They say that the holiday season brings the best out of people. I guess Dallas Stars ownership didn’t get the memo.
Stars CEO Jim Lites went on an expletive-laden rant to a couple local news outlets on Friday regarding the poor performance of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The 65-year-old ripped the duo for “terrible” play.
The fantasy fallout from this should be intriguing. This episode is likely to blow over and be forgotten about in a week from now.
1. Jokes aside, I fully expect Benn and Seguin to respond positively from this public blasting from Lites. Despite combining for just one assist on Saturday night, Dallas throttled Detroit 5-1. It seems like the team got the message.
2. Speaking of Dallas, backup goalie Anton Khudobin is stealing starts left and right. The 32-year-old has been steady all season long and you just never know when it comes to Ben Bishop’s health. Look to Khudobin if you’re in need of a stream.
3. Be selective when it comes to spot starting Garret Sparks. The 25-year-old will assume Toronto’s No. 1 job with Frederik Andersen out nursing a sore groin. Similar to Louis Domingue earlier this season, Sparks will get you wins but not much more.
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4. In Montreal, pick up Antti Niemi as long as Carey Price sits out with his nagging lower-body injury. Canadiens goalie coach Stéphane Waite deserves a lot of credit for helping to get Niemi’s career back on track. I never thought he’d be fantasy relevant again after his showing in Pittsburgh to start last season. Bravo!
5. You always need to have a contingency plan when you’re a John Gibson owner. The oft-injured Ducks tender is currently dealing with an upper-body ailment. Veteran Chad Johnson may see more starts than normal over the next little while.
6. Rave reviews so far for 20-year-old Carter Hart in Philadelphia. That being said, I’m still skeptical that he’s in the NHL to stay. The Flyers should be very careful with the 2016 second-rounder. Through four appearances, he’s 2-2-0 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
7. Lost in the Hart hoopla is the stellar play of 22-year-old Mackenzie Blackwood for the New Jersey Devils. The Thunder Bay, Ont., native is certainly deserving of a spot on your fantasy roster right now, especially following his first career shutout (37 saves) on Saturday afternoon versus Carolina. In five outings, he’s 2-1-0 with a sparkling 1.58 GAA and an .956 save percentage. Enjoy the run!
8. Not to be outdone, 24-year-old undrafted rookie tender Collin Delia is off to a scintillating start with Chicago. The California product has three wins to go along with a 1.67 GAA and an .957 save-percentage. Don’t sleep on the Blackhawks. They’ve been playing really well over the last month. Pick up Delia.
9. In desperate search for an offensive spark, Avalanche bench boss Jared Bednar has shuffled up Colorado’s top six the last couple of games. Besides the obvious names, J.T. Compher and Matt Nieto could benefit the most. I really like Compher.
In the long run, expect Rantanen-MacKinnon-Landeskog to continue to be a thing. They’re just too good.
10. Need a replacement for Thomas Chabot? Grab Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun. The 20-year-old has four points over the last five games with 15 shots on goal.
Additionally, Jake Muzzin and Darnell Nurse are also excellent substitutes.
11. Excluding Ryan Suter, of course, Jared Spurgeon is the Wild blueliner to own with Matt Dumba on the shelf for the next three months. The 29-year-old will see an uptick in minutes and is already on pace for his first career 40-point campaign.
12. Time to stash Anaheim’s Cam Fowler. The puck moving defenceman has been out since Nov. 12 due to a facial fracture. He’s back skating and is eyeing a mid-January return to the Ducks lineup. Logical candidates to come out of the Anaheim lineup are Josh Mahura or Jacob Larsson.
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13. Just when the Bruins thought they were approaching full health, Charlie McAvoy is back on injured reserve with a lower-body issue and Brad Marchand is dealing with an upper-body injury.
Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk are worth your consideration.
14. Given their recent stretch of mediocrity, there’s a budding buy-low opportunity in Nashville right now. Two attractive names to acquire: P.K. Subban and Viktor Arvidsson, both of whom just recently returned to the lineup from injury.
Take advantage of impatient fantasy owners and buy some stock in Nashville.
15. A second-half player to obtain is Tampa’s Tyler Johnson who’s burst back into fantasy prominence this season. The 28-year-old is currently on pace for a career high in goals (39) and a respectable point output (65). Many forget that Johnson put up 72 points in 2014-15.
The most important note: Johnson has found great chemistry playing on a line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. That’s elite fantasy company. Be all over it!
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16. Even with a great showing at the world juniors in British Columbia, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Wings let Filip Zadina stew in the minors all season long. Burning a year on his entry-level contract could cause complications later with respect to the upcoming expansion process. Temper your expectations.
17. It’s almost a formality at this point that Quinn Hughes will leave Michigan University following his college season and sign with the Vancouver Canucks. I can’t wait to see what type of numbers he puts up with the likes of Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser upfront. The Canucks are a dark-horse sleeper to make the playoffs. Imagine that?
18. Ty Rattie is back on Connor McDavid’s wing. Plan accordingly. The 25-year-old returned to fantasy relevance on Saturday afternoon tallying three assists in a lopsided 7-4 loss to San Jose. Edmonton continues to be impossible to figure out. Good luck.
19. Watch out for the Vegas Golden Knights in the second half of the season. Last year’s Western Conference representative in the Stanley Cup Final will play 15 of the next 24 games on home ice. They’re currently 12-3-3 at T-Mobile Arena.
20. Time for your weekly dose of advice with regards to the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool.
Load up on players from the following squads: CAR, CGY, DAL, DET, EDM, LAK, NJD, NSH, NYR, OTT, PHI, PIT, VAN and WSH. Those 14 teams have four games in seven days.
The Maple Leafs are the least active. They play just twice.
Happy New Year!
