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Fantasy Hockey Trade Analyzer: Avalanche get another goalie we should target

michael finewax
·5-min read
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the San Jose Sharks
Mackenzie Blackwood joins the Colorado Avalanche — and our fantasy hockey plans. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Avalanche have revamped their goaltending duo by acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood from San Jose. The Sharks picked up Alexandar Georgiev in the trade, but he is likely to eventually be a mentor for the up-and-coming Yaroslav Askarov, who is expected to be the Sharks' goalie of the future.

Here are some players for whom you might want to deal or trade elsewhere.

TRADE FOR

The Avalanche made their second trade for a goaltender in nine days Monday, picking up Blackwood and Givani Smith (along with a couple of draft picks) for Alexandar Georgiev and forward Nikolai Kovalenko and a 2027 fifth-round selection. Colorado now has Blackwood as their top netminder with Scott Wedgewood as his backup, a far superior duo to Georgiev and Justus Annunen, who went to Nashville in the Wedgewood trade.

Blackwood had success as a 22-year-old with the Devils back in 2019-20, going 22-14-8 with three shutouts, a 2.77 GAA and a .915 save percentage. While he has floundered since then, possibly due to injuries, Blackwood played well this season under trying circumstances with a weak San Jose team, going 6-9-3 with a 3.00 GAA and a .909 save percentage, far superior to what Georgiev put up with the Avalanche. He should hit the 75% mark in being rostered quickly, so you may need to trade for him, if need be.

Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Blackwood, Brenden Dillon and a seventh-round pick for Alexandar Georgiev, Mathieu Olivier and a fourth-round pick.

Zibanejad is having a terrible year by his standards with only five goals and 20 points in 27 games. He has been bouncing back of late, as he saw his four-game point streak come to an end Monday in a 2-1 loss to Chicago. Zibanejad is producing on the power play with a goal and five helpers. He has averaged 81.3 points per game over the last three years in a Rangers uniform, and while he may not get to that level this season, he should still average a point a game the rest of the way.

Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Zibanejad for Chris Kreider.

Hughes started the season off on injured reserve with a shoulder injury that cost him the first nine games of the season. He had only two assists in his first 13 games but he has come on strongly of late with a goal and seven points in his last eight games. Hughes saw his four-game point streak end Sunday versus Colorado. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 Draft, Hughes has a boatload of offensive talent.

He sees action on the second power play, as Dougie Hamilton is quarterbacking the first unit, but Hughes is more than capable of taking over the top spot as was evidenced last season when he had four goals and 25 points with the man-advantage, as Hamilton was on the shelf for the last 62 games of the season. He had an outstanding play Tuesday in which he went through the entire Maple Leafs team on an end-to-end rush, only to be denied by Anthony Stolarz.

Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Hughes for Rasmus Andersson.

TRADE AWAY

Robertson's decline has been substantial. He had 109 points two seasons ago, and while he fell off to 80 points last season, that was still a great season for most as he finished 27th in the NHL scoring race. This season has been a disaster, as the 25-year-old has six goals and 17 points in 27 games. What is more disturbing is that he had 313 shots on goal in 2022-23 but is on pace for only 194 this season.

Everything about Robertson's game has fallen off the table. The one good thing is that he had a goal and an assist Sunday versus Calgary, so while he may be on the verge of a breakout, I would deal him elsewhere to someone who is still enthralled with him.

Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Robertson for Josh Morrissey.

Fiala started off the season on the first line alongside Anze Kopitar, but is now seeing third-line duty in even-strength situations. Fiala had 230 points in 233 regular-season games over the last three seasons heading into 2024-25, but he has managed only 10 goals and 17 points in 27 games, a pace that will get him only 54 points in a full season.

He has been productive on the power play where he remains on the top unit, but his move down the depth chart to the third unit, makes him less than desirable at this time.

Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Fiala and Rasmus Andersson for Roman Josi.

Wilson has been on fire ever since Alex Ovechkin broke his fibula. Wilson has five goals and four assists in the nine games in which Ovechkin has sat out, including five goals in his last six games. He has taken full advantage of moving back to the top line with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas, but that will change soon as Ovechkin is expected to regain his spot on the top line. Moving Wilson down to the second unit will have repercussions offensively for the 30-year-old, who is currently day-to-day after getting hit in the face with the puck Saturday.

Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Wilson for Lucas Raymond.