There’s a lot on the line for John Klingberg in the coming weeks.
A motivated player in fantasy hockey is a good one and we’ve seen examples of that this season, with Bo Horvat in a contract year and Jakob Chychrun eyeing a trade. Klingberg is looking to secure both of those. The Anaheim Ducks defenceman signed a one-year prove-it deal this summer in the hopes of parlaying that into a long-term contract, with the knowledge that he would almost certainly be dealt to a contender prior to the deadline.
Klingberg hasn’t done a good job of showing that he’s worthy of either so far. To be fair, Anaheim isn’t exactly an ideal spot to boost your value this season, as the Ducks rank near the bottom of the league in a number of metrics. Klingberg, though, is coming off three goals in his past two games and hopefully the first sign for those rostering him that he’s headed for a good run.
If you wanted to buy low and take a chance on Klingberg, there may not be a better time if you believe pressure and desperation yields results. In a lot of ways, the 30-year-old is playing for his long-term future.
It might be now or never for Klingberg.
1. All the attention around the Toronto Maple Leafs recently revolved around Mitch Marner’s 23-game point streak, but quietly, Michael Bunting put together an impressive run of his own. Bunting finally had a 10-game point-streak snapped Saturday night after a very strong stretch. Perhaps more importantly, Bunting looks more like the player that scored 63 points a season ago, getting to the front of the net regularly and scoring from the blue paint, instead of the player that was bumped down the lineup earlier this season for not finding the scoresheet and lacking consistency. It's not always easy for someone of Bunting’s skillset to keep up with elite players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, but he’s proving again to be the perfect compliment to Toronto’s top forwards. Bunting seems to have solidified his spot on the first line once again and is on a trajectory to get close to another 60-point campaign.
2. There’s been a lot of stop and start to Dawson Mercer this year. Mercer had a fairly quiet beginning to the season, before recently picking up 10 points in 10 games, which made him a popular waiver wire add for this week. The New Jersey Devils forward then proceeded to go pointless in three straight and continues to shuffle back and forth from the top six to the bottom six. I’m not sure it really makes sense to hold Mercer long term right now. The consistent production and deployment just hasn’t been there.
3. It looks like Jason Robertson has officially come back down to earth. After a torrid start of 23 goals in his first 25 games, Robertson now hasn’t scored in seven straight. The Dallas Stars forward has a friendly schedule coming up, though, with Columbus, Montreal, San Jose, and Anaheim over the next couple of weeks. I don’t think it will be long before he starts filling the net again.
4. It’s officially flu season and thus, we’re starting to see more and more players end up as surprise scratches because of illnesses. Carter Verhaeghe, Brock Boeser, and Elias Lindholm all missed time for this reason recently. Be sure to double check your roster right around warmups so you can plan accordingly in case any of your players will be held out of the lineup at the last minute.
5. Pavel Francouz is starting to put some pressure on Alex Georgiev. If you compare their past seven games, Francouz has played far better, going 4-3-0 with a .923 save percentage, while Georgiev is sporting a mark of 2-4-1 with an .887. The Avs are barely clinging to a playoff spot and Francouz received back-to-back starts earlier this week, so don’t be surprised if they start riding the hot hand a bit more. If Francouz takes the reins and the Avlanche get healthy, he could be a season-saving waiver pickup. Just something to keep an eye on.
6. There was some surprising news this week, as Josh Norris removed his non-contact sweater to practice with the Ottawa Senators. When Norris was originally injured there was some thought he would miss significant time and possibly even the entire season. That no doubt resulted in Norris being dropped in a number of leagues by those that didn’t want him occupying an IR spot for that long, as he’s only 55% rostered now. It’s a good practice to circle back on impact fantasy options that have been out for a while to see if they are available. Someone like Norris could be a difference maker.
7. While you’re checking in on Norris, do the same for Ryan Hartman. The Minnesota Wild forward appears headed for an imminent return and it will be curious to see where he slots into the lineup. Hartman was off to a slow start before being injured and Sam Steel has now claimed the centre spot between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. Hartman provides a lot of category coverage when he’s on his game and he’ll try to make it challenging for Steel to keep his spot.
