The Front Line: Hemsky, Moulson thrive after trades

Every Tuesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey expert Matt Cubeta will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy forwards in his weekly segment: "The Front Line." From updated rankings to players you should keep a close eye on and much more, Cubeta will be your fantasy forwards insider all season long.

In all likeliness, your league's trade deadline has passed (March 6 was the standard league trade deadline date). Hopefully you've made some moves to help your team toward winning a championship, or if you weren't in contention for the title, you made some trades to build for the future.

The NHL saw plenty of trades that will impact your league. From the Montreal Canadiens' acquisition of Thomas Vanek to the subtle Minnesota Wild trade for Matt Moulson, here's a look at how six of the top forwards have performed since joining their new team and what to expect for the remainder of the fantasy season (in order of where they fall in my updated rankings).

Martin St. Louis, New York Rangers

Games with new team: 3 (0 G, 1, minus-1, 0 PIMs, 1 PPP, 9 SOG)

St. Louis has been skating on a line with former Tampa Bay Lightning teammate and good friend Brad Richards and speedy forward Carl Hagelin. The one noticeable difference is his playing time. With the Rangers having a bit more depth than the Lightning, St. Louis has eclipsed the 20 minute mark just once in three games -- on the season St. Louis' has averaged 21:33 of ice time per game.

Expectation: He'll remain a top-15 forward and should continue to put up point-per-game numbers while getting comfortable in New York.

Thomas Vanek currently ranks as the 42nd overall player in Yahoo leauges, but could that number fall now that he's a member of the Montreal Canadiens? (Photo: Getty Images)

Thomas Vanek, Montreal Canadiens

Games with new team: 2 (0 G, 0 A, minus-1, 0 PIMs, 0 PPP, 4 SOG)

Like St. Louis, Vanek has seen his time drop in his first two games with the Canadiens (15:34 and 17:54). While this number is sure to rise if the Canadiens want to utilize Vanek's scoring prowess, the fact he no longer plays alongside an elite player like John Tavares will surely hurt his value.

Expectation: As evidenced in my updated rankings, Vanek's fantasy value could continue to diminish.

Marian Gaborik, Los Angeles Kings

Games with new team: 3 (0 G, 0 A, plus-1, 0 PIMs, 0 PPP, 7 SOG)

The Kings need goal scoring and Gaborik should be able to help. He's been skating on a line with Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams and this has the potential to lead to great things for the three-time 40-goal scorer. Gaborik also has been used heavily on the power play in his first three games.

Expectation: While it hasn't been a pretty season for Gaborik, he could easily move up a lot in my rankings once he gets acclimated in Los Angeles.

Matt Moulson, Minnesota Wild

Games with new team: 2 (1 G, 1 A, plus-2, 0 PIMs, 1 PPP, 7 SOG)

After struggling with the Buffalo Sabres, it was expected that a trade to a contending team would boost Moulson's fantasy value. And so far, so good in Minnesota. Moulson has been skating on a line with Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle and things are clicking early on. Moulson also is receiving just over four minutes of power play ice time per game with Koivu, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and Jason Pominville.

Expectation: Right now I have Moulson ranked 75th among forwards, but he could end up cracking the top-50 like he used to when he was on a line with Tavares on Long Island.

Ryan Callahan

Right Wing - TBL

GOALS: 11 | ASST: 16 | PTS: 27
PIMS: 16 | SOG: 119 | +/-: -1

Games with new team: 3 (0 G, 2 A, plus-2, 0 PIMs, 0 PPP, 10 SOG)

Callahan is currently skating on the team's second line with Valtteri Filppula and Ondrej Palat. Not a bad line, but he didn't land the jackpot spot of playing alongside Steven Stamkos. At least not yet. Callahan has two points with the Lightning so far, but he's seeing very limited power play time.

Expectation: Unless he ends up on Stamkos' line, you're best off benching the hard-nosed former captain. He remains a top-100 forward but could be bounced out if his production remains capped in Tampa Bay.

Ales Hemsky, Ottawa Senators

Games with new team: 3 (0 G, 6 A, plus-3, 0 PIMs, 2 PPP, 8 SOG)

Hemsky has looked great in his first three games with the Senators. He's been playing on the top line with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek and has been very productive.

