The season is off to a good start now. We’ve got fanbases freaking out, parades slated for half the continent, and a whole heap of news to cover.
Meanwhile, on a fantasy level, we have at least a week under our belt, so you already see some direction from your team. Roto leaguers are just starting to get a feel for which categories they might need to patch up and have excess in, while in the points-only leagues it’s still too early to really react.
It’s hard to keep a cool head in the beginning, but it will pay off in the long run.
Or, if one-season leagues aren’t for you, there are always DFS options to try. If you need help getting started, there’s a tool for that, and you can find it here.
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The easiest place to start overreacting is in the goalkeeper, and this year is no different, with Marc-Andre Fleury sporting a GAA of eight, Vitek Vanecek having played just one game (a loss in little inspiring) and the Avalanche still winning games despite continuing to average .880 as a goaltender.
None of these bother me at all, and in fact, I’ve inquired about acquiring a few of these guys in certain leagues. If I can get my hands on Fleury or Vanecek without giving up a top 150 player, I jump on it.
The same goes for a few other struggling guards such as Thatcher Demko, Juuse Saros, Jacob Markstrom and the LA Kings tandem. The top three you don’t get for anything less than a top 75 player at the absolute cheapest price, but it’s worth checking out where that line is.
I might even check injured Matt Murray if my league had a few extra IR spots.
Really, the only goalie name I don’t pay any attention to is John Gibson. The team in front of his is not a defensive team, and since last season they’ve replaced dependable Josh Manson with offensively gifted John Klingberg. In other words, they can score a lot of goals as a team, but that will balance out with a lot more chances against. This doesn’t bode well for Gibson who have struggled more and more over the past few seasons, slowing down more and more earlier in the year. Generally, it starts the year well, but with a slow start now, I don’t have much confidence in any turnaround.
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On the other hand, we have a few teams that have really taken off offensively. The New York Rangers were meant to be a playoff team from the start, but that was mostly because they’re backed by Igor Shesterkin, and not necessarily because they’re scoring more than four goals per game. Their front two lines do the heavy lifting, with Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad doing some yeoman work so far. Panarin is top of the league right now, and with a quality supporting cast around him, has the talent to challenge for third place in the league by the end of the year (he doesn’t top Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl without injury).
Doing even better than the Rangers are the Bruins, averaging over five goals per game so far. It’s a big surprise because everyone was expecting the team to slowly walk out the door with Brad Marchand, Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy. David Pastrnak, you should stick to it, but the rest of the band, I would listen to commercial offers.
David Krejci won’t maintain a points-per-game pace, especially in the second half of the year when the grind could slow him down. Ditto for Patrice Bergeron, even if his offensive advantage is a little higher and he was not out of the NHL last season. Enjoy the ride for now, as they’re just racking up the points.
Across the ice last night, Tim Stutzle led the Senators with three points (get used to him leading them in scoring) as they traded blow for blow with the Bruins. With Cam Talbot still out for at least a month, maybe they can at least get over their troubles. They seem to be trying, which is great news for goalscorers. In that, I’m squarely looking at the trio of Stutzle, Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk seeing 60% of their shifts start in the offensive zone.
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New Jersey started righting the ship last night, and Jack Hughes got in on the action with his first point of the year. There’s probably still a cheap buy window open on him in the one-year leagues, but you need to get in quick. Of the players who can score 100 points this season, he is by far the cheapest to acquire in non-custodial environments at the moment.
I was also going to mention that Johnny Gaudreau hasn’t quite found his groove yet for the Blue Jackets either, and as far as 100-point scorers go, he might be a worthy target. However, I started tapping that before the second period was even over, and he quickly made me look like an idiot with two quick runs, taking it to four in his first four games. His wingers still don’t count goals with him, so I would really like to see him spend some time with Kent Johnson or Jakub Voracek.
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Speaking of making trades at the start of the season, I made one yesterday in a dynasty cap league, sending Thomas Chabot in exchange for Tyler Bertuzzi. I’m not terribly worried about making the playoffs this year (I’m pretty confident I will) and so jumping at the chance to get Bertuzzi made sense. I had defenders to spare, and getting another 70-point lead was something I was hard pressed to otherwise find on the trade market in this league.
Check injured players like Murray, Bertuzzi, Laine, Nick Schmaltz, etc. This can be a good way to drop a stone.
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After scoring the first two goals in last night’s Flyers/Lightning game, Steven Stamkos now has goals in all four games and six on the season. It’s not too late for another Rocket Richard Trophy. He is also now at 47 points in his last 25 games. At some point, it starts to become more than just a series of hot shots.
The third goal of this game was scored by Scott Laughton, who is off to a good start in his own right. Two goals in three games, playing left on the first line with Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny. The most promising fantasy sign from him is that he’s shooting the puck more, with 2.5 per game so far, up nearly a full shot from previous years. That’s also despite his ice time hovering around 16 minutes per game so far. He has a 50 point advantage and excellent peripheral production, he just needs this top gig to stay. He’s making the most of it so far.
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Evgeny Kuznetsov will miss tomorrow’s game against Ottawa. Due to a one-game suspension for high-sticking. It’s not the first time he’s been suspended, and it’s even the first time for a stick infraction. I’m surprised it’s only one game, and if he finds himself in trouble again later in the year, expect the decision not to be so lenient.
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Aaron Ekblad is out with a Level 2 groin strain, which means he’ll likely be on the sidelines for at least eight weeks. Plenty of room for Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour on the offensive end of the ice, and a free power play spot for the next two months. It seems likely that Carter Verhaeghe would be the best candidate for the top unit, but then again, Brandon Montour probably shouldn’t have been in the top unit to begin with, so we’ll see tonight who Paul Maurice runs with.
Also add Ekblad to the list of injured players above who are worth checking to see if their manager needs a quick fix for them.
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Not really relevant to fantasy, but the Canucks blew a two-goal lead for the fourth straight game last night. Despite that, they’re still going to end up in the playoff bubble. Keep that in mind this week as you try not to get worked up about narrowly losing a one-on-one matchup or getting a shutout. It’s a long season and there’s still plenty of time for things to balance out.
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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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#Ramblings #Guardians #trouble #purchases #Injuries #Bertuzzi #Ekblad #October