Shattenkirk and his fantasy owners win big with move to Washington
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Here are the fantasy implications of the Washington Capitals acquiring D Kevin Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues:
Confirmed: #stlblues return for Shattenkirk is 1st in 2017, conditional 2nd in 2018 and forward Zach Sanford, as @Real_ESPNLeBrun reported.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) February 28, 2017
Already one of the NHL's best offensive defensemen, Shattenkirk's move to the high-scoring Capitals seems like a trade made in hockey heaven.
Not only does the 28-year-old have a great shot at a deep playoff run in real life, his fantasy value should spike thanks to a likely role on a Capitals power play that features high-end forwards Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
Washington has a useful collection of contributors on the back end (Matt Niskanen, John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov each have between 27 and 32 points), but Shattenkirk represents an upper-echelon quarterback for the team's power play.
An impending free agent, Shattenkirk is tied for fourth in defenseman scoring with 11 goals and 31 assists in 61 games for the Blues. 2016-17 is his fourth straight campaign with at least 42 points, and his previous career high of 45 points should be surpassed in short order.
Shattenkirk does a fair amount of his damage with the man advantage; he's tallied at least 25 power-play points in each of the past three seasons, with 20 so far this season.
Washington's power play ranks fifth overall in terms of conversion rate, and the Capitals rank behind only the Penguins in goals per game (3.31).
As a bonus for his fantasy value, Washington's league-leading plus-70 goal differential should do wonders for Shattenkirk's plus/minus, which sits at minus-11.
Currently ranked 79th in theScore's top 200 fantasy hockey rankings, Shattenkirk's stock will trend upward if he can capitalize on the opportunity afforded to him in Washington.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Back in St. Louis, Shattenkirk's departure frees up a more prominent role for second-year defenseman Colton Parayko, who has nevertheless produced four goals and 24 assists in 61 games. Parayko slots in at 143 in the above-mentioned rankings, and should ascend despite the presence of veteran Alex Pietrangelo (nine goals and 21 assists in 60 games).
The values of Carlson (position 118), Niskanen (134) and Orlov all take a hit thanks to Shattenkirk's arrival, though they should all remain useful by chipping in points and maintaining stellar plus/minus figures.
Sanford, a 22-year-old second-round pick of the Capitals in 2013, isn't likely to be fantasy-relevant with the Blues. A left winger, he's spent much of 2016-17 in the AHL, though did suit up for 26 games in Washington, recording three points.