Fantasy

NHL Fantasy: Players who have benefitted from trade deadline moves

The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. The deadline day itself was a bit of a dud, but the week leading up to it was jam packed with moves; all but one team made a trade during this year’s deadline frenzy.

There are, of course, big individual winners that include Patrick Kane and Timo Meier, but we’ve identified six players whose stock has risen due to the deadline and are most likely available on the waiver wire in your league. If you’re looking for a late season push, this list could provide some ideas.

Marcus Johansson – LW/RW – MIN – 2% Rostered

Marcus Johansson joined the Wild from the Capitals and has slotted in nicely on their second line. With favourable linemates in Joel Eriksson-Ek and Matt Boldy, this is a great spot for Johansson to produce. He’s currently on the second power play unit that definitely isn’t as lethal as the first unit, but this deployment is worth a flyer, especially at 5v5.

Evgenii Dadonov – LW/RW – DAL – 3% Rostered

Evgenii Dadonov was traded to the Stars from the Canadiens. Since joining his new club, he has only been left off the scoresheet once, last night’s blowout win over the Avalanche. Dadonov is skating alongside Wyatt Johnson and Jamie Benn on the second line, and the point on Dallas’ second power play unit. He’s a proven scorer and should fare well in this role.

Nino Niederreiter – LW – WPG – 20% Rostered

Nino Niederreiter went to the Jets from the Predators in an earlier deal a week ago. As the Jets slip down the Central Division standings, he is a welcomed addition to a team needing a spark. He’s slotting in on the Jets’ top line alongside star forwards Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, and the top power play unit. At 20% rostered, this is a player whose ownership should skyrocket in the next few days solely due to his deployment.

Ivan Barbashev – C/LW – VGK – 26% Rostered

Ivan Barbashev joined the Golden Knights from the Blues. He is another player who has greatly benefitted from his trade, getting favourable deployment on Vegas’ top line alongside Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. So far, Barbashev isn’t skating on either of Vegas’ power play units, but that could definitely change in the coming days. He has had a solid season thus far and should provide a boost to fantasy owners by moving to a higher offence team.

John Klingberg – D – MIN – 42% Rostered

John Klingberg was traded to the Wild from the Ducks. After a great run with the Stars, Klingberg bet on himself in free agency opting to sign with the Ducks to prove he could still be an offensive threat in the NHL. So far, that hasn’t happened. After the trade, this represents Klingberg’s last shot of the season to prove he’s still got it. He’ll be motivated, and the Wild are doing their part to put him in a position to succeed. Klingberg is being insulated skating on the Wild’s third pairing, but is quarterbacking their top power play unit with superstar Kirill Kaprizov. Klingberg may fail to do much on his new team, but if he does, he has top-10 fantasy defenceman potential.

Timing the trade deadline for strategic plays

The NHL’s trade deadline always coincides with fantasy hockey plays that involves going over the waiver wire to take advantage of real life trades. Taking low-risk flyers on players who are more setup to succeed than they previously were can lead to the perfect late-season benefits as fantasy hockey turns to the playoffs too.

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