The Rocket Richard race is officially on.
With 12 goals in the past 15 games, Auston Matthews has catapulted himself back into the conversation to win the dubious award for the second-straight season.
Stache or no stache, the 24-year-old Leafs centre has an uphill climb ahead of himself to catch the likes of Leon Draisaitl and Alex Ovechkin who, by the way, has won nine of these bad boys in his illustrious career.
At any rate, the way he’s been cooking lately, Matthews should be a staple on your Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool roster going forward. In general, you can find tremendous goal-scoring value right now:
Now to your questions:
Yeah, I think you made out quite well in that deal.
In case you missed it, video surfaced of Eichel skating in Charlotte this week, there’s no question he wants to try and play in the Olympics. Considering what you gave up, I’d be extremely ecstatic with the move. For rest of season purposes, I view Stone as a top-30 fantasy file.
The best is yet to come for Stone, especially with a potential Eichel return looming in the periphery.
@Zachary68143600 asks: What would be a good return for Mark Stone? In a 12 team multi-category league that counts pims, hits, and faceoffs. My thinking is: Stone scores a bunch both on and off the power play but, doesn’t provide much value in other categories.
That’s a tricky one because he’s missed so much time. Having said that, I think you’re dealing with a top-20 fantasy file when healthy, so approach your trade discussions with that firmly in mind. Not for anything, but unless you’re getting an unbelievable deal, I wouldn’t be so motivated to trade him right now. He’s a horse, just give him some time.
In general, Vegas is in line for a monster second half of the season. You should be buying on Golden Knights stock.
It’s fair to expect a bit of regression, but I don’t see why they can’t stay fantasy relevant all season long — at the very least. We’re reaching a large enough sample size that allows for some conclusions to be drawn. For what it’s worth, I’m chalking it up to three players who are playing up to their capabilities. I mean, it’s not like this is totally random and out of the ordinary, right? Believe it or not, career resurgences do happen from time to time. Enjoy it!
Echoing my thoughts from a couple weeks back, I would continue to try and execute a sell-high for Terry. As long as the American sniper continues to produce, which he has been, I don’t think dropping him is a viable option right now. Hold on Terry.
Furthermore, I’d find a way to add Zegras and subtract someone else off your roster. The way Anaheim’s been scoring, there’s no shame in owning multiple Ducks on your team. By the way, Zegras has 12 points over his past nine outings; grab him.
As tough as this stretch has been for the Flyers, I’d be inclined to hold onto Hart for the time being. It’s a long season, it’s easy to lose track of that. I still think Philadelphia has another push in them. Then again, I could be completely wrong.
Additionally, I love Oettinger, but that crowded Stars crease makes me hesitant to roster him over a bona fide No. 1 like Hart. Monitor closely.
@dente47 asks: Tage Thompson worth a pickup over Jarvis, Couterier, Verhagee?
Thompson’s worth a flier, just not at the expense of cutting Couturier or Verhaeghe specifically. To be fair, I probably still like Jarvis a bit more than Thompson right now. Just put him on your watch list for now.
@Yourpaldan1 asks: What to do with Kirby Dach in a keeper league?
At this point, I think you’re safe to drop him and move on. You can always circle back down the road, it’s not like opposing managers are lining up to grab him. Maybe look at the trade route first? Like many others his age, Dach’s failed to find consistency at the NHL level thus far. Slow and steady wins the race.
Be patient with Ehlers, he’ll breakout eventually. He’s too good to continue slumping. Also, I’d give a slight edge to Palat, but it’s super close.
@Janders019 asks: Sell high on Dubois?
Yeah, I’d certainly entertain that idea. Personally, I think Dubois has hit his value peak for the season and I wonder what he can do if he’s not playing with the red-hot Kyle Connor. If you get the right offer, make the move! I’m all about maximizing value, you know that.
Accept it.
Far and away, Marner is the best fantasy player in the deal, not only now but in the future too. Pulling the trigger on this trade is a no-brainer.
