After nearly a 24 hour wait, GM Darryl Sutter shipped both Brandon Prust and Olli Jokinen to the New York Rangers in exchange for Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik. The largest name of course is Jokinen, who just four years ago eclipsed the 90-point range.
Through 55 games he contributed 35 points which puts him on pace for a whopping 52 points. GM Glen Sather and the Rangers hope he will improve those totals and benefit from a change in scenery. He should top their depth chart which typically features Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Erik Christensen as the top pivots.
Flames coach Brent Sutter placed Jokinen on the third line frequently after the 31-year-old showed limited chemistry with star Jarome Iginla following the departure of Mike Cammalleri. The Rangers lack the depth to keep him out of the top six so he should immediately receive a fantasy boost.
The other players involved should help the Flames need for secondary scoring but likely will not help your fantasy team.
Kotalik boasts a heavy shot from the point and has proven he can produce with the man advantage but quickly fell out of favor of coach John Tortorella. Higgins led the team in scoring chances but overall lacked finish. He too hopes to turn around an overall “snake-bitten” season.
Now with his sixth organization, Jokinen needs to turn around an inconsistent season in order to earn a new contract. He may be worth the risk of a buy-low deal as his elite potential likely would outweigh his reasonable price tag.
