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Impact of Early NHL Trades on Fantasy Rosters

Friday marked the official opening of NHL trade season, with three deals going down in just a few hours. Two of them were a long time coming, though that didn't make either any less surprising. 

Before we take a look at those trades and the fantasy impacts from them, it's a good time to remember to work the trade market in your fantasy leagues. Doing business is part of the game, and while it can be tough, it's a great way to improve your roster when the waiver wire doesn't look appealing. This week in particular could see some fantasy trade traffic increasing, as the returns of numerous goalies, highlighted by Connor Hellebuyck and Lukas Dostal, could lead to some crowded creases in the virtual game. 

Oilers Transactions Strengthening Depth and Goaltending

The first two trades were connected, as the Oilers addressed some needs both in the crease and on the blue line. They brought in Tristan Jarry and Spencer Stastney in separate deals, and they also acquired Samuel Poulin in the trade with the Penguins. They gave the Predators a pick for Stastney while sending Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak to the Penguins in the other deal. Overall, this is fairly lateral for the Oilers. Jarry brings a bit more stability, especially since he's started 2025-26 well, but the Oilers could have had him for free on waivers last season. Poulin will begin his time in the organization in the AHL, while Stastney is set to be a third-pairing option at least until Jake Walman (lower body) is healthy. 

For Skinner and Kulak, a change of scenery to a team with lower expectations could help take some pressure off. Skinner is only a small downgrade for the Penguins, who will be much more willing to turn to their numerous backup options if he fails to perform. Kulak can fill a third-pairing role, but he's not a fantasy factor this year. Overall, the goalies on the move have the biggest fantasy impact, with Jarry getting a slight upgrade for win potential as the biggest change. 

Quinn Hughes Trade Effects on Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks

The much larger trade was the Quinn Hughes deal to Minnesota, which sent Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick to Vancouver in return. There's a lot to break down here, but the drastic differences in the quality of the Wild and the Canucks will dictate how the players do for redraft formats. 

Obviously, Hughes struggled a bit this year and still had 23 points in 26 outings prior to the trade. Getting to play with Kirill Kaprizov should be a huge boost to Hughes' assist totals and power-play production. Hughes may also not need to play nearly as much, as the Wild have a stronger blue line with minutes-eaters like Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin who can handle more of the defensive duties. For those managers rostering Faber, expect a downturn in power-play numbers moving forward, though the team's all-around offense should make up for it. 

In Vancouver, there's not a lot to like about the team, but the incoming players will get a chance to play a large role. Buium had two power-play points in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Devils, and he looks set to immediately take over the No. 1 power-play job. That was a role he didn't get for long this year with the Wild. Buium could also see more even-strength usage. He's a rookie, but he's a promising one who should have more room to flourish on a team that's pivoting to the future. 

Likewise, Marco Rossi goes from being a center who bounced around the Wild's lineup to a true top-six lock, especially while Elias Pettersson (upper body) is out. At worst, Rossi will be on the second line. The downgrade in team offense is a concern, but the uptick in usage should offset some of that. Meanwhile, Ohgren will have a chance to play a bottom-six role for now. At 21 years old, it's premature to write him off, but his upside is the lowest of the players in this deal. That's not to say he's a bad player -- he's just unproven and doesn't come with as much regard as the others. 

The big positional question now is between Buium and Filip Hronek. Buium has the inside edge for now, but as a rookie, he's prone to fluctuations in ice time based on his performance. Hronek, meanwhile, offers far more non-scoring production and will likely see the most overall minutes going forward. For fantasy purposes, Hronek has a higher floor, but Buium's offense gives him a higher ceiling if he can bring what the Canucks need in absence of Hughes. 

Waiver Wire Gems for Fantasy Scoring and Physicality

Looking to the waiver wire, there are plenty of options to consider if the trade market in your league is stagnant. For one, consider Dylan Cozens for both power-play scoring and physicality. He slumped in late November but now has eight points, including six on the power play, and six hits over his last five games. He can add more hits than that and is still on the first power-play unit for the Senators, so his offense should be strong. That's come with some streaky play at even strength, but Cozens' overall contributions are good enough to help. 

Vasily Podkolzin is another physical player getting a chance to make noise in a top-six role. He's racked up seven points, 18 shots, 32 hits and a plus-9 rating in his last 10 games. The key to Podkolzin's success has been his reunion with Leon Draisaitl on the second line. As long as the Oilers keep their superstars on separate lines, Podkolzin has a good chance at a career year nearly across the board. 

Turning to the blue line, Ryan Pulock continues to hum along. He's earned seven points and 22 blocked shots over his last nine outings. Pulock has the advantage of playing alongside Matthew Schaefer -- the talented rookie has helped the steady veteran get more involved on offense. It also helps that the Islanders are scoring better this year than in previous seasons. Pulock's all-around skills are fine for deeper fantasy formats, but he's on track to top 30 points for the first time since 2019-20 as well. 

