You took our advice and drafted Connor McDavid high and were reaping the rewards until last night.
Oh last night… Curse the gods, as McDavid went down with a broken collarbone that will cost him "months" of action. If it is two months on the button he will miss 28 games, but odds are it will be more than that. Look instead for a post-All-Star return, which would pile it up to 37 games.
It’s a devastating total to those in points-only formats but not crippling for those in head-to-head or rotisserie leagues.
That it was McDavid’s collarbone that broke is no surprise. As one of the last bones in the body to fully form, it is a common injury for young athletes. In this sense, McDavid is not special. It is comforting to know that it is an injury that many have come back from. Most recently, Patrick Kane, who showed Wolverine-like healing abilities in returning in just 50 days after his one collarbone fracture. He also showed few ill-effects from the injury scoring 23 points in 23 playoff games.
The McDavid injury does not just affect his fantasy owners. It also hurts the outlook for Nail Yakupov, experiencing a breakout alongside McDavid, and Benoit Pouliot, who had been carrying fringe value in deeper leagues.
Replacing McDavid, and potentially his former linemates’ production, could be challenging. Here are some of the best options commonly available in fantasy pools. As always, all ownership figures are derived from Yahoo! leagues.
Leon Draisaitl – C – 22 per cent owned
This is your most direct McDavid replacement. Running hot on the wing with Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl has posted seven points in just three games. It seems likely that he will be pushed into action at centre to fill the McDavid void, especially with Jordan Eberle due back soon. Draisaitl will need to continue to produce if Edmonton wants to remain competitive.
It is not likely that Draisaitl will continue to score on 30 per cent of his shots, so some regression is due and there may also be some hiccups taking on the added responsibilities of playing centre.
The bottom line is that McDavid’s injury opens a spot in the lineup for Draisaitl to stick around so at the very least you wouldn’t be picking up a player on the verge of getting sent down. There are some tastier options out there, however…
Nazem Kadri – C – 24 per cent owned
As promised, here is your weekly reminder to pick up the Leafs’ No. 1 centre. He continues to pump over 4.0 shots per game and receive ample time at even strength and on the top power play unit. What’s more, the Leafs have a heavy schedule this week playing four contests between Wednesday and next Tuesday.
Now is the time to grab Kadri before he pops.
Mikko Koivu – C – 41 per cent owned
The veteran centre is on a roll skating with youngsters Jason Zucker and Nino Niederreiter.
Koivu is a dish-master having averaged 43 assists per 82 games for his career. Skating alongside two young 20-goal scorers should keep him on that track. It also helps that the Minnesota power play is suddenly productive.
As a member of the Wild’s top power play unit, there is ample opportunity for Koivu to pile up the points. A 60-point season is possible.
Michael Stone – D – 15 per cent owned
Another returnee from last week, Stone is now primed to produce for your fantasy squad as the Coyotes play four games over the next week. You may even find you want to keep Stone beyond then.
He has fired off 3.0 shots per game since jumping onto the Coyotes lethal top power play unit alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson. His shot is heavy and is certain to help him generate points.
Stone has skated over 25 minutes in each of his past three games. High usage defencemen are your friends, make sure you grab this one while he’s still available.
Kris Versteeg – LW/RW – 11 per cent owned
The best time to grab Versteeg is Friday morning as the Hurricanes will play four games between November 6 and November 12. The streaky forward has been hit-or-miss this season but with five points in the last two games he is heating up.
Skating the bulk of his 17:04 minutes per game alongside Eric Staal, both at even strength and on the power play, Versteeg is setup as well as one can be playing in Carolina.
Alex Tanguay – LW – nine per cent owned
In four games since being assembled, the Tanguay-MacKinnon-Iginla line has combined for seven goals and 15 points. Tanguay has just three of those 15, which is helping to keep him under the radar.
Tanguay and Iginla made magic last season, just as they did during their time together in Calgary. Reuniting them was a no-brainer. That they are skating with a rejuvenated Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the Avalanche in scoring with 13 points so far, pushes this over the top. Tanguay will have value as long as this trio sticks together.
Rasmus Ristolainen – D – 21 per cent owned
Ristolainen has been featured in this space before but it seems poolies have soured on him as he has scored just two points in the last eight games. You can’t give up so fast.
The road to a 40-point season is a bumpy one but it’s the one Ristolainen is traveling as the Sabres’ top defenceman. He is skating over 24 minutes a night with 2:48 on the top power play unit. He is also firing off 2.6 shots per game, a 212-shot pace.
Ristolainen should finish with right around 40 points once the hot and cold streaks even out. 40 points would have made Ristolainen a top-30 defenceman last season. Are you prepared to leave a top-30 defenceman on the waiver wire?
Linus Ullmark – G – six per cent owned
Call this one a speculative add. Every year a few goalies pop up, seemingly out of nowhere, and go on runs that alter fantasy leagues everywhere. Ullmark could be that guy after posting back-to-back one-goal victories over the weekend.
The Sabres boast some intriguing underlying numbers, having outshot opponents by 5.6 shots per game. They may not score a ton, but with some improved goaltending they could claw their way to a respectable record. More importantly, Chad Johnson is not much of a threat to any legitimate No. 1 goalie, if that is what Ullmark happens to be.
Don’t start him right away, unless you are desperate but you probably want to get in on the next Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond before everyone else finds out about him. Is Ullmark that guy? Stay tuned.
