Fantasy Impact Of Yandle Trade; and Sunday Game Notes: A huge trade sending All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers for young Anthony Duclair, John Moore, and a 2015 1st rd pick has pretty decent fantasy implications. Yandle was already a lock to top 50 points once again as his 41 points led the Coyotes. Expect a marginal rise in his own fantasy value as he will be surrounded by a much better supporting cast on the Rangers. However, any boost in power-play efficiency for the Blueshirts should help all on the top unit, including the already smoking Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan and whichever rearguard plays the point alongside him- Ryan McDonagh or Dan Boyle. Let's see how the PP configurations play out, but Boyle could be the odd man out on the top unit. Early Sunday action saw Jaromir Jagr make a huge impact for his new team in a huge spot as the 43-year old scored a goal and an assist in a crucial 4-3 win for Florida. While its unreasonable to suggest that he could maintain a PPG pace, youngsters such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and even Brandon Pirri should all see their scoring improve as Jags should get the power-play going plus give the kids a much needed a jolt of confidence. Love this deal for real-life purposes as Florida could sneak into the playoffs... Evgeni Malkin posted his third straight three-point effort in the 5-3 Pittsburgh win over Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky returned to the Blue Jackets crease, but found it difficult to shake off the rust against one of the NHL's most dangerous teams. BTW, we all know Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang are must-starts, but Patrick Hornqvist has been heating up again. Get him in all starting line-ups for next week and beyond.. Big triumph for Winnipeg over the LA Kings, as Andrew Ladd led the offense with two goals. Two new additions Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers continue to gain fantasy relevance with consistent offensive production since the Evander Kane trade. Don't look now but the Kings have lost three straight after notching eight consecutive victories... In Dallas, the Getzlaf/Perry superstar tandem combined for four points while John Gibson stopped 39 of 40 shots in the 3-1 Anaheim win... The St. Louis Blues roared back from a third-period three-goal deficit to force overtime, but the Vancouver Canucks get the extra point. Eddie Lack has been hit or miss since the Ryan miller injury, but he should get the bulk of the work in the crease. A decent no. 2 ...

Lights out for Chicago, Anaheim explodes, Updated Rankings coming and Skinner continues. Boston came away with a much needed 2 points against New Jersey as they cling to that last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Ryan Spooner scored his first NHL goal in overtime as he has been entrusted with a little more responsibility with the injury to David Krejci.  Don’t expect a lot from Spooner as he only has a total of 35 NHL game experience under his belt, but what a good time to score his first as the Bruins hold a 4-poiont lead over the Florida Panthers in the East…. The Islanders just keep on winning and now lead the Rangers by two points in the Metropolitan Division but the Rangers have three games in hand on the Isles.  Islanders Goalie Jaroslav Halak continues to improve upon his career year on the Island.  Kudos to those who took a chance on the sometimes underwhelming Halak…. Carolina’s Jeff Skinner scored again and now has 6 goals in last 8 games as the Hurricanes blanked the Washington Capitals 3-0 behind the 28-save effort from Anton Khudobin.  Look for the Canes to platoon their two goalies from here on out as they are out of the playoff race and are preparing for next season.  Skinner in the meantime can drive you bonkers as a fantasy owner because of his tremendous potential but also his propensity to get injured at the most inopportune times.  Ride him while he’s on fire…. Tampa’s Ben Bishop posted just his second shutout on the season but his 31st win by stopping all 28 SOG against the Blackhawks.  Ever since the Lightning acquired Bishop and installed him as the number 1, he has given fantasy owners a solid goaltender since day 1…With 2 goals, Steven Stamkos is rising quickly and is just 5 behind NHL leader in goals scored Alex Ovechkin.  With 20+ games to go in the season, SS could reach 50…. Colorado clings to playoff hopes as they beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 in a shootout.  Stars’ Cody Eakin (2G, A) was the offensive star in the losing effort but doesn’t hold much fantasy value I hate to say…. Anaheim awoke from their slumber after being shut out the previous game against Ottawa with a 4-goal outburst to beat their neighbors, the Los Angeles Kings 4-2.  Corey Perry was the hero scoring two late goals, the game-winner with just under 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Rookie John Gibson was the benefactor is now 7-5-0 on the season.  

