Below is a list of forwards who switched teams and I've ranked them from a fantasy hockey perspective. Some players won’t see their value change at all on their new team, while others have seen an increase or decrease in their stock.
The offseason in the NHL was the shortest and most unique in quite some time. The goal here is to catch you up on all the offseason trades and signings at the forward position. We're kicking it off with one of the most surprising moves in free agency.
Hall was the most prominent forward to switch jerseys during the offseason, as the Sabres signed the winger to a surprising one-year deal worth $8M. The 29-year-old is clearly betting on himself to improve on last season’s 16 goals and 52 points in 62 games between the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes. It’s unrealistic to think he can top those numbers over a 56-game season, but he has point-per-game upside, especially since he’ll be playing alongside superstar center Jack Eichel.
Hall is three years removed from an MVP season that saw him score a career-high 39 goals and 93 points. It was Hall’s only season with 30 goals and second with over 53 points. His MVP season will go down as an outlier, but he’s still a solid fantasy asset. His ceiling with the Sabers looks like this: 200 shots, 20 goals and 50 points. That would make him a borderline top-five left winger in fantasy. I think 12-15 goals and 35-40 points are more realistic, which is why I have him slotted at LW12 in my rankings.
Hoffman earned himself a PTO with the St. Louis Blues after hanging around on the market for weeks. Let’s be honest, Hoffman’s going to make the Blues and it’ll be made official as soon as St. Louis can put Vladimir Tarasenko on long-term injured reserve. Alexander Steen will also land on LTIR, which will free up money for the club to sign Hoffman. Keep in mind, Tarasenko’s expected to return at some point this season.
Say what you want about Hoffman’s defensive game or the noise surrounding him off the ice, but make no mistake, the winger is a pure sniper. He’s scored at least 22 goals in six straight seasons and he’s averaging 231.5 shots per season over that span. His 169 goals since the start of 2014-15 ranks 16th in the league. Hoffman had two very good seasons in Florida (65 goals, 129 points, and 56 power-play points in 151 games), and he’ll be productive in St. Louis. Hoffman’s averaging 25.7 power-play points over his past four seasons and the Blues had the third-best power play last year (24.3%). Early drafters are getting a discount on Hoffman right now.
The writing was on the wall for Domi when he entered the bubble as the fourth-line center in Montreal. The emergence of Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemii made Domi expendable, so the Habs traded him to Columbus for Josh Anderson. Domi is a fine player and he’ll have a top-six role with the Blue Jackets, but looking back over his five seasons in the league, his first with Montreal stands out as one that may not happen again.
Domi scored a career-high 28 goals and 72 points over 82 games in 2018-19, despite 18 combined goals in his two seasons prior with Arizona. Things went very well for Domi in his first season with the Canadiens as he played a career-high 17:23 per game and finished with a career-high 13.8 shooting percentage. Domi saw his shooting percentage drop to 9.5% (10.2% for his career), his ice time declined to 17:06 per game and he scored 28 fewer points (44). He still managed to score 17 goals and he has at least 17 in three of his five seasons, but if you take away his career season, Domi is averaging 13.2 goals and 44 points. I wouldn’t expect more than 10-12 goals and 30 points in his first season with the Blue Jackets. Overall, the move to Columbus is good for Domi’s game and it’ll help Cam Atkinson who struggled last year.
The other end of the Domi deal sent Anderson to Montreal, and he earned a seven-year, $38.5M contract, despite coming off of shoulder surgery, which limited him to 26 games last season. It was an awful 26 games for Anderson as he only scored one goal and finished with four points. It was a small sample size, but his 4.3% shooting percentage was the first time it’s been below 9.1% for his career.
Anderson was a phenomenal fantasy asset in 2018-19 as he finished with 27 goals, 230 shots, and 214 hits. He was one of three forwards (along with Alex Ovechkin and Blake Coleman) to scored 20 goals with 200 plus shots and hits. There’s no question Anderson can score as he notched 17 in his rookie season, followed by 19 before his 27-goal season in 2018-19. How will the shoulder hold up and where does he fit into Montreal’s lineup? He’ll likely slot in on the second line with Suzuki and Toffoli, and if his shoulder isn’t an issue, he’ll provide owners with plenty of hits. He’s a great late-round pick for those playing with shots and hits.
Toffoli brings some much-needed scoring to Montreal, and he’s expected to skate on the second line with emerging center Nick Suzuki. Toffoli scored 24 goals and 44 points in 68 games between Los Angeles and Vancouver last season. He was very good with the Canucks as he scored eight goals and had 14 points in 17 games, including the playoffs.
Toffoli has at last 16 goals and 200 shots in five of his past six seasons. He hasn’t been overly productive on the power play over the course of his career (10 PPP last season), but keep in mind he’s played on one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league over the past couple of seasons. The former 30-goal scorer and four-time 20-goal scorer probably lands in the 10-15 range over a 56-game season.
