NHLFantasy Hockey Faceoff: The replacements

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The NHL trade deadline is just under two weeks away and several teams are primed and ready to pull the trigger on deals that will rebuild, reshape or reload.

Though the focus of the February 27 deadline day will be on which players change addresses and how their new team and teammates will be affected, the players that are left to the fill holes of those departed are just as important, especially from a fantasy hockey perspective.

With that in mind, this week I'll go it alone to assess how potential trades could affect two particular NHL teams and their players.

I'll also tell you about two hot commodities in New York and Florida.

Looking for a league to join? What are you waiting for? Get in on the second half of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Fantasy Pool. It's free to play and the top prize is a new KIA Sorento.

Like what you're reading? Follow the Fantasy Hockey Faceoff guys, Jesse and Jordan, on Twitter, plus the CBC Sports fantasy hockey account.

Montreal Canadiens

After watching the Habs take on the Bruins last night, you can't deny how good a line they have in Max Pacioretty, Erik Cole and David Desharnais. The trio combined for four points and a plus-6 rating. While Pacioretty and Cole are 76 per cent and 62 per cent owned in Yahoo! leagues respectively, Desharnais remains available in 80 per cent of leagues. Despite how good they've been together, I could see the Canadiens trading Cole while his value is about as high as it's ever going to get.

Other Habs, including Travis Moen, Hal Gill, Tomas Kaberle and Andrei Kostitsyn may also get moved. Look for youngsters Lars Eller, Alexei Emelin and perhaps Louis Leblanc to benefit from some veterans being shipped out. Eller's currently 17th on the team in average ice-time per game and gets essentially no power-play time, but is seventh in team scoring.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Like Eller, Derick Brassard is 17th on his team in average ice-time per game - although it's for a different reason. While Eller continues to pay his NHL dues, Brassard's inconsistencies have relegated him to either the press box or the end of the bench more than once, despite having 250 games under his belt. To illustrate that point, the Blue Jackets' former first-round pick has six points in seven games this month, but began the season with just four points in his first 18 games. Whether he gets a fresh start via trade or Rick Nash and/or Jeff Carter get shipped out, Brassard is worth keeping an eye on at 12 per cent owned in Yahoo! leagues.

Likewise, teammates Antoine Vermette (eight per cent owned) and Ryan Johansen (two per cent owned) may also benefit from increased playing time if Columbus shakes things up. Vermette is 11th in average ice-time per game, but remains third in team scoring with 25 points, while Johansen is 22nd in average ice-time and has 17 points.

Add this guy!

The New York Rangers have won four in a row and are 8-1-1 in their last 10. Over that span, youngster Artem Anisimov has been one of the team's key contributors. With 28 points in 54 games, he may not match his career-high of 44 points set in 2010-11, but he's certainly giving it a shot with a great February. Anisimov has three goals and six points in his last six games for the Blueshirts and is a cheap buy at only eight per cent owned.

Add this guy too!

Remember when Sean Bergenheim scored nine goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs last year? Well if you don't know where he went after that, I'm sure you're not alone. Bergenheim bolted Tampa and went a few hours south to the Florida Panthers where he's been invisible until now. Bergenheim has five goals and seven points in eight games this month, including two power-play goals and a game-winner. If you're in need of a short-term scorer, look no further.  

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