I don’t spend too much time writing about Cale Makar.
What do you really need to say about someone who’s as elite and as consistent as Makar? In fantasy hockey, there are a number of very good players, but only a select few you never really have to worry about going into a slump or struggling. Makar is one.
Makar recently had three assists in three straight games, and yet it somehow feels he’s still flying under the radar a bit. An injury last season limited Makar to just 60 games and he amazingly had an ADP of only 13.1 this season, a steal if you grabbed the Avalanche defenceman in the early second round. Having a blueliner who can score at the rate of an elite forward gives your squad a huge advantage and made Makar the perfect pick this year in a snake draft, if you had two picks in a row late in the first and early in the second round.
Another reason Makar may not be receiving as much attention is the Canucks’ Quinn Hughes is taking his game to another level. Hughes leads the league in scoring with 31 points and is having a Norris-worthy season. Makar, though, currently has a better points-per-game average than Hughes.
Even if the hype around Makar is a little quieter in 2023-24, I don’t think those rostering him will mind. Makar’s play speaks for itself.
Let’s get to your questions:
Definitely give Brandon Montour more time. He was a 73-point player last season and he’s going to get big minutes and top power-play time with the Florida Panthers. It’s not going to be long before he starts producing. A few games aren’t enough to give up on Montour.
I’m not sure I’d go as far as saying he’s arrived, but Marco Rossi is certainly in the best position he’s ever been in for fantasy relevance. I think there’s a decent chance Rossi sticks on the top line as long as he doesn’t go on a huge dry spell. Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello are really talented, so Rossi could reach 60 points in a best-case scenario. It would be nice if he improved his shot volume, though.
Both they and the Calgary Flames have been a bit better lately, with Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm each recording five points in their past four games. Lindholm especially looks more engaged as well, with some improvements in shot volume, hits, blocks and faceoff wins over this stretch.
A lot depends on what you’re giving up here if you have to buy low. We’ve seen flashes from someone like Huberdeau before in Calgary, but he’s never been able to sustain any kind of consistent production. Plus, the Flames have a really challenging schedule coming up. Huberdeau and Lindholm will be tested with Dallas, Colorado, Vegas and then Dallas again in their next four games. It wouldn’t be shocking to see their offence cool off.
I’d be more cautious if you had to give up something significant in a trade. There’s no doubt there’s a fantasy GM or two that are trying to capitalize on this recent stretch to move on from them and get something decent in return. But in this case, if Huberdeau and Lindholm are sitting on waivers in your league, it’s different. That’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward move.
I’d try to keep both if you can. I’m always cautious about dropping players of this calibre for a short-term fix because it usually doesn’t take long to regret the move. Kris Letang is still at least effective for blocks and hits, and John Carlson should come around offensively. If you really think there’s a better long-term option on waivers you can consider it, but otherwise, I’d exercise a little patience.
It is a bit frustrating because I’ve noticed they haven’t been as generous with the position designations this season. The last update I see is from Nov. 9 and nothing since. There was once an option for league commissioners to control this and add eligibility to players if everyone agreed, but I’m not sure if that’s still available. The most challenging position is centre because there aren’t as many dual players this season, so sometimes you end up benching someone because you can’t fit them in your lineup. I ended up having to drop Logan Cooley for this reason because I simply didn’t have any room for him. It’s something I think we’re just going to have to live with, unfortunately.
It’s hard to speculate on injuries, but it doesn’t look good for John Klingberg. He’s clearly battling something substantial and now he’s on long-term injured reserve. I don’t think he’s worth rostering at this point.
I’m not really panicking where Zach Werenski is concerned. He has points in six of his past seven games, including a huge four-point effort earlier in the week, and is still getting big minutes. Werenski and Ivan Provorov are still producing fine on that Columbus Blue Jackets blue line. I think there’s a tendency to abandon everyone on a struggling team, but that’s not always wise. We’ve seen plenty of examples of fantasy-relevant players on bad teams.
I think it’s probably safe to drop Frederik Andersen. It sounds like he has a fairly serious issue and the top priority was just his general health and not returning this season. There’s a possibility he could return much later this season, but it seems like a long shot he’ll be available to play enough to really help your team. If you need the space I think you can let him go.
He’s been effective but Mason Lohrei only has a few points, isn’t getting power-play time and has low shot volume. Unless Charlie McAvoy or Hampus Lindholm get injured, I don’t see Lohrei having major fantasy value. I’d put him on my watch list but wouldn’t add Lohrei yet.