Ever since his emergence in the 2010 NHL playoffs, teams have been waiting for Jaroslav Halak to return to that level.  In the first round of those playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens were down 3 games to 1 against the Washington Capitals but Halak’s brilliant goaltending propelled the Habs into the second round.  Washington had the best overall record in the NHL and were predicted to go deep into the playoffs, so Halak emerged as the unlikely hero noted for his 53-save performance in Game 6.  That display of talent carried over against the potent Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. The Pens are always dangerous with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at the top of their lineup but Halak stood tall and the Canadiens took the series 4-3 and advanced to face the Philadelphia Flyers where the magical run ended in 5 games. The Slovakian goaltender held a lot of promise and had been given a chance in Montreal but with the uber-talented Carey Price waiting in the wings, it was no surprise when the Canadiens elected to trade Halak to the St. Louis Blues and go with Price.  Halak eventually signed a 4-year deal shortly after free agency started.  Halak’s four seasons in St. Louis were marked with hot and cold periods as he battled with Brian Elliott for playing time.  His term was also marred with injuries so he never could find his consistency.  The blues had to make a decision as Jake Allen was waiting in the wings for playing time. With Elliott having signed a three0year deal, the writing was on the wall for Halak.  They eventually traded him to Buffalo who turned around and dealt him to Washington where they were having goaltending issues.  After his brief stint in Washington, the Caps traded him to the New York Islanders in May of 2014 to not lose him for nothing.  Halak signed a 4-year deal a few weeks after being acquired and the Islanders couldn’t be happier.  His 31 wins already have eclipsed his previous high of 27 set with S. Louis in 2010-2011.  His play has added stability to the Islanders goaltending and should easily reach the 40-win plateau.  Not playing under Ken Hitchcock’s defensive scheme, his metrics of 2.48 GAA and .910 SP are average at best, but he has proven that he can carry a team in the playoffs, which is what the Islanders are banking on.  Keep on riding the hot Islander net minder as this is turning into a career year for the 29-year old. POST MARKS:  WATCH IN AWE—Two young and talented net minders with a bright future ...

* Brief thoughts on Franson's fantasy value in Nashville, Line shake-ups in Philly, Burns is red-hot again,and more... The Cody Franson trade to Nashville brings another offensive defenseman to the fold, but it would be unreasonable to think that he can be as fantasy relevant here as he was in Toronto. While basically the top power-play dog for the Leafs, Franson will play second-fiddle to Shea Weber and Roman Josi. Now, the Predators have been known to score a few more goals than his previous team and their second power-play unit is pretty solid, so he will still be valuable and still worthy of plug and play situations throughout the season. So, hold onto him.. Even after the Philadelphia Flyers captured an important two points in the narrow 2-1 win over Buffalo, fantasy owners aren't exactly rejoiced with the production of the top line in recent games. There has been more line-juggling to help ignite the Claude Giroux/Jakub Voracek tandem, this time lining them up with the recently returned Michael Raffl and dropping Brayden Schenn between Umberger/White. I would say give Raffl a look in your deeper formats if this sticks, while Schenn becomes non-starteable.   Brent Burns continues to rip it up for San Jose as his power-play goal last night has him on a four-point game streak and improves his numbers to 48 points in 58 games. With nine points over his last ten games, Burns has shown no signs of slowing down and should treated as an elite fantasy option the rest of the way as the Sharks keep relying on him for the bulk of their offensive blueline production.. My thoughts prior to last night's Anaheim-Washington tilt featuring Bruce Boudreau against his former club was the following- If Justin Peters is in, circle Anaheim for an easy win. Well, not so fast as Alex Ovechkin made sure the Caps did not fall flat by collecting four points in the road victory. Peters was not good but his counterpart John Gibson was worse as he failed to impress after a solid outing in Carolina. It's still Federik Andersen's job when he gets back..

