It's safe to say we all need to take a deep breath after Wednesday's blockbuster midseason trade. Rarely (if ever) does a deal in January involve such valuable commodities, but the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators found a way to make it work both ways.

The fantasy fallout is, to say the least, significant.

The obvious impact

Ryan Johansen, C, Nashville Predators: In no uncertain terms, Johansen's numbers from last season when replaced with a plus/minus more befitting of a Predator as opposed to a Blue Jacket become top-15 fantasy forward numbers. That is most certainly the end game that the Predators banked on when they acquired the struggling fifth-year center. As a friendly reminder, Johansen had two fewer goals, three more assists, the same power-play points and 10 fewer shots on goal than Evgeni Malkin last season. Granted, that's in 13 fewer games than Johansen, but the comparison stands (and remember, Malkin is among the very best in fantasy). Johansen's playmaking abilities are added to a team that has one of the best puck-moving defensive groups in the game -- even after subtracting Jones from the mix. James Neal likes to shoot the puck and is a natural choice for Johansen's wing. Johansen could get comfortable very quickly, and fantasy owners looking to make a splash may want to chase him in trade even with his value at its peak for this season so far. If his owner is willing to part with Johansen for any player that is outside the top-30 in your personal rankings, go for it.

Seth Jones, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: He has the physical presence and puck skills of a No. 1 defenseman, has been in a position to be under the tutelage of Shea Weber and Roman Josi throughout his career and is leaping from a team where he was No. 3 or No. 4 on the depth chart to a team where he is the unquestioned No. 1. Jones has been getting fewer than 20 minutes of ice time per game with the Predators. That jumps to 25 minutes or more with the Blue Jackets. On pace for 23 points with his current ice time and earning 27 points with the same kind of deployment last season, the sky is the limit for Jones with additional responsibility. To start, we'd rate him as a mid-tier No. 2 fantasy defenseman, inside the top 20 at his position.

James Neal, W, Nashville Predators: A former 40-goal scorer when he was playing with a true No. 1 center, Neal has that opportunity again with Johansen stepping in. On pace for 30 goals and 50 points this season, we'd be more than comfortable with bumping Neal to 35 goals and 65 points with Johansen at his side -- especially if the Predators' power play shows improvement with Johansen. This, of course, is dependant on chemistry, but Neal has shown an ability to adapt to a number of different centers with success, including Malkin and Brad Richards.

Ryan Murray, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: The Jackets now boast the top defenseman taken in the 2012 NHL draft, and the top defenseman taken in the 2013 draft. They've paired them together following the arrival of Jones, which may be exactly what the oft-injured Murray finally needs to start making good on his draft pedigree. This has the potential to be a potent top pairing, with Murray styled as a little more stalwart on the defensive side of things and Jones billed as good all-around with offensive upside. Remember, the combined age of the two is equal to that of Jaromir Jagr, so we aren't talking about a ton of experience here, but both players have also shown they belong in the NHL with the muted responsibility they've already been given. The bottom line is that Jack Johnson and David Savard have had the run of the henhouse so far this season, and basically done nothing with it from an offensive standpoint. Johnson's 11 points and Savard's 14 aren't going to cut it for a top defensive pairing. They have a combined eight power-play points, which does't compare favorably when you consider Josi and Weber have combined for 30, or that Brent Burns has 17 by himself. The door is wide open here for Jones and Murray to kick it in and take over. Murray is worth a chance in leagues where he's available (including 89 percent of ESPN leagues).

The less-obvious impact

Alexander Wennberg, C, Columbus Blue Jackets: By default, Wennberg has become the Blue Jackets' No. 1 center. On paper, the Brandon Dubinsky line may get penciled in as the top unit, but make no mistake that the line with Brandon Saad and Scott Hartnell is the top scoring line for the Blue Jackets until a shuffle is made. That shuffle may not be coming anytime soon, as Wennberg, Saad and Hartnell have combined for seven goals in the past 10 games, which makes them the third most productive line in the NHL during that span. Things could (and probably will) change as John Tortorella finds the right combinations, but Wennberg is in prime position to sweep into the value vacuum left behind by Johansen.

