Fantasy: 3 players whose stock has risen
A change of scenery can do wonders.
Whether through trade or free agency, this offseason has seen a shift of power in the NHL and inevitably some situations are sure to provide certain players with better opportunities to improve on last year's outputs than others.
Here are three players that swapped jerseys this offseason and should be nabbed in your drafts.
Alexander Radulov
Year | GP | G | PTS | CF% |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016-17 | 76 | 18 | 54 | 54.11 |
Alexander Radulov's return to the NHL was an overwhelming success last season. The 31-year-old finished second on the Montreal Canadiens in scoring, but after a seemingly-dropped ball by Canadiens' management, Radulov was plucked by the Dallas Stars as a free agent.
In Dallas, Radulov is expected to play alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, so it's pretty obvious he's going to be much more productive.
Last season, Radulov spent the majority of his time playing alongside Max Pacioretty and Phillip Danault. The two forwards each saw increases in goals-for per 60 minutes, Corsi For, and goals-for percentage while playing alongside Radulov.
With the big Russian slotting next to two of the most elite offensive talents in the league in Benn and Seguin, the trio is destined to be as lethal as any.
Mike Smith
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Year | GP | W | L | OTL | G.A.A | SV% | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016-17 | 55 | 19 | 26 | 9 | 2.92 | .914 | 3 |
Mike Smith hasn't backed down from throwing shade at his former club this offseason, and it could very well be because he knows he should be in a place to succeed in Calgary.
The biggest reasons why is because Smith is joining a team and a system that has played much better in front of their goaltenders than he's been used to with the Arizona Coyotes.
This past season the Coyotes ranked 29th in shots against per game, giving up 34.1 per contest, while the Flames ranked eighth, allowing 28.7 per game. On the special teams side of things, the Coyotes had a 77.3 percent success rate on the penalty kill - good enough for 27th - while the Flames had the 12th-ranked penalty kill, killing off 81.6 percent of penalties. Lastly, the Coyotes ranked last with a 44.9 percent Corsi For rating, while the Flames ranked 11th with a 50.4 percent rate.
Factor in the addition of Travis Hamonic to a Flames blue line that already includes Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, and Michael Stone, and Smith should be in good hands.
Jordan Eberle
Year | GP | G | PTS | CF% |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016-17 | 82 | 20 | 51 | 52.8 |
Jordan Eberle may have been pushed out the door in Edmonton, but it's not due to production. The 27-year-old has posted four-straight 20-goal seasons and still managed 50 points in a down year in 2017.
While he has not approached his 76-point season level of production in 2012, there is reason to believe he could this year.
Eberle is expected to play alongside John Tavares, a huge upgrade from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic - whom Eberle spent the majority of last season with. In fact, Eberle averaged more goals-for per 60 minutes and Corsi For when playing away from Nugent-Hopkins and Lucic.
Meanwhile, Tavares dramatically improved the play of his linemates this season, as Josh Bailey saw a 14.6 percent decline in his Corsi For without Tavares, while Anders Lee saw a reduction of 6.6 percent.
Let the magic begin.
HEADLINES
- Report: Luka to miss at least 1 month with calf strain
- Grizzlies drop NBA season-high 155 points in rout of Raptors
- Seahawks keep playoff hopes alive with ugly 6-3 win on TNF vs. Bears
- Hawks score 50 in 4th quarter to erase 21-point deficit vs. Bulls
- SGA scores 45, Thunder top Pacers for 9th straight win