Fantasy top 100 forwards: Value in recent deals

Every Tuesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey insider Pete Jensen will provide you with in-depth forward analysis. From updated weekly top 100 rankings to trending players and more, Jensen will be your go-to guy for fantasy forward advice all season long.

Moves on the blue line stole the show over the 24 hours leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline, but fantasy owners shouldn't lose sight of deals involving forwards in recent days, even if they're not garnering much attention.

Trades involving Keith Yandle and James Wisniewski will have sizable impacts on depth charts for the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks, mostly in regards to the power-play equation. But when you consider each defenseman is owned in the vast majority of Yahoo Fantasy leagues, the implications only concern those who own them.

The forward landscape saw some of the bigger names on the market, ranging from Phil Kessel to James van Riemsdyk to Jordan Eberle to Eric Staal, stay put with non-contending teams at the deadline. The fantasy picture of the forwards who changed addresses lacks clarity, so any "diamonds in the rough" that emerge will catch many owners by surprise.

Don't be one of them. Here are five fantasy takeaways from recent trade activity involving forwards owned in fewer than 40 percent of Yahoo leagues. Pushing the right buttons on one (or more) of these players could mean the difference in your upcoming playoff race.

1. Beneficiaries of Jaromir Jagr

The vast majority of Jagr's even-strength ice time through two games with the Florida Panthers has been alongside Jonathan Huberdeau (38 percent owned in Yahoo leagues, LW/C) and Aleksander Barkov (eight percent, C). His impact with the man advantage has also ignited Brandon Pirri (two percent, C) on Florida's first power-play unit. Jagr (51 percent, RW) and Huberdeau cracked the top 100 fantasy forwards this week and warrant ownership in most formats, but fantasy owners should take a wait-and-see approach regarding Barkov and Pirri in deep leagues. As much as Florida's youth is revitalizing Jagr, the veteran is paying immediate dividends for an offense that left much to be desired prior to his arrival.

2. Red Wings' injuries open door

Darren Helm, who was in rhythm alongside Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar, will miss at least a week because of an oblique strain. To make matters worse, Henrik Zetterberg remains out because of an upper-body injury. Erik Cole (12 percent, LW/RW) has a chance to provide some relief and cement himself among Detroit's top six forwards if he can pick up where he left off in recent weeks with Jason Spezza and Jamie Benn on the Dallas Stars' top line. If your fantasy team needs balanced offensive production, position flexibility and some hits, you should add Cole ASAP.

3. New District for Curtis Glencross

Glencross (13% owned, LW) was stuck in a depth role late in his tenure with the Calgary Flames but brings decent point (28 in 53 games) and power-play point (eight PPP) totals to the Washington Capitals, who could use some left-wing help. He practiced Monday on Washington's second line with Troy Brouwer and Evgeny Kuznetsov, but is bound to get a trial on the top unit with the League's second-best point pair of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom (40 team goals with each recording a point). If he ends up there and produces for a week or so, his ownership will skyrocket to 30-40 percent in no time.

4. Antoine Vermette vs. Brad Richards

Vermette (31% owned) is a faceoff specialist who can contribute in a top-six role and with the man advantage. Brad Richards is far from a given to remain among the Blackhawks' top six forwards, considering he hasn't scored a goal since Jan. 11 (21-game drought). With Patrick Sharp struggling and Patrick Kane sidelined, Vermette could stave off his own struggles and provide a fresh look for Chicago down the stretch. He played alongside Sharp and Brandon Saad in his debut Monday and was on the ice for one Blackhawks goal and one allowed. If he's as productive as he was earlier in the season, he could get those two goal-scorers on track and see a splash of the results.

5. Brett Connolly's ceiling in Beantown

The Bruins have missed Jarome Iginla's presence all season and have gotten spotty production from Reilly Smith, David Pastrnak and Loui Eriksson on the right side. Connolly (1% owned, RW) bounced around the deep Tampa Bay Lightning lineup, causing his goals-per-60 average (1.21, 4th on team) to be overshadowed by a revolving door of him, Jonathan Drouin, Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn for top-line minutes over the course of the season. The Bruins have taken a shot on this 2010 first-round pick, who saw 11:55 of ice time per game this season with the Lightning. He should see an uptick in ice time and, in a best case scenario, earn top-six spot, maybe even alongside Patrice Bergeron. It hurts that David Krejci will miss a chunk of time to close out the regular season, but Boston is on the Stanley Cup Playoff ropes and should look to maximize this 22-year-old's potential. He's a deep sleeper in fantasy leagues, so grab him before other's realize his potential. (Editor's note: Connolly sustained a displaced fracture in his right index finger at practice Wednesday, March 4 and will miss six weeks.)

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TOP 100 FANTASY FORWARDS

These rankings are based on expectations for the season ahead. Upward and downward trends are based on games since Feb. 24, 2015. Value is quantified by line combinations, overall upside and past performance in standard Yahoo categories (goals, assists, plus-minus, penalty minutes, power-play points and shots on goal).

