The Hockey PDOcast - Players benefitting from new roles after the trade deadline

Episode Date: March 10, 2023

Chris Meaney joins Dimitri to talk about the players who stand to benefit the most from their new roles after the trade deadline.This podcast is produced by Dominic Sramaty. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. If you'd like to gain access to the two extra shows we're doing each week this season, you can subscribe to our Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/thehockeypdocast/membership If you'd like to participate in the conversation and join the community we're building over on Discord, you can do so by signing up for the Hockey PDOcast's server here: https://discord.gg/a2QGRpJc84 The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

dressing to the mean since 2015. It's the Hockey PEDEOCast with your host, Dmitri Filipovich. Welcome to the Hockey PEDEOCast. My name is Dimitra Philipovich. And joining me is my good buddy, Chris Meanie. Chris, what's going on? What's going on, Dimitri? Exciting time of this season, man.

NHL trend deadline has passed. Got a lot of faces on new teams and the stretch here for the playoffs, not just real life NHL playoffs, but for fantasy managers. It's a really exciting time. Always a pleasure, man. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, I'm excited. So the plan for today is, as you mentioned, the trade deadlines, the rearview mirror. We've got new players and new teams. And so we're going to identify some situations where, you know, circumstances for a player changed, especially meaningfully, who stands to benefit from their new roles and hopefully help highlight some actionable items for those that are still competing in their fantasy playoffs or for those who are, you know, doing daily fantasy or in the shop prop markets. We've only seen a couple games now for a lot of these guys that have played with their new teams.

but I think that provides an interesting kind of buying opportunity where maybe there's a bit of hype in some instances and the opportunity to buy might have already passed. But for the most part, there's still so little data with a lot of these cases that I feel like if you like what you're seeing so far, you think there's really room for growth. I think it's a good opportunity still to jump in there and buy while you can. Yeah, absolutely. I know some people are playing in Dynasty League and Keeper leagues and they don't have like a trade deadline. So you can make some moves all the way up until your season is over. And yeah, you know, if you're if you're not in it and you got a couple big name players and an opportunity maybe to sell one or two of those guys and, you know, kind of load up on some draft dates or some younger players that I'm sure we'll address throughout the show. So yeah, I mean, looking forward to getting after it. Yeah. And, you know, as we say at time and time again, like opportunity is one of the biggest drivers of success, right, especially for those that are compiling various categories. And so this is a great time of year for identifying those guys. Let's let's get into it. I'll give you the floor here first. What's either a team.

or a specific player that you want to talk about as someone whose circumstances really changed. Yeah, I'm going to start with not a big name player here, but Nito Niederrider for the Winnipeg Jets. I thought it was a really good get for the Jets. You know, before the deadline, they were kind of messing around with their top six, you know, Mason Appleton's a fine player, but, you know, he was playing on the top line for a game or two next to Kyle O'Connor, and it just didn't seem like a really good fit. So for Nino Niederrider rider, you know, you mentioned shot props and point props. I mean, he's been plus money here over the past couple of days.

he's got goals and back-to-back games for the Jets, points in four straight, three-plus shots in each of those four games in 19 minutes, at least 19 minutes in three straight games, is 1846 over his last four. So a really big role here for the Jets, not only, you know, on the top line, top power play. This is a guy who averaged just under 16 minutes per game in his first 48 games with the Nashville Predators. A 20-go-go-go-goal campaign already, right? You know, it was the goal the other night.

He's got six 20-goal seasons on his NHL resume, May and looking at all the players that move, you know, Timel Meyer, of course, is a big name player. But out of all the players that changed jerseys here, he's second in expected goals of the 5-5 per 60 playing with the Nashville Predator's squad. So definitely a big boost, whether it's Kyle Connor on his line, Niklai Heelers. I know the Jets have been messing around with their top six, but he should have a spot either on that first line or on that second line. And you know, he parks himself right in front of the net. He's not afraid to throw his ball. He around if you're playing a league with hits as well. So I think this is a guy that has certainly

benefited it and he's definitely been on my eye radar in terms of props yeah he's such an he's always been such an efficient player right he does a lot of his damage at 515 he doesn't you know historically like chew up huge amounts of minutes so the fact that you mentioned that his usage is actually up is is is great for his future outlook um skill set just like you're right just a beast around the net um a player the coaches love right like he's bounced around now he's been on a few different teams but everyone that has him always speaks very highly of him And, you know, analytically, always a driver of a player, 5-15, but also the eye tester maybe like an old, kind of like an old school mentality, also checks those boxes, see,

with a big body and kind of always around it. So I really like him as a player. I, hearing you talk about his usage, though, just aggravated me so much because it gives the Jets one other, another reason to wildly underuse Nikolai Yilers. And right, it just drives me absolutely crazy. We're unseemingly like year 20 of this now, even though he's. He's only 27 years old and has been in the league for a handful of years. But I think it's time for change.

Looking ahead to this long season, I think one out of move that I'm just going to be beating the drum for is a smart team going out there. And even if it's 110 cents on a dollar, just going and paying a premium, getting Nikolaeiler's out of Winnipeg, getting him a fair start, getting him to a team that's actually going to use them properly because his users right now is comical. Like he is ninth among the Jets forwards in 515, ice time. 8th overall. He's playing less than, you know, Nita Ryder who came a couple games ago, and Vladomestinov since he came on the Jets. And I just, I don't get it. Like I know, I know that he he missed a bunch of time earlier this season, right? He's kind of ramping himself back up from that injury and all that. But we're on a new coach here and it's the same old, same old. He's playing way too little. Every time he's out there, he's creating something. He's one of the most efficient

point getters in the league. He's one of the best transition players in the game. The Jets are significantly better with him on the ice, and I just do not understand why the usage never matches up with all those other points. I couldn't agree more. There were times a season where he was on the third line, and I think there was a game where he played on the fourth line. Now, he may not have had fourth line minutes. I don't know if that was trying to create a spark or whatnot, but he's a terrific hockey player, and there were rumors a couple years ago on some teams on him if the Jets would, you know, if he would be a big part of the Jets future. And I thought to myself, man, that would be a big mistake if Wemnipeg moved off from him. I viewed him as a

to buy a little candidate all year. You know, I know some people drafted him. And to your point, you said he missed some time with, you know, injuries. And maybe that is something to do with the production this season. But to hear you say that they're like eight or nine guys that have more ice time of five and five is absolutely bonkers. There's no reason that that should be the case. He's a terrific goal scorer. He loves to shoot the buck.

