Fantasy NHL Trade Impact: Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay

Fantasy NHL Trade Impact: Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay

Welcome to an action packed NHL Trade Deadline as we should continue to see a flurry of activity leading up to the 3PM EST deadline on Monday, February 26. We have seen a handful of trades heading into the deadline, and now after the deadline we’re breaking down the fantasy hockey impact of each of those deals as they had been announced throughout the day, for Fantasy NHL!

At 2:59pm ET, or with just under one minute left before the NHL trade deadline on Monday, February 26th, the Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning made arguably the best trade this season. The trade not only made sense for the now re-building Rangers, but also made sense for a Bolts team surging toward the playoffs, in hopes for a Stanley Cup win.

The Rangers sent veteran defenseman 28-year-old Ryan McDonagh and 24-year-old winger J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a first round and conditional second round pick during this summer’s 2018 NHL draft. Also, the Rangers get 25-year-old Russian winger Vladislav Namestnikov, and two prospects.

Each of the draft picks are solid prospects. 19-year-old Canadian center Brett Howden was drafted 27th overall by the Lightning in the 2016 NHL draft. And 20-year-old Czech defenseman Libor Hajek was then drafted in the second round, 37th overall, also in the 2016 NHL draft. Neither has a cap hit of more than $900K.

So the Rangers now have the Bolts top two draft picks from the 2016 nhl draft, and will likely have the top two draft picks from the 2018 NHL draft. While Miller had a bright future for the Rangers, and McDonagh was a strong veteran fixture in the lineup, New York made a big play for the future.

Immediate Fantasy NHL Impact:

The big fantasy NHL impact from this trade, for now, is landing on the Tampa Bay Lightning lines. Ryan McDonagh has two goals and 24 assists this season, but an impressive +7 line on a team struggling to win games over the last two months.

McDonagh will either play with Victor Hedman on the top line, or lead the defenders on the second line. We’re leaning the second line, to spread out the veteran presence within the top ten skaters.

The Lightning have one of the best offenses in the NHL, so McDonagh’s assist value should grow significantly through the next two months. We also expect Ryan to play in the power play units, and his DFS value jumps, along with his season-long value.

If you can grab him in a season-long trade, do it. If you’re playing DFS NHL each night, he’s likely a value play until the models understand where he’ll fall on the team.

Also, J.T. Miller has 13 goals and 27 assists, or 40 points, in all 63 Rangers games this season. We’re currently expecting Miller to join the second line, at some point, with Brayden Point.

But wouldn’t be surprised if J.T. spent a good amount of time on the Bolts third line with Tyler Johnson, further bolstering that line. Regardless, we expect 15 to 20 minutes of ice time from Miller on the Bolts, and expect his assists and +/- to significantly climb from here.

Vladislav Namestnikov emerged as a scoring talent for the Bolts last season. In 62 games, Namestnikov has an impressive 20 goals and 24 assists. Vlad also has eight power play goals and seven power play assists.

However, Namestnikov has spent most of his time on the ice with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, two of the best NHL players this season. In New York, Vlad’s value will plummet, playing with significantly worse talent right now. If you have him for season-long, dump him for someone like Michael Grabner or Patrick Maroon. If you’re playing DFS NHL, avoid Namestnikov at all costs!

Next: FanDuel NHL Picks and Plays for February 26

Stay tuned for the breakdowns of the rest of the NHL trade deadline deals and for all of your DFS needs!