Dadonov won’t be surrounded by the same type of talent in Ottawa as was the case in Florida, but that’s no reason to fade him on draft day. Good players on bad teams get overlooked all the time in fantasy and that’s exactly what’s happened in early drafts with Dadonov. If you play without plus/minus (which you should), then you shouldn’t worry about his game. The winger scored 25 goals last season and he scored 28 in each of his two previous seasons with the Panthers.
Dadonov has 101 assists over his past three seasons and he’s averaging 60.6 points over that span. 60 points over a 56-game season are out of the question, but 30 aren’t. The dropoff in his game will come on the power play (47 PPP last three seasons) and in the assist department. Ottawa ranked 25th in goals per game last season (2.68), while the Panthers ranked 6th (3.30). All that said, Dadonov will likely top last season’s 17:06 per game and he’s a volume shooter. He has a 14.3% shooting rate over 280 games, so I think it’s fair to project 15 goals on 150 shots this season, given the drop off in talent around him. His new linemate, Brady Tkachuk, finished as a top-35 player in fantasy last season thanks to 21 goals and 44 points. Don’t overlook these two on draft day, especially in leagues with shots and hits (Tkachuk).
Saad hasn’t been a huge fantasy standout, but he’s a terrific get for the Colorado Avalanche. There’s nothing flashy about his offensive game as he’s yet to top 53 points in a season, but he’s scored at least 18 goals in seven straight seasons. He had an impressive 21 goals in 58 games with Chicago last year, but his 15% shooting rate was his highest mark since 2013-14 (17%).
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Saad sail past his 11.4% mark for his career or even flirt with 20 goals in a 56-game season given the talent on the Colorado roster. He’s provided very little production on the power play (41 PPP in 588 career games), but his 5v5 game is very strong. He’s expected to skate on the second line with Nazem Kadri, which is great for Kadri’s outlook, but there will be times where he plays with Nathan MacKinnon as well. When that happens, Saad will be a must-start in season-long and in DFS.
It’s likely Duclair slots on the left side of line two and on the second power-play unit in Florida, but it’s possible he skates on the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, which would do a lot for his outlook. Duclair scored a career-high 23 goals on 184 shots last season while playing a career-high 16:16 per game with the Senators.
The opportunity on a weak team was there and he was impressive. It was the third time he scored 19 goals in a season and the second time he’s had at least 40 points. This will be his seventh season in the NHL and the Panthers will be the sixth team he’s played for, but the move to Florida is a good thing for his game and he’s a solid late-round target. He has the talent to fit in alongside Barkov and Huberdeau so don't be surprised if he sticks with the big boys.
Staal looked just about done as a fantasy asset when he was flipped to the New York Rangers at the 2015-16 deadline as he only scored three goals and six points in 25 games. New York was just a bad fit as he had four very good seasons with Minnesota. The center averaged 27.7 goals and 60 points per season with the Wild, and he scored at least 19 in each of those four years.
Staal won’t score 19 goals this season, but the 36-year-old still has something to offer for those playing in deeper leagues and he’s expected to skate alongside Jeff Skinner in Buffalo. Those two showed great chemistry together in Carolina, and while we’re far removed from the 2013-14 season, they combined for 61 goals and 115 points that year.
Stastny returns to Winnipeg after a fantastic short stint with the Jets in 2017-18. Winnipeg acquired the center for a playoff run a couple of years back and he showed instant chemistry with Blake Wheeler and Patrick Laine. Stastny scored 10 goals and 28 points in 36 games, including 15 points over 17 playoff games. It apparently wasn’t enough for the Jets to match the $6.5M AAV the Vegas Golden Knights gave him. Two years later, he’s back in Winnipeg, and while he’s a good get for the Jets he’s certainly a step slower.
Even though Stastny only has one year left on his deal, the Jets did Vegas a huge favor when they took on his contract. Stastny was hardly a fantasy option last season, despite playing alongside Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty for a majority of his 71 games (17 goals and 38 points). He’ll hardly be a fantasy option this season either, despite two very good linemates in Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers. DFS sure, season-long not so much. The big takeaway with this move is that Cody Glass will take Stastny’s spot in the top-six in Vegas, which is super appealing.
Kapanen is back with the team that drafted him, although he never played for the Pittsburgh Penguins as the winger was part of the Phil Kessel trade that sent him to Toronto in 2015. Kapanen could only crack the top-six with the Maple Leafs at times, but he does have a 20-goal season on his resume.
He’s expected to skate inside the top-six in Pittsburgh which means either ice time with Sidney Crosby or Evengi Malkin. I’d expect him to skate with Crosby and Jake Guentzel, so he could very well fall into 10 goals and 30 points. He’s worth a mid-to-late round pick due to the lack of depth in Pittsburgh.
