NHL trade deadline: Fantasy hockey impact, reaction and analysis

The 2025 NHL trade deadline is almost upon us, as NHL teams had until 3 p.m. Eastern on Friday, March 7 to make critical upgrades to their teams, or to set up their franchise for longer-term success. With some stars already settled into their new teams -- J.T. Miller with the New York Rangers -- or another star who was be moved for the second time this season, there are numerous difference-makers changing teams on the ice. How will their new homes affect their production, and who will step into their previous roles?

When one player leaves, it may open up opportunity for other players to step up on the team he left behind. To understand every angle of the fantasy hockey impact, we've asked ESPN Fantasy analysts Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash to break down every trade in the short-term, long-term, and the opportunities to be had in lineups everywhere.

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Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers

The deal sending Brad Marchand to Florida -- a last-minute stunner of a move -- is a bit complicated to assess through the fantasy lens. First off, Marchand remains out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Does that mean he's expected to return by mid- to late-March or nearer/into the postseason? Projected to eventually replace Mackie Samoskevich on a second scoring line with center Sam Bennett -- and Matthew Tkachuk once the playoffs get underway -- plus enjoy heavy minutes with the extra skater, the former Bruins captain will find himself in excellent position to once-again produce at a point/game pace. While fantasy managers in re-draft leagues who already have Marchand comfortably stashed on IR shouldn't veer from that course, there's also good cause to closely follow updates on the winger's recovery time. -- Matiash

Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars

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'It's nuts!' Stars acquire Mikko Rantanen from Hurricanes

The "TradeCentre" crew gives their instant reaction to the shocking news that Mikko Rantanen has been traded to the Dallas Stars.

Let's face it, the Hurricanes swung for the fences and it wasn't a perfect match. In this season and the previous four, Rantanen has gone at least three games without a point a total of six times. That's 351 games. Two of those scoreless stretches have been with the Hurricanes in his 13 total games with the organization. Luckily, Carolina pivoted early enough that they have now re-pivoted in an unprecedented (at least as memory serves) second trade of a superstar NHLer in the same season. And Rantanen is a superstar. From the 2016-17 season forward, he ranks eighth in total fantasy points among skaters, fifth in special-teams points, ninth in goals and 10th in assists.

With a top six that features Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund, the Stars -- if they weren't already -- have to be leading the conversation for best scoring lines in the league. How do you line them up? And who comes off a power play that is absolutely dominating the league in recent weeks? We don't know for sure, but it also doesn't matter who it helps since all these players are already rostered in your fantasy league. What matters more, perhaps, is who it hurts. Mason Marchment almost surely lose their occasional roles in the top six, which probably stamps out their fantasy value. The real question is who gets booted from this power play. Duchene, Hintz, Robertson, Johnston and Thomas Harley have scored nine goals on the advantage in the past 10 games across just 21 minutes. Does Johnston, the hottest stick among them, come out as the youngest of the group? Or is it Duchene? Or even Robertson because he has the fewest power-play points of late? Someone is losing value out of the group.

Back in Carolina, a spot opens up on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, as well as on the top power-play unit. Hurricanes-bound in this deal, Logan Stankoven will have a shot at claiming the minutes, but Jackson Blake -- who has already proven himself as an injury sub -- will also be in consideration. -- Allen

Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators

Acquiring a new scoring winger in Fabian Zetterlund from the Sharks, in addition to former Sabres' center Dylan Cozens, the Senators' second line sports a decidedly different look. If, of course, Zetterlund replaces David Perron on that unit. A well-rounded fantasy performer, the 25-year-old dishes out hits and fires on net often enough to tick those boxes on a consistent basis. Importantly, he ranks No. 11 overall in blocked shots amongst forwards, averaging essentially one per game. An uptick in production from the winger in Ottawa -- whose scoring numbers have waned of late -- should provide enough of a boost to move him back within flirting distance of averaging 2.0 fantasy points/game in ESPN standard leagues. As long as Zetterlund does indeed land within the Sens' top-six and on the secondary power play. That being said, again considering how he contributes to other fantasy categories, a third-line role wouldn't be disastrous either.