Congrats to New York Islander’s goalie Jaroslav Halak who earned his 30th win on the season, as he continues on a career year….Halak was helped by rookie Anders Lee who scored twice to up his goal total to 18 on the season.  No too shabby.  Lee may be worth a shot as a sixth forward on your fantasy squad…. The return of John Gibson to the Anaheim crease went as well as could be expected as he turned aside 35 of 36 SOG for the 2-1 win over Carolina.  Anaheim is blessed with fantastic goaltending for years to come… The Edmonton Oilers have been playing much better of late but of course their season ended around the holidays so they can play a lot looser now.  Jordan Eberle has come alive and has points in 3 straight games and 8 points in past 6 games….Interesting to see that Oiler defenseman Oscar Klefbom has 5 points in the last 6 games and 8 in last 10.  Klefbom is not really noted for his offensive prowess.  Maybe Justin Schultz can take a few pointers…. Pittsburgh was cruising to what seemed like an easy victory being up 3-0 going into the 3rd period but then Ottawa fought back with 4 goals sending the game into overtime and eventually being decided in the shootout….Bobby Ryan returned after missing a game and notched two assists in the loss.  Ryan is heating up as that was his 5th 2-point game in last 8. I was a bit surprised that St. Louis was able to handle the Tampa Bay Lightning so easily, winning by a score of 6-3.  The game was never really close….Alex Steen is probably the hottest player in the NHL right now as he had 3 points in the win giving him 8 points in 7 February games and 25 points since the beginning of 2015…. Tyler Myer's debut for Winnipeg went something like this: 21.23 minutes played, a -1 rating, and a painful stinger after blocking a Shea Weber slapper. Given how fragile he has been, would you be shocked if he missed the next game?...Just in case you haven't noticed, Nashville rookie Filip Forsberg is darn good. No hitting the wall here.. Another win for Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk who stopped 26 of 27 Florida shots for his 9th win in 11 starts for his latest team. Way better than his Arizona days and light years ahead of his Edmonton beginnings. His fantasy stock just keeps improving exponentially..Mikko Koivu is heating up. Two more assists for seven points in his last five contests.. A few multi-point efforts for the Blueshirts, most notably Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh, in their 6-3 road win over Colorado but I am all...

THE FUTURE IS NEAR We are just three months into the 2014-15 season and we already have caught a glimpse of the next generation of goaltending talent that will descend upon the NHL in the years to come. First, let's pay tribute to a goaltender that has made a tremendous impact on the league and may be playing his swansong year in St. Louis.  I am talking about none other than Martin Brodeur who set another NHL record with his 125th shutout against the Colorado Avalanche on December 29th. With this possibly being his last hurrah, I am grateful to have witnessed one of the great NHL goaltenders of all time. A lot of people look forward to the New Year because it holds the promise of a new beginning for some and a chance to turn things around for others. Although we never really know what the future has in store, we are fortunate enough to have caught a glimpse of what that future holds for some young goaltending talent and it certainly looks quite bright. So let's take a look at some up-and-coming goaltending talent. We might as well start with who is probably the top-rated goaltending talent around. And that distinction belongs to Tampa Bay prospect Andrei Vasilevskiy. The 20-year old net minder was drafted #19 overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning and has played the past few seasons in the KHL where he has posted some impressive statistics.  AV's KHL stats in 36 games over 2 years are 18-9-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 SP.  Vasilevskiy was called up when Tampa Bay starter Ben Bishop went down with a minor lower-body injury and started 3 games, winning 2, and posting a 2.01 GAA and a .940 SP. Even though they are both small sample sizes, the talent is there as noted by HockeysFuture.com's 15th overall rating among prospects. The future looks bright in sunny Tampa Bay. Switching over to the West Coast, the Anaheim Ducks are sporting a very talented goalkeeper of their own in John Gibson. Gibson already has had a much heralded career as he won the gold medal for the United States in the 2013 World Junior Ice hockey Championships sporting a 1.36 GAA and .955 SP.  Impressive  indeed!  He also won the bronze medal at the 2013 IIHF World Championships by posting another set of incredible metrics; 1.56 GAA & .951 SP. When starter Frederik Andersen went down with an injury towards the end of last season, Gibson was called up and added to his resume an NHL debut 3-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks. In just 3 starts that season, the youngster went 3...

