20 Fantasy Thoughts: Canucks crease full of questions with Demko's injury uncertainty

Is there a crease with more questions around it this year than that of the Vancouver Canucks?

Thatcher Demko’s health is at the centre of it all and how much he plays is going to have a ripple effect on the other Canuck netminders. To start the season it feels like Arturs Silovs is the guy to roster, based on his strong playoff performance and the comfort level Vancouver has with him. Even though the Canucks don’t play their first back-to-back until mid-November, Kevin Lankinen could also have some early-season value as a streamer. Vancouver is a strong team and likely won’t want to overtax Silovs, so I’d expect Lankinen to get some playing time in some very favourable situations. It starts to get complicated when Demko gets healthy, which could be early in the year or maybe he’s out much longer. There’s no clarity at this point and since Silovs doesn’t require waivers, he could be the odd man out and get sent to the AHL for more playing time. There’s also the possibility Vancouver carries three goalies when Demko is ready to rest him completely in back-to-back situations like we’ve seen other teams do in recent years. I’d expect Silovs and Lankinen to, at minimum, have some short-term stopgap value in the early part of the season, with more upside if Demko remains out long-term.

There also has to be some concern that Demko never really fully comes back, or he gives it a try, and the injury just doesn’t allow him to play at an elite level again. I know some were worried enough to avoid him entirely in drafts, while others bumped him down their boards and are planning a stash. I think the stash option is the best way to go, since a healthy Demko on this Canucks has too much upside to ignore entirely.

We all know what kind of impact Demko can make when he’s at his best, so the potential reward should outweigh the risk.

1. When it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs power play, it looks like Morgan Rielly will remain the quarterback of the top unit. There was some talk Oliver Ekman-Larsson could take over the duties, though I don’t think his skillset is much different than Rielly’s. The Leafs need more of a shooting threat at the point, so penalty-killing units can’t key so easily on the likes of Matthews, Nylander and Marner, and I don’t think there’s a great option which fits the bill right now on Toronto’s blue line. Until that changes, expect a lot of Rielly on power play one.

2. If you were banking on a repeat of Frank Vatrano’s great 2023-24, you can’t be too excited with his current deployment with the Anaheim Ducks. There was almost always going to be some regression anyway, but being slotted with Robby Fabbri and Ryan Strome at the moment and stuck on the second power-play unit makes things even more challenging. With Trevor Zegras healthy, Leo Carlsson’s load management behind him and the arrival of Cutter Gauthier, there simply isn’t as much room for Vatrano to flourish like he did last season. 

3. The Carolina Hurricanes could be morphing into a one-line team, with Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis serving as the top unit. They’ve gone with that at times during the pre-season, but have also dropped Svechnikov down to the second line to play with Martin Necas. There’s simply not much offensive talent left to help make Necas a 70-point player again if the Canes load up that top line. You’ll have to hope Necas really feasts on the power play. 

4. Speaking of the Canes power play, I really see a scenario where Brent Burns is stuck on the second unit this season. Shayne Gostisbehere is back on the fold and he was great in a quarterback role on the man advantage in Detroit last year. Burns really regressed in 2023-24 and is closing in on 40, so I’m not counting on a huge bounce back. 

5. Tough luck for Matt Boldy missing a chunk of training camp due to injury. I understand the Minnesota Wild wanting to spread the offence around, but the best version of Boldy is with Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. If that trio gets to play together quite a bit this season, it wouldn’t shock me if Boldy is a 40-goal scorer. 

6. It’s still a little unclear how Tampa’s top power play and league-best unit is going to look this year with Steven Stamkos gone. Four spots are locks, with Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman in place, leaving Nick Paul, Brandon Hagel and possibly even Cam Atkinson fighting for the last spot. Hagel will be worth rostering regardless, but his value skyrockets if he’s on the first unit, while Atkinson and Paul may not be fantasy relevant without top power-play time. 

7. I’m very curious to see how Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella handles Matvei Michkov, who looked great in the pre-season. We all know Tortorella isn’t shy about benching or scratching just about anyone, making it a challenge at times to rely on Flyers players as fantasy options. There will be growing pains as Michkov learns the NHL game, so hopefully Tortorella exercises a little more patience with the youngster. 

8. I don’t think stashing Evander Kane is going to be a savvy move. The sounds of the recovery timeline for his injury are quite vague, with possibilities of January or February as a return date. Given the Edmonton Oilers'' cap situation, this seems like a situation where the earliest Kane takes the ice could be Game 1 of the playoffs. That won’t help you in fantasy. 

9. Colorado’s goaltending situation is one to watch. Alexandar Georgiev has played over 60 games in back-to-back seasons, and last year, his numbers weren’t great, to say the least. There’s probably a world where Justus Annunen gets some increased playing time in a very-goalie-friendly situation. I’m not convinced this is going to be anything close to a tandem situation, as I don’t think coach Jared Bednar is overly concerned about Georgiev’s workload, but the door is definitely open for Annunen to steal starts. 

