20 Fantasy Thoughts: Auston Matthews putting together an unprecedented season

What is there left to say about Auston Matthews?

The Maple Leafs forward posted his sixth hat-trick of the season Saturday night and his second in as many games. Matthews needed just 14:52 to hit the mark and added two assists, putting him on a ridiculous 76-goal pace for the year. I personally took it on the chin this week, as my opponent got six goals from Matthews. I’m likely going to lose the goals category by one or two goals, but replace Matthews with just about any other player, and I probably win it easily. Matthews is carrying fantasy squads on his back right now.

What Matthews is doing started to get me thinking about the history of fantasy hockey. Have we ever seen a better goal-scoring campaign than this? The last time we had a 70-goal season was 1992-93 when Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny both had 76, but that probably predates fantasy hockey. Sure, there were some hockey pools going on, though likely nothing on the level of what we’re used to today.

Matthews, as weird as it sounds, probably ended up as a steal in a lot of drafts this year, too. He had an ADP of nearly 8th overall, likely due to coming off a down year for his standards and the fact that he’s missed on average about eight games in each of the past two seasons. Kudos to you if you weren’t scared off and made Matthews a top-five pick.

There’s also an argument to be made Matthews has been the most valuable player in fantasy this season. Of course, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid and a few others have more total points, but goal-scoring is the hardest thing to find. Plus, a lot of leagues have goals weighted more heavily than other stats, giving Matthews additional value.

Maybe he wouldn’t get your vote for fantasy MVP or perhaps you wouldn’t put him on your Hart ballot, but there’s no denying, Matthews is having a season for the ages.

1. There’s been lots of talk about Jacob Markstrom being dealt to the New Jersey Devils. Whether it happens remains to be seen, but I’m most intrigued about what it means for Dustin Wolf. If Markstrom is gone, Wolf would likely stumble into the starting job by default, which likely wouldn’t be great this year on a bare roster if the Calgary Flames are sellers. We saw a glimpse of that Thursday when Wolf had a tough outing against the San Jose Sharks and the roster could be even thinner soon. If you’re eyeing Wolf, I think we won’t see his true fantasy value for maybe another year or two.

2. Marc-Andre Fleury is another goalie who could be on the move prior to the deadline. Fleury wouldn’t have as much value as Markstrom on a new team, but he could be a decent option in the right spot. Carolina and Colorado would make a lot of sense to provide insurance and allow Pyotr Kochetkov and Alex Georgiev to stay fresh. Fleury is 39 but on a strong team, he could be valuable for spot starts in a fantasy playoff matchup.

3. Tom Wilson has been stuck on 12 goals since January 16th and only has two points in his past 17 games. The Caps forward was scoring at a much better rate during the first two months of the season but has really quieted down since. He’s still solid for hits, though you’ll have to decide if Wilson is worth keeping based on your league settings heading into the playoffs with minimal offence.

4. After a rough stretch in late January, Samuel Ersson was much better coming out of the all-star break. The Philadelphia Flyers netminder was 3-0-1 with a .911 save percentage before the outdoor game Saturday when he had a tough night. The rest probably did him some good, but now Ersson has started four of the past five. Ersson still only has 42 NHL games under this belt, so it’s imperative for his fantasy value that he stays fresh and doesn’t get overworked.

5. Brandon Hagel has been very impressive of late, recording 22 points in his past 17 games. Even on line two and the second power play, Hagel is still producing well. He’s on pace for a career-high 76 points and has been an absolute steal in drafts.

6. It sounds like there’s a possibility Phil Kessel could join the Vancouver Canucks at some point if all goes well with his time in Abbotsford. Granted, Kessel is 36 and hasn’t really been fantasy relevant for a couple of years, but is it really that difficult to see him getting a shot in the Canucks top six? Pius Suter is currently up there right now and I could see Kessel getting a chance to replace him. Kessel is probably a good bet for a fantasy squad comfortably in a playoff spot to see if you can catch lightning in a bottle.

7. Gustav Nyquist has been bumped off the power play one and his ice time has really taken a hit this week. He also hasn’t recorded a shot in three games, although he does have a pair of assists. Nyquist is not necessarily a drop yet because he’s still on the top line at even strength, though if his minutes don’t improve, Nyquist will be tough to hold onto.