And as I said earlier, I mean, that's really just messing around with a lot of their lines. There hasn't really been a lot of stability. Kyle Conner started this season off pretty slow. And last year, he was so good with Pierre-Luc Dubois. I took them a little bit of time to put them back together, and I thought that's when really Kyle Conner took off. So it'll be really interesting to see what happens with Nikola Eilers, if there's a move in the off season.

If it does have something to do with the new coach in town, it seems like Paul Maris really liked him. You know, last year at times, it's giving him a little bit more rise time. Yeah, but still not enough. On that power play. It's not enough. You're right, it's not enough. And he doesn't even get time on the first power play.

My goodness, right? Yeah. That's the guy that should be on that power play. Yeah, I mean, he has a type of skill set that should really be, like, featured on a team. He's playing under 16 minutes all situations per game this season, which is just comical. And you look, like, he is 2.7, 515 points per 60 this season, which is 20th best in the league. Sandwich right between Rupa Hintz and Mitch Martyr, two guys who get a lot of love and attention

and significantly better usage from their teams and deservedly so. And Nikolai Euler's in that category, right? Like when he's healthy, they're awesome with him on the ice. And he's got two years left on his deal at $6 million, 27 years old. And so, yeah, I don't want, I don't want this. to be a type of situation where at the end of his career we're like, ah, always one of those players that was just underutilized. I think the window is still there for him to get there and hopefully some other team. If it's not going to be the Jets, they've had enough opportunities at this point,

and for whatever reason, they seem reluctant to do so. Okay, here's my first one. Rasmus Sandine. You know, after the types of two games that he had out of the game of the Capitals, I'm not sure how available still he is or, you know, what the situation in your league is, but the usage here speaks for itself where in his 52 games with the Leafs, he topped 20 minutes just 12 times this season. In the first two games that he played with the Capitals, he played 2140 in his debut against the Sharks, and then 2506 against the Kings,

first time in his career in 140 plus games that he got over 23 minutes in a game. In those two games, he has a goal, he has four assists. He leads the team actually in 5-15 ice time in those. those two games and he's played six out of the nine possible power play minutes that they've had in those two games. So they're pretty much, you know, with Worlaub out the door, with Gustafson being traded for Sandin and with Carlson still out, they're basically just handing over the keys that operation and treating him as the number one defenseman. And the sky's the limit because I think

talent was never a question for him. It was always a matter of kind of a log jam on the defensive depth chart for the Leafs and just their unwillingness or an ability to get more minutes for him just because of all those players ahead of them. And now there's none of those barriers in the way, and he's in a great situation. And at least so far, he's taking full advantage of it. Yeah, he was second on my list, Dimitri. I love this call here by you.

And it's amazing. The Leafs fan base is so strong that I noticed immediately when that trade happened, his ownership dropped. People were actually willing to drop Rasmus Sandin because he was no longer a member of the Toronto of Maple Leafs. But now these past couple games, which you alluded to in the production, and just really the ice time,

the six minutes of power play in the two games This is a guy that average up there two minutes of power play time per game with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And even overall, all you mentioned the five and five numbers. Now we're seeing his ownership jump up a little bit, but it's still not high enough. It's sub 40% in Yahoo Leaks. It's sub 30% in the ESPN formats, 21 minutes, 25 minutes. As you mentioned, the one shot, six hits. I don't know if that's really part of his game.

Like, I don't know if you're picking, you're not picking him up, like, just to get, you know, three or four hits here and there. He does have some offensive firepower tool. And we're going to see that here over the next little bit. I mean, Eric Gustafson is an immediate drop with the move to Toronto. He's not going to get the same sort of ice time, just under 10 minutes in his first game. I mean, you can just swap the players out. If you had Gusifson, you cut him and you move over to Rasmus Sandin.

So, yeah, I like it. I mean, the opportunities are there. A Mexican plays in the power play, the full power play. You know, he's not going to leave the ice. And as you mentioned, I don't know if John Carlson's going to come back. I mean, it's a significant injury. I'm unsure if he's going to come back. The capitalists are still hanging on.

Like, it's going to be tough for them to get into the playoffs. And I think they did a good thing realizing that they are selling. to move some of the pieces that they did move and Demetri Roloff and Hathaway and some players like that but but Sandine is a really really nice get and you know I think he's a good if you have been to keep really in a dynasty league and you know he was going pretty early in those formats

you just hold on to him I think it's a pretty good spot for him for him yeah here clearly a highly skilled player and I think there certainly put him in a position to succeed I guess like the thing that was interesting was you never know with some of these young defensemen who are you know playing on teams where they're playing sort of sheltered third minute third pairing roles and the minutes are being very carefully curated and you're not sure whether you can project it,

you can expand it out all of a sudden to a significantly larger workload against better players if that production is going to carry over and actually expand or whether they're just going to completely drown in it. And you don't want to make any sort of, you know, old declarations based on two games, but clearly a highly skilled player and he's at a good spot to at least produce offensively.

And you mentioned the hits. I also don't think you're getting him for shots, right? Because he comes from an organizationally, still like prides itself on not allowing their defensemen to shoot right they're they're trying to get the puck to their forwards in shooting positions and so he comes from that he was developed in that system he played his entirety of his career so far there and so maybe at this point he can still sort of add that to his game or adapt but I wouldn't expect high shot totals from him which is fine because he's more of a distributor and there's a lot of good forwards on that team to get the puck

too and I'm sure they're going to love him and keep giving him those minutes if he's teeing up Obetchkin time and time again. Yeah, exactly, right? I mean, it's not really all about the shots and the goal. I mean, he's 100% shooting rate. That's clearly not sustainable. But me being on that power play and picking up some apples here and there and you know, T.J. Oshie's playing pretty good. Who's Netsoff is back in the line of Obetkin is back now. So they still, as you mentioned, have some skilled forwards on that first, on that first power play. I think he's a really good yet. And if I was as a ranked defenseman the rest of the way, he would be a top 20 defenseman for me. There's really no question about it just because the the ice time that he is going to get,

in the production that he could provide for you on the power play. And that could be the difference, especially to head-to-head format. You're in a rotissory league. You need some power play points, things like that. This is a guy that can really help you. It's really tough to find defensemen and players who can produce on the power play. Like, those guys don't really hang around on the waiver wire. So to get a guy that's going to probably average just over 21 minutes per game the rest of the way.

