Every Sunday this season, we’ll share 20 Fantasy Thoughts from the writers at Dobber Hockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week’s “Daily Ramblings” on DobberHockey.com.
1. No Marian Hossa for the Blackhawks again Friday night as he continues to nurse a lower-body injury. That meant more top-six time for Teuvo Teravainen who has enjoyed a three-game scoring streak with Hossa out. The Blackhawks are hopeful Hossa returns soon, so Teravainen doesn’t make for the safest waiver pickup. He’s a cheap guy to grab in daily fantasy if Hossa can’t play on Sunday.
2. If the Devils can stay competitive (though the underlying figures suggest they may not) how valuable does Cory Schneider become as a fantasy asset? Top 5? Top 3? The Devils are getting outscored on the season and are getting outshot by 1.9 shots per game. They are one of the lowest shooting teams in the league. They’ll go only as far as Schneider can carry them. He’s wicked, but I’m keeping him right around 10th in my rankings and I’d sell high for someone like Braden Holtby or Ben Bishop if I could.
3. Whenever Pavel Datsyuk returns, I feel like Niklas Kronwall will take off a little bit. The whole Red Wings team will, really. They can definitely use a kick in the butt because they are getting outshot by 7.1 shots per game, while averaging a league-low 25.4 shots. The fact they have scored as many goals as they’ve allowed is a testament to their goaltending, which has been stellar thus far.
4. Neither Mrazek nor Jimmy Howard has separated himself in the Red Wings goal. Though Howard does have the more impressive rate statistics, Mrazek has made one more start. Ultimately, this looks like anyone’s crease and it will take someone collapsing to swing it one way or another.
5. It is worth pointing out that five of Howard’s six starts have come at home, while six of Mrazek’s seven have come on the road. Maybe this is a coincidence, but it shows slightly more confidence in Mrazek’s abilities.
6. The Penguins are thoroughly intriguing. Despite all their forward talent, and their weak defence group, this is the league’s best defensive team, tied for a league-low 1.77 goals-against per game. They’ve also got the league’s second best penalty kill. Good news for Marc-Andre Fleury owners (and those who got Jeff Zatkoff in for just his second start of the season!) but not so much for those hoping for a big offensive explosion.
7. Without Connor McDavid in the lineup, Nail Yakupov skated with Benoit Pouliot and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Yakupov will see a drop off with McDavid out, but I wonder if it’ll be that steep since he’s occupying the same role, just with the Nuge as his centreman instead. I figure the drop-off can’t be more than five points over the 30-40 games McDavid will miss. That would push Yakupov from a 50-point guy with a chance at 60 points to a 45-point guy with a chance at 55. I think fantasy owners would still live with that total. Monitor the situation.
8. Leon Draisaitl shifted to centre, as expected, and skated with Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. That’s a plum spot, but like Yakupov, Draisaitl isn’t seeing time on the top power play unit, which limits his upside. Ultimately I don’t think Draisaitl will even get to 40 points. Thirty points is only even probable because of his hot start to the season.
9. Ryan Getzlaf returned for his first game since his appendectomy and made some sweet, sweet music with Corey Perry. They combined to create the Ducks’ first three goals, notching three assists apiece. Only a matter of time folks. Now, I suspect these two will start rolling. Who comes along for the ride? Friday night it was Patrick Maroon who was skating with Getzlaf and Perry at even strength and on the power play.
10. Maroon makes for a great daily fantasy option in the short term. And you might even make a waiver claim in your season-long league if you need some help right now. Not a long-term solution, though. I guarantee that by Black Friday Maroon will be scratched or on the third line, while someone like Jiri Sekac takes his spin with the big guns.
11. I was asked the other day about my preference between David Savard and Ryan Murray. Savard seems the clear choice. Under John Tortorella he is getting the top power play minutes alongside Jack Johnson. Savard has five points in eight games under Tortorella, helping to make up for a slow start to the season.
12. It was only a matter of time but Nikita Kucherov is really rolling with three goals and six points in the past four games. What’s funny is that the Triplets aren’t even skating together right now. Instead it’s Ondrej Palat up on the top line with Steven Stamkos and Valtteri Filppula, while Alex Killorn has grabbed Palat’s spot alongside Kucherov and Tyler Johnson. I imagine the Triplets will be back together soon enough.
13. John Carlson just ended a four-game slide with a goal and an assist to push him to 12 points in 12 games. If he isn’t in your top 10 fantasy defencemen, I need to see that list and make some edits.
14. David Krejci is already experiencing a little bit of regression as he hasn’t scored in three straight contests. I was hoping he’d keep up the production a while longer to really maximize his sell-high status. Nine games of elite production isn’t enough to trick most people these days.
15. Just when I was getting super stoked about Michael Stone, the Coyotes go back to running four forwards on their top power-play unit. Mikkel Boedker was out there for almost eight minutes alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson. If there’s any saving grace it’s that the Coyote power play went 0-for-6, despite the Avalanche constantly handing them chances. Stone went minus-1 with two SOG in just 18:34 of action. I want to see if the Coyotes stick with the four-forward approach before relegating Stone back to waivers.
16. Colton Parayko continues to produce in Kevin Shattenkirk’s absence putting up a pair of assists on Wednesday night. Ride him until he goes cold. I still think 40 points is the absolute maximum for Parayko so please don’t overvalue him.
17. David Perron scored his first goal of the season on Wednesday. He has bounced up and down the Penguins’ roster, but seems to have settled on to the second line alongside Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel with three points in the past five games. Those are his only points of the season. His ceiling is limited because of a lack of time on the top power play unit, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him score at a 50-point pace the rest of the way.
18. Andre Burakovsky is pointless and minus-5 in his past five games. At this point there is a risk that healthy scratches are on the way. Rookies and sophomores rarely get a lot of rope to work through slumps, especially under Barry Trotz.
19. Matt Duchene is finally shaking the cobwebs. Two goals Tuesday night, four points in his past four games. He’s the No. 1 guy I’ve been asked about over the past week. Lots of poolies were looking to trade him or had him offered to them. In all cases I said to hold him (or acquire him). I don’t think he goes nuts and gives us a 70-point season, or even 65. But he’s sure better than this and a definite ‘buy low’ player.
20. TJ Brodie has been back for five games now and he has three points with a plus-5. Dennis Wideman has one point in those five games and a minus-9. He had a great start and made me wonder if I would eat my words, but now he’s back on track…to falter. With Mark Giordano and Brodie healthy and Dougie Hamilton there, Wideman’s role isn’t ideal for his skill set anymore. I hope you moved him already.