Ryan Ellis, D, Nashville Predators: You might not think there is room for Ellis to improve on his value, with Josi and Weber still clearly on top of the depth chart. But every minute of ice time counts with Ellis. Here's a list of defensemen who Ellis is better than in points-per-minute rate: Drew Doughty, Andrei Markov, Aaron Ekblad and Victor Hedman. That's not shabby company to be topping for productivity. Currently sitting below 20 minutes of ice time per game, the absence of Jones can help get Ellis a couple more key minutes here and there.

Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith, W, Nashville Predators: The logjam at center the Predators now boast will allow Jarnkrok to play the wing, where he is projected to skate on the second line during Johansen's debut on Friday. He's an exciting future top-six scoring threat and could start getting comfortable with the assignment to put more pucks on the net that are fed to him by Mike Ribeiro. While Smith is not projected to remain in the top six, he still boasts his power-play specialist tag. In fact, he skated on the power-play unit with Johansen, Neal and Filip Forsberg at practice on Thursday. Smith has found a way to have deep league fantasy value from the third line before, so tumbling down the depth chart doesn't make him irrelevant.

The not-so-good impact

Jack Johnson and David Savard, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: Jones has the skill and potential to be the lone defenseman on a power play, which is a deployment that coach John Tortorella has gone to whenever he's had the forward strength to make it happen. He used two defensemen with the Vancouver Canucks, but usually used only one on the top unit when he coached the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Jones puts that option back on the table for Tortorella, but even if he does decide to use two defensemen, there is a very good chance it will be Murray, not Johnson or Savard.

Nick Foligno, W, Columbus Blue Jackets: Before playing with Johansen on a regular basis, Foligno was a third-line workhorse in the NHL for years, but not a source of points or fantasy production outside his penalty minutes. With Johansen's struggles this season, Foligno was also struggling. Now with no chance of Johansen lifting Foligno's boat with his own play, we could see Foligno return to being a third-line workhorse. It's telling that the third line is exactly where Foligno is projected to play when the Blue Jackets play their first game post-Johansen on Friday.

Mike Ribeiro and Mike Fisher, C, Nashville Predators: Both players will take an obvious step down the depth chart, with Ribeiro landing on the second scoring line and Fisher in the bottom six. Ribeiro will still be in line for secondary power-play time and still has more than adequately skilled wingers on the second line, so he remains worthy of fantasy attention -- just not as much as before. Fisher, however, is out of the mix for fantasy owners to consider. His late start to the season had him mostly off the radar anyway, so it shouldn't change much.


