There’s a good chance your fantasy hockey trade deadline has come and gone, especially in leagues of 10 or more. Just in case your league doesn’t include a deadline, let’s look at some names worth buying and selling as we approach the fantasy hockey playoffs!
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Fantasy Hockey Trade Advice (Week 22)
Any rosterships courtesy of ESPN
Buy
Verhaeghe has been a gem of a find for the Florida Panthers as somewhat of a late bloomer. His first full NHL season came at the age of 26 when he tallied 24 goals and 55 points in 78 games with the Panthers last season. He had appeared in 95 games with the Lightning and Panthers across the previous two seasons, but he has shined bright in Sunrise since coming over from the Cats’ biggest rival.
In 66 games this season, Verhaeghe has already blown the doors off his previous career highs offensively with 32 goals and 57 points on the campaign. He’s also fired 48 more shots on goal already this season than he did last year in 12 fewer games. Verhaeghe has never been a big shot-on-goal asset but that narrative has changed in his career year.
His 10 power-play points on the season don’t stand out a lot, but considering he had just six over his first three seasons in the NHL combined it’s a quality step forward. It’s worth noting that while he has skated on the Panthers’ second unit for the cast majority of the 2022-23 season, he’s been added to the top group of late while blueliner Aaron Ekblad has moved to the second group.
It also helps Verhaeghe is skating on a line with 87-point man Matthew Tkachuk. He’s now doing so on the top power-play unit as well.
He’s now a bonafide high-end fantasy option and one who would give your postseason hopes a serious shot in the arm.
If Kane is on a non-contending club in your league you are in luck as you have an opportunity to acquire a serious difference-maker for the playoffs. This guy is simply a cross-category fantasy hockey monster who is rostered in less than 90% of leagues due to the fact he was injured for a lengthy amount of time this season.
Nonetheless, Kane has tallied 10 goals and 21 points in 27 games this season. That’s solid production, but it’s the peripheral areas where he makes his biggest impact as Kane has averaged 2.7 hits per game, 3.48 shots per game, and added 41 penalty minutes, or 1.74 penalty minutes per game. That type of cross-category production is extremely rare.
Making matters even more attractive is the fact he’s currently skating alongside the sure-fire 2022-23 NHL MVP Connor McDavid. He’s also one-fifth of a top power-play unit that has propelled the team to first by a mile with a 31.6% clip on the man advantage this season. Only two of his 21 points on the season have come via the power play but that will certainly change if he remains on the top unit.
Kane is a top-tier fantasy hockey contributor and one that is worth emptying the cupboard if in contention for a championship.
Sell
There’s nothing like a trade to the Islanders to end a hot streak at the offensive end of the ice. Horvat was lighting the league on fire with 31 goals and 54 points across 49 games with the Vancouver Canucks, but since being traded to the Isles he has collected five goals and just nine points across 18 games with his new club. I’ve done the math and that is a 1.1 points-per-game pace with Vancouver to a 0.50 mark with the Islanders. Yeesh.
It hasn’t helped that linemate Mathew Barzal is injured, but the Islanders have been one of the league’s least productive offenses for the last few seasons and rank 23rd this season. For good measure, they also rank 29th with a 16.4% clip on the power play.
It’s also worth noting that regression was always coming for the former Canucks captain as his 21.7% shooting rate with Vancouver was astronomically above his 13.8% career mark. He’s nose-dived to a 9.8% mark on Long Island.
Horvat signed a long-term deal to stay with the Islanders, meaning his upside to repeat his 2022-23 production with Vancouver is minimal. Perhaps the Islanders improve on offense after this season but it’s difficult to envision any sort of major turnaround.
He’s still approaching 98% rostership but isn’t producing anywhere near that perceived value with his new team.
It’s awfully tough to go into the fantasy hockey playoffs with a goaltender that doesn’t play the vast majority of his team’s games. If you’re in a league with a minimum goalie start threshold, it makes it even more difficult.
There’s little doubt his first season in Toronto has been a rousing success. He owns a 23-8-3 record with a 2.36 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in 33 starts and 34 appearances for the Maple Leafs this season. His 11.15 goals saved above average sits ninth in the league, right behind Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.
However, with Matt Murray back healthy (for now), Samonsov has started two of the last five games for the Leafs. He was excellent in a tough-luck 2-1 shootout loss to the Avalanche Wednesday, but the Maple Leafs will give playing time to both netminders throughout the remainder of the season with a first-round matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning all but a formality at this point. In other words, if Murray remains healthy, the Leafs will not ride Samsonov like a true No. 1 netminder.
It’s not easy to pull a deal for a high-end No. 1 goaltender, but it’s worth a shot before risking a 1A approach with Samsonov when your fantasy hockey season is on the line.
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