Sean Allen, Special to ESPN.com 9y

Fantasy Forecaster: March 2-8

Fantasy NHL, NHL

What was already going to be a busy week in fantasy hockey news has been accelerated by an injury to one of the best players in the game. In the wake of the broken clavicle to Patrick Kane and flurry of smaller trades ahead of Monday's deadline, we'll list off the top targets based on the moves that have happened so far. Remember, things are still very much in flux for rosters until Monday afternoon.

Patrick Sharp, F, Chicago Blackhawks: He's not going to be cheap to acquire, but he's not going to cost what he will now be worth. Sharp, as of Friday morning, stands at No. 151 among skaters on the ESPN Player Rater. He wasn't a top-six forward for the Blackhawks with the addition of Brad Richards and emergence of Kris Versteeg this season. But with Patrick Kane out of the lineup for the remainder of the season, Sharp goes from playing an important role on the third line to being the Hawks' best chance at secondary scoring. Sharp is going to fall way short of the expectations we had for him this season, but the final couple of months are going to be his best. He is still widely viewed as the 35-goal, near-point-per-game player, so trading for Sharp is a risk given his dearth of production thus far. But he shouldn't cost you way too much given the numbers. If you can wait a couple more days to be sure the Hawks don't snag another high-upside winger in a trade, that might be the safest approach. But if you approach the situation as if Sharp is going to be a top-75 skater -- think Patrice Bergeron or Gustav Nyquist as potential value swaps -- you should get a bargain on a potential game-changer.

Jaromir Jagr, F, Florida Panthers: How can you not buy into the idea that landing in Miami will help rejuvenate Jagr's season? Age be damned, he still has more skill at a slower pace than most of the NHL. He should settle into a scoring-line role surrounded by youth and be a mainstay on what should be a much better power play than what he had in New Jersey. This move pushes Brad Boyes out of the top six and probably Jimmy Hayes off the top power-play unit. Whether Jagr plays with sniper Nick Bjugstad or with the combination of Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov, he has talent to work with. You should be able to pick Jagr up in plenty of leagues, but those considering him in trade should value him as no more than a top-125 skater to get a good deal. That's Brandon Saad or Jarome Iginla territory.

Jiri Sekac, F, Anaheim Ducks: Of all the little trades and depth forwards being shipped around this week, the one with the most upside might be Sekac. Upside is a combination of skill and opportunity, and it appears Sekac won't be lacking either. While playing a minimal role for the Montreal Canadiens this season, we have seen plenty of flashes of Sekac's offensive skills. The opportunity was presented in spades in his Ducks debut. Sekac skated with Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg on the team's second line. He might not be there again the next game out given the poor result for the team against the Ottawa Senators, but the message is clear that coach Bruce Boudreau intends to use Sekac as an offensive weapon. That was not the case in Montreal for the 22-year-old. He had 28 points as a youngster in the KHL last season and would be a nice fit in an offensive role in the Ducks' top six. He's probably worth a speculative free-agent pickup in most leagues now. You can always drop him again if a more interesting move occurs ahead of the trade deadline.

Jiri Tlusty, F, Winnipeg Jets: His role as a top-six forward is far from set in stone with Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault both injured, but Tlusty has a shot to stay on a scoring line. He made his Jets debut there on Thursday, skating with Mark Scheifele and Drew Stafford. Once Wheeler and Perreault return, the Jets will have some decisions to make about which forwards make up the second line, but Tlusty certainly has a strong shot at value here. After all, he has a proven résumé for keeping up with top-end talent. He had a couple of solid seasons with Eric Staal and Alexander Semin as the top line for the Carolina Hurricanes. His value increases no matter what role he plays for the Jets, but Tlusty needs to maintain that role on the second line to be truly worthy of fantasy consideration. In all but the deepest of leagues, you can probably just watch the situation develop.

David Clarkson, F, Columbus Blue Jackets: Saying he fits in well is an understatement. Gritty power forwards are a dime a dozen in Columbus, with Scott Hartnell, Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky all filling a similar profile, only doing a more relevant fantasy job of it. There probably isn't anything to see here, but the fact that he will be getting paid his big contract means Clarkson will be given a job to do in some form. The Blue Jackets already lead the NHL in major penalties, and their power play is seventh-best in the league. Perhaps Clarkson can carve out some power-play time on the second unit and pick up a few more PIMs. Will it be enough for fantasy owners to care? Probably not, but you should stay aware of the move because nothing proves the Blue Jackets' willingness to give hard-working players an opportunity more than what Foligno has done this season. If it can happen for Foligno, it can happen for Clarkson, too. Coming into this season, Foligno had played 466 NHL games with 85 goals and 43 power-play points. Clarkson had played 486 games with 102 goals and 44 power-play points.

Looking for skaters

Philadelphia Flyers: Currently mired in a three-week average of just 2.2 goals per game, the Flyers should show some improvement next week on a four-game schedule that includes the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils. At first glance, the Blues and Bruins might seem like the tougher matchups for the Flyers' offense, but both teams have been allowing their fair share of goals lately. Claude Giroux snapped out of a funk this week with a couple of multipoint performances, and, if current line combinations stick, there is available value on his wing in the form of Michael Raffl. Just don't be too hasty with Raffl, as the door is open for changes given the lack of production lately from anyone outside the Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, Mark Streit and Michael Del Zotto five-some.