And maybe three, close to three on the power play per game. That's pretty significant. Yeah. And also a player that they're incentivized or motivated to keep feeding those minutes, right? especially for the rest of the season. It would be strange for them to kind of force Carlson back into the lineup based on the injury he had, I think. I think it'll be more of a next year thing.

So, yeah, the rest of the season, all systems go. Okay, who's next on your list? I get a deep, another deep guy here. I'm in Barberchav, who's the biggest gold knights here. 12 goals and just 34 points on the season, but five points here, five games of the gold nights, two goals the other night against the Canadians. It goes hard to the net, and I think that's a really good player to have on your line with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marshes.

So, you know, Mark Stone is probably not going to come back here and to the playoffs if he's, you know, on long-term IR until that moment. And, you know, they've tried to balance out some of their lineups, you know, well, their lineup in particular. I mean, they've had Chandler-Stevenson on that third line with Phil Kessel and they've had William Carlson with Riley Smith. But, you know, giving him an opportunity right off the hop is another guy, just like you don't need or right, just under 17 minutes per game with his former team in the Blues and 1857 over his last four games. On that second power play unit, I can't imagine him getting on that first power play unit, you know, like you're not really going to get. get a lot of power play production. But he's a guy that is a banger, right? You hear the turn sandpaper, get in the corner, get those loose box,

all those cliches that you know, hockey analysts kind of toss out here and there. But 11 hits in his last three games. I think this is a perfect get for the Golden Knights. It's a sneaky little ad. He has experience. He's won a Stanley couple years ago. I think he brought a lot of firepower to Vegas. And Jack Michael's playing really good.

There was a moment where he came back from the injury. And he, I think he went like two or three weeks really without a goal. And he wasn't really productive. But we're starting to see him now. shoot the puck a bit more, maybe he's more healthy. John of the Marsh is starting to hit the score sheet a little bit more as well. So just the guy who's going to be surrounded around better players here in Vegas. Yeah, it's a good spot from.

I believe that only Jack Eichl amongst big, because Forwarders is playing more than him so far as well since he got to enter that lineup. And, you know, at the time of the trade, I was very skeptical on the player because I feel like with most blues players last year, the sort of inflated career year shooting percentage distorted the perception of like what type of player he is. And I don't know it seemed like an aberration or an outlier in the grand scheme of his career. But I also said I could really see this, especially for the rest of this season, kind of working out in Vegas mining every single bit of value out of them

because we just went through this a couple years ago. Remember they acquired Matias Yamark at the deadline and I was like, I don't know about this player. And then all of a sudden, it's kind of that system where you just plug and plug and play them and all of a sudden get more out of them. And so, yeah, as long as he's playing this role, and it seems like there's no reason to believe that's going to change anytime soon, although Bruce Cassidy self-admittedly loves to put the lines in a blender

and mix up everyone. And so, you know, there's certainly a scenario where if a couple of games go by and they're struggling to score again, all of a sudden, he's playing with much lesser players. And I wouldn't recommend him at that point. But as long as he's playing with Eichlamars, so it's kind of a no brader to sort of plug him in and get some of those peripheral stats as well. Yeah, it's a little living in the moment, I think, to me, sure.

Yeah, like another guy, a point prop standpoint like plus money like plus 120 you know playing with those guys if he's going to play with icon he's going to play with marsh zone you're going to get some soft matchups plus 220 for an assist things like that you know a little sprinkle on on night so live in the moment maybe a short term ad and just kind of see what cassidy does with those slides as you mentioned yeah okay i my list is really interesting because you mentioned how it was kind of like a depth ad for me my list is pretty much entirely either young guys who i think could really benefit from openings kind of like I had with Sandin or sort of like players who I'm not necessarily very enthused about

but are all of a sudden getting a lot of opportunity in their new roles. And so I'll give you a young guy that I'm really intrigued by. So William Eklund has played a couple games now with the sharks ever being called up. He had 41 points in 52 HL games this year. You know, they've pretty much plugged them right there in that Timo Meyer role. He's playing the top line left wing. He's on the top view of power play. He has played 70% of his minutes so far with Eric Carlson on that.

the ice, 90% of his minutes with Tomas Hurtle on the ice. And that's a great position for him. Like it's, it's going to, you know, I'm sure there's going to be some growing pains. I'm sure they're going to be nice where he doesn't produce anything for you. But give him that type of usage with those players, eventually good things will happen. And we've seen that even when the shark struggles a team and they lose, their top players still find a way to produce offensively. And they're featuring William Eklund in that role now. And certainly based on everything we know about him from his prospect profile to the draft hype is he's a very intriguing talent. And so I'm very curious to see what he does in that role.

And I think you could do a lot worse and sort of speculating on him at this point because he hasn't really, I think he only has like the one assist in those three games so far. But if he keeps getting those minutes, he will eventually even stumble his way into more points and more shots and all that good stuff. Yeah, absolutely. This is another guy that's on my list as well. So what I talked about last week on Dangablite Sully is, you know, he's a big Barabana fan, E.Y.

And it's, we joke all the time about just really opportunity. and it isn't a joke, but this is a player that's got a lot of skill. And, you know, when a big named player like Tim O'Meer gets shipped out of town, it's an opportunity, right? The sharks are rebuilding. This is a team that's going to be in the Connor Baderds. We can say, it's no question about it, but they still have two really good sentiment in Thomas Hurtle and Logan Gature.

So if they decided to move, you know, Eklin up and down the lineup, he is going to play with a really good centerman. And Hurtle is somebody originally that I thought, man, you know what? It kind of stinks. losing Timo Meyer, am I going to want to hold this guy? Like, who is he going to play? It's the first couple of games there, but Timom Meyer, he didn't really have great linemates.

And then they call up Eklund, you mentioned the three games, averaging 19 minutes per game, has the assist, has five shots, had some shot attempts. We're going to play on the power play. He's a guy that's going to probably live in that 18, 19 minute range, whether it's with hurdle or whether it's with good sure. So I love the call. I think he's another really great get in Keeper League's and Dynasty Leagues.

