We’re a few weeks into the season and there are definitely a few slow starts that I’m looking into, some that I certainly didn’t expect to have to worry about so soon.
Vitek Vanecek – Goalkeepers are the definition of fickleness, and that’s especially the case in small samples. When that goalkeeper is on a new team and has to get used to a new set of defenders alongside the starter, he gets another chance. Mackenzie Blackwood got rocked the other night and then Vanecek put on a strong showing against Detroit may be a sign the tide is changing though.
Jonathan Huberdeau – Huberdeau’s points aren’t that far behind his pace from last year, a few rebounds and he’s back. What is concerning are the rest of his numbers. His time on the ice has fallen to levels he hasn’t seen since his sophomore year a decade ago (less than 17 minutes per game). Hubs is also being used in a more defensive role than in previous years. He was starting 70% of his shifts in the offensive zone last year, and this year that number has dropped to 45%.
There is an adjustment period for players with new teams, but especially when there is such a drastic change in usage and expectations. There’s going to be a drop from last season, and that may be especially true for shot totals and other peripherals. At least his teammate Nazem Kadri has adapted well. It probably won’t be long before these two are brought together in a bid to trigger Huberdeau, which should work as Lindholm’s line will likely continue to be the defensive liability, while a Huberdeau/Kadri combination would feast of all the offensive starts they could handle.
Kyle Connor – Winnipeg was very inconsistent at the start of the year, and it affected everyone throughout the roster. Like Huberdeau, with the new coach, Connor’s ice time and shooting rate have dropped slightly this year. He also only shoots 5%, three times less than his career average. Tie his shooting percentage to his career average with two extra goals and he’s pretty close to his usual self. Nothing to worry about here, especially with the easy schedule that Winnipeg has coming up over the next three weeks.
Pavel Buchnevich – The nagging injury that has sidelined him since Game 1 has been hard to see, but Buch has made the most of his only game so far. The problem is that when daily injuries last longer than expected, they almost always end up being a core issue for the rest of the season as the player decides to just play. The Blues also need help because overall they haven’t put together a ton of offense yet and have had one of the lightest schedules in the NHL so far.
Rick has a deeper dive on Buchnevich in this week’s Forum Buzz. He also needs a few more questions for this month’s monthly mail. To ask him your question, you can either send a private message “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey forums, or send an e-mail to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.
Teuvo Teravainen – He was dropped in one of my leagues before, and I got him back as soon as he left waivers (the perks of being up at odd hours trying to get a kid back to sleep from a year). He’s been one of the most consistent wingers over the past five years, scoring at least at a 60-point pace in four of the past five seasons (the only one he hasn’t been a campaign cut short by a wound) .
This year, he’s playing with the same linemates, with the same ice time, posting his usual shot numbers, and his underlying numbers are in line with his usual outlook. The biggest problem is that he has yet to put the puck in the net on 16 shots. Much like Kyle Connor, if he returned to his career norm for shooting percentage, there would be nothing to talk about here as he would be right at his usual 65-point pace.
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Last night we saw a few rookies take bigger opportunities due to a few injuries, and those situations are worth watching.
Miro Heiskanen missed the game with an undisclosed upper body injury. Nils Lundkvist saw his ice time jump and was on the ice for the most power-play ice time of any star last night. He hasn’t scored a point, but is still three points in seven games, and if Heiskanen is out for a while, Lundkvist’s goal scoring rate should top one point every two games.
Ondrej Palat was also a late addition to the injury list, and we saw Alexander Holtz take his place in the top nine. He couldn’t find the scoresheet, but with his shooting and how dominant New Jersey’s offense has been this year, coming to the opposition in waves, Holtz should fit in smoothly.
Erik Haula took Palat’s place on the front row, spending the game alongside Jack Hughes and the scorching Jesper Bratt. Haula is still looking for his first point of the season, but he’s worth signing up for as long as he’s on that line, and brings a wide array of peripherals to boot. He first received an assist last night on Hughes’ goal but it was later taken away. It’s just a matter of time.
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Last night was Matt Grzelcyk’s third game after returning from injury. He has points in all three, though he still hasn’t usurped Hampus Lindholm on the first unit on the power play. This unit has been absolutely dominant for the Bruins, and if Lindholm holds onto this for about two months until McAvoy returns, then it’s definitely worth owning, and may also be a cheaper DFS game in the short term.
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In another injury comeback, Patrik Laine played his second game of the season and was back a week earlier than expected. He didn’t have much of an impact on the game, but he will be amped up for future games in Finland and will cry out to be a big help for the Blue Jackets as they look to break their big slump with the game. advantage of man. They are now 0-17, which is a big surprise considering how competent their top unit is, and that on paper they have a strong second unit. It won’t be long down.
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Alex Stalock turned in another entertaining performance last night in the Blackhawks’ win. I’m not kidding, he’s the most entertaining keeper I’ve seen in a while. Very aggressive and always showing up when the puck is around him.
I’ve added him to two leagues already because he’s winning games and seeing a huge volume of shots. He’s been out of the NHL for a while now with heart issues, but he looks healthy and fit right now. He has never had two solid seasons in a row, but he does show up for around 30 outstanding games about every four years.
As someone who hates spending any type of high draft capital to sign a goalie and refuses to give up a solid skater for an equivalent goalie, Stalock is exactly the kind of hot goalie I like to ride for about 20 games until the next brilliant goalkeeper arrives.
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Speaking of goaltenders who can run, Connor Ingram seems to thrive when he sees a heavy workload. It’s working well for Arizona, and as he adjusts to the team’s defense, look for him to get a lot more comfortable and put in a handful of performances where he doesn’t. allow a goal or two on 40 shots. His first start where he allowed five goals on 29 shots is the flip side though, that’s the risk with every goalie, but especially when you watch a guy play for Arizona (or Chicago for that matter) .
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Fun to read here about Phil Kessel breaking the Iron Man NHL record last night.
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You can find me on Twitter @alexdmaclean if you have any questions or comments about fantasy hockey.
See you next Wednesday!
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