Welcome to the first edition of FantasyPros’ NHL Fantasy Hockey Trade Advice!

This will be a weekly piece every Thursday of the NHL regular season as we look to toss out some buy/sell ideas throughout the campaign. This advice is both short-term and forward-thinking, while we will aim to include advice for both redraft and dynasty fantasy hockey leagues.

Let’s dive in and see who is on the rise, and on the downslope to begin the 2023-24 NHL season!

NHL Fantasy Hockey Trade Advice

Buy

Alex DeBrincat (LW, RW – DET)

Somehow, you just knew Alex DeBrincat would thrive upon a move to his home state while donning a Red Wings uniform.

Indeed, the Farmington Hills, Michigan native has exploded out of the gate with his new club, tallying five goals and eight points on 13 shots across four games so far this season. For good measure, he has added four power-play points, a plus-three rating, and a pair of hits while logging 17:12 of ice time per game, which is actually his lowest clip since his 2017-18 rookie season, but it’s early.

It’s simply a match made in heaven alongside fellow Michigan native Dylan Larkin on the Wings’ first line and top power-play unit. Clearly, the duo is producing at both even strength and on-the-man advantage and while his two-points-per-game clip will not last, there’s little reason to believe this tandem can do some serious damage throughout the season.

Sure, DeBrincat’s trade value was far less just a couple of short weeks ago coming off a down season — by his standard — with the Ottawa Senators in 2022-23. However, this is a 25-year-old player with two 40-goal seasons already on his resume. It’s not unreasonable to think that a 50-goal campaign cannot be had this season or any thereafter.

Don’t be scared to pony up for a player in a fantastic situation that contributes to your fantasy hockey roster across the board.

Michael Bunting (LW – CAR)

We’ll include both high and low-cost trade additions in these pieces throughout the season as sneaky, quieter deals can pay dividends too.

Hurricanes winger Michael Bunting is clearly of the low-cost, high-reward variety. He is certainly a wild card both on the ice and in the fantasy hockey world but it appears he too has a nice fit with a new team in 2023-24.

After inking a free-agent deal with the ‘Canes this summer, Bunting began the season by skating with No. 1 center Sebastian Aho on the top line and on the top power-play unit. Top-line duty isn’t unfamiliar for the feisty winger who spent large chunks of time skating with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner over the last two seasons with the Maple Leafs, but PP1 duty is relatively new. He has made good on the early opportunity, netting three man-advantage points in four games.

Admittedly, his offensive production could very well be tied to whether or not he remains on that top power play unit and first line, especially the former. After all, three of his four points to begin the season have been as the net-front presence on that Hurricanes PP1. The good news is he will be able to contribute more than just goals, assists, and power-play points.

Keep in mind Bunting ranked 10th in the league with 103 penalty minutes last season. He also spent 80 minutes in the penalty box in the 2021-22 campaign. The 28-year-old has also worked to a plus-48 rating over the last two seasons and there’s zero reason to believe that type of production will change on what’s expected to be another elite Hurricanes hockey team.

There’s risk involved but there’s also a solid chance Bunting is a season-long contributor to your roster.

Sell

Ilya Samsonov (G – TOR)

I was not high on Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov entering the season, and unfortunately for fantasy managers, his stock has taken a notable hit in just two games to kick off the season.

Samsonov has been shelled for nine goals in two starts behind a Maple Leafs defense that looks to have regressed this season. Time will tell on the latter but there just isn’t a rosy feeling surrounding the Russian’s situation in Toronto.

He was a nice low-cost, low-risk addition after the Capitals didn’t offer him a contract last season and he went on to turn in a quality 2.33 goals-against average and .919 Sv% across 42 appearances with the Leafs. However, the two sides could not agree on a contract for the restricted free agency this summer, ended up in arbitration, and the 26-year-old is now playing out the season on another one-year deal. The confidence doesn’t seem high on both sides of the coin between player and team.

As optimistic as his situation seemed entering last season, the opposite feels true this time around. Hey, he could end up turning things around and racking up plenty of wins for managers this season. He sure as hell isn’t the only scuffling netminder in sloppy, early-season NHL play.

At the same time, extracting value right now is a prudent move. There are always streaming options on the waiver wire for free. It’s unnecessary to attach yourself to a struggling netminder because of the jersey he is wearing.

Andrei Kuzmenko (LW, RW – VAN)

I had Canucks winger Andrei Kuzmensko on my pre-season fantasy hockey busts list and I’ll reiterate my tone here.

The sophomore is off to a fine start with a goal and an assist with five shots across three games while skating with Elias Pettersson on the club’s top line and top power-play unit. That’s essentially the best spot to be for a Canucks winger, so no harm, no foul there.

At the same time, there is still goal-scoring regression written all over this kid this season. Pettersson will ensure he notches his fair share of tallies but Kuzmenko is not going to score on the eye-popping 27.3% of the shots he took last season. He only put 143 shots on goal in 81 games to begin with but that type of efficiency is unheard of. He’s averaging a modest 1.67 shots per game to begin this season.

Among players who played in at least 35 games last season, Brayden Point‘s 21.7% shooting rate was the second-highest to Kuzmenko. That’s a hefty spread between No. 1 and No. 2. Only eight players with 35-plus appearances scored on at least 20% of their shots.

As a result, it’s highly unlikely Kuzmenko will bag 39 goals again this season. Additionally, he only had eight penalty minutes, 13 hits, and 143 shots on the season. If his goal-scoring regression hits with any type of authority he provides little else to work with. At 86% rostered in ESPN leagues, he looks like a player who should attract some value on the trade market.

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