Expectation: If Hemsky can stick on that line he'll have some sneaky value and should be added in deep leagues, especially if you need assists.

Other players worth monitoring on their new teams: Lee Stempniak (Pittsburgh Penguins), David Legwand (Detroit Red Wings), Martin Erat (Phoenix Coyotes), Tuomo Ruutu (New Jersey Devils)

TRENDING UPWARD

Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks -- Despite only moving up one spot in my forward ranks, Toews is once again proving why he is an elite fantasy player. Toews has goals in each of his past four games (six goals, one assist) and now has 62 points in 65 games.

Tyler Seguin

Center - DAL

GOALS: 29 | ASST: 37 | PTS: 66
PIMS: 4 | SOG: 215 | +/-: 13

Ryan O'Reilly, Colorado Avalanche -- O'Reilly has yet to record a penalty minute this season and doesn't shoot as much as other forwards (155 shots on goal), but his point production has been outstanding, especially of late. O'Reilly is in the middle of a six-game point-scoring streak (three goals, seven assists) and he has shown extreme consistency, being held without a point just four times in his past 20 games.

TRENDING DOWNWARD

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning -- The last time I ranked Stamkos was on Nov. 5, when I had him as the No. 2 forward behind only Sidney Crosby. Four-plus months later and 45 missed games, Stamkos returns to my rankings as the No. 6 forward. Coming back from an injury as severe as his is never an easy task and I think Stamkos owners need to temper their expectations. The departure of Martin St. Louis also will hinder Stamkos' value. Instead of having a playmaker like St. Louis on his wing, Stamkos is now centering a line with Alex Killorn and Teddy Purcell. Of course, Stamkos still remains one of the best pure goal-scorers of our generation (103 goals in his past 150 games). Start him regularly, but know it won't be as rewarding as you've been accustomed to.

Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks -- With one point in his past 13 games, Sedin continues to fall in the forward ranks. And with his brother and linemate Daniel Sedin on the injured list, Henrik's production woes could continue. I recommend benching him until he shows he can produce something close to what you expect.

Clarke MacArthur, Ottawa Senators -- MacArthur, currently day-to-day with a hand injury, has been one of the brighter surprises in fantasy hockey this season, but it looks like he's starting to run out of gas. In his nine games prior to the injury he had two points and was a minus-6. While his 64 penalty minutes have provided plenty of value to his owners, you should know that 20 of them came on two misconduct calls.

KEEP AN EYE ON ...

Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals -- Kuznetsov's much-anticipated NHL career started out with him skating on the Capitals' fourth line. The 21-year-old had two shots on goal in 10:22 of ice time, with 1:10 of that coming on the power play. As NHL.com contributor Matt Sitkoff pointed out in his Fantasy All-Access story on Monday, Kuznetsov is worth adding in keeper leagues and could end up providing some value this season.

TOP 100 FANTASY FORWARDS

These rankings are based on expectations of the season going forward. The plus or minus for each player is movement based on our most recent rankings -- NR means not ranked in previous rankings. They are based on a standard fantasy league with these offensive categories: G, A, plus/minus, PIMs, PPP, SOG.

