Evaluating the Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois trade is so much fun because it’s a hockey trade and it’s not clear who is the “winner” of the deal. But, if this was a fantasy trade, there is no contest. The Columbus Blue Jackets would have fleeced the Winnipeg Jets were this a fantasy league. Laine is the better asset between the two, and it’s not that close.
Looking at just the past two seasons — which, by the way, are arguably Laine’s worst two seasons and definitely Dubois’ best two seasons — Laine turned in 293.8 fantasy points and 1.96 fantasy points per 60 minutes (FPP60). Dubois collected 268.7 fantasy points and 1.77 FPP60.
Join or create a league in the No. 1 Fantasy Hockey game, and play your way with custom scoring and lineup features.
Create or join a league today >>
But the real test for how this would shake out in a fantasy league is how the players perform going forward. And that’s also a topic worthy of discussion. Multiple scenarios emerge for each forward in their new surroundings.
Patrik Laine, F, Columbus Blue Jackets (down seven spots to No. 36): The top questions are: Do the Blue Jackets embrace Laine’s defensive foibles as the cost of doing business with one of the most explosive young scoring wingers? Is Max Domi the team’s top center now? Does that combination work and how does it shake out for fantasy value?
We can attempt to answer the last question. Domi and Laine works on paper. Domi has fallen out of fantasy favor, but it was just two years ago that he was the driving force on a line with Jonathan Drouin and Andrew Shaw in Montreal that saw him collect 44 assists and 72 points. I highlight the assists because it’s a key here: Domi is a good playmaker. His 37 even strength assists in 2018-19 were top 20 in the league and put him in the mix with some of the elite passers of the NHL that season.
Given the circumstances here and that the Blue Jackets can’t afford not to be having Laine play a pivotal skill role that they currently lack, Domi is my first choice for investment. Secondary to that will be picking a winger to play opposite Laine. Nick Foligno, Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Alexandre Texier are all possible choices. We may have to wait and see how it plays out.
Overall, I’m comfortable with ranking Laine close to where he ranked as a member of the Jets, but with a slight drop built in to account for his current injury and some acclimation.
Pierre Luc-Dubois, C, Winnipeg Jets (up 15 spots to No. 99): There is only one real question here: Which wingers will Dubois claim as team’s clear No. 2 center?
This matters a lot as it changes how his fantasy value shakes out and also potentially impacts on the fantasy value of Mark Scheifele. Overall, this won’t necessarily hurt any of the current Jets value, as those potentially pushed out of the top six or off the power play don’t have a ton of fantasy value to begin with. Paul Statsny was on the fringes anyway, and Nikolaj Ehlers was only barely an everyday start for fantasy. Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler are fantasy gold with Scheifele, but would be just as solid with Dubois.
For fantasy improvement, I look first at Ehlers, who is a solid scoring winger but has been squarely on the second line and unable to access Scheifele with any regularity. Now that Dubois is also an option, he should be playing consistently with an offense-driving pivot. However, all access to the top power-play unit will be closed to Ehlers now. That said, he wasn’t going to get much of it with Laine in town either.
NHL hockey is back! Get the 2021 All-Access Pass to stream out-of-market games for only $99.99. Click here to learn more »
As for that power play, it didn’t get better, as Laine is a better asset for a man advantage than Dubois ever will be, but it doesn’t get a lot worse. Now is a good time to point out that Neal Pionk is not the quarterback of this unit, but Josh Morrissey, Their rostership is reversed in ESPN leagues because Pionk had the role last season, but it’s Morrissey you want on your fantasy team.
If Dubois seconds Wheeler or Connor away from Scheifele, I don’t think it drags on Scheifele’s overall value. He was just fine with losing Wheeler last season when Bryan Little was injured and Wheeler had to play center.
An interesting potential twist would be the Jets stacking Stastny or Dubois on the wing to really elevate the top two lines. But that seems more like a desperation play than something we would see often.
As for Dubois, he gets a boost in overall value because he is no longer the best forward on his team. In other words, he’ll produce more fantasy points because he will be surrounded by better players. Depending on deployment and chemistry, he could rocket up the rankings.