Fantasy Forecaster: Week 15

Fantasy Hockey Forecaster: Jan. 11-17
TEAM GAMES RATINGS MON
1/11
TUE
1/12
WED
1/13
THU
1/14
FRI
1/15
SAT
1/16
SUN
1/17
3 total
3 home
O: 6
D: 7
OFF OFF OTT
O: 9
D: 10
OFF DAL
O: 3
D: 4
OFF LA
O: 10
D: 10
3 total
3 home
O: 6
D: 4
OFF EDM
O: 8
D: 2
OFF DET
O: 10
D: 1
OFF NJ
O: 2
D: 5
OFF
4 total
1 home
O: 9
D: 6
@NYR
O: 9
D: 3
OFF @PHI
O: 10
D: 3
OFF @BUF
O: 10
D: 8
TOR
O: 10
D: 2
OFF
3 total
2 home
O: 1
D: 1
OFF @MIN
O: 2
D: 3
OFF OFF BOS
O: 3
D: 1
WSH
O: 1
D: 1
OFF
3 total
2 home
O: 2
D: 8
SJ
O: 7
D: 10
OFF FLA
O: 1
D: 10
OFF OFF @EDM
O: 1
D: 10
OFF
4 total
2 home
O: 5
D: 5
OFF PIT
O: 5
D: 1
OFF @STL
O: 1
D: 4
VAN
O: 4
D: 7
OFF @PIT
O: 5
D: 1
4 total
2 home
O: 1
D: 8
OFF NSH
O: 6
D: 9
OFF @MTL
O: 1
D: 10
@TOR
O: 6
D: 8
OFF MTL
O: 1
D: 10
3 total
2 home
O: 6
D: 3
OFF TB
O: 6
D: 1
OFF NJ
O: 4
D: 6
OFF @CLS
O: 10
D: 1
OFF
3 total
1 home
O: 7
D: 3
OFF @NYI
O: 7
D: 3
@TOR
O: 9
D: 2
OFF OFF COL
O: 10
D: 1
OFF
2 total
0 home
O: 7
D: 6
OFF OFF OFF OFF @ANA
O: 9
D: 6
@SJ
O: 10
D: 10
OFF
3 total
1 home
O: 5
D: 3
@LA
O: 4
D: 4
OFF OFF @ARI
O: 10
D: 1
OFF OFF PHI
O: 5
D: 1
3 total
1 home
O: 5
D: 6
OFF @ARI
O: 9
D: 3
OFF @SJ
O: 10
D: 6
OFF CGY
O: 1
D: 10
OFF
3 total
0 home
O: 3
D: 7
@VAN
O: 5
D: 10
OFF @CGY
O: 1
D: 10
OFF OFF OFF @TB
O: 1
D: 6
3 total
2 home
O: 3
D: 6
DET
O: 7
D: 7
OFF OFF OFF OFF OTT
O: 2
D: 9
@ANA
O: 1
D: 1
3 total
2 home
O: 6
D: 5
OFF BUF
O: 9
D: 8
OFF OFF WPG
O: 4
D: 5
@NSH
O: 8
D: 3
OFF
3 total
1 home
O: 2
D: 10
OFF OFF OFF CHI
O: 1
D: 10
OFF @STL
O: 4
D: 10
@CHI
O: 1
D: 10
3 total
1 home
O: 5
D: 5
OFF @CHI
O: 1
D: 5
OFF @WPG
O: 6
D: 4
OFF MIN
O: 9
D: 3
OFF
3 total
0 home
O: 3
D: 7
OFF @STL
O: 1
D: 10
OFF @COL
O: 5
D: 7
OFF @ARI
O: 6
D: 10
OFF
3 total
3 home
O: 6
D: 6
OFF CLS
O: 9
D: 5
OFF NYR
O: 7
D: 4
OFF OFF VAN
O: 7
D: 10
4 total
1 home
O: 8
D: 4
BOS
O: 10
D: 3
OFF OFF @NYI
O: 9
D: 6
OFF @PHI
O: 10
D: 5
@WSH
O: 3
D: 1
2 total
0 home
O: 2
D: 4
OFF OFF @ANA
O: 1
D: 1
OFF OFF @LA
O: 2
D: 7
OFF
3 total
2 home
O: 7
D: 4
OFF OFF BOS
O: 9
D: 1
OFF OFF NYR
O: 7
D: 3
@DET
O: 10
D: 6
3 total
1 home
O: 6
D: 5
OFF @CAR
O: 10
D: 6
OFF OFF @TB
O: 3
D: 2
OFF CAR
O: 10
D: 6
4 total
2 home
O: 2
D: 2
@CGY
O: 1
D: 5
@WPG
O: 2
D: 1
OFF EDM
O: 4
D: 3
OFF DAL
O: 1
D: 1
OFF
3 total
3 home
O: 1
D: 7
OFF NJ
O: 1
D: 10
OFF CAR
O: 7
D: 10
OFF MTL
O: 1
D: 7
OFF
3 total
2 home
O: 7
D: 6
OFF @COL
O: 10
D: 5
OFF OFF PIT
O: 9
D: 8
OFF FLA
O: 5
D: 10
3 total
2 home
O: 6
D: 3
OFF OFF CLS
O: 10
D: 2
OFF CHI
O: 2
D: 5
@BOS
O: 10
D: 1
OFF
4 total
1 home
O: 1
D: 5
FLA
O: 1
D: 5
OFF OFF @WSH
O: 1
D: 1
@CAR
O: 4
D: 7
OFF @NYI
O: 1
D: 4
3 total
2 home
O: 10
D: 9
OFF OFF OFF VAN
O: 10
D: 10
OFF @BUF
O: 10
D: 10
NYR
O: 10
D: 10
3 total
2 home
O: 7
D: 6
OFF SJ
O: 10
D: 7
OFF NSH
O: 8
D: 4
@MIN
O: 7
D: 6
OFF OFF