8. I’m not typically a fan of rostering someone who’s just really strong in one category, but Jeremy Lauzon might be the exception. His hits numbers are off the charts and he leads the NHL in that area by a wide margin. If you have him, there’s a good chance you’ll win the hits category almost every week with little trouble.

9. It’s surprising because he plays in a major hockey market, but I always think Nick Suzuki flies under the radar. For someone who’s averaging almost a point per game this season and has 16 points on a current 10-game point streak, you’d think Suzuki would be much closer to 100% rostered than the 72% he currently sits at. Suzuki has also been a big reason why Juraj Slafkovsky is suddenly thriving.

10. One of the few bright spots in San Jose this season has been the play of Kaapo Kahkonen. He’s been solid in an awful situation and now owns a .926 save percentage in his past six starts. A UFA this summer, Kahkonen might be worth a stash just prior to the deadline in case he gets moved to a more favourable situation.

11. Even with Morgan Rielly returning from suspension next week, it’s still probably worth holding onto Jake McCabe if you grabbed him. He may have lost his spot on power play one, but the Toronto Maple Leafs still play four times next week and McCabe was playing huge minutes even with Rielly in the lineup, and he’s been very effective for hits and blocks. The Leafs have Vegas and Colorado coming up, a pair of teams averaging over 30 shots per game. That should mean a decent amount of blocks for McCabe.

12. Artturi Lehkonen now has six points in his past two games and looks like he’s finally getting up to speed after missing all that time with an injury. I really think he’s going to be a difference-maker down the stretch for a lot of fantasy rosters. Grab him if you still can.

13. Nico Daws has now started four straight games for the New Jersey Devils and has been good in all of them. I feel like a broken record saying all season that if someone could only seize the Devils net, they would be a huge fantasy asset, especially if New Jersey makes a big push for the playoffs. It’s a bit of a risk to drop someone significant for Daws, though, in case the Devils do trade for a goalie and his playing time suddenly drops.

14. Speaking of trades, it’s that time of year when a player could be a late and sudden scratch for trade-related reasons. Be prepared to make an adjustment or two to your roster just before puck drop over the next few weeks.

15. He doesn’t play often, but I’d keep an eye on Anthony Stolarz. The Florida Panthers goaltender has a .926 save percentage this season and has been at .900 or better in 12 of his 17 appearances. Not to mention he plays on a very strong team. Stolarz would be the perfect spot start option or streamer in a fantasy playoff matchup.

16. One of the more unheralded but exciting lines in hockey right now is Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. The St. Louis Blues have been playing pretty well for about a month or so thanks in part to the trio, who has now combined for 24 points in their past seven games. None of the three of likely available on waivers in your league, but they all could be good trade targets for a team trying to load up for the fantasy playoffs.

17. Only the Sharks play twice next and there’s a bunch of teams playing four times. One of them is the lowly Chicago Blackhawks, but they do have a great Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday schedule. I wonder if Philipp Kurashev might make some sense as an add. He has seven points in five games and is playing with Connor Bedard. The other player I’d look at is Pavel Mintyukov with the Anaheim Ducks having four games as well. He’s been somewhat forgotten about since his injury and is widely available. Mintyukov scored a goal this week and it wouldn’t be that tough for him to work his way onto a power play.

18. Blake Wheeler’s injury leaves a void in the New York Rangers top six. Jimmy Vesey looks like he’ll get the first crack at things and he does have 12 goals this year. I’m not sure how much staying power Vesey will have up there, but anyone playing with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider deserves a look. The Rangers have a good schedule next week, too.

19. Viktor Arvidsson made his season debut this week, starting out with eight shots in two games. He’s a streaky player, but his shot volume is undeniable. If you can survive some cold stretches and need help with shots on goal, Arvidsson is worth grabbing. There aren’t many players available at this time of year that can impact the shots category as much as Arvidsson can.

20. Just a single point for Kevin Fiala in his past six games, but don’t panic. Fiala is notorious for second-half surges and strong finishes to the season. I think Fiala and the Los Angeles Kings are going to be fine and you’ll regret moving on from him come the fantasy playoffs. Stay the course.