Monday's trade between the Rangers and Coyotes in which winger Wojtek Wolski was shipped to Broadway while veteran defenseman Michal Rozsival heads west to Phoenix is a somewhat intriguing one from a fantasy hockey point of view.
The fantasy focus here is clearly on the 24 year-old Wolski and not so much on the player he was traded for. Rozsival should continue in his role as a second-pair defenseman, given some power play time, on his way to a 30-35 point season.
In other words, if you had Rozsival as one of the defensemen on your fantasy hockey team, keep him because his role---and ice-time---will not change much in Phoenix from what it was in New York. If you didn't already have Rozsival on your fantasy squad, there is no urgency to add him just because he's been traded to a new team.
However it is worth taking a closer look at Wolski, from a fantasy hockey perspective.
The Good:
- Wolski is a big (6'3", 215 pounds), young winger who has already notched a pair of 20-goal seasons in the NHL.
- Just last year Wolski established career-highs in goals (23), points (65), and plus/minus (+21).
- With seven goals and 14 points in 22 career playoff games---including four goals and five points in seven post-season games last year---Wolski has shown that he thrives in big-game situations and is not afraid of the spotlight, both solid attributes considering the fact he is now playing for the Rangers.
The Not-So-Good:
- Wolski has scored just six goals, and totaled only 16 points, in 36 games with the Coyotes this season.
- He has registered only three points in his last 17 games, and in recent games was averaging a bit less than 10 minutes of ice time.
- His work ethic has been questioned often, and now must play for the "My way or the highway" intensity of John Tortorella, the head coach of the Rangers.
- A 1st round draft pick in 2004, Wolski is already playing for his third team in the NHL, and has been traded twice in less than 12 months.
The Advice:
For fantasy hockey owners looking for a scoring bump on their roster, Wolski bears watching in New York. He is tremendously skilled, and very likely will get the opportunity to play on a line with Marian Gaborik, who is still seeking chemistry with the right linemates. Wolski will also most certainly replace the injured Alex Frolov on one of the Rangers' two power play units.
In other words, a talented offensive player is going to be put in a position to succeed, which should intrigue fantasy hockey owners.
The question will be if Wolski will buy in to Tortorella's hard-working system of play or if his debatable work ethic will doom his stay on Broadway.
One thing to consider: when he was traded from Colorado to Phoenix last March, Wolski produced 18 points (6-12-18) in 18 games for the 'Yotes. In other words, he responded quite well; and the hunch here is that he will react the same here with the Rangers.
Wolski is not necessarily a "must have" for fantasy hockey owners, but he could be a nice little mid-season pick-up because his play should "pick up" quite a bit in his new surroundings.