I’m not an insider so I can’t really speak to the interest, but one could deduce the Edmonton Oilers would be in the goalie market. Given the Oilers’ tight cap situation, I think it may rule out Jake Allen, meaning Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau might be the most likely fits. If I were the Oilers, I’d target Montembeault as a rental and see how it goes. He’s posted respectable numbers on weaker Montreal Canadiens teams. Montembeault would have good fantasy value in that scenario.
I don’t really have any insight into the severity but it sounds like it’s at least going to be a situation where Artturi Lehkonen is going to miss a number of weeks. If you have the IR space, it doesn’t hurt to hold him. As for the goalies, I’d take my chances with Joey Daccord because Philipp Grubauer really hasn’t given us any reason to be optimistic about him during his time with the Seattle Kraken. Though I’m not sure either is a really great option.
I think those two will improve a bit but your point about being too thin is real. People forget that the Minnesota Wild have almost $15 million in dead cap this season because of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts. It’s really hard to compete with that much cap space unavailable.
Definitely Ilya Sorokin. He has Vezina-level talent, even if it isn’t translating right now. I wouldn’t give up a top-level winger, though, as I always think you can find great value with goalies on waivers or late in drafts. If you get Sorokin on a really sweet deal, go for it, but if they are asking too much just pass on the trade and maybe offer something less for Stuart Skinner or have a peek to see what’s out there on waivers.
I prefer Thomas Harley just slightly, mostly for his peripheral stats, and I think he has a little more upside than Nils Lundkvist.
Kaprizov or Kyle Connor going forward? (Bangers league, not that it much matters with those two)
Definitely Kyle Connor for me. His numbers were down a bit last season but that was because of a lower than normal shooting percentage. Connor has a 19.4 shooting percentage and even if that comes down somewhat, he should still be able to have a very productive season. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that he reaches 50 goals.
I’m not sure I’d go much higher than that. That’s a pretty big offer and I’m guessing it’s going to take a massive deal to get Jack Hughes. It would obviously be great to have Hughes but you don’t want to overpay and cripple the rest of your roster in the process. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s just not feasible to add a player, even if they are as talented as Hughes.
What are your thoughts about Reichel and Korchinski getting promoted in Chicago? Worth a look?
Put them on your watch list but don’t add just yet. The Chicago Blackhawks don’t have a very good power play and neither Lukas Reichel or Kevin Korchinski have been offensive forces this season. I’d temper your expectations.
I always like quality over quantity. Give me someone like Logan Thompson or Joseph Woll over Elvis Merzlikins any day. The more you play someone like Merzlikins, the more you risk a bad game destroying your stats. Quality timeshare options are also great for wins, which is the most predictable stat for a goalie. I’d always try to target those and then try to capitalize on the quality starts when you can. A lot more has to go right for goalies who play a lot on a weaker team to provide value.
I would take both Nick Schmaltz and Quinton Byfield over Eeli Tolvanen because Tolvanen can be a bit streaky. If I had to choose between the two, though, I’m going with Byfield. He’s in a better spot playing next to Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, and has more upside than Schmaltz. We know Schmaltz is probably a 60-point player at this point, but Byfield hasn’t really scratched the surface of what he’s capable of yet.
Should I drop Kuzmenko for Haula? Also holding Boldy waiting for something, what do you think?
It’s definitely tempting because Erik Haula is playing with Jack Hughes, but I think Andrei Kuzmenko has more staying power. My concern with Haula is that the New Jersey Devils top six is likely going to shift when Nico Hischier and Timo Meier get healthy. Haula will probably drop down at that point. Kuzmenko should be in a better spot throughout the rest of the season.
As for Matt Boldy, I don’t think he’s going to be this quiet all season and his value is very low. I’d hold out for another week or so and hope he gets going.
Love your content! Outlook on Woll, I see him dropping off
Woll is a fine option who should play one or two times per week. It doesn’t look like he’s going to take over the net from Ilya Samsonov, but he’s still part of a strong tandem on a really good team. Nothing wrong with that.
It’s so tough. I think it depends on where your team is at in the standings. If you’re comfortably in a playoff spot, maybe you hold on a little longer. But if you’re getting desperate and both are really hurting your team, it’s probably time to start looking at other options. There just aren’t a lot of positive signs from Stuart Skinner or Filip Gustavsson to cling to.
You could do that. I think both players have similar value but Oliver Bjorkstrand is playing better at the moment. Just don’t get too caught up in that recent four-point game from Bjorkstrand. He’s a streaky player and you shouldn’t expect that kind of offence on a regular basis.