1	Sidney Crosby, Penguins (same)	51	Kyle Okposo, Islanders (-3)
2	Alex Ovechkin, Capitals (same)	52	Kyle Turris, Senators (-1)
3	Corey Perry, Ducks (same)	53	Marian Gaborik, Kings (-4)
4	Evgeni Malkin, Penguins (same)	54	T.J. Oshie, Blues (same)
5	Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks (same)	55	Jakub Voracek, Flyers (+1)
6	Steven Stamkos, Lighting (NR)*	56	Mikko Koivu, Wild (-3)
7	Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks (-1)	57	Andrew Ladd, Jets (+6)
8	Phil Kessel, Maple Leafs (+2)	58	Bryan Little, Jets (same)
9	Patrick Kane, Blackhawks (-2)	59	Derek Stepan, Rangers (+1)
10	Claude Giroux, Flyers (+1)	60	Ryan Johansen, Blue Jackets (+1)
11	Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks (+1)	61	Brad Richards, Rangers (+1)
12	Chris Kunitz, Penguins (-3)	62	Brandon Dubinsky, Blue Jackets (-3)
13	James Neal, Penguins (-5)	63	Radim Vrbata, Coyotes (+1)
14	Joe Pavelski, Sharks (-1)	64	Jordan Eberle, Oilers (+1)
15	Martin St. Louis, Rangers (-1)	65	Clarke MacArthur, Senators (-8) DTD
16	Tyler Seguin, Stars (+7)	66	Chris Kreider, Rangers (+1)
17	Jamie Benn, Stars (+3)	67	David Perron, Oilers (-1)
18	Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals (-3)	68	Joffrey Lupul, Maple Leafs (same)
19	Patrick Marleau, Sharks (-3)	69	Alexander Semin, Hurricanes (same)
20	Zach Parise, Wild (-2)	70	Brad Marchand, Bruins (same)
21	Logan Couture, Sharks (same)	71	Jaden Schwartz, Blues (+2)
22	Alexander Steen, Blues (-3)	72	Nazem Kadri, Maple Leafs (same)
23	Anze Kopitar, Kings (-1)	73	Mats Zuccarello, Rangers (NR)*
24	Matt Duchene, Avalanche (+5)	74	Jason Pominville, Wild (-3)
25	David Backes, Blues (same)	75	Matt Moulson, Wild (+7)
26	Rick Nash, Rangers (-2)	76	Brandon Saad, Blackhawks (-1)
27	Eric Staal, Hurricanes (+1)	77	Patrik Elias, Devils (+2)
28	Taylor Hall, Oilers (+2)	78	Brent Burns, Sharks (same)
29	David Krejci, Bruins (+2)	79	Martin Hanzal, Coyotes (-5) DTD
30	James van Riemsdyk, Maple Leafs (-2)	80	Daniel Alfredsson, Red Wings (-3)
31	Thomas Vanek, Canadiens (-4)	81	Paul Stastny, Avalanche (-1) DTD
32	Jarome Iginla, Bruins (+2)	82	Shane Doan, Coyotes (+1)
33	Wayne Simmonds, Flyers (-1)	83	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oilers (-7)
34	Max Pacioretty, Canadiens (+1)	84	Ryan O'Reilly, Avalanche (+6)
35	Joe Thornton, Sharks (-2)	85	Valtteri Filppula, Lightning (-1)
36	Gabriel Landeskog, Avalanche (same)	86	Tomas Plekanec, Canadiens (-5)
37	Milan Lucic, Bruins (+4)	87	Nick Bonino, Ducks (-1)
38	Evander Kane, Jets (+2)	88	Mike Ribeiro, Coyotes (same)
39	Jeff Carter, Kings (+4)	89	Loui Eriksson, Bruins (+3)
40	Jason Spezza, Senators (+4)	90	Jussi Jokinen, Penguins (-4)
41	Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche (+1)	91	Justin Williams, Kings (-2)
42	Bobby Ryan, Senators (-4)	92	Tyler Bozak, Maple Leafs (-1)
43	Ryan Kesler, Canucks (-4)	93	Gustav Nyquist, Red Wings (+1)
44	Jaromir Jagr, Devils (+2)	94	Adam Henrique, Devils (NR)
45	Henrik Sedin, Canucks (-8)	95	Dustin Brown, Kings (same)
46	Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes (-1)	96	Mike Richards, Kings (+2)
47	Patrice Bergeron, Bruins (+3)	97	Brendan Gallagher, Canadiens (+3)
48	Scott Hartnell, Flyers (+4)	98	Ryan Callahan, Lightning (-5)
49	Johan Franzen, Red Wings (+6)	99	Ales Hemsky, Senators (NR)
50	Blake Wheeler, Jets (-3)	100	Troy Brouwer, Capitals (NR)

* Appeared on injured list last week

Players that dropped out of previous rankings: Nathan Horton, Cody Hodgson, Reilly Smith

Injured: John Tavares, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, Daniel Sedin, Chris Stewart, Tomas Hertl, Pascal Dupuis

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