This is what I mentioned off the top. Like if you're not going to make the playoffs, unfortunately, you can maybe get a guy like this. If you weren't quick to the way of wire to grab him, you know, maybe somebody up at the top of the standings has a loaded roster and they need help elsewhere. Maybe you can get a young player like this who is definitely going to have a significant role moving forward with this Sandals of the Sharks team. So absolutely love the call. Yeah, I know earlier this year I had Jack Hahn in the podcast and he was talking about how something the sharks were doing was, you know, because of Eric Carlson's playing style. how aggressive it is. They were trying to match up his minutes with Tomashe hurdles a lot because hurdles just like so reliable defensively and was sort of, you know, stepping back and basically

being the last man back, sometimes when Carlson would dash up the ice and trying to sort of have their cake and eat at too in that regard. And so if Eklund is going to play with hurdle, that also means he's going to be on the ice with Carlson a lot. And we don't typically think about like shared forward defenseman minutes. But in this case, with Carlson basically being a fourth forward to you in an elite one at that, I love the idea of him sharing. with them because we know that Carlson is is going to get him the puck in great areas to convert from. And so it's like it's kind of a dream landing spot for him. So even if like the five on five numbers or, or, you know, the goal share or anything doesn't look ideal, I think the scoring opportunities are going to be there.

So I like him quite a bit. Okay, we have time for for Watermore pick here before we go to break. So I think it, I think it is your turn. I'll give you another just low key name and kind of the same sort of seeing his opportunity on a team that's, you know, still they're fighting for a playoff spot, not as, not like the Sharks, but the Nashville Predators and Tommy Novak. And Tommy Novak has just kind of been on my radar a little bit from, you know, a prop standpoint, in a deep league, a 14 team league, and just looking at the remaining games left. Nashville has the most games left. They have the second most games from a three-week span, depending on your format in a Yahoo league or ESPN setting, which is key. I mean, for those playoffs, just to have the most games

is very beneficial. You know, just try to get the edge from your opponent. Tommy Novak 12 points over his last nine games. He's been on the second line, first line, kind of moved around a little bit, but Philip Forsberg is sideline. Maybe when Forsberg gets back, that will give him a little bit of boost

because we've seen Forgeberg, Novak, and Duchenne at times on a line on the first power play. And again, maybe he was revving off on me a little bit, but he's been talking about this guy really all year long. He thought that he should have made the squad up at the start of this season. He can help you out and face off opportunities, right? 12 points in his last nine games, points in six of those nine games. Not a big volume shooter,

but again, with opportunity, maybe that will change as a guy who's like all of a sudden going to get the first line minutes. Rod Johansson's sideline right now. They traded McHall Granlin. They've moved a lot of the different pieces. And this is a player that is mostly owned in Tyson Barry, but it's another guy, right? I think most people dropped him immediately. Oh, you know, he's leaving Conn-Rick-David and the Empenson power play. Why do I want a piece to him? But 10 shots on goal on this three games, two points. And then again, I, I, I think, I, I do think it's beneficial to have arguably the most game. Like inside the top two in that playoff format, in a head-to-head format,

you're going to get the most of your move. So those are two mostly Nobac. I think Barry's mostly owned everywhere, but Nobac's a guy that I think he can help you get out in a 14. Okay, so I was looking at this. This is a great time to bring this up. And you might be the wrong person to ask this because of how much time you spend with our mutual pal, Eric Young.

In March, so they played like whatever, three or four games, can you name the top nine forwards for the national predators? Oh my goodness, no way. Okay, I'll give you the list. Matthew Shea. No, Bear can do it. Matt DeShay number one, Yakov Trinner number two,

Cody Glass number three, Colton Sisson's number four. Cole Smith, number five, Tommy Novak, six, Luke Evangelist, the seven, John Leonard, eight, Kiefer Shorewood, nine. Certainly a who's who of who. Now, Forsberg, Forzberg's return is imminent,

and so, you know, he's going to be back up at top that list, but yeah, it's very interesting. Whoever does get to play with Forsberg and Duchyne, potentially, that's going to be a great spot, right? So certainly some of the monitor. You know, you mentioned Barry there. Let's include Evan Bouchard, who's probably owned a lot of leagues, right? Because even before he was still playing.

But I did want to note that in the four games since the Barry trade, he's got three assists, 21 shot attempts, which are behind just Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman on the team. And he's playing 21 minutes per game in that time, but here's the stat for you. on their power play opportunities, he has been on the ice with Connor McDavid for all but 11 seconds of Connor McDavid's power play usage.

So he has stepped fully into that role. They are just leaning on that top power play unit as heavily as possible, and it's a great spot to be. I know I think he had all three of those assists in one of those four games, and he hasn't had anything in the rest of them, but you're telling me you're going to be out

for like 100% of the time on a historically great top power play unit, you are going to sleepwalk your way to significant point totals. And so that's not to diminish Bouchard himself because I think he's a fantastic player and he's a great fit for that. And he'll be able to optimize that as well and maximize his opportunity. But yeah, just in terms of usage, if anyone's like, oh, I'm kind of a bit underwhelmed so far because three out of those four games, he didn't give me anything. I'm all about it because he's clearly going to just load up on points the rest of the way.

Man, such a good call. I mean, it kind of slipped by right. I'm glad that you brought him up because this was a player that actually took a lot of black for him. You know, in my in my rankings at the start of the season, you know, Dardenal Nurse is going ahead of him. And I thought, no, this is Bouchard. Like Bouchard is to the guy that you want, save and, you know, save that pick, grab somebody else and get Bouchard a little bit later on. But unfortunately, you know, he just hasn't really had a good season. But last year, I thought he was terrific, especially into the playoffs. I thought he was a real

driver offensively. And I thought he was really good on the power play. But of course, Tyson Bury getting that power play time and Darren Lerce from here and there. So, yeah, three assists the other night, two of them were on the power play. It had at least, three shots and three straight games and the ice time should be there as well. I mean, the Oilers are just so electric on the power play. It's really unbelievable. It seem to be automatic. And what a great stat there. 11 seconds. Yeah, that's it. McDavid, yeah, sign me up. Yeah, and the thing, the thing for me is, I was making this point when they made the E. Coleman trade as well. It's kind of a tougher thing to quantify, but at Coleman is just

such a perfect fit for him as a partner that at five on five, I think it's going to be a much easier ride for him and considering he's also playing on this top unit power play now which is one of the best spots you can be in the league like his confidence is going to be at an all time high right like he's going to get the points he's going to get the usage he's going to get easier puck touches and high leverage moments and so it can be a tricky spot when like you're relied upon as a young defender especially in a tough market and if you make a few mistakes here there people are down down your throat right immediately but in this case I really think kind of the the sky's the limit for him and he's going to make most of it.