1. Alex Ovechkin, LW/RW, WSH (SAME)

2. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT (SAME)

3. Evgeni Malkin, C/RW, PIT (SAME)

4. John Tavares, C, NYI (+1)

5. Claude Giroux, C/RW, PHI (+2)

6. Steven Stamkos, C/RW, TBL (+2)

7. Rick Nash, LW/RW, NYR (-1)

8. Jakub Voracek, RW, PHI (+3)

9. Nicklas Backstrom, C, WSH (+1)

10. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL (-1)

11. Max Pacioretty, LW, MTL (+1)

12. Joe Pavelski, LW/C/RW, SJS (+1)

13. Tyler Johnson, C/RW, TBL (+1)

14. Jamie Benn, LW/C, DAL (+1)

15. Corey Perry, RW, ANA (+3)

16. Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA (SAME)

17. Filip Forsberg, LW/C/RW, NSH (SAME)

18. Pavel Datsyuk, LW/C, DET (+2)

19. Ryan Johansen, C/RW, CBJ (+2)

20. Jonathan Toews, C, CHI (+3)

21. Zach Parise, LW, MIN (-2)

22. Andrew Ladd, LW, WPG (+4)

23. Henrik Zetterberg, LW/C, DET - DTD

24. Nick Foligno, LW, CBJ (SAME)

25. Alexander Steen, LW/C, STL (-3)

26. David Backes, C/RW, STL (+1)

27. Jason Spezza, C, DAL (+3)

28. Nikita Kucherov, LW/RW, TBL (SAME)

29. Daniel Sedin, LW, VAN (SAME)

30. David Perron, LW/RW, PIT (+2)

31. Patric Hornqvist, RW, PIT (+3)

32. Logan Couture, LW/C, SJS (-1)

33. Blake Wheeler, RW, WPG (+3)

34. Tomas Tatar, LW, DET (+1)

35. Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS (+3)

36. Marian Hossa, RW, CHI (+1)

37. Anze Kopitar, C, LAK (-4)

38. Wayne Simmonds, RW, PHI (+1)

39. Jeff Carter, C/RW, LAK (+3)

40. Bryan Little, C/RW, WPG (+4)

41. James Neal, LW/RW, NSH (-1)

42. Radim Vrbata, RW, VAN (+3)

43. Henrik Sedin, C, VAN (+6)

44. Joe Thornton, C, SJS (-1)

45. Phil Kessel, RW, TOR (+1)

46. Gustav Nyquist, C/RW, DET (-5)

47. Patrick Sharp, LW/C, CHI (SAME)

48. Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL (SAME)

49. T.J. Oshie, C/RW, STL (+4)

50. Martin St. Louis, C/RW, NYR (SAME)

51. Ondrej Palat, LW, TBL (SAME)

52. Derek Stepan, C, NYR (SAME)

53. Ryan Kesler, C/RW, ANA (+1)

54. Derick Brassard, C, NYR (+2)

55. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL (+5)

56. Ryan Callahan, RW, TBL (+1)

57. Chris Kunitz, LW, PIT (+5)

58. Marian Gaborik, LW/RW, LAK (-3)

59. Bobby Ryan, LW/RW, OTT (+4)

60. Nathan MacKinnon, C/RW, COL (-2)

61. Milan Lucic, LW, BOS (+4)

62. Mike Ribeiro, C, NSH (+4)

63. Scott Hartnell, LW, CBJ (-2)

64. Chris Kreider, LW, NYR (+9)

65. Eric Staal, LW/C, CAR (+2)

66. Patrick Marleau, LW/C, SJS (+3)

67. Jiri Hudler, LW/RW, CGY (-8)

68. Jarome Iginla, RW, COL (SAME)

69. Colin Wilson, LW/C, NSH (-5)

70. Ryan Strome, C/RW, NYI (+5)

71. Tomas Plekanec, C, MTL (+3)

72. James van Riemsdyk, LW, TOR (-2)

73. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY (-2)

74. Tyler Toffoli, RW, LAK (-2)

75. Brandon Saad, LW/RW, CHI (+3)

76. Jaromir Jagr, RW, FLA (NEW)

77. Anders Lee, LW/C, NYI (+13)

78. Mats Zuccarello, LW/RW, NYR (+5)

79. Matt Duchene, LW/C, COL (SAME)

80. Kris Versteeg, LW/RW, CHI (-4)

81. Mike Fisher, C, NSH (+3)

82. Brendan Gallagher, RW, MTL (+14)

83. Jason Pominville, RW, MIN (-6)

84. Alex Galchenyuk, LW/C, MTL (-2)

85. Mike Cammalleri, LW/C, NJD (+7)

86. Brad Marchand, LW, BOS (+3)

87. Valtteri Filppula, LW/C, TBL (-1)

88. Nick Bjugstad, C, FLA (+1)

89. Blake Comeau, LW/RW, PIT (-2)

90. Mikko Koivu, C, MIN (-9)

91. Sean Monahan, C, CGY (-6)

92. Jordan Eberle, RW, EDM (+3)

93. Kyle Turris, C, OTT (+4)

94. Craig Smith, C/RW, NSH (NEW)

95. Steve Downie, LW/RW, PIT (-3)

96. Mike Hoffman, LW/C, OTT (+2)

97. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW/C, FLA (NEW)

98. Mark Stone, RW, OTT (NEW)

99. Paul Stastny, C, STL (NEW)

100. Mark Scheifele, C, WPG (NEW)

Just missed: Alex Tanguay, Erik Cole, Thomas Vanek, Antoine Vermette, Justin Abdelkader, Brayden Schenn, Brock Nelson, David Desharnais, Jiri Tlusty

Dropped out: Tanguay, Vanek, Abdelkader, Jori Lehtera

Key injuries: Tyler Seguin, Patrick Kane, Kyle Okposo, Taylor Hall, David Krejci, Brandon Dubinsky, Mathieu Perreault, Matt Beleskey, Johan Franzen, Evander Kane, Mikkel Boedker, Valeri Nichushkin, Tanner Pearson, Pascal Dupuis

Follow Pete Jensen on Twitter: @NHLJensen