Fantasy Mailbag: Way too early to give up on Tristan Jarry

Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Memo to all current disgruntled fantasy owners: you can breathe a sigh of relief – the fantasy mailbag is back!

With the arrival of another fantasy hockey season comes the second guessing, agitation, frustration and impatience. Fear not, my weekly mailbag — sourced from questions via social media — has returned for another tour of duty. Every Friday during the NHL regular season, I’ll answer your pressing fantasy questions and do my best to steer your squad in the right direction.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to sign up for the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool. Build your roster and compete for a share of $100,000 in cash. This year’s contest comes with a revised scoring system, so make sure to get caught up on the rules and settings before entering.

Now to your questions:

I get your dismay, but it’s way too early to jump ship on Jarry.

For starters, I don’t think Casey DeSmith is capable of stealing that job anyways. Now 29, we pretty much know what he is at this point, and that’s a backup goalie.

Secondly, Jarry was an all-star last season and this is his first shot to be a true No. 1 in the NHL. With that, it’s fair to expect some turbulence along the way. Be patient, give him time.

Do I hold on to Sorokin or do I drop him for DeSmith ?

See above. Hang onto Sorokin, he’s the real deal. His opportunity will come.

Due to his consistent five-on-five attachment to both Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, I’m inclined to side with Yamamoto here.

Over his past 32 regular-season games, the 22-year-old has 13 goals and 30 points. And still, I think he’s being vastly overlooked in the fantasy world.

When it comes to Benn, I still think he has plenty to give from a fantasy perspective. That said, I have no clue how Dallas will come out following a lengthy layoff to start the season due to a COVID-19 outbreak inside the locker room.

Give me Yamamoto.

I’m keeping Yamamoto and Fiala, which means drop Palat.

Considering what we saw from Fiala last season, it would be foolish to cut bait this quickly. Franky, I don’t view Palat on the same level as the other two.

While it’s fair to be excited with Suzuki’s start, I still think there’s way too much upside to move on from Lafreniere this early. Remember, he’s only 19 and on top of that, he hasn’t played meaningful hockey since last spring. Give him some time. In recent games, the Calder candidate has been skating on a line with 2020 Hart Trophy finalist Artemi Panarin. Can’t get much better than on Broadway.

Be patient.

If I were a betting man — and I’ve been known to dabble from time to time — I’d throw some action on this.

Through four games, the Hall/Eichel combo has combined for 12 points – one goal and 11 assists. Given the talent level and track record of both players, they’re just getting started. In general, it will be fascinating to document the Sabres this season.

Considering some of the prolific duos around the NHL — namely in Colorado, Edmonton and Toronto – Hall and Eichel will be hard-pressed to finish top-three. That said, I definitely think they’re fully capable of it.

I know it’s early, but so far, I like what I’ve seen from Talbot and the Wild.

Because I see Minnesota competing for the final playoff spot in the West Division, I could see Talbot finishing mid-pack in wins. If there’s one thing I’ve learned covering this league for the last decade or so, it’s to never count out the Minnesota Wild. In fact, they’ve made the playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons.

Good question.

As more and more teams angle for a tandem share system between the pipes, the notion of owning four goalies in fantasy hockey isn’t as outlandish as it once was. Don’t be afraid to stick with what’s working. If anything, you can make a trade to free up a roster spot down the road. Especially this season, goaltending is so important in fantasy hockey.

As for defence, I wouldn’t have more than one bench replacement. Quite frankly, there’s not enough high-end point-producing blue-line depth league-wide to suggest littering your roster with a plethora of defenders.

For now, just sit tight – let’s just see how this all plays out. DeAngelo showed way too much offensively a season ago to cut bait this soon. I’d wait to the 10-game mark or so.

For now, I wouldn’t view Wood as more than a daily fantasy option at best. Out to a hot 2-1-1 start, I still see the Devils finishing well down the East Division standings. There are far better fantasy options to consider taking a flier on.

In traditional leagues, Giroux is still extremely relevant and reliable.

Given your league settings, however — especially given the added weight to goal scoring — I’d say you’re probably right. He doesn’t shoot much, either. Look elsewhere.

Yes, drop him.

Until Kakko demonstrates some sort of consistency over multiple games, I don’t view him as much of a fantasy option right now. At this point, he’s not playing in the top-six or on the power play. Not much to see here.

For starters, I have no clue regarding the extent of the injury, nor would I like to speculate.

As for expectations, he’ll get plenty of playing time as the rebuild continues this season in Ottawa. Provided he can stay healthy, I can see 20-25 points as an achievable benchmark this season. Fantasy or not, the German has a very bright future.

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