The NHL heads back into action Saturday, but not before the big 4 Nations Face-off championship game, pitting Canada against the United States in Boston on Thursday night. The round-robin game Saturday between the two countries was a classic, starting with three fights in the first nine seconds of the game. That’s old-school hockey!
I’m going to look at six players from the tournament that you should deal for, or away.
TRADE FOR
Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights (93% rostered)
There are a couple of ifs to deal with before trading for Theodore, who is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury (believed to be his arm/wrist). First, you must be playing head-to-head, and secondly, be comfortably in a playoff position.
I’m assuming Theodore will return at some point by late March, if not earlier. Theodore may not have much value to his fantasy manager over the next month but should be in fine form by the time fantasy playoffs begin. He has been a star this season with seven goals and 41 assists across 55 appearances this season, including two goals and 19 points on the power play. That places Theodore fourth among defensemen in scoring and ties him for fourth in points with the man advantage. That’s quite a blueliner to get for the most important time of the fantasy season, and the cost at this time is a lot lower than it would be if he was healthy.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Theodore for Bowen Byram.
Artturi Lehkonen, W, Avalanche (60% rostered)
Lehkonen picked up only one assist in three games during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and that was late in the third period Monday in a loss to Canada. He only saw 11:31 of action in a 4-3 overtime loss to arch-rival Finland on Saturday and while he played 18:56 against the Canadians, he should be plenty upset with his play and playing time for Finland.
Lehkonen will return to the top line with the Avalanche, alongside the great Nathan MacKinnon, as well as Martin Necas. Lehkonen has 23 goals and 33 points in only 45 NHL games this season, and has yet to be a force on the power play, as he has only a goal and two assists despite averaging 2:48 of ice time with the man advantage. That should change over the last third of the season.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Lehkonen for Jamie Benn.