Welcome to the fantasy hockey stock market. Each week we will look at three players trending up and three players trending down.
The first few weeks of each season demand a PSA: do not overreact to early happenings. Scoring is up, just as it was early last season. Teams have combined for 6.60 goals per game thus far, but inevitably that will drop. Over the next few weeks, coaches will sink their claws into their young players and turn mistakes into safe dump-ins. That’s going to silence many of this season’s fast starters and help goaltenders settle in. With the PSA out of the way, there are some early trends worth taking note of.
THREE UP
Evgeny Kuznetsov – C – Capitals – 0 Goals, 8 Assists, 2 Shots, 3 Games
The playmaking centre appears set for a bounce-back to 70 points after regressing to just 59. It helps that Alex Ovechkin is reasserting himself as the league’s top goal scorer, but the biggest factor in Kuznetov’s rebound potential is the bump in power play time he is seeing. Rather than being the centerpiece of the Capitals’ second unit, Kuznetsov has moved into Marcus Johansson’s vacated slot on the top unit. That usage could push his power play point total above 20 for the first time in his career.
Alex Pietrangelo – D – Blues – 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 16 Shots, 3 Games
The veteran is picking up where he left off last season, proving himself a lethal option as the undisputed No. 1 defenceman for the Blues. He put up 18 points in 20 games after Kevin Shattenkirk was dealt last season, including eight power-play points. Make that 23 in 23 with 10 power play points. Pietrangelo is skilled enough with plenty of surrounding talent to score 60 points and be a top-five fantasy defenceman.
Vladislav Namestnikov – C/LW – Lightning – 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 8 Shots, 3 Games
The production is nice, but the reason to get excited is the opportunity. Namestnikov’s ice time is up to 16:46 per game, skating alongside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov both at even strength and on the power play. He showed chemistry on this line last season, but that was interrupted when Stamkos went down with injury. Now healthy, this trio is back and putting up numbers. Most important is that Namestnikov is seeing top unit power play time. Those man advantage chances raise his ceiling into the high-60s, especially since the Lightning unit is among the best in the league, ranking sixth in efficiency last season.
[snippet ID = 3322139]
THREE DOWN
Steve Mason – G – Jets – 0 Wins, 2 Losses, 11 Goals Against, 2 Games
Coming off a bad season in Philadelphia, Mason is off to a nightmare to begin his tenure in Winnipeg. It was always concerning that Mason was one of the worst goaltenders on the penalty kill heading to a Jets team that has struggled to stay out of the penalty box. Sure enough, Mason has been perforated by the opposition and given up a league-high three power-play goals. If this continues, it will be a long season. At the very least leave Mason on your bench, if you don’t drop him outright.
Ryan Strome – C/RW – Oilers – 0 Goals, 0 Assists, 5 Shots, 3 Games
How many took a chance on Strome hoping he would get an opportunity alongside Connor McDavid? It hasn’t happened yet, and Strome has been centering the third line instead. He has no value with this sort of usage. Dump him to the waiver wire until he gets bumped up, because he’s not worth the wait.
Shea Theodore – D – Golden Knights – 0 Goals, 0 Assists, 0 Shots, 0 Games
Theodore remains an extremely talented young defenceman, however the logjam of professional talent on the Vegas roster has left him and teammate Vadim Shipachyov stranded in the minors. Theodore will eventually get called up and could make an impact, but he’s not so good that he’s worth waiting for in the average league. Dump Theodore and scoop up one of this season’s fast starters like Charlie McAvoy or Will Butcher.
Steve Laidlaw is the Managing Editor of DobberHockey. Follow him on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.
[relatedlinks]
