This is the second part of the fantasy hockey rankings look this week, as there was just too much to digest in one sitting. In Monday’s rankings, we looked only at players that were not traded in the lead-up to deadline.
This is a look at the players that were traded. At least, the ones with the biggest potential impact to fantasy.
You will find Rasmus Sandin and John Klingberg are missing here. That is because they were pulled out and highlighted separately with Evan Bouchard as the three biggest fantasy winners of the deadline in Part 1 of this week’s look at the rankings.
Traded forward notes
Timo Meier, W, New Jersey Devils (up one spot to No. 16): They’ll need a game or two to get their timing down, but Meier potted a goal in his Devils debut on Sunday. Playing with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, this line should be among the league’s most dangerous once it gets up to full speed. Unfortunately for anyone without Bratt on their fantasy team, Bratt had already established himself as an everyday starter, so Meier’s arrival doesn’t create a new fantasy asset on this line. Bratt is even the one to join Hughes, Meier, Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton on the power play.
Patrick Kane, W, New York Rangers (down four spots to No. 73): It’s been six years since Kane and Artemi Panarin shared the ice as one of the NHL’s most dominant duos. Six years is a long time. Let’s give them more than the 24 minutes they’ve been back together at five-on-five to rediscover their form. Once they are back in form, Vincent Trocheck should get next-leveled by their presence. Either way, Kane has earned more than two games before we pass judgment on his role. He was on the Rangers top power-play unit, so that’s a place to build from.
Vladimir Tarasenko, W, New York Rangers (up 11 spots to No. 84): See Tarasenko as an example for Kane’s blueprint to fantasy success. For his first nine games as a Ranger, Tarasenko picked up the odd goal or assist (two of each to be precise), but wasn’t settled in yet. His past three games? Two goals and three assists, despite some losing efforts from the New York side in there. With Kane locked in with Trocheck and Panarin, Tarasenko will get time to develop his chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
Tyler Bertuzzi, W, Boston Bruins (up 22 spots to No. 139): The third line for the Bruins isn’t as bad a landing spot as it sounds. That said, Bertuzzi isn’t going to recapture the fantasy glory he maintained prior to the 2021-22 season. Bertuzzi will take the injured Taylor Hall‘s spot for the time being. His upside might be better if Hall were healthy, but Bertuzzi will have to do his best with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. He’ll also get a boost from secondary power-play time.
Ivan Barbashev, C/W, Vegas Golden Knights (enters top 250 at No. 183): Landing a role on the Golden Knights top line with Jack Eichel makes Barbashev a clear winner at the deadline. The chemistry with Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault is building, and Mark Stone could come into the mix at some point to further elevate the unit. If Barbashev can push his way onto the top power-play unit, he could even threaten to be the deadline acquisition with the most goals for his new club.
Jakub Vrana, C/W, St. Louis Blues (enters top 250 at No. 214): This is a chance to hit the reset button for one of the best goal scorers in the NHL on a per-minute basis. Vrana ranked only behind Auston Matthews in goals per 60 for the previous two NHL seasons combined. His struggles in Detroit off the ice this season removed him from their plans, so this is a chance for redemption. The Blues tried him on a line with Brayden Schenn and fellow newcomer Kasperi Kapanen on Tuesday.
Nino Niederreiter, W, Winnipeg Jets (steady at No. 216): Joining a Jets top six that is already stacked with scoring talent, Niederreiter doesn’t have to battle for his spot with Cole Perfetti on the injured reserve for the remainder of the season. The early indications are also that Niederreiter will be a part of the top power-play unit over Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nikolaj Ehlers, which is another boon to his potential.
Max Domi, C/W, Dallas Stars (just missed top 250): There is some upside here with Domi in the mix for what is now a Stars top nine, rather than top six. He won’t get top power-play time, but secondary seems in the cards. He won’t break onto the established top line, but rolling with Tyler Seguin isn’t terrible. At the end of the day, it’s not as much fantasy potential as Domi had with the Blackhawks, where he was the top offensive option alongside Patrick Kane this season.
Mikael Granlund, C/W, Pittsburgh Penguins (just missed top 250): If the Penguins don’t try Granlund in the top six soon, this trade makes zero sense. For him to be destined to ride the third line with Jeff Carter, considering his contract and acquisition cost, just doesn’t compute. The Pens could turn around public opinion on this trade by getting Granlund to ignite one of the scoring lines, which are both lagging behind their potential. Granlund even has a history with Jason Zucker on the Wild, so they have a place to start.
Evgenii Dadonov, W, Dallas Stars (just missed top 250): You can copy and paste the general theme of the outlook for Domi here. Top nine, secondary power play and time with Jamie Benn. It’s not massive upside, but Dadonov will have his moments.
Jesse Puljujarvi, W, Carolina Hurricanes (drops out of top 250): The Canes have 12 forwards that belong in the lineup every game, so Puljujarvi is going to have a hard time getting into the lineup. If the Canes do want to try him out to see if a change of scenery can spark him, they almost have to do it in a top-six capacity, as that’s where he has potential. But this top six is so good, how do they do it? Demote Seth Jarvis? Martin Necas? It’s hard to envision a route to relevance for Puljujarvi this season without an injury to a key Canes forward.
Traded defense notes
Jakob Chychrun, D, Ottawa Senators (up 19 spots to No. 31): What a great landing spot for Chychrun, not just for this season, but for as many as he ends up spending with the Senators. This is a young core he can grow with as the team’s No. 1 overall defenseman, with Thomas Chabot there to be No. 1B and Jake Sanderson also boasting top-pairing upside in his future. Even if Chabot doesn’t cede the top power play this season, the Sens have the offense to backup two units and Chychrun will find his way to value.
Dmitry Orlov, D, Boston Bruins (up 141 spots to No. 96): Not going to lie, I never would have guessed Orlov would become a star in Boston. After one game to get adjusted, Orlov has piled up three goals and six assists in his past four contests. He’s a must-grab for fantasy until this streak wears off, which isn’t out the question given he’s never pushed into regular fantasy relevance in the past.
Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Carolina Hurricanes (down 52 spots to No. 138): The Hurricanes now have the requisite blue-liner in Gostisbehere to elevate their second power-play unit to be just about as dangerous as the first. He’s responded to the new surroundings with a goal in each of his first two games, plus another two assists in Sunday’s blowout of the Lightning. The Hurricanes can also manage his minutes so that his responsibility at five-on-five is minimal, which should distill his production and keep him valuable.
Luke Schenn, D, Toronto Maple Leafs (down 60 spots to No. 238): Early returns suggest Schenn is not going to get enough minutes with the Maple Leafs to get the counting stats he needs for fantasy value.
Traded goaltender notes
Joonas Korpisalo, G, Los Angeles Kings (up 56 spots to No. 112): With a solid first start under his belt for the Kings, Korpisalo likely quickly established a rotation with Pheonix Copley for the crease. But with the way Copley has helped save the Kings season somewhat, he’ll have to stumble to get nudged aside by Korpisalo. With that in mind, fantasy potential for them both is limited.
Jonathan Quick, G, Vegas Golden Knights (not ranked): The Golden Knights are a great place to tend twine, as evidenced by Adin Hill stepping right into the injured Logan Thompson‘s skates without missing a beat. Quick won’t have a path to regular starts and may not even be in a 50-50 split regardless of whether Thompson returns sooner than later. Hill ranks sixth in fantasy points among goaltenders in the past month.