Back in San Jose, forwards Macklin Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, and William Eklund remain those who merit rostering in most conventional fantasy competition, while rookie Will Smith deserves consideration in deeper leagues as he's found a productive groove lately. -- Matiash

Casey Mittelstadt to the Boston Bruins, Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche

The bad news for Casey Mittelstadt is he's no longer a member of a legitimate playoff contender in Colorado. A possible silver lining, however muted, is the center is likely to earn yet another shot at securing a top-six role after seemingly losing that very gig once Brock Nelson joined the Avalanche. If the 26-year-old earns the opportunity to skate on a No. 1 line with David Pastrnak, and the Bruins have little to lose in at least volleying that experiment, Mittelstadt could wrap up what's been an otherwise disappointing campaign on a slightly more positive note. Fantasy managers should remain in wait-and-see mode until the lineup dust settles in Boston.

Going the other way, veteran Charlie Coyle initially projects to serve as slightly more valuable on the Avalanche's third line as he did on the Bruins' second. Which, for a player banging out an average of 1.3 fantasy points/game in ESPN standard competition, still isn't much. -- Matiash

Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators, Josh Norris to the Buffalo Sabres

To different degrees, the trade sending Dylan Cozens to the Senators in exchange for fellow center Josh Norris should bolster both players as individual fantasy performers. Mired on the Sabres' third line of late, Cozens has one assist in his past five contests, and only five points altogether since Jan. 31. Now the young $7.1-million center faces the prospect of skating on Ottawa's second scoring line alongside Drake Batherson, while seeing minutes with the secondary power play. His recent days of banging out 1.5 fantasy points/game in standard competition should be nearing an end, and for the better. Managers in deeper leagues might consider acquiring Cozens -- available in nearly half of ESPN Fantasy leagues -- during the Senators' push for a playoff spot in the East.

Norris' potential with the Sabres appears even rosier. Stuck behind Tim Stutzle on the Senators' depth chart, the 25-year-old is now poised to supplant Jiri Kulich on a top scoring unit with Tage Thompson, while carving out a role on the No. 1 power play. A valuable fantasy performer when healthy -- admittedly an enduring concern -- the nearly $8-million-per-year skater sports the wherewithal to average a minimum of 2.0 fantasy points/game alongside a top-10 goal scorer in Thompson. Available in 46% of ESPN Fantasy leagues, Norris is well worth a roll of the fantasy dice, despite injury risks. At least he's healthy now. -- Matiash

Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche

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Brock Nelson's best goals of the season

Take a look at Brock Nelson's best goals this season as the longtime Islander is on the move to Colorado.

The Avalanche have pushed all-in by addressing their No. 2 center problem that has plagued the team since the departure of Nazem Kadri, and Brock Nelson definitely solves that problem for the remainder of this season. His fantasy fortunes rise with the move to Colorado, as Nelson was a bottom-of-the-roster play this season with the Islanders just due to the nature of their offense (5.2 fantasy points per 60 minutes, which ranks 208th among all skaters with at least 200 minutes of ice time).

The Avs have some high-octane wingers that Nelson can work with and he should continue to earn top power-play access as he did on Long Island. While the line of Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen sits near the top of the league in chances and scoring (nine goals for, two against in past 10 games at five-on-five), Casey Mittelstadt hasn't been able to get the second line going with the same success. In the past four games, Mittelstadt and Jonathan Drouin played 37 minutes with Valeri Nichushkin at five-on-five, scoring once and getting scored on once. Prior to that, it was Mittelstadt, Drouin and Juuso Parssinen with one goal for and one against in 43 minutes. That's just not enough offense and Nelson will fix that.

Nelson's reputation has kept him rostered in ESPN leagues despite his low fantasy output this season, but it's still worth checking if you are in one of the 25% of leagues with him available. Back on Long Island, there isn't anyone particular that inherits his ice time worth noting for fantasy. If someone could have stepped up on this offense, Nelson wasn't stopping them before. -- Allen

Jake Walman to the Edmonton Oilers

Jake Walman's Cinderella fantasy season as the quarterback of an upstart Sharks offense comes to a close. This is fantastic depth for the Oilers to have headed into the postseason, as an injury to Evan Bouchard now has an easy answer. But for fantasy managers, Walman comes off the table. He's certainly not getting 2:46 in power-play time per game on the Oilers offense and the overall ice time will likely dip a bit, too. Walman currently ranks 37th in the league with 60.2 of his total fantasy points from just hits and blocked shots, but fewer minutes likely brings fewer opportunities to such things. Last season, when he was not atop the depth chart with the Red Wings, he finished ranked 174th in fantasy among skaters compared to his current spot at 86th; playing in Edmonton should have him at a rate closer to the former.