Esa Lindell doesn't have as much offensive upside as Pulock, but his role for the Stars is much the same as a steady top-four blueliner. Lindell has amassed four points and 26 blocked shots through seven outings in December. For the year, he's at 12 points, a plus-15 rating and 76 blocks through 33 contests. Thomas Harley's return from a lower-body injury earlier this month will eat into Lindell's scoring chances, but Lindell offers non-scoring production to stabilize fantasy rosters. 

If you need a little more offense from the blue line, John Klingberg may be your guy again. He's erupted on offense with four goals and three assists over his last four games, and he's on the Sharks' top power-play unit. It took a while for this blue line to shake out -- Klingberg was a scratch as recently as Nov. 26. Pick him up for the offense now and cut him loose if he goes cold or gets traded to a team that doesn't have the ability to be as generous with his ice time. 

Another Shark that got on the radar in Saturday's remarkable 6-5 overtime win over the Penguins is Tyler Toffoli. He has eight points in seven outings in December, though that production has come from a pair of four-point efforts. A little explosive offense is fine for fantasy, as long as it leads to consistency down the line. With 22 points in 33 outings this season, another 50-point campaign is within reach for the winger, even as he occupies a middle-six role most of the time. 

Much has been made of Steven Stamkos' decline, but for at least a few games now, he's turned back the clock. He has eight goals and two assists over his last nine games, including a four-goal performance Thursday versus the Blues. The Predators have started playing better hockey lately, and Stamkos' individual improvement has been a big part of that. Much like Klingberg above, Stamkos can be picked up now, but be ready to pivot if he can't sustain his recent return to glory. 

Rounding out a trio of veterans that could help your team, take a look at Anders Lee. His four-point effort versus the Ducks on Thursday was unexpected, but he's another player to benefit from the Islanders' improved offense. The winger has nine points and 32 shots over his last 12 games. He's still on track for 20 goals and potentially 50 points this season, though he has taken a step back on the physical side of things, which limits how much of a slump fantasy managers can tolerate should he struggle. 

The Panthers look to be coming around, and Anton Lundell's first-line status is helping their turnaround. The center has earned nine points over his last 11 games, adding 31 shots and 16 hits. I'm surprised that Lundell hasn't been widely added this season -- he was one of my early pickups, by virtue of playing a top-line role that he's held on a part-time basis in previous seasons. Given that he hasn't been scooped up much so far, you don't have to rush to get him, but keep him in mind whenever you need a center. 

Goalie Matchup Trends and Streaming Strategies

Turning to the crease, it's time to talk about some goalie situations. John Gibson has finally gotten on track with the Red Wings, winning his last five starts with two shutouts in that span. The injury risk is always a concern, but he can be very good when healthy. I'm a bit more of a believer in the Red Wings' season than most people, but I'm willing to give Gibson a look as long as he can stay in one piece. However, if he goes cold, head coach Todd McLellan hasn't hesitated to ride the hot hand this year. 

In Carolina, the crease is backing to being a three-man group. However, Frederik Andersen has not played in the last six games, with Brandon Bussi getting most of the time. Bussi is inexperienced, but with an 11-1-0 record, a 2.05 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 12 games, he's stood out. Pyotr Kochetkov has returned from a lower-body injury and has had mixed results with six goals allowed on 40 shots over his first two games back. You can take a streaming approach to this crease, but if Bussi continues to win, he could take on a starting role, and he's probably the best bet of the three for the rest of this month. 

I wanted to give a decent amount of time before forming an opinion on the Golden Knights' crease following Carter Hart's debut. He's won three of four outings with a .900 save percentage so far, so he's earned some playing time. That said, Vegas has given him more time out of the gate than I expected. Akira Schmid was 4-1-4 with a 2.38 GAA and an .899 save percentage in November, and he's won both of his starts in December. Like with the Hurricanes, getting part of the Golden Knights' crease is a good approach to chasing wins. I'm worried about Hart's durability, and frankly, I think Schmid's gotten the short end of the stick so far -- he's shown enough over a long enough time to deserve a slight majority of the starts. 

For the week ahead, I'm prioritizing getting my goalies in order. I had a poor year drafting in the crease, and it's been tough to adjust, but it's time to make the hard decisions. I'm already shedding shares of Thatcher Demko and Jacob Markstrom, especially in places where I've had multiple goalies returning to action. Jordan Binnington is also on the way out for me. As much as I'd like to hoard starters, I need to get better results, and that has led to going with more quantity over quality to get my games each week. 

That said, I'm happy to have had a little patience on Dustin Wolf and Juuse Saros, who have turned things around a bit lately. It's important, especially with goalies, to remember to circle back if they get back on track after a poor stretch. I'm fine with trading away a netminder to clear a logjam, as that will help to address any shortcomings I had on drafting position players. Do your best to polish up your rosters in the week ahead so you don't have to think about it too much during the holidays. I'll be back next week to take another look around before the break. 

Stuck between two players available on the waiver wire? Check out the NHL Player Comparison Tool or the NHL Trending Players to help break the tiebreaker on your waiver wire decisions.