So I'm all about Bouchard the rest of the way there. All right. Chris, let's take a quick break here while we still can. And then when we come back, we'll wrap up with some other names in our list. You are listening to the Hockey P.Docast streaming on the Sportsnet Radio Network. Your number one spot for Flames coverage can be found on Flames Talk with me, Pat Steinberg. Exclusive interviews, trusted insiders, and the latest news. Listen live weekday afternoons and four or stream the Flames Talk podcast on demand. All right, we're back here on the Hockey-Ocast with my pal, Chris Mini.

We're talking about players whose roles and situations have changed since the trade deadline and who stands to benefit. I'll give you the next name on my list here. Degne Dadov, who you got to watch closely with the Montreal Canadiens. He is playing now in a line with Jamie Ben and with Wyatt Johnston. and, you know, with the haves, he shot 5.6% after having been basically like a consistent 14 or so percent above average shooter in the five years since he came back to the NHL on various teams. And he, in his first 50 games of the haves, he was on the ice for only 29 goals. He's already been on the ice for six goals in his first five games.

And so I think he's getting some power play uses around the second unit. He's getting a play on what is, you know, essentially. their second line in terms of usage up front. And I really like the fit for him there. So, you know, he's a player who I'm sure was pretty much available everywhere based on how he started the season. And I like him quite a bit in that spot on the stars team. Yeah, I do as well. You know, and he started to pick up his game towards, you know, the, I guess the last few games. Maybe he was thinking, you know, if I bring it here, maybe I can get out of town and I can, you know, be on a Stanley Cup contender. And that's exactly what happened. I mean, he's a proven

goal scorer in the league. I know it hasn't been the same for him. You know, know really since he really left Florida. Yeah, you know, a couple really strong seasons there with the Panthers and maybe a little bit underwhelming with the Ottawa Senators, but he does have a lot of scoring touch. And you mentioned that the linemates that he's playing with. He is a guy that's not afraid to put the puck on that his three straight games, at least two shots. And, you know, he had three points in his first couple games as well, getting an opportunity

on the power play. And I just want to give a little bit of love to Max Domey as well. I thought those were two kind of underrated moves. I know Dallas is very top heavy, of course. So, you know, with that top line and hints and Jason Robertson and Joe Bovellsky, but I've noticed, you know, watching the last two games of Dallas, and Max Domey's had a really nice season. Maybe his outlier, of course, will be that year that he had with the Havs, 73 points, I think.

You know, he's having a really nice season with Chicago. He was somebody we were talking about from a shoproft standpoint. The minutes are going to come down just a little bit. But, you know, playing with Tyler Sagan, playing with Mason-Marchman. Maybe they can kind of get him going a little bit. He's been a little underwhelming. But Sagan's looked good alongside Max Domi, playing on that second line. I've a goal in six shots over his first couple games, second power play unit.

And St. Egan's got seven points over his last seven games. So all of a sudden, this isn't just a one-line team. And really, it's probably unfair for me to say that because Jimmy Bent's had a really nice season. And adding Dadenoff on that line, I think it gives them three lines that can score, and they don't have to rely so much on that top line. So I do like that. I call Dadoff's ownership is 2%. So he's heavily available, and that may just be me because I have...

Well, I think they certainly as a team just needed more, you know, creativity and playmaking. and those guys certainly give them that. And the reason why I brought this up, you mentioned Ben, I got to give Wyatt Johnson some love here because that guy is a baller. And I think it's flying a bit under the radar right now because his overall counting stats are necessarily the most impressive. But when you adjust it for age, he's still a teenager, for the role in terms of the minutes he plays,

and sort of some of the underlying indicators of how much he's creating, he is having an unbelievable season. You look at it since 2007, which I kind of classify as the quote-unquote analytics era because that's what the database goes back to on sites like natural statrick and evolving hockey. He's in the top 30 amongst teenagers in expected goals generated for 60 minutes. And right there, some of the names are the ones you'd expect. And then also some interesting ones in terms of like Timi Stutzlach and Seth Jarvis last year, Alex De Branket a few years ago when he burst onto the scene, his teammate Tyler Say again all the way back in 2011, 2012.

well, like pretty much every player on that list, for the most part, wound up, you know, as they got older and as they matured and got into their physical prime, got significantly more minutes, became a feature part of their offense and completely took off and the county stats went along with it. And so I want to get in early on the Wyatt Johnson experience here. It might not be a play for the rest of this season, but, you know, talking to some of the people who are playing in more big picture, deeper rostered dynasty leagues, he might already be owned in those, but if the owner is kind of like, you know, they're a contender right now and they're like looking to beef up their roster for the rest of this year, I would be buying on Wyatt Johnson because I think

the sky's the limit for them the rest of the way. Yeah, no question. And, you know, something we do over at FTA and for those that like DFS, you know, playing some draftings and Bandole, you know, in a larger tournaments, just try to be different with your line up. So you got to assume when Dallas is, you know, a really nice matchup like playing, you know, the Buffalo Sabres, who have allowed the second most goals against a five and buyper 60 over the last month. You know, a lot of the people will gravitate to that top line. And, you know, everyone will go. The ownership will be higher in those players, but it was some of that line, that second line, mostly Johnson and Jamie Ben, we've been writing those guys up as like sneaky little plays, driving offense, and Ben has been very

productive, and you mentioned why, I mean, he's got points in five his last six games, shooting the puck and provide some faceoff wins as well. And, you know, sticking with Dallas and maybe just transitioning over Montreal, that trait, you know, Dennis Gary Yonov has been on my radar as well. You know, he has recently been moved to the third line, but I thought the first two games with the habs, I thought they were fantastic from him. I mean, he showed a lot of a lot of speed. He's been very inconsistent in Dallas. What a cup revenue he had when the stars went to the Stanley Cup finals against the Tampa Bay lighting. I thought, oh, wow, this is a really good