Forwards on the move
David Pastrnak, F, Boston Bruins (up 23 spots to No. 3): By many accounts, we could see Pastrnak in game action before February. He’s close enough to a return that I see no reason not to elevate him to his rightful ranking right now — especially in a season with so many variables when it comes to potential missed games by players. For the past two seasons, Pastrnak is tied with Alex Ovechkin at 2.81 FPP60 and they trail only Connor McDavid among skaters in that measure. His raw fantasy points may trail behind others such as Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon over the past two seasons, but don’t forget that Pastrnak missed 16 games in 2018-19. On a per-minute basis, he’s only a tiny step behind McDavid.
Joe Pavelski, F, Dallas Stars (up 22 spots to No. 124): Who cares that their combined age is 70? Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov don’t look mid-30s in the first couple Stars games of the season — certainly not on the power play. Seven points overall and six of them on the man advantage is a massive start for Pavelski. There are two outcomes for the Stars with top center Tyler Seguin out for the bulk of the season: Pavelski rises to the occasion or the offense sputters. Clearly the former has been the story through two games. Let’s see what comes in a larger sample size though, as the play of Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov is just as exciting through two games.
Jack Hughes, F, New Jersey Devils (up 42 spots to No. 207): Too conservative still? Probably. This start by Hughes with seven points in five games could be a sign of a true breakout campaign on our hands. He’s looked dominant. But what to do? Look, this is a perfect storm for trading Hughes away. He’s one-year removed from massive hype as the No. 1 overall pick, now suddenly looking like the superstar center he’s been projected to be. But this is also a case where he looks like the superstar center he’s projected to be because he is the superstar center he’s projected to be. I think dealing away Hughes is a situational decision. Does your fantasy team need immediate help? Capitalize on this, especially in keeper leagues. Is your team just fine with Hughes not keeping up this torrential pace? Then hang tight and see if this continues. (Spoiler: It will).
Defensemen on the move
Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins (up three spots to No. 91): With Matt Grzelcyk on the sidelines, McAvoy was pressed into power-play duty on Saturday. The unit scored twice. This is perfect timing for McAvoy to show he can be more than a stalwart, shutdown defenseman. Especially with Pastrnak’s return at hand.
Goaltenders on the move
In lieu of focusing on a specific goaltender this week, I just want to point some things out about the position in general — especially with the new ESPN.com default scoring system.
Catch NHL games streaming live every night (and on replay) this season on ESPN+. Click here for the upcoming schedule and to learn how to subscribe.
Goalies have to play often and win games to be effective. If you play in a fantasy league with daily lineup changes and are a die-hard fantasy nut, you will be better served by chasing matchups.
Period.
Just look at some of the early tallies for all the goaltenders. Brian Elliott is 11th among fantasy goaltenders for points this season thanks to one start. Carter Hart has negative value. Matt Murray has enough negative value to completely erase Logan Couture’s production for the season. Single-game scores can be really good for goaltenders.
Beyond that, wins are crucial for points. I’ll preface this by saying that I don’t think Martin Jones is a good pickup for most rosters, but with a 3-1 record in his starts, he has more fantasy points than Carey Price and Tuukka Rask. Goaltenders are going to take a while before we start to see the values normalize. They can pack a whole lot more points into a single outing than any player can, so all it will take — as evidenced by Elliott — is one or two great starts for a player like Price, Rask or Hart to skyrocket in the fantasy points department. But teams need to win in front of their netminders for those points to accumulate. Just ask Darcy Kuemper.
That said, we can’t ignore early returns completely. John Gibson, for example, is back to his workhorse ways and is stealing enough wins for fantasy value. That matters and means he is an option, especially when the Ducks have a favorable series coming up. With the way the NHL schedule is divided into multi-game matchups with opponents, and knowing the Ducks may start Gibson in both games, you can take advantage of the situation.
2 Related
Another example: Who even is Kevin Lankinen? He’s the guy who started both games for the Chicago Blackhawks this past weekend against the Detroit Red Wings and piled up 13 fantasy points. But the Hawks won’t see the Wings again until Feb. 15, so tuck the name away until then.
New to rankings
Alec Martinez (No. 233) and Jesse Puljujarvi (245).
Just missed
Adrian Kempe, Ty Smith, Nick Foligno, Devon Toews, Drake Batherson, Joel Armia, David Krejci, Connor Murphy, Nino Niederreiter, James van Riemsdyk, Brandon Tanev, Denis Gurianov and Tyler Myers.
