The busy NHL trade deadline has come and gone. 

In total, we saw 27 deals go down on Monday, which involved 42 players and 22 picks, with an additional 17 trades getting done in the week leading up to deadline day. 

That’s a lot of new faces in new places.

So, what does it mean for our fantasy squads?

While a lot is to be determined with lineups and usages, there are a few potential winners and losers we can identify right now.

Let’s take a look at the best and the worst situations after deadline day.

 

Winners

C/W: Claude Giroux, Florida Panthers (87 per cent rostered)

Claude Giroux goes from the lowest-scoring team in the league to the highest. The Flyers are managing just 2.52 goals per game, while the Panthers are the only team scoring over four goals per game, and are the highest-scoring team by a fairly wide margin. Where Giroux fits into Florida’s lineup remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him slot in at right wing beside Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe, taking Maxim Mamin’s spot, obviously a prime piece of real estate. Giroux should also see time on the second power play unit, with a strong chance of moving up to the first unit after a few games. Giroux has been a power play specialist his entire career ranking sixth in power play points since his first full season in 2007. The Panthers' power play percentage is 10th in the league at 23.7 per cent, while the Flyers are second-worst at just 13.8 per cent. Giroux is a big winner for fantasy purposes.

W: Rickard Rakell, Pittsburgh Penguins (10 per cent rostered)

The Penguins added Rickard Rakell with a deadline buzzer-beater. Rakell missed Anaheim’s last three games with an upper-body injury, but it doesn’t appear to be long-term. He was producing well before the injury with eight goals over his previous 15 games. The move to Pittsburgh is an upgrade with the Pens scoring almost half a goal per game more than the Ducks this season. Plus, Rakell has a good chance to play alongside Evgeni Malkin, moving Danton Heinen down the lineup. If Rakell lands there, he’s a must-add in all fantasy leagues.

G: Marc-Andre Fleury, Minnesota Wild (81 per cent rostered)

Marc-Andre Fleury is headed to Minnesota and should see his overall numbers improve. Minnesota isn’t a great defensive team, and their penalty kill is eighth-worst in the league at 76 per cent, just behind the Blackhawks. The Wild give up the 11th most goals per game compared to the Blackhawks at eighth-most, so defensively it seems like a wash. But the Wild score a lot more, and therefore win more games. Although Cam Talbot is still in the picture, I’d expect Fleury to take the lion’s share of starts the rest of the way, which gives him a modest fantasy boost.

 

Neutral

D: Mark Giordano, Toronto Maple Leafs (84 per cent rostered)

The Maple Leafs picked up Mark Giordano a day before the deadline. He should slot in on the second defensive pairing with his former teammate T.J. Brodie. The days of Giordano producing at an elite level are over, even with a very favourable move to Toronto, but he could be serviceable in deeper leagues. He’ll likely get a shot on the second power play unit with Rasmus Sandin out long-term with a knee injury, but don’t count on him making it onto the top unit. That job belongs to Morgan Rielly. Giordano gets a slight fantasy boost, but temper expectations.

C, W: Andrew Copp, New York Rangers (67 per cent rostered)

Andrew Copp is headed to the big apple, joining other newcomers Frank Vatrano and Tyler Motte. Copp will likely slide into a third-line centre role but there’s a chance he moves up to the top line alongside Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin. Frank Vatrano currently holds that spot after joining the Rangers last week but hasn’t done much with the audition. New York’s top power play unit is locked in, but Copp should see time on the second power play unit, much like his time in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, the Rangers don’t utilize their second unit as much as the Jets, giving them just 25 per cent of power play ice time compared to 40 per cent for the Jets. Copp’s move to New York is likely a lateral move for fantasy purposes if he stays on the third line, with an obvious boost to his value if he can join Panarin and Strome on the top line.

 

Losers

G: Cam Talbot, Minnesota Wild (88 per cent rostered)

Cam Talbot started 62 per cent of Wild games this season, but hasn’t played well with a .907 save percentage. He’s been especially unproductive since the start of the New Year with a .896 save percentage despite his 9-5 record which was driving up his fantasy value. The Wild didn’t bring in the reigning Vezina Trophy winner to backup Talbot, they brought him in to play. Expect Talbot to get less than half of the remaining starts, tanking his fantasy value.

W: Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning (8 per cent rostered)

At a first glance, going from the Blackhawks to the Lightning would seem like a win for any forward, but in fantasy, it’s all about usage. Brandon Hagel went from playing on the second line with Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach, while seeing time on the top power play unit in Chicago, to what’s likely going to remain a third-line role with little to no power play time in Tampa. There’s just too much depth ahead of him on the Bolts’ roster. It’s just one game, but Hagel played 10:40 in his Lightning debut, a season-low by more than two minutes. He averaged 17:28 of ice time this season with Chicago. There’s a chance he gets bumped up to a top-six role, but for now, this looks like a downgrade for Hagel, who was having a solid season.