Kane you believe it? You should, considering we're emerging from a good stretch of being subjected to substantiated rumors of the star forward heading to Manhattan by way of trade. Now it's official: Patrick Kane is a member of the New York Rangers, with an eye on making his debut against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Unless coach Gerard Gallant goes mega rogue, the scoring winger will reunite with his former Blackhawks pal Artemi Panarin on a line centered by Vincent Trocheck. If able to rely on history as trustworthy forecaster, get ready for some scoring magic.
During their two seasons as teammates/linemates in Chicago - 2015-16 and 2016-17 - Panarin and Kane were on the ice together for a total of 190 goals at all strengths and 102 at five-on-five (NaturalStatTrick). Of the 80 goals Kane scored, Panarin assisted on 35 of them, drawing the primary assist on a whopping 23. Meanwhile, Kane assisted on 45 of Panarin's 61 goals, providing the primary helper on 34 of them.
Not sufficiently impressed? Ok. The pair also assisted on another 22 goals together by other teammates. "Ridiculous chemistry," according to one of my ESPN colleagues. Ridiculous indeed. Of the three making up this projected fresh trio, Kane is set to benefit the most after enduring, up until very recently, a dud of a campaign by his standards. Panarin is already stomping along at a 1.12 point/game pace while Trocheck - rostered in 83.2% of ESPN.com leagues - is averaging 2.0 fantasy points in standard competition. The biggest 'loser', so to speak, following this deal prematurely appears to be Vladimir Tarasenko, who likely tumbles from the Rangers' top power play, making way for Kane. But Tarasenko hasn't exactly lit it up - two goals, two assists in nine games - since landing in New York anyway.
Having a gander at affairs back in Illinois, it's worth noting that Andreas Athanasiou (rostered in 1.5% of ESPN.com leagues) is skating on a top line and power play, and scoring, with Max Domi right now. While the situation remains fluid - Domi himself could still be dealt - there's a solid argument, supported by a goal in each of his past two games, to be made for streaming Athanasiou in the meantime.
Having a look at other fantasy-relevant deals from the past 24 hours, defenseman Rasmus Sandin (3.1%) is poised to experience an uptick in value following his trade from the Maple Leafs to the Capitals. With Erik Gustafsson sent the other way, the young blueliner presents as a fresh go-to option to anchor a power play that includes Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. At least as long as John Carlson remains sidelined with a face/head injury (indefinitely, as it stands). We'll see if Sandin gets his first such opportunity Wednesday night in Anaheim - which seems like a big ask, all considering - otherwise Trevor van Riemsdyk should be saddled with the top-unit gig. Regardless, as a coveted asset with his new club, the former Leafs D-man could be worth grabbing in deeper fantasy leagues. While Washington's power play ranks middle of the NHL pack (21.3%), the team's top unit does most of the heavy lifting.
Landing in Toronto, Gustavsson (22.7%) loses a bit of shine in joining the Leafs' blue line. Unless he replaces Morgan Rielly on Toronto's No. 1 power play - a possible option for Sheldon Keefe, but hardly guaranteed - the offensive-defenseman won't benefit from the same quality of chances to contribute as he did in Washington. As its stands, Gustavsson may not even play every game, as member of a jammed defensive corps that now comprises Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano, Jake McCabe, Luke Schenn, Timothy Liljegren, and Justin Holl. If the ex-Capital is already on your fantasy roster, let it breathe a minute, and gauge where he fits in. Otherwise, no need to rush the puck-mover into your fold, unless utterly desperate.
Defenseman Tyson Barrie, along with his fantasy managers, can also prepare themselves for a dip in production in joining the Predators from Edmonton. Nashville's power play doesn't rival that of the Oilers, which - thanks to Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and friends - ranks tops in the NHL (31.9%). No small wonder he leads the league with 28 power-play points, accounting for more than half of his 43 total. Even if Barrie ends up joining Roman Josi on the Pred's top unit, which remains to be seen, there's little chance he continues his season's pace in Tennessee. While there's no point in dropping him outright in fantasy play - the offensive-defenseman is still going to produce - a tempering of expectations is in order.
I'm far more interested in how matters shake out back in Edmonton. Barring a curveball from left field, one of Darnell Nurse or Evan Bouchard is in position to replace Barrie on that vicious top special teams' unit. While Nurse is largely spoken for, Bouchard remains available in nearly 40% of ESPN.com leagues. Keep a close eye on how Jay Woodcroft shuffles everyone about in Wednesday's tilt with the Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, acquiring Mattias Ekholm from Nashville bolsters the club's defense overall. Good news for goalies Stuart Skinner (36.0%), Jack Campbell (60.0%), and their respective fantasy managers.
Retuning to the theme of adjusting expectations, if you've been keeping a stubborn grip on Jonathan Quick to this point - and too many of you have, ostensibly based on name recognition - now is the occasion to let him go for good. If the former Cup Champ hasn't managed to keep it together with the Kings, how do you expect him to get along in Columbus, where they can't score or keep the puck out of the net? Quick himself is said to be ultra annoyed about this deal, which also speaks volumes. Even if he's flipped to a stronger side, the now-mediocre netminder's role as supporting backup would be minimal. As for the veteran's replacement, Joonas Korpisalo is poised to earn a shot at fighting Pheonix Copley for starts with a team that's battling for a playoff spot. The addition of stay-at-homer Vladislav Gavrikov only strengthens L.A.'s defense as a whole. Desperate for netminding? Consider giving Korpisalo a fantasy whirl.
Wednesday note: Still nursing an upper-body issue, Timo Meier isn't expected to make his debut for New Jersey in Colorado. Once ready to go - presumably soon - the former San Jose winger is projected to slide in next to either Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, replacing either Tomas Tatar on Yegor Sharangovich. For the home squad, after missing four games with a (second) head injury, defenseman Cale Makar could return to Colorado's lineup against the visiting Devils.
*only in leagues which reward blocked shots