player. He's big. I love to shoot a puck. He's fast. But, you know, he just really wasn't getting the ice time fell down on the lineup in Dallas. I mean, his first game with the Canadians, he played a season high, 17 minutes. He had six shots, eight attempts. Those were season highs as well. The second game against the Kings, he played 1852, and he scored a goal on that game. And just recently, St. Louis put him on that third line. I don't know if he's going to get backup on that top line with Nick Suzuki, I think it's possible. I think they're just trying to figure out maybe if he could play with somebody else,

if he can create some chemistry with maybe some other younger players on the squad, because anybody can really play with Nick Suzuki. But he is getting a time on that second power play unit as the trigger man. He's playing the point, and they kind of got him like at the top of the circle there, and they've been looking to his way for some shots. So maybe just somebody to keep an eye on. Definitely going to get a significant boost in ice time and usage. And he does have a ton of speed, and he's been shooting the puck quite a bit.

Yeah, well, you don't need to sell me on Dennis Gary On Up. I've been the conductor of the Dennis Gary On Out train for years, and he just needs a place that loves him, you know, that he'll embrace him for who he is, that'll overlook some of the flaws in his game and just try to focus on the good stuff. And there's certainly a lot of good stuff, especially from a talent perspective. So, yeah, I'm very curious to see, you know, what the future holds for him in that regard. Okay, well, speaking of a guy with a great shot, a ton of speed to burn, and a new opportunity here, man. interest you in some Yakobrana. Oh yeah. So, so he gets the fresh start in St. Louis. He plays, he's only played one game so far. He made his debut against the coyotes the other night. He played 1631. He had eight shot attempts and six shots on goal in that game. He flashed sort of that trademark of his where in the defensive zone, he kind of pokes away a puck. It becomes a loose puck. He tracks it down and instantly just takes off and goes in for a breakaway. He didn't score on it, but it was like, that's what I want to see from Yakubrenna. That's the player. we fell in love with, that's one of his sort of defining, uh, defining plays or defining skills

that he, he uses when he's right. And so we'll see on his, uh, linemates right now. I believe he played with like, Braden Shen and Casperi Capitan in that debut. Um, there's certainly a lot of opportunity in that top six based on all the trades that they made at the deadline. And I think, you know, they have them next year at a reduced price because the Detroit, um, retained on it. I believe half of his contract. And so it's a situation where, it makes sense for them to give him a shot to see what they have in him if he can kind of rejuvenate his career and he certainly got the skill set and he's young enough that I believe he can and so that's a player that I'd be interested in in speculating on now because I mean getting six shots on goal in eight attempts in 16 minutes for a player with his finishing ability if he's going to be doing that a lot of goals are going to be coming his way

yeah I couldn't agree more of this call as well as somebody that we've talked about just the other day his shot prop was plus 145 which is something you normally don't see it was one and a half and as you mentioned he had six So he cruised to the open were pretty early. He's getting an opportunity in a top six. And there are some really good players in St. Louis Navich is playing really good. They're Robert Thomas. They seem to have a little bit of a connection with Jordan Kaira. So whether he is on that second line or he bumps up on that top line or first power play,

they're going to give him a really good look here down the stretch and see what they have in him. And very impressive player. I know at the time of the trade with, you know, Anthony Manti, I really like that side. I really liked that side of it for the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, just didn't seem to work out from off the ice issues. but he's a heck of a player with a ton of speed. And as you mentioned, you know, he's got a nose for the net. You know, not only can put the puck in the net, you know,

he's not afraid to shoot the puck. So I think that's really significant. These guys that are going, like 1632 is pretty big for your first game. And to have those eight shot attempts in your first game with the team, unfamiliar with certain players, you know, style of play, coaching system, all that stuff is, you know, checks a lot of boxes. And he did certainly for me in that game. I'm not really like that call.

Yeah. Do you have the numbers in front of you on Anthony Bavilié's? ownership is it too late to cash in on it because it's not he's been he's been in the class for 15 games right so let's say he's a bit different because that trade happens so early on january 30th i believe that it's not like a fresh deadline one but he's also a player that i want to talk about because his circumstances have changed about as dramatically as anyone's um with kind of like a trade in season yeah wow really that low yeah even kuzmiko like i don't understand kuzmiko people are sleeping hang around 50% have absolutely sleeping uh he's he's a guy that

we've been talking about quite a bit. Plus money every single night for a point, plus $250 for an assist. He's got an assist in back-to-back games, man, just looking quickly here. I think he's hit the score sheet in four, five, six, seven of his last 10 games, right? Elias Patterson's been one of the best players in the NHL over the last year and a half. Like nobody really hasn't talked about this guy from a prop point standpoint. He's always at one and a half. There's only a handful of players that come with a one and a half point prop for, you know,

that team's games or for that player's game. and he's a guy that's been hitting this course. He's looked really good. And I know you've had your eye on him, of course, you know, fall in the clock and acted pretty closely. Yeah. So, Blas played 15 games with the team. He has six goals and seven assists in that time. He's played 240 out of his 280 minutes with Pedersen.

I think that's the important differentiator here because you hit the nail on the head there. Like, last Pederson is one of the rare talent elevators we have in the league. Like, I feel pretty good. Anyone that plays with them that has any. semblance of skill he's going to get the absolute most out of them both on defensive and offensive side of things as a distributor with his play just basically all over the ice and so but he's in a perfect spot there i believe he's like playing kind of some bumper minutes of a power play as well they're getting him the puck there to shoot um so i know his shot rate is a bit down from where it was

with the islanders but the positions he's getting it from and sort of the quality of those looks is so significantly higher and he's a player who has had success in the nchl in the past and he's what he turns 26 this summer. So there's a lot of value left there to kind of like rehabilitate and rejuvenate and good on the Canucks for sort of, you know, taking him on as money to make that contract work to make the deal work in the Horvath trade. He makes 4.15 million, I believe, next year. And so they're getting a lot out of them and it's a great spot for him playing with Pedersen there. And I expect that to continue. I mean, the dynamic between those guys and then and then throw Kuzmanko in there as well as is incredibly fun to watch. So, and as a

The Canucks seem to clearly, you know, for better or for worse, and for worse, in my opinion, because I think they should be trying to get as good draft lottery odds as they can. They're using their top players a lot, and those top players are producing quite well right now and winning them some games here under Rick Tock's. So I think – I'm shocked to hear that Bovilliers' roster shift percentage is as low as it is. Yeah, it's too low. I think people are sleeping, right? I mean, they look at the Islanders number, and they think the Islanders don't score a lot of goals.