Dropped out
Paul Statsny and Jake DeBrusk.
Fantasy hockey top-250 rankings
1. Connor McDavid, C, Edm (C1)
2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Col (C2)
3. David Pastrnak, RW, Bos (RW5)
4. Jack Eichel, C, Buf (C3)
5. Auston Matthews, C, Tor (C4)
6. Steven Stamkos, C, TB (C5)
7. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Wsh (LW1)
8. Leon Draisaitl, LW, Edm (LW2)
9. Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR (C6)
10. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB (G1)
11. John Carlson, D, Wsh (D1)
12. Mitchell Marner, RW, Tor (RW1)
13. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Wpg (G2)
14. Brad Marchand, LW, Bos (LW3)
15. Patrick Kane, RW, Chi (RW2)
16. Sebastian Aho, C, Car (C7)
17. Jake Guentzel, LW, Pit (LW4)
18. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Fla (LW5)
19. Artemi Panarin, LW, NYR (LW6)
20. Sidney Crosby, C, Pit (C8)
21. Brent Burns, D, SJ (D2)
22. Roman Josi, D, Nsh (D3)
23. John Tavares, C, Tor (C9)
24. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Col (RW3)
25. Blake Wheeler, RW, Wpg (RW4)
26. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Vgs (D4)
27. Mark Scheifele, C, Wpg (C10)
28. Patrice Bergeron, C, Bos (C11)
29. Taylor Hall, LW, Buf (LW8)
30. Victor Hedman, D, TB (D5)
31. Elias Pettersson, C, Van (C12)
32. Tuukka Rask, G, Bos (G3)
33. Dougie Hamilton, D, Car (D6)
34. Kyle Connor, LW, Wpg (LW7)
35. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Edm (C13)
36. Patrik Laine, RW, Cls (RW6)
37. Brayden Point, C, TB (C14)
38. Frederik Andersen, G, Tor (G4)
39. Aleksander Barkov, C, Fla (C15)
40. Mark Stone, RW, Vgs (RW7)
41. Travis Konecny, RW, Phi (RW8)
42. Cale Makar, D, Col (D7)
43. Robin Lehner, G, Vgs (G6)
44. Evgeni Malkin, C, Pit (C16)
45. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Car (LW9)
46. J.T. Miller, C, Van (C17)
47. Jordan Binnington, G, StL (G8)
48. Carter Hart, G, Phi (G5)
49. Kris Letang, D, Pit (D8)
50. Anze Kopitar, C, LA (C18)
51. Seth Jones, D, Cls (D9)
52. Ryan Pulock, D, NYI (D10)
53. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Col (LW10)
54. Ivan Provorov, D, Phi (D11)
55. Carey Price, G, Mon (G9)
56. Semyon Varlamov, G, NYI (G14)
57. Erik Karlsson, D, SJ (D12)
58. Bo Horvat, C, Van (C19)
59. Igor Shesterkin, G, NYR (G7)
60. Anton Khudobin, G, Dal (G11)
61. Darnell Nurse, D, Edm (D13)
62. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dal (D14)
63. Morgan Rielly, D, Tor (D15)
64. Sean Couturier, C, Phi (C20)
65. Philipp Grubauer, G, Col (G13)
66. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buf (D16)
67. Jamie Benn, LW, Dal (LW11)
68. Logan Couture, C, SJ (C21)
69. Thomas Chabot, D, Ott (D17)
70. Tyson Barrie, D, Edm (D18)
71. Max Pacioretty, LW, Vgs (LW12)
72. Juuse Saros, G, Nsh (G12)
73. Shea Weber, D, Mon (D19)
74. Ilya Samsonov, G, Wsh (G10)
75. Dylan Larkin, C, Det (C22)
76. Jeff Petry, D, Mon (D21)
77. Mathew Barzal, C, NYI (C23)
78. T.J. Oshie, RW, Wsh (RW9)
79. Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Edm (RW13)
80. Jacob Trouba, D, NYR (D20)
81. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Min (LW13)
82. Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Cgy (LW14)