Thursday night welcomed the return of Sidney Crosby to the Pittsburgh lineup, but goalie Marc-Andre Fleury "stole the show" with his career-high sixth shutout of the season in the 1-0 OT win over Colorado. Poolsters, judge MAF always by his elite numbers during gthe regular season- 18-4-2, .930 SP, 2.01 GAA- and let others worry about what he does in the playoffs.. Where has Nick Foligno come from? The Columbus winger recoreded two goals and an assist in a losing effort, raising his totals to 30 points in 30 games. I would love for him to keep up this ferocious scoring pace, but it seems unlikely given his past track record- his career-high in points was 47 in 2010-11. His 16 power-play points so far is more than in his previous three seasons combined. Sell high if you can.. The King's trio of Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, and Marian Gaborik collected a combined 12 points in a thrilling come-from-behind 6-4 win over St. Louis. This was a welcomed sight for their fantasy owners considering how poorly the LA offense has performed lately. Many have bailed on Kopitar but don't be so quick to quit on the normally consistent Slovenian. These are the type of nights that get stars back on track.. Huge "trap game" for the streaking Maple Leafs and Carolina'a Cam Ward made them pay for it with the superb 25-save effort in the crease. The Canes won 4-1 and Ward snapped his four-game losing skid. Remember that Toronto has already played half of their home games this season, so a road-heavy schedule awaits them the rest of the way. .. Federik Andersen won his eighth game in his last nine starts as Anaheim prevailed over Montreal on the road 2-1. The "Great Dane" has showed no signs of relinquishing his starting job anytime soon so keep riding him with confidence. BTW, John Gibson has been reassigned to Norfolk(AHL) for conditioning purposes. He will probably stay there for awhile as Ilya Bryzgalov was paid alot of money to back up Andersen.. Sergei Bobrovsky's seven-game winning streak was snapped as Washington prevailed 5-4 over Columbus in overtime. Washington's Braden Holtby also struggled in the contest, but both goalies are trending sky-high as fantasy options moving forward..

JONATHAN BERNIER Notwithstanding James Reimer's 2 impressive starts in last 3 games, Jonathan Bernier is ensconced as the Toronto Maple Leaf's no. 1 goaltender this season as he had started 9 straight before that and 11 of the previous 12. Look for Bernier to get the lion's share of starts from here on out as the Leafs are playing great hockey and have won 5 in a row and find themselves just 3 points shy of top of  the Eastern Conference. Bernier was acquired at the end of the 2012-13 season for Ben Scrivens, Matt Frattin and a 2nd round pick. In his first season with the Maple Leafs, Bernier appeared in 55 games and posted a 26-19-7 record in his first full-time semi-starter status. Those were his most starts in a season since 2009-10 when he appeared in 58 games for the AHL Manchester Monarchs.  With a 2.70 GAA and a .922, there was some room for improvement but his being his first stint as a no. 1, his production wasn't so bad.  The young net minder did show flashes of brilliance but showed some inconsistency which is not uncommon for a young goalie. With a year's experience being a number 1 goaltender, Bernier came into camp with the upper hand over Reimer as the latter faltered down the stretch last season in Bernier's absence due to a lower-body injury, going 0-5-0. Bernier, still not completely healed, came back too soon and lost his first three games back before winning ad then reinjuring himself in the next start against Boston, placing him on the shelf for the remainder of the season on April 3rd. In the first few games of this season, it seemed that the two would platoon until someone, or Bernier, proved himself fit and worthy of the number 1 job. As noted above, it appears that Bernier has solidified himself as the number 1 with his recent string of victories and performance. With his latest run, Bernier has now started 21 games versus Reimer's 9, a clear indication that Bernier is the Leaf's go-to guy. POST MARKS: HOME AGAIN--With rookie G John Gibson getting injured and having a fairly inexperienced net minder in Frederik Andersen manning the mesh, the Anaheim Ducks thought it prudent to upgrade their goaltending as they try and stay atop the Western Conference. It was in Gibson's best interest to get playing time in the minors and it was prudent that the Ducks bring in someone with experience to spell the young Andersen and perhaps show him what it takes to be a Stanley Cup goaltender.  Welcome home Ilya Bryzgalov! Bryzgalov was signed ...

