The best holiday gift for Oilers fans in 2018 may actually turn out to be their new head coach.
Out of the four NHL teams to do so thus far this season, the Edmonton Oilers – far and away – have benefited the greatest from making a coaching change. Since Ken Hitchcock replaced Todd McLellan on November 20th, the Oilers have surrendered 21 goals over a nine-game span where they’ve gone 6-2-1.
Suffice it to say, Edmonton’s renewed attention to detail defensively has propelled them back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
1. It’s a small sample size but Cam Talbot has won back-to-back starts for the first time since late October. The 31-year-old has surrendered a total of seven goals over his last three appearances. With defensive wizard Ken Hitchcock now in town, expect those numbers to keep on rising. Talbot and Mikko Koskinen will each get their fair share of playing time.
2. Jake Allen is finally turning a corner. Although St. Louis is just 3-4-0 under interim head coach Craig Berube, they’ve really tightened things up defensively. Over his last 10 appearances, Allen is 3-3-3 with a 1.92 goals against average and a .934 save-percentage. Those numbers are still relatively unknown so I think that the 28-year-old Allen can still be had for cheap on the fantasy trade market right now. Be alert.
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3. Having some trouble trying to find a suitable replacement for the injured Alex Pietrangelo? The logical in-house candidates in St. Louis are Colton Parayko or Vince Dunn.
Here are some external looks:
EDM Oscar Klefbom
TOR Jake Gardiner
DET Mike Green
ANA Brandon Montour
CHI Duncan Keith
4. Don’t read much into William Nylander’s (C/RW) lack of production and line assignments thus far. It’ll take him a bit of time to shake off the rust. Once he’s up to speed, Mike Babcock will be running him out there shift after shift with Auston Matthews (C).
5. With both Matt Duchene (C) and Bobby Ryan (LW/RW) now out for the foreseeable future in Ottawa, I wonder how head coach Guy Boucher will adapt. I think the Senators will have to sacrifice some offence for defence to stay competitive. Ottawa is currently ranked sixth in the NHL in goals per game (3.47). It’s not a great time to own a lot of Senators players.
6. Looking for a nightly streamer idea? Pick up any available Lightning forward. Tampa has seven players with at least 20 points and 10 players with at least five goals scored. Try Mathieu Joseph (RW), Cedric Paquette (C), J.T. Miller (C/LW/RW) and/or Anthony Cirelli (C) out assuming they’re available, of course.
7. Speaking of a daily play, stay on top of who’s skating with Alex Ovechkin (LW) and Nick Backstrom (C) on Washington’s top-line. There’s a significant vacancy on the right wing with Tom Wilson (RW) out nursing a concussion. Todd Reirden has Andre Burakovsky (LW/RW) there right now but I expect Jakub Vrana (LW/RW) and Brett Connolly (LW/RW) to get a shot eventually too.
8. Updating the goalie infirmary:
Arizona Coyotes – Adin Hill is worth a short-term add while Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper continue to nurse their ailments.
Buffalo Sabres – Carter Hutton is dealing with an upper-body issue; Grab Linus Ullmark.
Carolina Hurricanes – Curtis McElhinney is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury; Petr Mrazek owns the crease now.
Florida Panthers – Roberto Luongo is back; I’d look to trade him as soon as possible due to age and recent injury history.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Jon Cooper said Andrei Vasilevskiy is still a few weeks away from a potential return (fractured foot); Louis Domingue is a must-own right now.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Matt Murray is back skating and inching closer to a return from his lower-body injury; Even when Murray returns, I’d hold onto Casey DeSmith for a bit, given Murray’s extensive injury history.
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9. Speaking of Murray, I’d consider him a pretty decent buy-low candidate right now despite everything stated above. It’s a legitimate risk to acquire the two Stanley Cup champion but the reward could be fruitful. Proceed with caution.
10. I’d highly recommend benching Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk for a couple of starts until he gets his groove back. After a hot October, the 32-year-old’s game has gone south in a hurry. Dubnyk has surrendered 31 goals over his last nine appearances. No need to freak out either. It’s the ebbs and flows of an NHL season.
11. You should be all over Gustav Nyquist (LW/RW) this season. The 29-year-old is having a sensational contract year so far. He has five goals in the last seven games, now up to seven tallies and 26 points in 31 games this season. The expectation is that the Red Wings will move Nyquist to a contender at the trade deadline.
12. If you have the roster room, I’d stash Ilya Kovalchuk (LW/RW). Due to an ankle issue, the 35-year-old isn’t expected back until the new year. Also, I’m well aware that before his injury, the former Atlanta Thrashers captain had fallen way out of favour with new bench boss Willie Desjardins. One way or another, that situation will be rectified. He’ll either return and start to produce or the Kings will ship him out of town.
13. Speaking of trades, Daniel Sprong (RW) recently landed in Anaheim by way of Pittsburgh and due to injuries and lack of depth, he’s being utilized in a top-six role. Perhaps a change in scenery helps the Amsterdam born winger get his career back on track. Weekly play.
14. Same goes for Josh Leivo (LW/RW), who was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks. The 25-year-old was squeezed out of Toronto due to the return of Nylander. Trust me, Leivo will get plenty of ice time with the lottery destined Canucks. If the first couple of games are any indication, you may find substantial value in a streamer pick up here. He’s been lining up with Elias Pettersson (C) and Brock Boeser (RW) five-on-five while also skating upfront on the number-one power play unit. Sounds sexy to me.
15. You can find tremendous fantasy value by acquiring Boston’s Charles McAvoy. After missing 20 games with a concussion, the 20-year-old is back in the Bruins lineup. In limited time this season, the 20-year-old has produced like an elite fantasy defenceman (9 GP: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P). He was a plus-4 in Saturday’s 6-3 rout over the Maple Leafs. Keep in mind that McAvoy is in a contract year (RFA) and certainly has aspirations of a lucrative long-term contract extension.
16. Now’s the time to pounce on obtaining James van Riemsdyk (LW). After a six-game pointless drought, a promotion to Philadelphia’s top line Saturday afternoon in Buffalo sparked a two-point performance (1 G, 1 A). Never sleep on JVR. He’s an elite power play contributor and one of the best finishers in the league in-close. Acquire him!
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17. Considering Carolina’s need for help up the middle and their continued issues scoring goals, I’d wager to guess Janne Kuokkanen (C) may be NHL bound sooner rather than later. The Hurricanes’ 2016 second rounder has 11 goals and 26 points in 25 games this season for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. Kuokkanen was held pointless in his four NHL games last season for the big club.
18. Staying with the Canes, 29-year-old Scott Darling has played well since being sent to the farm. He’s 3-1-0 with a 2.24 goals against average and a .911 save-percentage. I’ll keep you updated as the season moves along. Even with the McElhinney injury, Carolina elected to call up Alex Nedeljkovic and not Darling. There’s nothing wrong with that. Eventually, I expect Darling to be back in Raleigh, provided he can iron some things out.
19. The Pavel Buchnevich (RW) watch is on again. The 23-year-old has been sidelined since October 28th due to a broken thumb but is expected back in the Rangers lineup this week. Even while spending most of the early season in David Quinn’s doghouse, Buchnevich was still able to notch five goals and nine points in 14 games. In this case, I’d play with fire. It’s a contract year for Buchnevich.
20. Time to set your rosters for the upcoming week in the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool (December 10th – 16th).
It would be intelligent to fill your lineup with players from Arizona, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Those 10 teams have four-game weeks.
Everyone else – but Anaheim – suits up three times. The Ducks play just twice so steer clear of them.
You’re all set.
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