The Christmas break will give you the opportunity to assess your fantasy hockey team at a standstill for three days.
So as you prepare for the holidays, here are a few stocking stuffers for that fantasy team.
In order to maximize your head-to-head matchups and end the week on a high note, you’ll also want to pay particular attention to players that play on Friday, the final day of this fantasy hockey week.
Anders Lee, LW, NYI (Friday play)
Lee’s fantasy value is usually tied to whether he’s playing on John Tavares’ line (more line combinations here), so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that he’s on quite a goal-scoring run while he’s on the captain’s line again.
Lee would have been dropped in many leagues after scoring just one goal over his first 18 games, but since then, he has scored 11 goals over his past 14 games. Four of those goals have come over the past four games, and his 12 goals currently leads the New York Islanders.
He has provided just four assists all season, and his 18.5 per cent shooting accuracy is likely to drop. But he’s worth adding while he’s scoring goals on the top line.
Mark Letestu, C, EDM (Friday play)
Lost in the Edmonton Oilers’ crop of young forwards is Letestu, who has been filling stat sheets lately.
Letestu scored a goal and added two assists on Wednesday to bring his December production to 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) over his last 11 games. He has also been frequently shooting the puck, taking 31 shots over that span.
If you’re worried about his minutes and power-play time, three of his five goals this month have been with the man advantage on the first-unit power play.
His career numbers don’t indicate that he’ll keep this up, but he’s just an example of a hot hand that you can take on.
Jaccob Slavin, D, CAR (Friday play)
Slavin quietly debuted in the NHL last season with 20 points in just 63 games. Likely flying under the radar in many leagues because he plays for the Carolina Hurricanes, Slavin has posted assists in six of his past nine games.
Slavin is sound defensively as well, as evidenced by a top-20 blocked-shot total (69) and a plus-minus that won’t hurt your team (plus-4 this season, plus-1 last season).
He has also established himself as a top-4 defenceman in Carolina, averaging 22 minutes per game. His relatively low ownership should make him worth adding in deeper leagues.
Radim Vrbata, RW, ARI (Friday play)
Vrbata might lead your waiver wire in shots on goal (104). He’s a player you should be looking at if you need help in that category, since he usually takes at least 200 shots per season.
He’s only five points shy (22) of reaching his total from a forgettable 2015-16 season in Vancouver, and has helped his own cause by recording five assists over his last seven games.
Although he hasn’t scored a goal in ten games, he might be good for one against a Toronto Maple Leafs team that will be playing its second game in as many nights on the road.
Zack Smith, C/LW, OTT
Smith was probably the least-heralded 25-goal scorer in the NHL last season. His meager assist total (11) may have had something to do with it.
After a slow start this season, there are a few recent developments working in his favour. Playing on one of the league’s hottest lines recently alongside Derick Brassard and Mark Stone, Smith has three goals and three assists over his last four games.
In addition, Smith now has left-wing eligibility, which should now make him more appealing to fantasy teams than he has been in previous seasons.
Add him while he’s playing alongside the Ottawa Senators’ better scoring options.
Juuse Saros, G, NSH
Among goalies that have played at least five games, Saros is the league leader in goals-against average (1.39 GAA). Shouldn’t that earn him at least a few more starts?
Pekka Rinne has been a fixture in the Nashville Predators’ crease for years, so Saros is a possible handcuff for Rinne owners with the space on their rosters.
We made the same comparison about Antti Raanta a few weeks ago, so this may be your ground-floor opportunity to buy low on Saros. The Predators play back-to-back games on Dec. 29 and 30, so at the very least he should be considered a spot starter for whichever game he would start.
