Now that a second full week of regular season hockey is pretty much in the books, we’re fully back on the pace of things for the current NHL season. This time of year is crucial for keeping your eyes peeled on the waiver wire. There is always solid value to be found at this time of year. Whether it’s emerging storylines of players taking on bigger roles with their teams, or even picking up players that other owners may have abandoned too quickly. I think those first three or four weeks can really be important for your team’s long-term result at the end of the season. This week, I’m going to highlight a few players who aren’t in a ton of leagues who might have a bit more upside than expected at the moment thanks to injuries that opened up bigger roles. We’ll take a look!
Danton Heinen
Here’s a perfect example of a player who traditionally hasn’t been an asset to fantasy hockey, but given his current situation, I’m willing to try with him for a while. Heinen is 27 and has just entered the prime of his playing career. After playing with the Boston Bruins for nearly four seasons, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. There he played his contract and last year he would sign a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Both parties seemed mutually happy, so Heinen renewed for another one-season deal this year. Going into his seventh campaign, Henien has always been a mid-six striker who has generally been solid, although his numbers don’t really jump out at you. He’s a reliable player, but he doesn’t particularly excel in a single stat, so from a fantasy perspective he’s rarely been important. That is, until he found himself lined up on Sidney Crosby’s wing. With an unfortunate injury to Jake Guentzel, the Penguins found themselves with a gaping hole on their front line heading into last night’s game against Columbus.
Sure enough, Heinen was called up to play on Crosby’s line and he certainly took advantage of his opportunity, burying two goals. He also received praise from Crosby after the game, so I’d say it’s probably a safe bet that the line will remain intact at least for now. We have seen over the years the benefits of playing with Crosby for a player. Guys like Bryan Rust and Chris Kunitz immediately come to mind. We currently don’t have a timeline for Guentzel’s return, but for now, if you have an open spot on your roster, Heinen definitely has low-risk, high-reward potential.
I was also looking forward to eliminating the Penguins this season, but unsurprisingly they had another strong start to the season. Heinen already has three goals and three assists in just five games. He also shoots a ton, averaging just under three shots per game so far. The only real setback is that he’s stuck on the second power play unit as Rickard Rakell got into the top spot of Guentzel’s unit. Unsurprisingly, Heinen is available pretty much everywhere at this point. On Yahoo it is only 2% owned, while on Fantrax it is 16%. He is also double wing eligible, making it easier to slot into your lineups.
Shane Pinto
Much like the aforementioned Heinen, Pinto finds himself the beneficiary of a potential bigger role due to a teammate injury. Yesterday afternoon Josh Norris was forced out of the game with a shoulder injury which is lucky to keep him on the shelf for a decent amount of time. Norris was seen looking visually frustrated on his way to the team dressing room, so you can assume he may also think he might have an extended absence ahead. It sucks to see a solid player go down, especially a guy like Norris who is young and in a top-six role like him. But in fantasy sports, one man’s loss is always another man’s opportunity, and that’s where Pinto comes in.
Pinto was a Senators second-round pick in 2019 and is an integral part of the youth movement unfolding in the nation’s capital. He entered the season as the team’s third line center and has already had a great season. After being shut out in the season opener, Pinto has scored in his last four consecutive games. He shot great volume and is even good for around one hit per game as a nice added bonus. He will probably be placed in place of Norris between Alex Debrincat and Claude Giroux. It goes without saying that this is a huge opportunity for the 20-year-old.
If you’re in a league that follows faceoffs, I think there’s a bit of hidden value in that category for Pinto as well. With his limited third-line deployment, he averages six faceoffs won per game while his faceoff percentage is absurdly high at over 60%. With the obvious assumption that he’ll get more crucial playing time now, those numbers should go up, so you could probably count on him getting you at least ten draws per game, which is a big number. As a pure center with no wing eligibility, you really need these guys to rack up a lot of draws in faceoff leagues, so that’s an important detail.
Pinto was currently at the center of the second-line power play unit, and I think he would probably stay there for now. Norris was the fourth forward in the top unit before his shoulder injury, but I think either Debrincat or Giroux will get the nod for promotion over Pinto. Until we know the results of Norris’ MRI it’s all high speculation but if you have a free spot on the roster I think Pinto could stay hot and keep producing at a brisk pace . On Yahoo, he’s listed in just six percent of all leagues, while on Fantrax, he’s held in just under half of their leagues.
Rasmus Sandin
To round things out this week, we’re focusing on the blue line, and I’ve decided to cover Sandin instead of Calen Addison. On the one hand, I think Addison has already been covered pretty well and I don’t want to keep harassing the same guys as other writers here and on other outlets. While I think Addison is a good speculative pick right now, Sandin could be just as good, if not better, in the long run this season. These two are really great to compare, but let me dive a little deeper into Sandin.
First of all, it should be noted that Sandin has started this season a bit behind schedule per se. He was involved in a contract dispute with the Leafs during the offseason and as a result, he did not touch the ice until the final preseason game. I think it took a few regular season games for him to really get his feet under him and settle in. Much like the other two players in this article, Sandin is going to see a lot more ice time in the future thanks to what appears to be a pretty serious injury to Jake Muzzin.
Thanks to this, Sandin moves up into the middle pair and will be supported for some serious minutes at least in the short term. Where Addison beat Sandin is that he currently resides in the Wild’s top power-play unit, while Sandin slots into Toronto’s second power-play line. It definitely makes a huge difference, but I think the wheels are starting to turn in Toronto, and I think Sandin might get a look at the best powerplay unit sooner rather than later.
The Leafs are so overloaded, but despite that, the power play has looked pretty bad in seven games. I think a lot of that can be attributed to Morgan Rielly, who is the unit’s quarterback. He doesn’t have a huge shot to shoot at the net and he can be slow to distribute the puck from the point at times. Don’t get me wrong, Reilly is a great player, but I think the Leafs could benefit from Sandin’s skills, and at some point he will have a chance.
Sandin already has two points on the power play in limited time on special teams, so there’s a case to be made to give him a bigger opportunity. In Sandin’s six games so far, he has just three assists, but unlike Addison, he brings a lot more to the table in terms of fantasy. He’s averaging over three hits per game so far this year, which is great, and he’s also averaging one block per game. These devices alone do a lot to make Sandin more available. Its biggest setback, however, is its rate of fire. It doesn’t pull enough, so that’s definitely a concern.
Since Muzzin lost his injury, Sandin’s ice time has increased by nearly six minutes per game, so it’s a substantial opportunity he’s getting. In Yahoo Leagues it is only 4% owned, while on Fantrax it is 37%. You could also argue for Addison, but honestly, both are great options to try your luck right now if you’re looking for an extra d-man for your blue line.
Well that’s all for this week! It’s unfortunate to see so many injuries crop up, but it always seems to happen, especially at the start of the season. With the three players I mentioned, it’s important to know how long injured players are expected to be out because these players I’ve rated are really relying on their bonus ice time to make an impact. Be sure to set your lineups next week before you dress up in your Halloween costumes and head out to party! See you next week!
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