20 Fantasy Thoughts: Eichel deserves to be mentioned in early Hart conversations

It was just another day at the office for Jack Eichel on Saturday night.

A goal and a pair of assists powered the Vegas Golden Knights to an easy victory over the Montreal Canadiens and it was Eichel’s fourth game this season where he had at least three points. It’s still very early, but any Hart Trophy conversations at this point should include Eichel’s name.

Eichel started off the year with a bang, picking up four points in his first game, and he hasn’t slowed down since. He’s in the top five in league scoring, leads the NHL in power-play assists and is on pace for 125 points. The Golden Knights star has also been incredibly consistent, picking up at least a point in 17 of his 21 games.  

What’s perhaps most impressive about Eichel’s 2024-25 campaign is that he’s continued his production even when Mark Stone went down with injury. Eichel and Stone were dominating together in the early part of the season, but Eichel has still notched 13 points in the past eight games that Stone has missed. When Stone gets back, that should only increase the rate of Eichel’s production once again.  

The other important thing to point out is the impact Eichel has had on his teammates. For instance, Ivan Barbashev is scoring at over a point-per-game pace after finishing with only 45 points a year ago. In fact, Barbashev has only crossed the 50-point barrier once in his career, so he could very well be in for a career year next to Eichel. You could also say the same about Pavel Dorofeyev, who has taken advantage of playing with Eichel on the power play. Four of Dorofeyev’s 10 goals this season have come on the man advantage after coming into the season with only two power-play goals for his career.  

Eichel may also end up being one of the best value picks in fantasy this season. He was drafted, on average, around the 38^th pick across all drafts, roughly around the late third or early fourth round, depending on the size of your league. If he does end up crossing the 100-point mark by a substantial margin, you could easily make the argument that he should have been taken in the first round in the majority of formats.

The only thing that’s ever really held Eichel back from being a bona fide top-15 fantasy pick is health. It’s been several years since Eichel has played anything close to a full season, and if he can stay healthy in 2024-25, he’s got a real chance to take home some individual hardware at the end of the year.

1. Travis Konecny is on some kind of heater right now. The Philadelphia Flyers forward has 15 points in his past nine games, which has him pacing for close to a 100-point season. Considering Konecny hasn’t even had an 80-point season before and is shooting almost 20 per cent, it could be a good time to sell high. If you’re in a keeper league and don’t think you’re going to be able to compete this season, it’s probably a good idea to see what you can back for Konecny to help rebuild your roster.  

2. I did not have Sidney Crosby picking up seven penalty minutes on my bingo card for Friday night. Crosby took exception to a hit from Kyle Connor and dropped the gloves for a rare fight, giving those rostering him an unexpected boost in leagues that count PIM. That category can easily be one of the most random, and it’s often decided by unusual incidents where a player gets a bunch of penalty minutes late in the week. Case and point, Brady Tkachuk’s third-period shenanigans on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. If you can keep the category close going into the weekend, you always have a chance. 

3. It’s amazing that Neal Pionk is already up to 17 points on the season. Normally just a hits and blocks specialist, Pionk is on pace for 66 points, which would shatter his career-best offensive numbers. I don’t think this scoring run will stick, but the Winnipeg Jets blueliner does have a 45-point campaign to his credit, and even if he finishes anywhere around 50 points or so, Pionk is going to be a huge difference-maker in multi-cat leagues.

4. Patrik Laine has been skating and may make his return in the next few weeks. Keep an eye on your waiver if you need scoring help and maybe consider stashing him for the time being. It’s a low-risk, high-reward move if Laine is available.  

5. Really disappointing to see Alexander Ovechkin go down while he was hot on the trail of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record. I’m most curious to see how this will impact Dylan Strome, who has had a great start to the season and assisted on 12 of Ovechkin’s 15 goals. Andrew Mangiapane replaced Ovechkin initially next to Strome and Aliaksei Protas before Ivan Miroshnichenko got a shot. So, can Strome keep the production going with this new line? It remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t panic where Strome is concerned. Eventually, Ovechkin will be back and that duo should be very productive down the stretch.  

6. Don’t look now, but Rasmus Sandin has six points in his past eight games. Since he doesn’t get any power-play time and is not on the top pair, I can’t see this lasting, but Sandin is still very good for blocked shots, averaging two per game. It’s always good to target a player with offensive upside when you’re looking to pick up a block specialist.

7. I’m going to give Jonathan Quick a pass for Saturday’s outing because the New York Rangers did not play very well in Alberta, conceding 89 shots over the two games. For my money, Quick has easily been the best backup to turn to for spot starts this year. Prior to Saturday, he was coming off back-to-back shutouts and had allowed just three goals in four starts. Granted, he isn’t going to play much because the Rangers lean on Igor Shesterkin heavily, but target Quick if he’s starting when you need a one-game pickup between the pipes.