10. There’s going to be a decent battle between Tommy Novak and Colton Sissons this season for the centre spot in between Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. Novak has it now and probably has the better skillset for it, but don’t discount Sissons pushing him to move up. He can score and Sissons has great value in leagues that count faceoffs and hits. It’s a situation to monitor. 

11. Once again, Josh Norris will be a major risk/reward option this season. There’s no denying the appeal, as the Ottawa Senators forward can pile up the hits, goals and faceoff wins, making him a tremendous asset in multi-cat leagues. The problem is he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy. His career best for games played in a season is 66 and he’s been plagued by shoulder issues. If Norris is sitting there on waivers, he might be worth taking a chance on if your team is lacking impact players, as long as you have the ability to stash him if needed. 

12. Is there anyone left who hasn’t given up on Nikolaj Ehlers yet? No one could blame you if you have, as the Winnipeg Jets forward always leaves you wanting more based on his talent. It should be noted this isn’t all on Ehlers. Giving a guy with his skillset less than 16 minutes a night over the past two seasons seems puzzling to put it mildly, but a new season and new coach should once again be enough to get at least a few folks to buy back in. 

Ehlers is actually coming off his second highest point and shots totals of his career and is starting off this season on the first power-play unit. There are still far worse bets to make than Ehlers.

13. The first real week of games is upon us with most teams playing two or three times, except for the Washington Capitals, who play just once. It’s a tough matchup against the high-powered New Jersey Devils, so I’d be a bit hesitant about starting Charlie Lindgren or Logan Thompson if your goalie stats are in good shape heading into the weekend. There’s a decent chance the Caps will give up a bunch of goals. 

14. I’m excited to see Dustin Wolf this season, though I won’t be rostering him. The Calgary Flames figure to be in for a tough campaign after offloading a lot of talent last year, and the list of young goalies on bad teams that can provide good fantasy value is a short one. Wolf is likely going to have great numbers one day, I just don’t see it in 2024-25. 

15. Tough luck and timing for Drew Doughty’s injury. That opens the door, though, for additional minutes and some time on the Los Angeles Kings' first power-play unit for either Brandt Clarke or Jordan Spence. Clarke probably has more offensive upside and is a high-end prospect, so I’d take my chances with him first. Clarke was likely going to replace Doughty on the top power play eventually anyway, but this injury has now accelerated the process. It will be up to Clarke to play well enough to try and hold the job when Doughty returns. 

16. The same goes for Patrik Laine, who seemed poised to benefit from a fresh start with the Montreal Canadiens. Now he’ll miss at least a couple of months and becomes a stash option. Whether it’s Laine, Doughty or the handful of other significant players that suffered some level of injury this pre-season, it’s always good practice to hold your fantasy drafts as close to the start of the regular season as possible. In one draft I was in, someone took Laine mere moments before his injury. The later you can hold your drafts, the clearer the picture of the NHL landscape will be and the better you can shape your roster.

17. Looking for a deep sleeper off waivers early in the season? Adam Boqvist got some reps with the Florida Panthers' first power-play unit during the preseason, and if he secures the spot, he could have some value. He really only has to beat out Aaron Ekblad for the role, and the former Barrie Colts star just one strong offensive season to his credit. Stranger things have happened. 

18. One player I like for a breakout season is Adam Fantilli. He’s notched six points in the pre-season, including a hat-trick, and the Columbus Blue Jackets forward possesses a good blend of size and skill. Before injuries cut his rookie campaign short, Fantilli was on pace for 20 goals and more than 100 hits. 

19. Yaroslav Askarov is starting the season in the AHL, to the disappointment of those who took a gamble on him in drafts. I still do think Askarov will have some value this season, as I’m sure he was given an assurance by the San Jose Sharks he’d at least get an NHL cameo at some point this year. That could end up happening if the Sharks fall out of the post-season race down the stretch, just in time for the fantasy playoffs. Maybe he ends up as a good streaming option if he can catch lightning in a bottle during a call-up.

20. With Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins finally ending their contract stalemate, you may be concerned about Joonas Korpisalo losing value. There’s no denying he has, but I do think he can still be a serviceable option as a No. 3 goalie for your squad. Keep in mind that the Bruins are one of the more goalie-friendly teams in the league, with their good structure and commitment to team defence. Plus, Swayman has never had a starter’s workload, topping out at 44 games last year in a career-high in games played. Even with the big contract, I don’t see the Bruins just suddenly putting 60-plus starts on his plate.

In a perfect world, Korpisalo plays once a week and ends up at around 35 games, still giving him real value on a strong team like the Bruins.