Andrei Kostitsyn Gives Nashville Brotherly Love

This morning, the Nashville Predators acquired Andrei Kostitsyn from the Montreal Canadiens. The bounty is a second round pick in 2013 as well as the conditional pick previously acquired in the Hal Gill trade according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, via Twitter. Now that I’ve had a chance to toot my own horn, let’s take a look at the fantasy hockey impact.

Andrei Kostitsyn to the Nashville Predators

Kostitsyn gives the Preds some added depth at the forward position. As a legitimate top nine forward, with three 20-goal seasons under his belt, GM David Poile and company get the scorer this team needed. They already roster his younger brother, Sergei Kostitsyn, which should give the team the confidence that they can turn the older Kostitsyn’s season around.

Currently, the Predators have rookie Gabriel Bourque in their top six, who likely takes a demotion. If Barry Trotz prefers to ease the elder Kostitsyn in on the fourth line then look for Brandon Yip to take a hit in playing time. The latter also should lose some power play time with a legitimate option now on the man advantage. And while the Predators are taking a risk in reuniting the Kostitsyn brothers, they can chose to let their new acquisition walk during free agency if he doesn’t work out. The consensus appears to be that Kostitsyn will thrive with a bit more structure — a quality the Predators are known for.

Mired mostly on a bottom-six line most of the season, Kostitsyn is clearly not having a good campaign in a walk year. His puck possession rate is down but that could also be a result of his surroundings. If you need a cheap source of goals in the deepest of leagues, he could be worth a look. Nevertheless, deploy a wait-and-hold strategy with the enigmatic winger.

Second round pick to the Montreal Canadiens

In the pick, the Canadiens get an extra asset. However, they also gain added flexibility in shipping Kostitsyn to Nashville. Currently minor leaguers Blake Geoffrion, Andreas Enqvist and Joonas Nattinen are making a splash at the AHL level. Perhaps one of those players get a look with the big club. We also saw Ian Schultz get a look earlier this season, he could also draw into the lineup.

Furthermore, Aaron Palushaj and Louis Leblanc are playing on the fourth line. You have to assume one of the two rookies get a chance to play more valuable minutes.

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What do you think about the trade? Are you willing to give Kostitsyn a look on your fantasy hockey squad?