Frozen Fantasy: Fit is Everything

I've often been critical of deadline deals and their impact both on the ice and in fantasy. How often has a player really seen their game leap when forced into a tough new situation and system?

We hope for so much. But those hopes are often dashed.

This year feels a bit different and I'm not sure why. Maybe GMs are catching on. The deals were smart pretty much all around. You can question some, but there's logic to just about every one.

Even the so-called surprises.

Fit matters, just like in any business. The Panthers' move to jettison Vincent Trocheck caught some by surprise. But he and Coach Q never seemed to be on the same page. Now the Canes have three bona fide scoring lines. Smart.

Andreas Athanasiou's move to Edmonton looks like a great fit – the guy might be even faster than Connor McDavid. The move won't fix his issues in his own zone, but the points should come.

And there are a few guys below who feel like a much better fit in their new uniforms. No guarantees, of course. But at this time of the fantasy season, we're all rolling the dice hard to make the smallest of gains. Or hold off a charge.

After the list, I'll talk briefly about two deals where I truly question the fit. Now, let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.

Adam Henrique, LW/C, Anaheim (27 percent Yahoo! owned) – Henrique is playing like a man possessed lately. Heading into Friday night, he had put up six points (three goals, three assists), 19 faceoff wins and eight shots in two games this past week. And Henrique's produced six goals and three assists in his last six games. Yes, he was held off the score sheet Friday, but he still contributed faceoff wins, shots and hits. I've liked Henrique since his Windsor Spitfire days – he and Taylor Hall were an unstoppable duo. And any guy who's on a 30-goal pace deserves to be rostered in more than one-in-four leagues.

Nikita Gusev, LW/RW, New Jersey (14 percent Yahoo! owned) – Gusev is New Jersey's Andy Stitzer. No, he's not 40, but he's almost 28 and only playing in his first NHL season. Gusev sat second in team scoring with 40 points heading into play Saturday, but it's his seven points (two goals, five assists) in his previous four games that really caught my eye. We've all been waiting for this – Gusev rang up 82 points in 62 games in the KHL last year, so the guy can score. It's just taken 60 games for him to adjust to the NHL game. He's a fabulous late-season addition if you can snag him off the wire.

Duncan Keith, D, Chicago (13 percent Yahoo! owned) – The old man is on a five-game, seven-point streak heading into Saturday. It's a huge outburst – Keith had just 15 points in his previous 47 games. The Hawks are surging and Keith clearly has something left in the tank. And right now, hot is the only thing that matters in fantasy.

Scott Laughton, LW/C, Philadelphia (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – Laughton doesn't possess elite offensive skills, but his intensity and sandpaper are at the top of the class. He's the perfect two-way player for any team's bottom-six and his compete means he's in the right place at the right time to deliver complementary scoring. Lately, Laughton has been at his best. Heading into play Sunday, he's riding a three-game, six-point scoring streak and delivering a little bit of everything else – a plus-8 rating, four hits, three blocked shots and eight faceoff wins. Sometimes a guy like Laughton is the perfect short-term fill if you have a utility spot.

Alec Martinez, D, Vegas (28 percent Yahoo! owned) – Martinez's offensive game has exploded since he arrived in Sin City. Heading into Friday night, he's racked up two goals and four assists in four games. And 13 blocked shots, eight shots and six hits. This won't continue – he was held off the score sheet Friday. But Martinez still delivered a whopping five blocked shots and four hits in that win. Short term, he's a hot play.

Sonny Milano, LW, Anaheim (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Go get this natural scorer. Now! Milano fell out of favor in Columbus, a team desperate for scoring, and was jettisoned to California at the deadline. Suddenly, Sonny is skating with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell on the top line and boom – he debuted with two goals and added an assist Friday night. The Ducks need offense and Milano can score. Fit is fit.

Alex Nedeljkovic, G, Carolina (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – David Ayres the Zamboni goalie is still getting all the attention in Raleigh and rightfully so – last Saturday's debut in an emergency role was incredible. But under that story, Nedeljkovic's own NHL narrative began. He's now a starter in Carolina with Petr Mrazek and James Reimer both out. Ned was the AHL goalie of the year in 2018-19 and helped his team win the AHL championship. I went to the wire and picked him up before Ayres even hit the ice last weekend. Yes, there will be growing pains. But a starter is a starter, especially in head-to-head formats. Nedeljkovic could catch lightning in a bottle over the course of a week or two.

Nick Ritchie, LW, Boston (4 percent Yahoo! owned) – I've never been a huge fan of the Ritchie brothers, even if they are the pride of a little town near me. Nick has great hands, but he's always massively overplayed the whole rugged game thing. And that hasn't worked in today's fast and skilled NHL. But here's the thing. Ritchie harkens back to the days of the big, bad Bruins and the crowd there is going to love him. He's in the team's top-six and is going to immediately make a dent. He notched a goal and an assist Thursday against the Stars. And he even skated a little with David Pastrnak. Get him now. His multi-category star is about to rise.

Malcolm Subban, G, Chicago (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Subban got his get-out-of-jail-free card on deadline day in the Robin Lehner deal. He had struggled to find his groove during limited ice time in Vegas and that made every game make-or-break. The young man never really found his groove and suddenly, Subban was out of favor there. So, Chicago could stabilize his game in whole new ways. Corey Crawford is injury prone and on the last year of a massive deal. The Blackhawks were eight points from a wild card spot on Saturday morning, so it will soon be time to audition guys for next season. Subban could get a longer leash to see if he can deliver over time. And he'll be out to prove the Knights wrong. Your team could benefit.

Back to fit.

There were just two deals that really confused me, but there must be some method to the madness.

I think.

Patrick Marleau's game has been on a serious decline, including his skating. But the Pens' Jim Rutherford is one of the smartest GMs in the biz, so I have to trust this one.

Maybe Patty finally gets his Cup.

But Toronto's inclusion in the Robin Lehner deal has me stumped. The cap-strapped Leafs kept $1.1 million in Lehner's salary for this season.

Sure, they have a lot of guys hurt right now, so maybe they have some cap flexibility. But their cap strap has been all we've heard this season. Why isn't anyone talking about this?

And wouldn't that money have been better spent on a bottom-pairing defender?

The defense-savvy Preds traded for journeyman Korbinian Holzer. He's no star, but he comes cheap. And I immediately take a look at any right-shot defender targeted by the league's smartest GM, at least when it comes to blueliners.

The optics of retaining salary on this deal look bad. Anyone understand this madness?

BTW Lehner's Twitter troll on the Buds on trade day was the best. I haven't laughed like that in a while.

Until next week.