Fantasy NHL Trade Impact: Paul Stastny Jets to Winnipeg

Fantasy NHL Trade Impact: Paul Stastny Jets to Winnipeg

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 already seen a handful of trades heading into today and we will break down the fantasy hockey impact of each of those deals as they break throughout the day, for Fantasy NHL!

There are always surprises developing around the NHL trade deadline, each season. We got an early surprise a few hours before the deadline, on Monday morning, February 26th. While the St. Louis Blues were only a point or two away from either of the top two wild card spots in the West, to clinch the playoffs, the Blues made a baffling move.

Late last season, the Flyers made a surprising move sending talented young center-man Brayden Schenn to the Blues. The Blues made the move so they could develop depth at the center position, which was lead by Paul Stastny. However, as we approached the end of this season, and with Stastny’s status moving toward an unrestricted free agent, the Blues decided to move the talented 32-year-old veteran to the Jets.

The Jets sent quite a haul over to the Blue in exchange for Stastny. Erik Foley is a 20-year-old prospect at the wing position. He’s demonstrated some great talent, but is still learning how to use his 6 foot body frame, and can get tied up easily on the ice. But, the Blues also got a first round draft pick for this coming summer’s draft, and a fourth rounder in 2020. That is quite a strong move to build future talent.

Immediate Fantasy NHL Impact:

All things considered, the move is still baffling considering the Blues were still well-positioned for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Either they feel they have the talent already stocked-piled on the roster and could get future guarantees with abundance, or they already see signs of missing the playoffs, and realize now is the time to pounce.

Brayden Schenn is having a tremendous season, with 24 goals and 31 assists in 61 games. Schenn now spends the vast majority of his time with Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko and veteran Jaden Schwartz. So Schenn’s value just sky-rocketed, and he’s a great short-term DFS value. Patrik Berglund‘s value may also increase now that he’s leading the Blues second line.

Meanwhile, Paul Stastny’s value also increases significantly. He may see less time on the ice, but it should be more efficient offensive production. The Jets are stacked on offense in Winnipeg, and Paul is likely playing on the Jets third line with great goal-scorer Nikolaj Ehlers and 19-year-old Finnish star Patrik Laine. The third line for the Jets is one to target in fantasy NHL season-long trades, and all three are in play for DFS lineups. They all get better now.

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!