Wojtek Wolski Could Give Panthers New Life

This afternoon, New York Rangers GM Glen Sather shipped struggling winger Wojtek Wolski to the Florida Panthers in exchange for minor league defenseman Mike Vernace and a third round pick. The deal, in real life terms, gives the Rangers even more cap space while getting rid of an unusable asset. Let’s take a look at this move from a fantasy hockey perspective.

Wojtek Wolski to the Florida Panthers

Wolski gives the Panthers another skilled winger as they acquire more NHL-ready players. Through nine games with the Rangers he registered three assists. Perhaps more troubling was him only putting 11 shots on goal over that span. Furthermore, his relative Corsi — defined as the differential of goals + saves + missed shots + blocks — was the worst among forwards not named Mike Rupp, Ruslan Fedotenko, Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. The problem was, Wolski was much more sheltered than any of those players. In other words, he has not been a plus player for the Rangers this season.

In order to be effective, Wolski really should be playing on a top-six line. Sean Bergenheim missed today’s practice and could be hurt which would be a perfect fit. Other players who could be effected are Mike Santorelli or Shawn Matthias. Or, the likely situation, which is Wolski wearing out his welcome with his fourth team in three years.

Mike Vernace and a pick to the New York Rangers

Vernace gives the Connecticut Whale some added depth on the blue line and probably won’t see much action with the Rangers. Last season he played in 10 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning which indicates he could be re-called in a pinch. More importantly, he probably gives the Rangers the OK to recall Tim Erixon if they need a left-handed d-man.

Otherwise, the Rangers will slot Ruslan Fedotenko onto the fourth line and possibly make a more for more depth. The big deal is that Sather got a fair return on a player they simply could not use.