impression with the Sharks, but he's unlikely to make a fantasy impact.
Small trades
Patrick Maroon to the Bruins for a pick and a prospect: Maybe Jack Edwards will find something nice to say about Maroon now. Currently on long-term injured reserve while recovering from back surgery, Maroon is not expected back until late March. Once he's active, he'll fill a bottom-six role. His championship resume is impressive, and he had 16 points in 49 games with the Wild, but his fantasy value is limited to deep formats that count hits.
Brandon Duhaime to the Avalanche for a pick: The Wild were busy sellers as they purged out a lot of tough guys that were in bottom-six roles. Duhaime had just eight points in 62 outings with the Wild, and he opened his Avalanche career on the fourth line. He's a hits-and-PIM producer in fantasy, but the total lack of offense makes Duhaime impossible to roster in all but the deepest of formats.
Yakov Trenin to the Avalanche in a three-player trade: The Avalanche continued to beef up with Trenin, who was a useful identity-type player for the Predators over the last five years. He had 14 points in 60 outings, representing a clear nosedive in offense. Trenin will get a third-line look with the Avalanche, playing alongside Ross Colton and Miles Wood. That line is built for the playoffs -- they're heavy and just talented enough to chip in solid scoring depth. Trenin's reduced role from his time in Nashville effectively wipes out the gains he made by playing for a stronger team, so he's a deep-league option in fantasy at best.
Kyle Okposo to the Panthers in a two-player trade: Adding Okposo does a lot more for the Panthers' locker room than their results on the ice. That said, he could be in line for a boost in offense while playing for one of the league's deepest and most electric teams. Okposo had 22 points in 61 outings with the Sabres, and while his ice time should dip in Florida, I like this as a landing spot for him. Okposo may be among the best players in this section to speculate on for fantasy moves.
Connor Dewar to the Maple Leafs, Dmitry Ovchinnikov and a pick to the Wild: The last of the Wild's sell-off moves, Dewar lands in a tough spot. He'll be in the mix to center the fourth line, but there's no guarantee he'll play every game down the stretch. Dewar had 14 points in 57 outings with the Wild before the deadline in a similar role, but there's more talent in Toronto, so he'll likely be seeing less ice time with his new team. Ovchinnikov is an undersized forward who had 10 points in 20 contests with AHL Toronto, though at 21 years old, he still has some value as a prospect.
Klim Kostin to the Sharks, Radim Simek to the Red Wings: This move was more of a salary dump for the Red Wings, but Kostin should get a decent look as a fourth-liner for the Sharks. That role isn't likely to bring much offense, but he wasn't exactly tearing it up with four points over 31 contests in Detroit. Going the other way, Simek offers organizational depth on defense for the Red Wings. He had 16 points in 40 contests with AHL San Jose, but the 31-year-old doesn't have a clear path to NHL minutes on a Red Wings team that hasn't completely given up on a playoff push.
Erik Johnson to the Flyers for a pick: Johnson had fallen out of rotation with the Sabres after missing time with an illness in late February. The blueliner will step into the hole created by the Walker trade (above). With just three goals (and oddly, no assists) in 50 games this season, Johnson is not a fantasy option. He is steady enough on defense for a bottom-four role, and he brings enough veteran experience for an overachieving Flyers team that leaned toward selling despite holding a playoff spot.
Joel Edmundson to the Maple Leafs for two picks: I'll give the Capitals credit for getting two picks out of Toronto for Edmundson. This is the second year in a row the Maple Leafs have thrown resources around at the deadline to give themselves upwards of nine or 10 NHL-caliber defensemen, if the team is ever fully healthy. That the pattern repeated under two separate general managers is strange. Edmundson won't move the needle in fantasy -- even his hits and blocked shots are down, and he had just six points over 44 contests with the Capitals.
Andrew Peeke to the Bruins, Jakub Zboril to the Blue Jackets: Peeke is a good teammate, but the Blue Jackets' revamping of their defense in the offseason left him without a regular spot. The team did solid by the veteran to move him to a contender, but his playing-time outlook isn't any better than it was before. He'll likely share a third-pairing spot with Kevin Shattenkirk. Peeke is good for a couple of hits and blocked shots in each game, and he had eight points over 23 outings with Columbus, but the lack of a guaranteed spot in the lineup eliminates any fantasy potential. Zboril did not get called up after the trade, so he'll wait for his turn at AHL Cleveland after posting nine assists in 31 outings for AHL Providence prior to the trade. He has 76 games of NHL experience over parts of four seasons, but he didn't appear for the Bruins this season.
Colin Miller to the Jets for a pick: Miller had eight points in 41 contests for the Devils before their small sell-off at the deadline. He went to the Jets in a separate trade from the Toffoli deal (above), though Miller is not guaranteed a spot in the lineup. He may see the occasional game over Nate Schmidt, but the Jets have a winning formula and have made very few unforced switches with their defensemen this season, which doesn't bode well for Miller's playing time.
Troy Stecher to the Oilers for a pick: See above. Stecher had just five points in 47 outings for the Coyotes this season before getting dealt to the Oilers, who will have him on hand as a seventh defensemen. The Oilers have occasionally opted to play seven blueliners this season, giving Stecher a potential path to playing time, but he's unlikely to draw in much barring injuries.
Chad Ruhwedel to the Rangers for a pick: With four points in 47 games, Ruhwedel didn't impress with the Penguins. He's also a bit of a risk in the defensive zone, but he offers the Rangers a more veteran option than Zac Jones. Jacob Trouba (lower body) is out for two weeks, so Ruhwedel can also add a bit of toughness if he gets into the lineup, though the Rangers aren't short on physicality either.
Nikita Okhotyuk to the Flames for a pick: The Flames' retooling was completed by acquiring Okhotyuk from the Sharks. His numbers with San Jose were poor -- eight points and a minus-22 rating in 43 games, but he also had 125 hits and 72 blocked shots. Still just 23 years old, the Flames may see some potential for Okhotyuk to grow into a shutdown role. He may also just be keeping a spot warm for a prospect. His toughness is a little interesting in deep formats, but his offense is not likely to be significant.
Ben Meyers to the Ducks for a pick: Meyers had one goal in nine games for the Avalanche this year, but he spent much of the campaign with AHL Colorado. The Ducks immediately called him up and figure to give him a look in a bottom-six role. Typically, this kind of move won't make my deadline column cut, but Meyers is intriguing. He's familiar with Ducks head coach Greg Cronin from their time with AHL Colorado, so that provides a little upside. I doubt he'll score enough to warrant fantasy consideration, but the Ducks don't have a deep offense, so anything could happen.
With that, the trade deadline is in the books for me. Next week, the focus will be on retooling your fantasy roster for the final push of the season while keeping an eye on how the players that were dealt this past week settle in with their new teams. Most fantasy trade deadlines have passed, but if the window is still open, try to get a deal done for players that are about to see increased roles or those who were traded to stronger offenses.
