Looking at who might benefit from a new home in this Sunday Ramblings…

 

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The title of this article is prety self-explanatory of what I'll be rambling about, and before I've even written it I know I'm going to make a few notes to save myself from getting run out of town with pitchforks:

 

1. Yes, some of these names are based on trade rumors, but not all of them are. Dont panic if I mention a player you're overly fond of (unless you're a Lazar fan).

2. I'm not calling these players busts. I'm just predicting they would perform better in a new environment.

3. Trading prospects is never easy for an orgaization. You can't really be sure of a player's outlook until they reach their early 20's, even later for goalies, and there are always late-blooming exceptions. And to add to this – no organization wants to look stupid. Teams would rather keep trying with a player until they are absolutely sure hes not a fit, rather than see him potentially blossum elsewhere. For this reason, I am fully aware its not particularly likely that any player in this article will actually be traded, despite the chance that a kick in the pants or a more appropriate home might do them some good.

4. I've not included anyone who has passed through waivers recently – claimed or unclaimed. If they were claimed, its too soon to see where they fit, and if they weren't claimed, there's hardly a point in discussing trading a player that no one wants.

 

With these notes in mind, let's see how many fan bases I can agitate on this fine Sunday…

 

Curtis Lazar (OTT)

Let's get the most obvious name out of the way. Lazar has been historically bad this season. If his stat line was listed under the name of a plyer in his 30's, that player would be out of a job. In the DobberProspects Fantasy Hocky League, I had to entice someone with a draft pick just to take him off my hands so my roster spot could be put to good use. His only value currently comes from his former Team Canada success, which was albeit very impressive at the time. But 1 point in 30 games this season is as low as he can possibly go, and he needs a new team to trade for him to give a confidence boost and a fresh start.

Potential fits: Vancouver, Anaheim

 

Jake Virtanen (VAN)

Please don't send me hate mail, but consider the role he was drafted for vs. the role he is currently serving. At 6th overall, one is expected to be a real power forward not just a gritty presence. In his 55 games played as a rookie he managed 13 points. In 10 games this season he has 1. In 39 AHL games he has 10. It's becoming pretty evident that Virtanen has big holes in his game and isn't going to be the player they imagined. So there's two options here: they can stick with him and hope he develops into a useful forward that can play on ideally the third line (this is the most likely outcome), or they can find a team willing to bet that they can bring out in him what the Canucks saw on draft day. I'm not saying this is likely to be possible, but I am saying that this isn't going to happen in his current predicament, so it would beneft him to get a shot elsewhere.

Potential fits: Arizona, Florida, Nashville

 

Derrick Pouliot (PIT)

The former "offensive future of the Pens blueline" has played 7 games this season in which he has 0 points and 10 SOG with under 16 minutes TOI in his last 4 games (which were in December). Last season he only got into 22 games in which he managed only 7 points. He is at least getting powerplay time when he's called up, but he wont be a serious threat to stick around if he never breaks 20 minutes a night. Give the kid a chance to be a full-time defenceman, even if that means moving on from a potential powerplay specialist. 

Potential fits: Detroit, New Jersey

 

Shea Theodore (ANH)

Fellow DobberProspects editor Mark Allen wrote this piece yesterday on the battle Theodore is enduring to prove worthy of a full time NHL spot. The thing is – he's already worthy, Anaheim just has alot of good defencemen. This is exactly the case in which a team doesn't want to move a player they know is a solid piece, but also a case where they could get an equally outstanding return whilst giving the player a chance to make a real mark rather than baby steps.

Potential fits: Toronto, Colorado

 

Anthony Duclair (ARI)

This may be rushing to conclusions a bit too fast, but Duclair has fallen off a serious cliff in Arizona. 44 points last season to just 9 this year and a demotion to the AHL? I 100% belive in his ability to return to form in Arizona, but it looks to me like something stopped clicking in a big way, so if things don't turn around quick next season he deserves the chance to go somewhere that's a better fit. Maybe its Arizona's style of play, maybe its linemate chemistry, maybe its fitness, maybe its outside issues, I don't have insider information, just the knowledge that a player who has already had a 20-goal season can certainly be a better performed than he is right now in the desert.

Potential fits: Edmonton, Chicago

 

 

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Alright, time for my regular content: First NHL goals. The list gets smaller and smaller as the year goes on but its still just as fun for anyone with a smidgen of a soul. 

 

Zach Sanford has time to whip in his first:

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Zach Sanford's first career goal is the game winner <a href="https://t.co/2fxmTy966W">pic.twitter.com/2fxmTy966W</a></p>&mdash; Ozzie (@OldComiskey) <a href="https://twitter.com/OldComiskey/status/830616502856462337">February 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

 

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Readers probably already know about DobberProspect Radio – a great podcast hosted by Paul Zwambag and Peter Harling. What you may not know is that we've been lining up some pretty fantastic guests – big names in the hockey world – to add even more content to the show. I highly recommend this production to anyone who has a few minutes during their daily commute to learn more about the propsects that matter to them, both as a hockey fan and as a hockey pool participant. Check out the show on iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/dobberprospects-radio/id1155946433?mt=2

 

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As always, thank you for reading and best of luck in your fantasy pools of all sorts. Trade deadlines are quickly approaching so don't miss out on the loads of DobberProspects and DobberHockey coming to give you an edge for the final stretch!

Hayden Soboleski

@soboleskih