83. Teuvo Teravainen, RW, Car (RW10)
84. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Cgy (LW15)
85. Quinn Hughes, D, Van (D23)
86. Jacob Markstrom, G, Cgy (G16)
87. Elias Lindholm, RW, Cgy (RW11)
88. William Nylander, RW, Tor (RW12)
89. Ryan Ellis, D, Nsh (D22)
90. Tomas Hertl, C, SJ (C24)
91. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bos (D24)
92. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ott (LW16)
93. Evander Kane, LW, SJ (LW19)
94. Darcy Kuemper, G, Ari (G15)
95. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Chi (LW17)
96. Chris Kreider, LW, NYR (LW18)
97. Anthony Mantha, RW, Det (RW14)
98. Brayden Schenn, C, StL (C25)
99. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Wpg (C28)
100. Bryan Rust, RW, Pit (RW15)
101. Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Cls (RW16)
102. Nicklas Backstrom, C, Wsh (C26)
103. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Fla (G17)
104. Ryan O’Reilly, C, StL (C27)
105. Jake Muzzin, D, Tor (D26)
106. Jared Spurgeon, D, Min (D27)
107. Claude Giroux, LW, Phi (LW20)
108. Zach Parise, LW, Min (LW23)
109. Mikko Koskinen, G, Edm (G19)
110. Zach Werenski, D, Cls (D28)
111. Mark Giordano, D, Cgy (D25)
112. Joonas Korpisalo, G, Cls (G20)
113. Torey Krug, D, StL (D29)
114. Evgenii Dadonov, RW, Ott (RW18)
115. Ryan Suter, D, Min (D30)
116. Filip Forsberg, LW, Nsh (LW21)
117. Nick Suzuki, C, Mon (C31)
118. Timo Meier, RW, SJ (RW17)
119. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Vgs (G26)
120. Mackenzie Blackwood, G, NJ (G21)
121. Drew Doughty, D, LA (D31)
122. Brock Boeser, RW, Van (RW26)
123. Alexander Edler, D, Van (D32)
124. Joe Pavelski, RW, Dal (RW25)
125. Tristan Jarry, G, Pit (G18)
126. Aaron Ekblad, D, Fla (D33)
127. Adam Henrique, C, Ana (C29)
128. Sam Reinhart, RW, Buf (RW19)
129. Cam Talbot, G, Min (G25)
130. William Karlsson, C, Vgs (C30)
131. Mikhail Sergachev, D, TB (D34)
132. Tom Wilson, RW, Wsh (RW20)
133. Sean Monahan, C, Cgy (C32)
134. Mike Hoffman, LW, StL (LW22)
135. Ryan Strome, C, NYR (C33)
136. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, Buf (D36)
137. Ryan Graves, D, Col (D37)
138. Alexis Lafreniere, LW, NYR (LW24)
139. Patric Hornqvist, RW, Fla (RW27)
140. Mathew Dumba, D, Min (D38)
141. Braden Holtby, G, Van (G22)
142. Brendan Gallagher, RW, Mon (RW21)
143. Tomas Tatar, LW, Mon (LW25)
144. Shea Theodore, D, Vgs (D39)
145. Cam Atkinson, RW, Cls (RW24)
146. Elvis Merzlikins, G, Cls (G23)
147. David Perron, RW, StL (RW22)
148. John Klingberg, D, Dal (D52)
149. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Ari (D40)
150. Kevin Fiala, C, Min (C36)
151. Max Domi, C, Cls (C39)
152. Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJ (RW23)
153. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Wpg (LW30)
154. Tanner Pearson, LW, Van (LW26)
155. Nazem Kadri, C, Col (C34)
156. Jakub Vrana, C, Wsh (C35)
157. Petr Mrazek, G, Car (G24)
158. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Wsh (C37)
159. Neal Pionk, D, Wpg (D35)
160. Ondrej Palat, LW, TB (LW27)
161. Keith Yandle, D, Fla (D41)
162. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, Nsh (RW28)
