20 Fantasy Thoughts: Foegele cementing spot in Oilers top six

The Edmonton Oilers appear to have finally found the missing piece in their top six.

It seems like the Oilers have been searching for someone to step up and grab the role all season, and Warren Foegele has done just that. Foegele has 16 points in his past 17 games and looks comfortable playing next to elite talent. Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane are the other usual suspects in the top six and the first power play contains the first four of those forwards plus Evan Bouchard, so that final spot on the top two lines is very critical. Whoever has it, is probably the only other forward on the Oilers that’s going to have fantasy value.

Many, including me, thought it would be Connor Brown, but Brown still hasn’t even scored yet this season. Foegele, though, has really stepped up and is starting to prove himself over a larger sample size. Amazingly, he’s still under 15 per cent rostered and could pay huge dividends down the stretch for a number of fantasy squads pushing for the playoffs.

Add him while you can.

1. Despite the Oilers winning ways, Bouchard hasn’t been contributing much offensively. He’s managed just a single assist in five games and has been held off the scoresheet in six of his past nine. Bouchard is playing a ton of minutes and he seems like a guy that could use the all-star break to recharge.

2. He won’t play often, but Calvin Pickard is a nice option for spot starts. Pickard is now 5-2-0 with a .915 save percentage and a shutout on the year. Edmonton’s improved defensive play is propping him up big time.

3. The Boston Bruins seem to be at their most dangerous when Charlie Coyle is centring the top line with David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand on his wings. Coyle recently took advantage of a stretch with the duo and is now on pace for 70 points and is actually third on the Bruins in scoring this season. Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha have also had runs as the top centre, but it feels like Coyle is the guy Boston really trusts. He’s also great for faceoff wins if your league has those

4. Jake DeBrusk is now up to 14 points in his past 16 games. DeBrusk was the Boston Bruins forward I thought would be hurt the most by Patrice Bergeron’s departure, as he had a career year in 2022-23 playing a lot of minutes at even strength with Bergeron. After a slow start, though, DeBrusk now seems to be finding his footing and is available in almost 50 per cent of leagues. Unfortunately, he just went down with an injury, so try to get some clarity on that before adding. Hopefully he’s back it after the all-star break.

5. What a fall for Cam Talbot. He was incredible for the first three months of the season but now he hasn’t won a game in more than a month and his past four starts have been disastrous. They’ve all been .865 or lower when it comes to save percentage. Things bottomed out Friday when Talbot was pulled after just a period against the Colorado Avalanche, allowing three goals. I think we’re at the point where Talbot could be considered a drop.

6. Strangely, Martin Necas started on the fourth line upon his return from injury last week. I’m not sure if Rod Brind’Amour didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry of his lines or what, but it was certainly peculiar. Thankfully, Necas recorded four points and 20 shots in his first three games back and was quickly bumped back up to the top six.

7. Andrei Kuzmenko has recorded just two points in over a month and his ice time is really dwindling. He’s also lost his role on the top power play. I’m not sure why he’s still 43 per cent rostered. Unless you’re hoping Kuzmenko gets traded somewhere for a fresh start.

8. Kuzmenko’s loss is Pius Suter’s gain. The Vancouver Canucks have promoted Suter to the top six and to the first power play and he’s been taking full advantage. Suter has six points and 11 shots while playing extra minutes in his past three games. He’s a streamer as long as the Canucks stick with this formation.

9. Alex DeBrincat’s deployment has been less than ideal recently, to say the least. The Detroit Red Wings forward found himself on the second line and second power-play unit, before finally getting pushed back up to the top line Saturday. DeBrincat got off to an incredible start to the year but has faded of late, recording just one goal in his past 13 games. Perhaps the Wings are going for a more balanced attack by having Lucas Raymond and David Perron on power play one, though it’s doing no favours to DeBrincat’s value.

10. I’ve mentioned Joel Farabee before as a great add and fit for points leagues and little has changed. He’s up to 20 points in his past 18 games and is still available in more than 40 per cent of leagues. He’d be a valuable pickup.  

11. With Carter Hart away from the Philadelphia Flyers, you’ll want to take a look at Samuel Ersson. The problem is Ersson has fallen apart in his past four starts, all losses and giving up 15 goals over that stretch. If your goalies are really struggling Ersson might be worth a shot because he should play a lot, but just temper your expectations. I wonder if the Flyers consider adding someone in goal, too.

12. Wyatt Johnston is taking full advantage of a promotion to the Dallas Stars top line. Johnston has taken Joe Pavelski’s spot next to Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, recording eight points in seven games and really increasing his shot volume. That includes a three-assist performance earlier this week and he also recently became right-wing eligible. I’d say Johnston is in must-add territory as long as he’s getting this deployment.

13. Miro Heiskanen returned to the ice Thursday for the Dallas Stars but it didn’t seem to impact Thomas Harley. He still played over 22 minutes in his past two games and picked up four points and nine shots. There’s definitely concern that Harley will lose value since he recently received a bump in opportunity with Heiskanen out, but for now, Harley should definitely be held.

14. Anton Lundell is worth considering as an add, thanks to the Florida Panthers spreading out their offence. Lundell has five points in six games and can really help you in the faceoff circle, too. The Panthers are playing Sam Reinhart with Lundell and as long as that sticks, Lundell is really going to benefit. Everything Reinhart is shooting this season has gone in.

15. Tough luck for Filip Chytil who appeared to go down with an injury Friday after finally getting back on the ice from a concussion. Chytil had a breakout campaign a year ago with 22 goals, but it looks like this could be a lost season.

16. Your league has likely combined your next matchup over two weeks, since there are very few games over the next seven days due to the all-star break. If you want to try and get ahead on the games played, Ottawa, Nashville and San Jose play twice next week, but I wouldn’t make a panic move. I’d spend next week analyzing your roster to see if there’s anyone you can add the following week when the schedule gets busier. Jumping ahead to that week, Vancouver, Washington and Colorado are the only teams that play four times, so perhaps the aforementioned Suter may be a fit then

17. Andrei Vasilevskiy is starting to find his groove. After a somewhat slow start returning from injury, the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender has now won seven of his last eight starts, with quality starts in all but two of those games. Vasilevskiy was a great stash candidate or buy-low option given how he started, but he was always a good bet to turn it around. With last year’s early playoff exit and missing nearly the first two months of the season, Vasilevskiy should be refreshed for a stretch run.

18. Despite the Vegas Golden Knights missing both Jack Eichel and William Karlsson, it hasn’t hurt Jonathan Marchessault one bit. Marchessault is playing his best hockey of the season, scoring eight times in his past seven games. Ride the wave while it lasts.

19. The St. Louis Blues have turned things around of late, thanks in part to Brayden Schenn. After going 12 games in a row without a point, Schenn has notched 10 in his past nine contests. If Schenn can continue to produce points and with his consistency in filling the hit column, he’ll be a huge asset. He also has C/LW eligibility and is solid for winning draws, so if your league counts faceoffs you can slot him in on the wing to give you a huge advantage.

20. Troy Terry is on a heater. He’s notched eight points in five games and is only 38% rostered. Given the emergence of Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras’ struggles and the Anaheim Ducks hanging out near the league’s basement, Terry has been somewhat forgotten about this year. The Ducks play a lot of games on off nights, so Terry could be a key addition to a number of rosters that are looking for more flexibility.