I mean, the Connucks played a lot of over. Of course, they haven't been really getting the goal-tending. You know, Thatcher Demcoe back is going to stay. stabilize him a little bit in net, but, you know, a great February for him, 11 games, six goals, 11 points. I mean, he had a little bit of an unsustainable shooting percentage at 21.4, but the ice time, 1906 is what he averaged. She didn't have over 16 minutes just once in January, you know, 15, 505, 1540, 1539 from October, November, and into December. So top line minutes around a player like Patterson. I love Kuzmakikos game. I mean, this is a guy that just,

you know, seems to hit the score sheet every single night with Patterson. So like that call a lot. Yeah, I'm surprised with the ownership. And again, not comparing the two players, of course, but you got a Canucks team, a lot of, you know, they've got some games left. I'll reference again, you know, the head-to-head formats in the three weeks, you know, towards the end of March in early April where the islanders have the fewest games for me. And so, like, you kind of have to cut your ties with maybe like a, you know, Boeh-Horavad or Hondrysly once you get past these next couple weeks. There won't be a lot of games there. And that's a player would swap for one of those two guys. What do you think about Thomas Sattar?

Like, what do you think about his role with the Devils and bringing in Timo Meyer? Timmyer's own, Dawson, Mercer finally, his ownership is above 60%. 10-game point streak. You know, he's kind of solidified himself on the wing next to Nico Hescher. I don't know if they're going to continue with Brad and Hughes and Timomire. I just, I feel like, you know, you get the hatcherman there, this twist guy potentially, and Timomir playing with Nico Hesher, but I think he's just a perfect fit next to Jack Hughes. and it's really created more balance up their lineup.

You know, people are asking about André Palat. Like Palat now to the third line, he's fifth of score sheet lately. I think he's more suited for that on third line role. And Thomas Saterner a couple years ago was one of the better five-un-five players in the NHL, you know, he's playing with Philip Dono and who's playing with Brennan Gallagher, who was responsible on both ends. He hasn't done a whole lot on the season. I mean, just 14 goals, scoreless in his last three games.

But the upside that he can bring, playing with the skilled players that he's surrounded around, there was a three-game point streak where he racked up six. points. So I think that, you know, he does have that potential to maybe contribute, kind of piggyback off of what is a really loaded top six now of a sudden New Jersey. It is. Yeah, I think they're going to use these final couple weeks of the season to probably experiment and integrate Timelmeyer into different combinations. So I'm sure at some point we're going to see him play with his year and Dawson Mercer on that top line. And if that bumps down to Tart the playing with, you know, with Brad and Hughes, that's totally fine as well. If it bumps him down to the third line,

then I'll obviously like him a bit less from an offensive perspective. But, Yeah, I mean, that trio with Hishir Mercer and Nitar has had so much success recently that I feel like Lindy Ruff is going to ride that for as long as he can and it's not necessarily going to change. And so while he's in that role, I love it because, you know, I love Niko Hissure as a player. I love, love Doss and Nurseer as a player. And so playing with those two guys, it's a great spot for him, right? And I think he still has, like you watch him play, he definitely still has enough left in the tank. Now, I believe he's a UFA.

after this season and so he will almost surely be on a different team because they're going to have to use that whatever four or five million dollar salary he has to pay both Meyer and Brad this summer but for the rest of this season he's certainly in a good spot so yeah I kind of like that call because he's generally even when he's been putting up bigger point totals he's I feel like he's often been a player that's kind of like overlooked or not appreciated even back when he was at his prime oh yeah for sure yeah with the Canadians he was like a sneaky goal score even you know a few years that he had with Detroit. It's just a top six that I think you want to keep your eye on. Oh, yeah, I mentioned there could be some juggling there and made a plaque, finds himself

back in southern top six. I mean, he's, and this is a guy that's played with some very skilled players over the course of his career. I mean, he fit in beautiful. A lot of people can next to Nikita Kutrov and Braden Point, but, you know, he's got a lot of experience and I think come close to playhouse as a guy that is going to be leaned on a little bit. And at times, he was, you know, just recently before the deal with Tim of Meyer, he was playing next to Jack Hughes and he was starting to hit the score. He throws his body around. those that are playing a banging leagues with hits and things like that. He can help you out.

Top six, I think you want to keep your eye on down the stretch. Yep. Okay. I have some notes here on the coyotes. I know not a fantasy hockey, you know, Haven by any means. But here's the thing. We talk about opportunity all the time. And especially for some of these bad teams,

I think people generally kind of shy away from them, right? Because it's not a trendy or a very desirable spot. And you're not going to be one of watching a lot of their games. And so I think, you know, players just shine. to shy away from that, but you look since the deadline, so they, you know, Jacob Chickon wasn't playing for a while because they were sitting him out for trade related reasons, but both him and Gosses Bear were their top two most heavily used players this season, and especially in scoring rules. You take them out, all of a sudden, a guy like Yuselamaki,

his usage before that was 1633 per game in the three games since. He's playing 2247, including quarterbacking the top higher play unit. I know it's been a while since he was kind of like a highly regarded prospect, but he to my eyes look pretty good this season. And I think if anyone gets to play in those minutes, it's not going to be the most, you know, high octane offense, but they will get theirs eventually, especially if they're playing in some of these games or they're already down right out of the gate and now the team lets up a little bit and they can kind of squeeze back in a game. So I like Balamaki there, especially if you're playing in leagues at like value ice time and stuff because I think he's going to have an opportunity to accumulate stuff. But

even like a JJ Moser is getting more usage. I don't know. I just think, when you remove the top two defensemen off a team, there's going to be clear beneficiaries. And at this case, it seems like Valamaki's kind of soaking up pretty much the entirety of it. Yeah, he is. He's a guy that I own actually in a lot of formats. I had him on my list. It's like the last low-key guy that, you know, is definitely available. I mean, his ownership is 10%. And I have them in a lot of leagues that I account for blocks.