163. Jakob Chychrun, D, Ari (D47)
164. Josh Morrissey, D, Wpg (D53)
165. Alexander Radulov, RW, Dal (RW29)
166. Blake Coleman, LW, TB (LW28)
167. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, StL (RW31)
168. Jaccob Slavin, D, Car (D42)
169. Esa Lindell, D, Dal (D43)
170. Tony DeAngelo, D, NYR (D44)
171. Brock Nelson, C, NYI (C38)
172. Rasmus Andersson, D, Cgy (D45)
173. Victor Olofsson, RW, Buf (RW30)
174. Colton Parayko, D, StL (D46)
175. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Mon (RW34)
176. Anders Lee, LW, NYI (LW29)
177. Matt Grzelcyk, D, Bos (D48)
178. Jaroslav Halak, G, Bos (G27)
179. Josh Norris, C, Ott (C46)
180. Pavel Buchnevich, RW, NYR (RW32)
181. Ryan McDonagh, D, TB (D49)
182. Jakub Voracek, RW, Phi (RW33)
183. Andre Burakovsky, LW, Col (LW31)
184. Duncan Keith, D, Chi (D50)
185. John Gibson, G, Ana (G32)
186. Filip Hronek, D, Det (D51)
187. Adam Fox, D, NYR (D56)
188. Samuel Girard, D, Col (D54)
189. Anthony Duclair, LW, Fla (LW32)
190. Jason Zucker, LW, Pit (LW33)
191. Nate Schmidt, D, Van (D55)
192. Damon Severson, D, NJ (D57)
193. Roope Hintz, C, Dal (C42)
194. Alex Killorn, LW, TB (LW34)
195. Ryan Getzlaf, C, Ana (C43)
196. Adam Boqvist, D, Chi (D58)
197. Nikita Gusev, LW, NJ (LW35)
198. Ryan Johansen, C, Nsh (C44)
199. Matt Murray, G, Ott (G28)
200. Ilya Sorokin, G, NYI (G29)
201. Phillip Danault, C, Mon (C41)
202. Jonathan Marchessault, LW, Vgs (LW36)
203. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, NYI (C40)
204. Phil Kessel, RW, Ari (RW38)
205. Eric Staal, C, Buf (C45)
206. Rickard Rakell, C, Ana (C47)
207. Jack Hughes, C, NJ (C61)
208. Pavel Francouz, G, Col (G30)
209. Antti Raanta, G, Ari (G31)
210. Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Ana (D59)
211. Erik Gustafsson, D, Phi (D60)
212. Matt Duchene, C, Nsh (C48)
213. Pius Suter, C, Chi (C51)
214. Mattias Ekholm, D, Nsh (D61)
215. Reilly Smith, RW, Vgs (RW35)
216. Mikael Granlund, LW, Nsh (LW37)
217. Clayton Keller, C, Ari (C49)
218. Linus Ullmark, G, Buf (G33)
219. Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Det (LW41)
220. Dominik Kubalik, LW, Chi (LW38)
221. Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Pit (RW36)
222. Pekka Rinne, G, Nsh (G34)
223. Jeff Skinner, LW, Buf (LW39)
224. Vincent Trocheck, C, Car (C50)
225. Dustin Brown, RW, LA (RW37)
226. Kevin Hayes, C, Phi (C52)
227. Jonathan Drouin, LW, Mon (LW40)
228. Charlie Coyle, C, Bos (C53)
229. Dylan Strome, C, Chi (C54)
230. Derek Stepan, C, Ott (C55)
231. Anthony Cirelli, C, TB (C56)
232. Jordan Eberle, RW, NYI (RW39)
233. Alec Martinez, D, Vgs (D1)
234. Zach Hyman, LW, Tor (LW42)
235. Jakob Silfverberg, RW, Ana (RW40)
236. Vince Dunn, D, StL (D62)
237. Alexandar Georgiev, G, NYR (G35)
238. Jake Allen, G, Mon (G36)
239. Max Comtois, LW, Ana (LW43)
240. Jaden Schwartz, LW, StL (LW44)
241. Alex Iafallo, LW, LA (LW45)
242. Nolan Patrick, C, Phi (C57)
243. Nico Hischier, C, NJ (C58)
244. Noah Hanifin, D, Cgy (D63)
245. Jesse Puljujarvi, RW, Edm (RW1)
246. P.K. Subban, D, NJ (D64)
247. Josh Anderson, RW, Mon (RW41)
248. Robert Thomas, C, StL (C60)
249. Christian Dvorak, LW, Ari (LW47)
250. Boone Jenner, C, Cls (C62)
Source by www.espn.com
