Fantasy Hockey Players Likely to be Traded at Deadline: Part 2 | Brock Nelson, Rickard Rakell, Colton Parayko and Ivan Provorov

Today, we continue to comb through the players likely to be on the move on the NHL trade deadline on March 7 - keeping in mind, your likely fantasy trade deadline is February 28.

This is the second part of a two-part series. We'll go over the other four of eight players in the consensus top 30 that are rosterable and could potentially have an uptick in production once traded. These players will move to a buying team making a playoff push. The direct result of this is they will play for a better team, with better talent surrounding them.

If you need a boost prior to the trade deadline as your fantasy team is also making a push deep into the playoffs, then take a look at these players. Some will be impact players to your roster, some will be waiver wire targets to fill your injury holes. You will see a mix and I will identify each for you.

Forwards Likely on the Move

Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders is the literal number one player on most trade bait boards for the trade deadline. This rental centerman brings a veteran presence on an expiring deal, who is as consistant as consistant comes.

Nelson is a perennial 50+ point player and 30 goal scorer. While he is on pace for 50 points again this year, he may fall short of 30 goals. This is no surprise since the Isles just cannot put the puck in the net as a whole, which makes this not concerning that Nelson has also struggled. This is a team issue, not a Nelson issue.

All of this said, there is still always the Lou Lamoriello factor. The Isles general manager is known to keep his plans close to his chest, and is known to keep his own rentals and let them walk to free agency after their contract expires.

Either way, Nelson has 17 goals, 19 assists and two powerplay points in 56 games played. He also has 150 shots on goal, 21 hits, and 33 blocked shots.

Next, and equally as impactful is Pittsburgh Penguins leading goal scorer Rickard Rakell. Yes, he is beating Sidney Crosby in goals. Crazy, eh?

Rakell is the sneaky player who quietly has a great season and his spotlight is overshadowed by the likes of the aforementioned Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, etc. He doesn't have to be the number one guy in anything, yet he is. He has zero spotlight or pressure because he is well insulated and surrounded by legends.

Rakell is having an amazing year with 25 goals, 24 assists, and 12 powerplay points in 59 games played. He also has 152 shots on goal, 94 hits and 66 blocked shots.

Rakell usually falls quite low in the draft and then continues to pick up steam throughout the year. He is a great rental target to trade for you in your fantasy league, but if he doesn't move, his numbers may start to decline the more general manager Kyle Dubas sells.

Defensemen Likely on the Move

Colton Parayko is a last-minute add to this list. The St. Louis Blue has been linked to trade rumors heating up, with speculation that he may move to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This young-ish elite talent had to make the list after hearing that.

The Blues are terrible this year, so if he were to move, his production would quickly spike. He also had a great show at the Four Nations Face-Off playing for Team Canada.

Parayko is a big defenseman who is six-foot-six and 230 pounds every time he hits the ice. Further, he is agile, not afraid to put his body on the line and block shots, hit, or shoot. He really does check all the boxes.

This season, he has 13 goals, 17 assists, and one powerplay point with 57 games played. He also has an impressive 111 shots on goal, 88 hits, and 128 blocked shots. His peripherals are really where he shines, but again he is putting up points, too. What a stud.

Last up, we have Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a weird one, but their blueline depth is... well... deep. The Blue Jackets have had an astonishingly overachieving season of a lifetime. Nobody, and I mean nobody (I am even looking at you, Columbus fans) expected them to have the success they are having this year. They might even make the playoffs, as they are currently only a couple points out of the tight wild card race in the Eastern Conference.

I question why they are selling, but hey, Provorov is on a lot of trade bait boards, and if the Blue Jackets can get a prospect, or an impact making forward back, then it would definately be worth it to them.

On top of this, their captain Boone Jenner has entered the chat and he is already crashing and banging. To be fair, veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson is supposed to be back before playoffs, and they still have injuries up front to Sean Monahan and Yegor Chinakhov.

Provorov's contract also expires at the end of this year, with a current $6.75M AAV cap hit. Actually do you know what? This makes sense, and the insiders know much better than I do, so let's roll with it.

This year, Provorov has six goals, 20 assists, and three powerplay points in 58 games played. He also has 68 shots on goal, 16 hits, and 88 blocked shots. Also of note, he has three shorthanded points, somehow.

While not necessarily a trade target, as an add on for a bigger piece or a waiver wire target, he would be a great injury fill in while waiting for your regular roster defenders to return before playoffs. He is only rostered in about 25% of leagues and given his deployment getting time in the top four, second powerplay unit, and the second penalty kill unit, he is absolutely serviceable but I can't see his points production increasing much. You've been warned.

Closing Thoughts

There is a lot more elite talent in this pool of four players. My number one target here would be Nelson. His ceiling would be much higher surrounded by better talent and this makes him my standout of any player potentially getting traded. Nelson is hindered only by the talent around him.

A personal note on Rakell: he will not get better deployment on any other team going for a playoff push. While he is a great player on his own, I can't see there being an increase in any category except +/-. That said, by his own merit and relatively low name value he is still an excellent trade target for production across the board.

I love that Parayko is on the move, and he will absolutely shine on a contending team. I genuinely hope that he moves on from the Blues, and the Maple Leaf fan in me hopes he ends up in Toronto. I would take Parayko over Seth Jones from my part one article yesterday on trade deadline, but that's just me.

Provorov is an interesting move option, and in hindsight with his expiring deal, it makes sense to try to gain some assets for him if the Blue Jackets are not looking to re-sign. This is good news if they are successful for the future of their roster. They will be contenders sooner than you think, despite being sellers at this deadline!

As always, be sure to check in on FantasySP's Trade Analyzer tool before hitting send or accept in your trades!