Most important news of the night was that Corey Perry left the game with an apparent knee injury on a check along the side boards. The seriousness of his injury is not known at this time but after a sensational start to the season, Perry will continue to travel with the team, so the eseverity of his injury might not be that bad.  This injury, and his recent bout with the mumps and I'm sure Perry can't wait for the new year to begin.... Anaheim Duck G Frederik Andersen (21/25 SV) didn't have his best game but managed to play well enough for his 13th win on the season. With the recent tryout of one-time Duck Ilya Bryzgalov and rookie John Gibson still recovering from a lower-body injury, it appears that Andersen will be manning the crease for the foreseeable future.  If, and when, Bryzgalov signs, Gibson seems to be headed for the minors to develop his game once he returns from injury.... Minnesota G Darcy Kuemper (13/18 SV) didn't have his best game either as he was pulled after letting in all 5 goals in the Ducks 5-4 win over the Wild. Kuemper's play has been off-and-on lately going 3-3-0 in last 6 starts.  The Wild need consistent play form their net minders and with Josh Harding lurking in the AHL, Kuemper's days as the undisputed no. 1 in Minnesota may be drawing to a close.... The good thing to come out of this game was the play of Ryan Kesler who had 2 goals and an assist. Kesler will need to bring his ‘A' game as Perry could be out of the lineup for a period of time depending on the severity of his injury.... Winnipeg G Michael Hutchinson (20/22 SV) is not making it easy for the Jets coaching staff not to play him more regularly as he put in another superb performance by allowing just 2 goals or less in a game for the sixth straight start. Ondrej Pavelec owners need to grab him as a handcuff pronto.....The line of Bryan Little (3G, A), Andrew Ladd (G, 2A) and Blake Wheeler (3A) were the offensive stars of the game. Perhaps the Colorado Avalanche were exactly what the doctor ordered for the Jets' offense and is a sign of things for Winnipeg forwards.... The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on a last minute goal by Brandon Saad who now has 3 points in the last 3 games showing signs of breaking out of an early season slump....Kris Versteeg continued his resurgence as a Blackhawk with another power play assist, making that 8 points in last 5 games and 22 points in 22 games. Perhaps the imminent return of Patrick Sharp will slow ...

YOUNG GLOVE It is rare that a young goalie, those in their early twenties, can take over the starting goaltender role and have an immediate impact. There are those rare occurrences, like when Cam Ward as a 22-year old rookie with just 28 NHL games experience, backstopped the Carolina Hurricanes to an improbable Stanley Cup championship. Carey Price, much heralded as the next coming, has taken quite a few years since he burst onto the NHL scene in 2007 as a 20-year old phenomenon. Both had decent records in their debut season, but it took a few years until they could be counted on to perform at a consistent level.  There will always be young net minders who are just waiting for that big break, or that opening for them to showcase their abilities to perform as a No. 1.  Three young goaltenders on the cusp of becoming NHL starters are just biding time until that day comes. After backstopping the United States to the gold medal in the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, his name was becoming well-known in fantasy circles as the goaltender to own for years to come. John Gibson got his first start in the NHL when Anaheim starter was injured and made 18 saves for a shutout win over the Vancouver Canucks at the end of last season. Entering the 2014-2015 season, there was much talk about Gibson being the No. 1 even though he had limited NHL experience.  In fact Gibson started the opener but lost 6-4 to the Pittsburgh Penguins and didn't make another start for six games.  Frederik Andersen had won those six games between Gibson starts, but Gibson ended up starting 3 of the next 4 before suffering a LBI (lower body injury). There is no doubt that Gibson has the skills to be a top-notch NHL goaltender someday, but with Andersen (9-2-4, 2.10 GAA & .921 SP) playing well, the Ducks can afford to take their time with Gibson and let him heal properly. There may be stretches during this season when Gibson returns where he will get the bulk of playing time, but expect the Ducks to monitor the number of games played in order to keep both goalies fresh come the playoffs. Jake Allen burst onto the NHL scene with the St. Louis Blues in 2012-13 and went 9-4-0 winning his first 3 starts and 8 of first 9. That was such an impressive debut but with Jaroslav Halak signed to a contract and Brian Elliott showing his ability to being more than just a capable backup the Blues elected to let Allen play regularly in the AHL the following season until they resolved their crowded ...