"O" (offense) and "D" (defense) matchup ratings are based upon a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup) and are calculated using a formula that evaluates the team's season-to-date statistics, their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played, as well as their opponents' numbers in those categories. The "Ratings" column lists the cumulative rating from 1-10 of that week's offensive ("O") and defensive ("D") matchups.

A total of 22 of the 30 NHL teams will play a three-game schedule next week, which leaves little to ponder when it comes to taking a quantitative advantage. The Dallas Stars and Ottawa Senators are the only two teams with two games, as both teams visit the West Coast, but you aren't going to sit your stars from either club because of a slightly light schedule.

Looking for skaters

Boston Bruins: The Bruins have the right combination of quantity and quality for their schedule next week. Among the six teams with a four-game schedule, the Bruins visit the struggling New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres before hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. No David Krejci and the return of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand throws some question marks into how the lineup will shake out, but you can watch through the weekend to see the game plan. We are eyeing up Pastrnak as the hopeful target. The sophomore started the season as a top-six forward before hurting his foot in October, and then being loaned to the Czech Republic for the World Junior Championship. He practiced on the top line with Patrice Bergeron on Thursday, and although Marchand is off his suspension by next week, Krejci isn't traveling with the team. That gives Pastrnak a guaranteed window of next week as a scoring-line winger. Pastrnak had four points in 10 games before being hurt and is a great addition for fantasy teams, not just for next week, but for the rest of the season.

Washington Capitals: The Capitals earn a dominant Forecaster rating for their three-game week against the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers -- all of which are at home. Usually, there isn't much room for fantasy owners to take advantage of the Capitals, as the key players tend to be owned already. But there are openings on both the offense and defense to take advantage. On the back end, John Carlson has hit the injured reserve and although he's eligible to return at any time, he doesn't appear to be on the cusp of doing so. Matt Niskanen had a four-game assist streak snapped on Thursday and has the opportunity to get scoring again so long as Carlson remains out. In addition to more overall ice time, Niskanen is playing the point on the power play. Up front, Andre Burakovsky is getting another look on the scoring lines lately. He's playing with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams on the second line.

Looking for goaltenders

James Reimer, G, Toronto Maple Leafs: In his first start since Dec. 3, Reimer stopped 39 of 41 against the Los Angeles Kings in a loss on Thursday. With the way he was playing before being hurt and the huge uptick in Jonathan Bernier's production, we are expecting a straight rotation of the goaltenders until something changes. That would leave Reimer with two starts next week against the Blue Jackets and Bruins, while missing the Chicago Blackhawks. Available in 55 percent of ESPN leagues, Reimer probably deserves a look anyway based on the numbers he was posting before his injury.

Quick Hits

- If you are in desperate need of a starting goaltender, now might be the time to stash Robin Lehner. He should be back with the Sabres by next week and will have every opportunity to establish himself as a workhorse No. 1. The schedule next week is brutal for the Sabres, so "stashing" is the key word.

- The Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn trade to the Los Angeles Kings, in stark contrast to the Johansen-Jones deal, has arguably no fantasy relevance. It would be pretty unexpected to see Lecavalier inspired to return to scoring-line form.

- Similarly, Mike Richards signing with the Capitals has little to no fantasy implications. The asterisk here would be an injury to Nicklas Backstrom or Kuznetsov that would push Richards into a scoring-line role with pretty darn good linemates.