The Edmonton Oilers will be Kahun’s fourth team in three seasons, but this may be the most appealing spot for the winger. Kahun scored 13 goals and added 24 assists as a rookie in Chicago before moving onto Pittsburgh and then Buffalo last season. Things didn’t work out well for the sophomore as he was limited to 56 games, between the two teams (12 goals and 31 points). It was a fine season, but he didn’t get time with the big boys in Pittsburgh and he was traded to the Sabres where all fantasy value seems to die.
That may not be the case with the Oilers as Kahun could open up the season on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto. Kahun’s buried down Yahoo’s preseason rankings (559), which is a huge mistake. Have him on your radar to round out your drafts. Who knows, he may even show chemistry with Connor McDavid.
Like Kapanen, Johnsson was another salary dump for the Maple Leafs as the former 20-goal scorer was traded to the New Jersey Devils in the offseason. The move away from Toronto may seem bad for his outlook as he'll leave talented players like Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and John Tavares, but he'll also be given a shot in NJ. There's no question he'll top more than the 15 minutes per game he received last season as he's expected to open up on the Devils' first line. He'll get top power-play time as well. Some of his numbers overall may decline, but his counting stats will add up and he's free in drafts.
Hornqvist has been a decent fantasy asset in leagues with shots and hits over the years, but the decline is real. When he skated with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin he was a hot waiver wire pick-up, and he will be if he finds himself on the top line in Florida, but I don’t see a consistent role for him there. That said, Hornqvist has scored at least 17 goals in 10 of his past 11 seasons, and the one season he didn’t, he was limited to 24 games (2012-13). If he can manage to play 56 games, he’ll score 10-12 goals and he’ll provide owners with 250 plus shots/hits. He’s a player you’ll want to keep an eye on to see where he fits in on his new team.
Ryan was limited to 24 games last season, and his five goals and 13:31 per game were his lowest totals since his rookie season in 2007-08. His eight points were the lowest he’s ever had, but he still has some scoring touch around the net. Ryan scored at least 11 goals in 11 previous seasons, so it’s very possible he gets back to the double-digit mark as long as he stays healthy. He should get plenty of ice time, including power play time on a bad Red Wings team. If you play with plus/minus forget about it. If you’re in a deep format or a salary cap league, consider Ryan as I could see him score 10-12 goals with 150 shots over a 56-game season. He’s a pass in standard 12-team leagues.
When the Bruins are at full health, Smith will slot in on the third-line. The addition gives Boston some quality depth, but there’s nothing to get excited about here from a fantasy perspective. Smith has scored at least 18 goals in six of his past seven seasons, but he’s a streaky scorer, and he’s only a two-category player. The reason I’m mentioning Smith is that he could start the season on the top line or at least the second line with David Pastrnak expected to miss at least the first month of the season. I’m not sure that’s enough to draft him in a standard 12-team league, but it’s enough to consider him in DFS early on.
Wennberg is a good buy-low in deep leagues, but he has a lot to prove in Florida. He’ll be given every opportunity to play as the team’s second-line center, which wasn’t always the case in Columbus over the past couple of years. Wennberg only scored five goals over 57 games last season and he only has 15 over his past three seasons (198 games). The former first-round pick has a 59-point season (13 goals) on the back of his hockey card but it came back in 2016-17. I’m not ready to give up on him as a player and I think a change of scenery can be good for his game, but he’s not a volume shooter so I don’t think he’ll provide owners with much.
Thornton practiced on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marnerwhen champ opened upand somehow it created a fantasy buzz. Everything gets magnified when it comes out of the Toronto, so I think we should temper expectations. Thornton may start the season with Matthews but it’s highly unlikely he sticks with him. He doesn't have the footspeed to keep up, but it's worth finding out in deeper salary cap leagues,. He should get power play time with the big boys all season.
There was a time when Simmonds was a top 20 skater in fantasy hockey, especially in leagues with hits, shots and penalty minutes, but those days are over. He hasn’t scored more than 16 goals since 2017-18, and he was nothing but a disappointment in Nashville and Buffalo where he only averaged 12 minutes per game. He likely won’t get time on the number one power play in Toronto, but he’ll get some time on the man advantage. Simmonds has scored double-digit goals on the PP six times, and five of his eight goals last season came on the power play. It’s pretty much all he has to offer as he’s expected to skate on the third and fourth line in Toronto.
Turris has been downright awful for the past few seasons, hence the buyout from the Predators. The former three-time 20-goal scorer hasn’t scored more than 13 in a season since 2016-17. It’s a great buy-low for the Oilers and I’m sure we’ll see a motivated Turris in Edmonton, but if he remains at the center position which he should, he’ll never play with McDavid or Draistail so he’s an easy fade. Power play time is possible but most likely on the second unit. Look, Turris and James Neal on a line is something we would be excited about five years ago.