8. Nicklas Backstrom is also inching closer to getting back in the lineup. I’d imagine this will eventually bump Dylan Strome off of Alexander Ovechkin’s line and potentially cost him some power play time. Strome was having a strong season, so you’ll want to monitor how this plays out if you’re rostering him. Hopefully he at least stays in the top six.
9. No one is safe from John Tortorella’s wrath. Kevin Hayes and his 29 points in 31 games were benched Thursday night and scratched Saturday on a pivotal fantasy night. It’s the risk you run carrying someone on a Tortorella coached team.
10. It’s been an uncharacteristic few games for Ilya Sorokin. The New York Islanders netminder is one of the best at his craft, but he’s lost five straight games and has given up 13 goals in his past three. That includes a five-spot against the Arizona Coyotes earlier in the week. I don’t think there’s anything to be alarmed about and I’m sure he’ll get back on track eventually. Still, it’s been a tough year for goalies in fantasy and you can add Sorokin’s name to the list of high-profile puck stoppers that have endured tough stretches.
11. Tage Thompson is now on pace for 67 goals this season. Is he a top-10 pick in next year’s fantasy drafts?
12. Craig Anderson continues to fend off Father Time. The 41-year-old is now 7-4-1 this season with a .922 save percentage and is still very fantasy relevant. Anderson just seems to be getting better with age.
13. I did not have Pheonix Copley stealing the net for the Los Angeles Kings on my bingo card this year. We might not be all the way there yet, but it’s getting close. Copley has started three straight and he’s had four quality starts in five outings overall, including an impressive win over the vaunted Boston Bruins. With Cal Petersen getting sent down and Jonathan Quick struggling, the Kings are desperate for saves. I don’t think Copley provides as much value as Pyotr Kochetkov, but the situations are certainly similar for an incredible waiver wire steal. The opportunity is there for Copley to step in and the
Kings are a strong team in front of him. If you need goalie, you don’t have much to lose by taking a chance on Copley.
14. The goaltending hasn’t been the only disappointing thing for the Kings this season. Adrian Kempe endured a tough stretch where he scored only twice in 19 games. That’s a far cry from the 35 he tallied last year. Kempe has now scored four times in his past five games, though, to at least put him back on pace for around 30 this season and given GMs a reason to keep him around.
15. After four games without a point, Chandler Stephenson now has 10 points in his past nine, which included a four-assist outing against the Winnipeg Jets. Much of this stretch has come with Jack Eichel sidelined, too. Stephenson has really come into his own this season.
16. Only one goal for Kirby Dach in his past 17 games and he’s had one shot or less nine times over that stretch. He’s still picking up the occasional assist, but Dach is also being moved off the Montreal Canadiens top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield here and there. Dach’s value has definitely slipped a bit.
17. Both the Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights are dealing with a myriad of injuries on the blue line and Conor Timmins and Daniil Miromanov are taking advantage of increased roles. Timmins has six points in his past five games and Miromanov has four in his last three. They could be a short-term asset until their respective defence corps get healthy.
18. Nik Schmaltz could offer some help if your team lacks offence. You might remember he had a strong second half last year and finished with 59 points in 63 games, and this year he’s clicking at a similar pace with 11 points in 14 contests. If Schmaltz can stay healthy, he’s worth considering in points leagues.
19. Jakub Vrana has rejoined the Detroit Red Wings, giving them a boost. Dylan Larkin also avoided a significant injury recently, meaning other than the still injured Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit’s top six is the closest to full strength as it’s been in quite some time. I wonder if the lack of continuity in the Red Wings’ top two lines this season is contributing to Lucas Raymond’s sophomore slump.
20. Amazingly, Brandon Hagel is still only 30% rostered, despite scoring two goals in two straight games and putting up eight points in his past four. He’s now up to 26 points in 30 games. If he’s still available in your league, don’t hesitate to grab him.
