When the New Jersey Devils traded forward Adam Henrique to the Anaheim Ducks last week for veteran rearguard Sami Vatanen, the first thing that came to my mind was how this trade was a win, win for fantasy hockey owners.
It is especially a win, win for Henrique’s owners. Henrique was struggling to carve out a role in the Devils top six. With the Ducks, he will fill the offensive void left by the injuries to Ryan Kessler and Ryan Getzlaf. Both are scheduled to return soon but in the meantime, Henrique will play too three forward minutes and be counted on to replace their production.
Sami Vatanen owners should be happy with this deal as well. The Devils don’t have that number one defensemen who lead their D group. Not only that. They also don’t have a skilled defensemen who can handle the puck in transition and play the point on the power play. Vatanen fills both voids.
It was surprising when the Ducks traded Vatanen. He was their best defensemen after all. Thanks to the emergence of Shea Theodore and a deep blue line, Vatanen became expendable. The Ducks were able to use their defensive depth to land a quality goal scorer like Henrique.
Both Vatanen and Henrique are worth owning in standard leagues. Henrique is also a worthwhile play in daily fantasy. He will play 18-20 minutes a night on the Ducks second line and he will also play on the top power play unit. All that adds to quality scoring potential.