So, I mean, this is an Arizona team that they allow a lot, you know, not breaking any news here, but, you know, six block shots against the devils. He get a match up against a team that can control the pace, control the, you know, the puck and own the puck, you are going to rack up some blocks, but he is playing and getting some of power play opportunity, and you mentioned the guys that they lost, right? Like Shane Gosses Spears off to a great start in Carolina, but you got to think the minutes come down a little bit. Is it going to be that productive? I know that they have a loaded squad playing on the second power play. I think all of his points have come on the power play, actually, his first three

games with Carolina. And same thing with, you know, Jacob Trickon. Really fine player goes to a great team. The minutes are not going to be there. The same uses that he had in Arizona is not going to his same and it does open up the door for a guy like Balanaki. There's a lot of players here. Like Clayton Keller doesn't get the love that he deserves. He's basically a point per game guy all year long. Nick Schmaltz has been basically a porn per game guy since the start of last season. Nobody really wants a piece of Nick Schultz.

These guys are definitely available in fantasy hockey leagues. They get plus money on all of their point props. They seem to hit the score sheet almost every other night. And Barrett Hayton is a guy that Eric and I have talked a lot about on Danglebatzelli over the past little bit. I mean, not too far removed from being a top pick. really getting an opportunity this season. There's been a lot of games over the past month,

21 minutes, 22 minutes. He's got 10 goals, two goals over his last few games. I mean, he's hit the score sheet here in seven of his last 10 hockey games. He's going to win you double-digy faceoffs here in there as well if you're playing in those formats. You're right. You're right to bring up these guys and think nobody wants them. You're not wrong. People don't look at these coyote players

and think that they can provide something, but they're their first line really good. And even lost and crows. Yeah, sneaky little players. below. Well, the thing with Hayden is, yeah, I mean, he's centering Keller and Schmeltz right now. He's on the top unit power play. I think the opportunity is certainly there. And if you look kind of at his career, this is sort of not to say he's still super young. Not so not to say this is his last opportunity, but you know, Logan Cooley is coming. They've drafted a bunch of centers. They're presumably going to

have another really high pick again. And if it's in the top three, it'll probably be another, you know, center that's coming for his job. And so this is like, this is a chance for him here to, you know, Carbado railroad for himself, produce, you know, show them something. And so I like the spot for him a lot because, I mean, you watch that chemistry between Keller and Schmaltz and anyone sharing the ice with them is going to be in a good spot because the passing between those two guys are just out, you know, terrific right now. So it can get lost in the shuffle a little bit. It's like, oh, the coyotes lost six to two tonight, but both those goals came from that combination and whoever was on the ice with them will stand to benefit. So I think it's a great spot for both

Hayden and Valamaggy because they're generally nice with those guys. Yeah, and let me give you to another guy on a bad hockey team and he really hasn't benefited from any trades, but Michael Matheson with the Montreal Canadians and his ownership is 25% in Yahoo Leagues. It's just too low for a guy that

played 2753 the other night. He's averaging nearly 28 minutes over the last five games and he's hit the score sheet and seven of his last nine. His shot prop is always plus money. You don't really think about a defenseman in terms of shot props. There's only a couple Shay Theodore comes to mind, and I'm not comparing the two, but Shay Theodore loves to join the rush.

He's a great skater, and Michael Matheson is the same way. This is a guy that is a terrific skater. He's on that first power play that Canadians have the most man games missed. They've got a very, very young blue line. Justin Barron and Kayne Gouldier guys are now day-to-day with an injury. The guys' time is not going to go away for Michael Matheson. And he's a guy that's hitting the score sheet in seven straight games. He's had at least three shots.

One game he had six, one game he had five. So he's a guy that's really just getting an opportunity and somebody you wouldn't really think of, you know, to pick up because the caninas are not going to score a lot of goals. They're not a great hockey team. But surprisingly, he is a plus five, but I don't think you need to worry about plus minus too much. But he does, he's on the right side of it at least. Yeah, but it's really all about opportunity and volume in these games. Yeah, yeah, the volume and that usage is just music to my ears. So I certainly co-osin that one.

All right. Meanie, this is a blast. I'll let you on the way out here. Plug some stuff. I let the listeners know where they can check you out. Yeah, I appreciate it. You know we're talking a lot of fantasy hockey here. I got a free fantasy hockey just playoff a draft kit over at FtnFantasy.com.

I broke down every single week. I got every week broken down four game streams for every week. And something I like to do is a tap the schedule. Always busy nights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. So if you're looking ahead and that's what you should do, look ahead. And on a Monday or a Sunday night at your lineup for the week, if there's an average player that's not that you won't get in your starting lineup on a Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I have you covered with like lower end guys that are going to play on those lighter nights on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I think that's the best way to get the best out of your league mates and your opponent. So FtmFantasy.com for that. And Dangled Betzelli is twice a week. We'll be with everybody until that Stanley Cup is raised, breaking down all the game from a fantasy standpoint. Just upon hockey show, a couple of NHL props and bets in there as well. And I do appreciate it. Man, Mean Streets, five days a week as well, just a multi-sport show. We're diving deep into the baseball as we're just a couple weeks away.

from opening day, but it's a show that we cover all sports. And you know that I lead hockey. So it's a, it's a hockey central show. Yeah, that's in a couple other sports as well. Appreciate it. Awesome, man. Well, I highly recommend everyone checks that out. It was awesome having you.

This is our last PDO cast for a little bit here. I'm taking a break myself. One of my best friends is getting married in New Zealand. So I'm going to be out of commission for two weeks. So I just wanted to give that programming note. We're going to be back on Monday, March 27th. And at that point, I'm going to be freshly rested, ready to be ready to be out of ready to go and we're going to start gearing up for what should be an awesome stretch run and

an amazing postseason in the NHL. So looking forward to that. I'll certainly have you back on. Maybe when we get closer to the playoffs, we'll maybe do like a kind of like a playoff draft or something or players that people should be looking for. So yeah, until then, thank you, Chris, for coming on the show. And thank you to everyone for listening to the HockeyPedio cast. As always, streaming on the Sportsnet Radio Network.