This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The day after the trade deadline promises to see the debuts of a few players with their new teams. There are 11 games on the slate, the busiest weekday with Vegas, Nashville and Edmonton pulling double duty playing the second half of their back-to-backs.
The marquee matchup will be Carolina-Tampa Bay. The two teams have met only once previously this season, a 2-1 win in overtime for the Canes with both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Frederik Andersen putting up strong performances.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NSH at LA ($7,900): This is a very inexpensive price to pay for an elite goalie, and though Saros' play has been rather uneven lately, he's also 3-1-0 with a .920 Sv% in his career against the Kings. The entire right side of the Kings' regular defense is on injured reserve, and their No. 1 defenseman might be Olli Maatta.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. VGK ($7,600): The Knights might come out stronger after getting shut out by the Wild on Monday, but it's going to be very hard to score goals with key players still missing from their lineup. Hellebuyck has allowed at least three goals in every game since Feb. 21, but the Jets offense has also been excellent and the Knights will likely start the struggling Laurent Brossoit.
Alex Nedeljkovic, DET vs. PHI ($6,900): Both teams shipped out players at the deadline but at least the Wings have kept most of their core. The Flyers, already without Claude Giroux, also traded Derick Brassard, leaving huge voids in scoring and at center. Nedeljkovic went through a tough stretch in early March but has since allowed only six goals in his past three games, including a 43-save shutout against the Canucks. The Flyers offense shouldn't be a big threat.
Karel Vejmelka, ARI vs. SEA ($6,800): Vejmelka should get the start after the Coyotes traded Scott Wedgewood, and the Kraken will be icing a very thin lineup after trading three forwards in their top-nine. They've been victorious in their two previous meetings with a combined 10-6 score. Only the Coyotes and Habs have fewer wins than the Kraken's 11 on home ice.
VALUE PLAYS
Daniel Sprong, SEA at ARI ($3,500): Sprong will likely step into the Kraken's top six right away because they don't have many other options. The drawback is the Kraken don't have any elite playmakers to pair with Sprong, leaving him to create his own shot. It's not one of his bigger strengths, but he will likely get more ice time than the 12:45 per game he averaged with the Caps.
Frank Vatrano, NYR at NJ ($3,900): Vatrano has been playing opposite Artemi Panarin on the Rangers' second line and scored a goal in his previous game. In three games with the Rangers, he's already put seven shots on goal. He's a sneaky option for offense against a team with poor goaltending.
Marcus Johansson, WSH vs. STL ($4,200): Look for Johansson to reunite with Nicklas Backstrom on the second line with Anthony Mantha on the opposite side. Johansson had his best years with the Caps and produced modest points with the Kraken. Moving to a better team with better linemates should boost his offensive production.
LINE STACKS
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets
Sidney Crosby (C - $8,500), Jake Guentzel (W - $8,600), Bryan Rust (W - $8,700)
Rust has spend the past little while playing apart from the Pens' dynamic duo, but with Rickard Rakell joining the team, perhaps the Pens will re-unite their top line. It's an expensive line stack but it's also very dependable; Crosby has scored 40 points in 32 games against the Jackets in his career while Guentzel has scored eight goals and 18 points in 16 games.
Jets vs. Golden Knights
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $6,500), Kyle Connor (W - $9,700), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $7,400)
Expected starter Laurent Brossoit has won just one game since Feb. 8 and he allowed four goals on just 13 shots in his last game before getting pulled, coincidentally against the Jets. There might be a revenge game in the works, but the Jets offense has been very good and the Knights defense featured two rookies, Brayden Pachal and Zack Hayes, who both played less than 10 minutes on Monday against the Wild.
Flames vs. Sharks
Elias Lindholm (C - $8,100), Johnny Gaudreau (W - $8,800), Tyler Toffoli (W - $6,200)
Toffoli has taken Matthew Tkachuk's spot on this line over the past little while but that's good because it lowers the cost of this stack, and their MVP is Gaudreau. Toffoli is a very good winger in his own right, and in 17 games has scored 15 points with the Flames. The Sharks will have an even thinner defense than usual after trading Jacob Middleton on Monday.
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie, EDM at DAL ($6,000): Barrie's been red-hot with a five-game point streak and 13 points in his past 13 games, and he's got a good chance to extend that streak against the Stars' 19th-ranked PK. Darnell Nurse has also been very productive but comes at a $500 premium; among defensemen with a salary of $6,000 or higher, Barrie's a pretty good value play at his current rate of production.
Tony DeAngelo, CAR vs. TB ($5,900): Special teams might be the difference maker in this one between two teams that don't like each other. The last time they met, the Canes scored the equalizer on the power play, and between the two teams combined for nine power plays. It's a tough assignment, but there's some sneaky upside to this matchup; DeAngelo assisted on the overtime winner and has been scoring at almost a point-per-game pace this season.