Vancouver Canucks: Though they don't have the four games to match the Flyers, the Canucks have some recent numbers on their side. They are the second-highest-scoring team in the NHL during the past three weeks and are playing two games against the team that allowed the second-most goals during that same time frame. The Canucks are scoring 3.5 goals per game during recent contests and the San Jose Sharks, whom the Canucks play Tuesday and Saturday, have allowed 3.6 goals per game during the past three weeks. Oh, by the way, the only team allowing more goals than the Sharks during the past few weeks is the Arizona Coyotes at 3.7 per game. The Coyotes happen to be the meat in Sharks sandwich the Canucks have next week.

Start out by checking the availability of Zack Kassian in your league. He's been getting the chance to play with Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin on the top line and has been doing well enough to stay there. The second line of Radim Vrbata, Shawn Matthias and Nick Bonino also has some upside. Matthias might be the best option of the two available in your league (Vrbata should not be). You can check on the availability of Alexander Edler before locking in your lineup, but it's doubtful he'll be ready to go all week. In the meantime, what about throwing a dart at Dan Hamhuis in deeper leagues? He earned two assists and fired six shots on goal against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. That is certainly more than any other defenseman has done in Edler's absence.

Tampa Bay Lightning: The Bolts catch the bottom-dwelling Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs before facing the goals-against challenged Dallas Stars next week. It's a pretty great schedule for predicting some offense from this club. The obvious names should all be started, but make sure to remember that Anton Stralman, not Victor Hedman, is the current No. 1 defenseman on the depth chart. Steven Stamkos is due for a good week, and this schedule should help him have it. Try to draft off Stamkos by using his linemate Ryan Callahan or, in deeper leagues, Alex Killorn.

Looking for goaltenders

Andrew Hammond, G, Ottawa Senators: You can't argue with results. Does it matter that Hammond has the second-worst goals-against average in the AHL this season? That's a tough question. Normally, you would think a 3.51 GAA in 25 games in the farm system would be indicative of a goaltender to shy away from. Well, guess what? Hammond has a 4-0 NHL record with a 1.15 goals-against average and .962 save percentage. Two of those games came against the teams with the second- and third-most points in the NHL standings and one came against the defending Stanley Cup champions, who had been on a tear. What's that? What happens if we throw out the period he played in relief of Robin Lehner in his season debut? His GAA in games he has started is 0.75 ,and his save percentage is .976. Four games is a small sample size, but not that small as to ignore the facts here. Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner are on the injured reserve and, though Anderson is getting close to a return, the Senators are going to ride this Hammond ticket as far as it will take them. The bloom is bound to fall off the rose, but if you haven't already picked him up, do so. If you don't need the goaltending lottery ticket, try to trade him immediately. Even if you package him up with another player, he has rising perceived value right now and should net a return.

Avoid if you can

Winnipeg Jets: The Jets have an injured Blake Wheeler and face the aforementioned Andrew Hammond and the Ottawa Senators, as well as Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators next week. You can probably find a better offensive option for the week on the waiver wire than most Jets outside of Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien.

Quick Hits

• Devante Smith-Pelly played a scoring-line role in his Montreal Canadiens debut, but don't get too excited by him. The difference between Smith-Pelly and Sekac from a fantasy perspective, is that Smith-Pelly had plenty of opportunities to cement himself as a top-six forward with the Anaheim Ducks, while the Habs never really gave Sekac a shot.

• Andrej Sekera has some upside with the Los Angeles Kings, at least, certainly more than he had with the Carolina Hurricanes. It's notable that he is a former defense partner of Robyn Regehr when the two played for the Buffalo Sabres. That actually helps Jake Muzzin, who should go back to playing with Drew Doughty again if Sekera and Regehr are paired up.

• It was probably just a way to give him a warm welcome, but it's worth watching the situation with Sean Bergenheim and the Minnesota Wild. He made his debut on the second line with Mikko Koivu and Thomas Vanek. If he plays a top-six role, he can score goals. But it's hard to envision him staying there with other assets making a push for playing time.

• It's hard to imagine the Boston Bruins not making a push for the playoffs, and the David Krejci injury screams for an upgrade at center. That said, the team probably can't make any big splashes at the deadline. Lowering your expectations for your Bruins might be a good plan for the remainder of the season.

• With Zemgus Girgensons and Tyler Ennis hitting injured reserve, a whole lot of power-play time just opened up for the Buffalo Sabres. Torrey Mitchell responded with a pair of goals on Thursday and is skating with Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta as the de facto top line. The Sabres had only one power play in the game, but it's interesting to note that Cody Hodgson (remember him?) was on the ice for most of it. It won't be a lot of value, but some serviceable players will emerge for the Sabres during the reminder of the season. Keep an eye on the production.

• Don't forget to take a stab in the dark on Kimmo Timonen. He should return to the Flyers' lineup sooner than later and should be available in your league as a lottery-ticket defenseman.

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