As for the Sharks, this opens up some additional opportunity for Shakir Mukhamadullin, who just crested past the 20-minute mark for three consecutive games. In his five career games with at least 20 minutes of ice time, Mukhamadullin has averaged 2.4 fantasy points, a small, but encouraging sample. When it came to the power play against the Avalanche on Thursday, the Sharks opted to go five forwards for the top unit (Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, William Eklund, Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini); They scored and had seven shot attempts across 4:44. -- Allen

Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers, Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks

While the trade sending Seth Jones to Florida serves as an immediate upgrade to the team's blue line, it doesn't project to necessarily bolster his individual value as a fantasy performer. At first blush, the former Blackhawk appears plugged in on the Panthers' secondary power play, leaving Aaron Ekblad in place to anchor the top unit with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett. Despite Chicago's struggles altogether, Jones put up relatively impressive numbers with the extra skater, earning five goals and 10 assists, accounting for more than half of his total 27 points through 42 contests. Unless he ends up supplanting Ekblad on the No. 1 unit, a dip in special teams production should be in order. With approximately a quarter of the season to go, Florida's entire defense have accounted for only 20 power-play points altogether.

There's also an obvious upside to Jones' fantasy projections in joining the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Paired with Niko Mikkola in the top-four, the right-shot defenseman is set to enjoy enhanced production numbers at even-strength with a team that's scoring at a much greater clip (3.28 goals/game) than his former squad (2.72/game). Once it all works out, Jones should continue to perform as a 2.0-point-plus defenseman in ESPN standard leagues.

Back in Chicago, Alex Vlasic again takes over on the No. 1 power play with Connor Bedard and company, like he did earlier when Jones missed time due to injury. With 23 points in 60 games, the young defender earned another assist with the extra skater in Saturday's 6-3 win over Anaheim, increasing his power-play total to 11. A key piece of the rebuilding Blackhawks' future, Jones has the potential to serve as an under-the-radar, minute-munching fantasy performer in deeper standard leagues even as this regular season draws to a close.

Between the pipes, while ex-Panther Spencer Knight is set to see a good number of starts in Chicago, he doesn't present as a viable fantasy option with the second-worst team in the league. Florida's new No. 2 Chris Driedger, recently promoted from the AHL, serves as an outside-the-box streaming/DFS option when offered the chance to spell off No. 1 Sergei Bobrovsky. Unless the Panthers make a deal for another goaltender. -- Matiash

Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild

With the move to the Wild, Nyquist (available in 91.0% of leagues) will inherit a better immediate role for his fantasy potential, but his time for fantasy relevance could be limited. Nyquist made his debut on a top line with Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. He'll also likely replace Vinnie Hinostroza on the top power-play unit in the shorter term. But as Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov make their way back to health, there won't be a power play role for Nyquist and there may not even be a top-six spot. Which would put him right back where he was in Nashville: Not earning enough for fantasy on a non-scoring line.

It's not easy to find someone to highlight for potential on a team earning so few overall fantasy points (Predators skaters have earned only 1,350 total fantasy points through Monday, lowest in the league by a fair margin). With Roman Josi currently injured, the Predators went to a five-forward power play by putting Nyquist on the top unit. But with him now shipped out to the Wild, Skjei (48.0% available) has been quarterbacking on the advantage. It's not going to mean much to fantasy leagues, but it's worth pointing out that there isn't any vacuum value from Nyquist being moved out of the lineup. -- Allen

Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde to the Tampa Bay Lightning

If nothing else, there is some high-level upside with an underrated sniper like Oliver Bjorkstrand (available in 59.6% of leagues) getting access to a much more powerful top six in Tampa Bay. The Bolts have options here. On the high end, he gets access to Nikita Kucherov as a linemate and occasionally subs in on the top power-play unit in the same way Mitchell Chaffee currently does over Brandon Hagel. On the low end, Bjorkstrand becomes a fixture on a line with Hagel and Anthony Cirelli and ... [Checks notes] ... Team Canada thinks those two are some pretty solid linemates. Yanni Gourde will bring back fond memories, but is surely headed for a bottom-six role.

Michael Bunting to the Nashville Predators

Bunting gets shipped off to the Predators -- where offense goes to die this season. His only fantasy value in recent seasons has come from power-play access as the net-front bully, but it's a role he won't likely fill in Nashville. Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O'Reilly have first dibs, so it's an uphill battle. If the Preds continue wheeling and dealing, sending O'Reilly off to greener pastures, Bunting may have some future value. But we'll have to wait and see. -- Allen