8. Olen Zellweger is one to watch while Cam Fowler is sidelined. He’s playing big minutes and has five points in his past four games while getting top power-play time. Zellweger has some value in points leagues and may end up being more than a streamer, as Fowler could be a trade candidate as we approach the deadline. If he moves, Zellweger’s long-term value will rise.

9. Some encouraging signs for Wyatt Johnston this week. The Dallas Stars forward had a great game against the San Jose Sharks, posting two points and five shots. Keep in mind, Johnston is only shooting 6.1 per cent this season, so eventually, that’s going to come up and bring some points with it. Try to stay the course with Johnston if you can.  

10. Only seven points for Miro Heiskanen this season and one in his past five games. Heiskanen is a great defenceman for a number of reasons, but it just never translates that well to fantasy. There are more valuable players for category coverage that go after Heiskanen in drafts because of his name recognition. Don’t reach for him too early in the future.  

11. Things continue to look very promising for Dustin Wolf’s value. My main concern heading into the season was never around the Calgary Flames goaltender’s talent, but more about the strength of the team in front of him. The Flames, though, are still playing very well and dominated the Rangers for most of the game on Thursday. For his part, Wolf has won four straight games and owns an 8-2-1 record on the season, to go along with a sparkling .926 save percentage. As long as Wolf keeps winning at this rate, hold on to him tightly.

12. Jack Roslovic is your front-runner for hockey’s version of the Cy Young this season, with 12 goals and just one assist. Rangers forward Chris Kreider isn’t far behind with nine goals and no assists.

13. Yaroslav Asakrov’s debut with the San Jose Sharks went about as I expected, as he posted a quality start but took the loss. I think Askarov will probably follow Lukas Dostal’s fantasy value path over the next year or two, with some strong games but few wins until the Sharks improve. Similarly to Dostal, Askarov will probably have some good value for saves in the short term, as San Jose ranks 31^st in shots allowed.

14. Prior to the start of the season, someone asked me who was an off-the-board name that had a chance to score 50 goals. I went with Matt Boldy, and so far, he’s on pace for 45 to go along with nearly 300 shots. I’m not sure the Minnesota Wild forward will be able to reach the 50-goal mark, but I think he’s going to be a perennial 40-goal scorer in this league. Boldy will be a name to target in the first few rounds of drafts sooner rather than later.

15. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is still thriving on a mediocre team. The Buffalo Sabres have been up and down again this season, but Luukkonen has a .933 save percentage in November, and six of his seven starts this month have been quality. There will be the occasional hiccup for Luukkonen when the Sabres have a bad night, though there should be no hesitation about rostering him the rest of the way.  

16. I started to get the feeling Owen Power would develop into a solid NHL defenceman who just wouldn’t be great for fantasy, but this year he’s proving me wrong. Heading into Saturday, Power led all blueliners in even strength points with 15, pacing for over 60 on the season. If he could ever get top power-play time, Power could become a huge asset.  

17. Someone asked me this week if Juraj Slafkovsky was droppable in one-year leagues after scoring just one goal this season. He also has virtually no shot volume and minimal power-play production. Much like Quinton Byfield, it’s a good reminder that production for young players isn’t always linear, and patience is key. That said, if you’re in a shallow one-year league, players like Byfield and Slafkovsky could be dropped. In deep keeper formats, you’ll want to hang on and see the investment through. 

18. Bo Horvat is starting to really miss Mat Barzal. The New York Islanders centre has been held off the scoresheet in six of his past seven games and hasn't had a power-play point since Oct. 29th. Horvat is still really valuable in leagues that count faceoff wins, but expect his offensive numbers to slide while Barzal is sidelined.

19. I wrote extensively in my Friday Four column this week about Jeremy Swayman’s struggles to start the season, and it’s worth noting Joonas Korpisalo has been excellent of late. He’s got two shutouts and a .945 save percentage in his past five starts. Maybe he will get a little more playing time in the next few weeks, with the hope he can keep the Boston Bruins in the playoff picture while Swayman finds his game. I’d check to see if Korpisalo is available.

20. It’s a jam-packed schedule next week with plenty of teams playing four times, so there are lots of waiver wire options to choose from, but the distribution of games is a bit unusual. Since it’s American Thanksgiving, there are no games on Thursday. Meanwhile, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which are normally quiet nights, are packed with games.

I’d take a look at Anthony Cirelli from the Tampa Bay Lightning, who has goals in five straight games and is extra valuable in leagues that count faceoffs. Cirelli could also be extra motivated over the next two weeks to try and earn a spot on Team Canada.

I might give Matt Coronato a shot, too. He’s tied for the Flames lead in goals, and Calgary has Ottawa, Detroit, Columbus and Pittsburgh on the schedule next week. All very friendly opponents when it comes to giving up goals.

As far as drops go, it could be time to give up on Jeff Skinner. He has just one goal in 10 games and has been inconsistent all year, getting bumped down the lineup at times. Plus, the Oilers only play twice, and their first game of the week isn’t until Friday.