Mid-season hockey trades can be a massive headache for fantasy team owners. They can create challenges that need to be addressed, as they can potentially impact a player’s fantasy results.
Fantasy Sports Add Extra Excitement
Daily fantasy sports are a hugely popular activity. For fans of the NHL, it’s a way to get more out of their love for the sport. Many have used the daily fantasy sports offers available to ensure they obtain a positive experience using one of the best sites in the industry, receiving a bonus for signing up and making their picks.
Given the access and legality of the activity, many have engaged in it for a while. It adds an element of strategy when watching the sport, as they must ensure they select the right players and make the right decisions as often as possible. However, the NHL doesn’t necessarily make this easy to accomplish all the time.
Trades Can Cut Both Ways
With the NHL’s trade deadline not until March 7, fantasy players may find that they are still having to keep an extra close eye on their team selections. As players can still freely move from one team to another, it can significantly impact their team’s performance and how well they compete. As a result, there can be a lot of movement throughout the season, creating difficulties for managers. These trades can impact various aspects of a player’s team and selections, making it very hard for them to know what to do.
At the same time, there can be potential benefits to a move. A player who moves to a better team may be able to thrive further. They may be able to elevate their game and score more fantasy points because they are playing with better players, having a slightly different role that allows their skills to thrive, thus increasing productivity. An example is the early December trade of Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche from the last-place San Jose Sharks or the New York Rangers sending underperforming Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken.
Ultimately, trades can impact player values, affecting the fantasy owner’s ability to make further changes. A trade to another team could see the traded player’s value increase or decrease, making it harder to find replacements, mainly if the traded player doesn’t perform as well as before the move.
Fantasy Hockey Manager Considerations
As mid-season trades can continue until March 7 for the 2025 NHL season, fantasy managers must watch everything that can happen and how it can influence their results. Therefore, it is best to implement strategies to help them stay on top and position themselves best.
Strategies often worked out are to remain informed of the latest ongoings, primarily as the trade deadline draws closer. Teams will be more likely to make their trades as the deadline gets tighter, as they will feel they need to make certain moves to give themselves the best opportunity to obtain their goals. A fantasy coach needs to stay on top of these, as this could allow them to find stars that could give them the points needed to win.
However, they must also be aware that not all trades will be beneficial. As mentioned, there can be a decrease in production and output, especially when a player goes from an underperforming team where they are the star to a team that is full of them.