The Goods: Big Day In The Big Smoke

02/01/2010 1:33 AM -  Ian Gooding

Fantasy implications for Toronto, by Ian Gooding

The Sunday morning announcement that Brian Burke was up to something got the rumor mill chugging in overdrive, and he wasn’t kidding when he said he was up to something big. Everything kicked off with the surprise announcement that Dion Phaneuf was being traded to Toronto. Now that the dust has settled, how will this move affect fantasy teams?

First off, Phaneuf heads to the more wide-open Eastern Conference, which on the surface could help his numbers. He’ll play a similar role for the Leafs that he did for the Flames: 25-plus minutes with first-unit power-play time. Right now, the guy who plays a similar role for the Leafs is Tomas Kaberle, who appears set to be moved by the trade deadline. However, Kaberle and Phaneuf could make a decent 1-2 defensive combination in the meantime, which could be good for both players. Phaneuf, who is currently a +3, will become much more of a plus/minus risk for the Leafs, who won’t become immediately better after overhauling half their roster on Sunday. But Burke’s Irish eyes will be smiling every time Phaneuf shows truculence and takes a penalty, meaning that Phaneuf will rack up penalty minutes if nothing else.

The exit of top-six forwards Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan, and Jason Blake completely shakes up the forward lines for Toronto. Just call it Phil Kessel and a bunch of young unknowns now. Alexei Ponikarovsky will remain on the first line, but don’t expect him to remain a Leaf for much longer. Tyler Bozak will likely be the center of choice for Kessel, who will continue to provide hot-and-cold numbers while he skates alongside non-proven linemates. Christian Hanson and Viktor Stalberg figure not only to be called up, but also to earn top-six icetime and could be names that are added to fantasy teams before the end of the season. Youngster Nikolai Kulemin and Lee Stempniak will also be given a go as top-6 forwards, either before or after the trade deadline should the Leafs have anything left to provide other teams. New acquisition Fredrik Sjostrom could also be tried as a top-six forward, but his track record suggests success as a penalty killer more than anything. Overall, the Leafs now sport a forward attack that could be rivalled by some AHL teams.

The darkhorse of the day could be J.S. Giguere, who has the track record to be a proven upgrade over Vesa Toskala, meaning that he could actually push Jonas Gustavsson for the number one goalie spot. For what it’s worth, Burke said that Giguere’s acquisition doesn’t change Monster’s status as the number one goalie. However, Giguere will be reuniting not only with Burke, but also with goaltending consultant Francois Allaire from Anaheim. The Leafs are currently mired in dead last with a 3.44 team GAA, so Giguere will be given every opportunity to earn starts right from the get-go. At this time, I don’t see Giguere taking more than 50 percent of the starts this season, as he has struggled with a GAA north of 3.00 both this season and last. In other words, if someone else in your league grabbed Jiggy before you did, don’t sweat it too much.

Fantasy implications for Calgary, by Evan Reynar

On paper this looks like a great deal for the Flames. They ditch the distraction that has been Dion Phaneuf and instantly gain much-needed depth. Matt Stajan, who had a career high 40 assists last year, should get a long look on the top line with Jarome Iginla, who has been lacking a solid play-making centerman for several years now. Niklas Hagman will add scoring in a top-six role, while also adding some finish on the power-play. Jamal Mayers seems like a great fit for the blue-collar style of play in Calgary, but may struggle to find minutes with a team already loaded with similar players. Lastly Ian White, who on many levels was actually having a better campaign than Phaneuf, should plug right in to Phaneuf’s spot in the lineup.

For the current Flames, don’t expect any major shake-ups as far as numbers go. Probably worst off will be Daymond Langkow, who is probably looking at third-line status and a cut in power-play time, but he was already borderline irrelevant in terms of fantasy hockey. Olli Jokinen should also see a decline in even strength minutes and may be moved to the second power-play unit depending on how much Stajan meshes with Iginla. Hagman will probably be floated around a bit on the top two lines on both wings until he finds some chemistry. The only fantasy relevant guy this could affect is Rene Bourque, but Bourque has arguably been the best Flames forward this season, so don’t expect his role to diminish.

Now that the Flames should have a decent second line, there should also be some added value to whatever current winger gets slotted in with some mixture of Jokinen-Stajan at center and Bourque-Hagman on the opposite wing. That would probably be Curtis Glencross. Also, expect Mikael Backlund and Jamie Lundmark to be returned to the AHL to make room on the active roster, and more games in the press box for tough guy Brian McGrattan. As far as defence goes, White should play a fairly similar role to what he was doing in Toronto. There’s usually a tougher adjustment period for defenceman who go from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference, so he may struggle for a while, but his solid all-round numbers still make him worth a look in your fantasy league.

(Editor’s note: According to TSN, a Jokinen trade to the Rangers is expected to be announced on Monday. We will be providing further information once a deal is announced.)

Fantasy implications for Anaheim, by Ian Gooding

The Ducks’ signing of Jonas Hiller to a four-year extension meant the beginning of the end of the J.S. Giguere era in Anaheim. Even though Vesa Toskala has been a starting goalie for both San Jose and Toronto, Hiller should see the majority of action for a Ducks’ team attempting to bite its way back into the playoff race. Toskala should likely see better numbers in the starts he makes for the Ducks, even though they do give up slightly more shots on goal than the Leafs. Being out of the spotlight in Toronto and knowing that he is in a backup role should also help Toskala gain some of his confidence back. After all, the Ducks are adding him merely so that they can rid themselves of Giguere and his white elephant salary.

Jason Blake should slot into one of the Ducks’ top two lines. Bobby Ryan is clearly tops on the depth chart on the left wing and should see the prime minutes alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Blake will likely bump Matt Beleskey, who was seeing time with Getzlaf and Perry, out of the top six. Blake would most likely play on the second line with Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne, who should be returning to the lineup soon (the Ducks sent rookie sensation Dan Sexton to the AHL on Sunday.) An impending return of Joffrey Lupul would complicate things somewhat, but Lupul developed an infection in his back after undergoing surgery in December and is expected to be out a while longer.

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