Make it seven.
This past week, the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers became the sixth and seventh teams to make a coaching change in the NHL this season.
Just like that, Ottawa’s D.J. Smith is the longest-tenured head coach in Canada.
While the Canadiens remain destined for the draft lottery, the Oilers are hoping to make a playoff push following their decision to oust Dave Tippett and hire Jay Woodcroft. In essence, they’re looking for the Vancouver Canucks bump.
#NHL teams since in-season coaching change:#LetsGoOilers 1-0-0#GoHabsGo 0-2-0#GoJetsGo 7-7-3#Canucks 14-6-4#BringItToBroad 7-14-4#Blackhawks 16-15-5#TimeToHunt 25-10-5
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) February 13, 2022
Coincidentally enough, Week 17 in the fantasy schedule is a huge one for the Oilers. They’re slated to play five times in seven days.
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1. Needless to say, look for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to take off once again.
Furthermore, I view this as a solid buy-low opportunity for the likes of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Darnell Nurse.
2. New coach or not, the Oilers still have a big-time goalie problem, so I’d continue to steer clear of that crease at all costs. A trade has to be coming, right? Keep close tabs on that.
3. Put Evan Bouchard on your watch list. The 22-year-old blue liner thrived under Jay Woodcroft in the AHL, let’s see if that can transfer over to the NHL now. Bouchard’s been quarterbacking the first power-play unit lately.
4. Over in Montreal, Cole Caufield should firmly be on your radar. The 21-year-old has scored in back-to-back games under interim bench boss Martin St. Louis. Watch out.
5. Pick up Petr Mrazek. The 29-year-old has won four of his past five appearances and with Jack Campbell struggling, the door is open for an increase in playing time.
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6. As for Campbell, now’s a good time to execute a buy-low on the Toronto All-Star. Even though he’s struggled recently, his body of work over the past year suggests he’ll return to form eventually. Make an offer; this is just a blip in a long season.
7. Scoop up Jeremy Swayman. The 23-year-old is back in the mix for good now that Tuukka Rask has officially called it a career. All things being equal, Swayman’s had a pretty good year so far for the Bruins (9-7-2, 2.22, 0.919, 2 SO).
8. With Patrice Bergeron day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Erik Haula has been centering Boston’s top line alongside Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak.
Externally, Nico Hischier, Anton Lundell, Dylan Strome and Mikael Backlund can also help you fill the short-term void.
The good news is that it sounds like Bergeron will be able to return at some point this week.
9. Barring a reduction in suspension, Brad Marchand won’t be returning until Feb. 24 in Seattle. While he sits, Tanner Jeannot, Clayton Keller, Jakub Voracek and Alex Tuch are a couple solid replacement options.
10. Wild rookie Matt Boldy is another excellent left wing option worth plucking off waivers. He has four goals and 10 points in 12 games to start his NHL career. Love the chemistry that the Fiala/Boldy combo has been building in Minnesota.
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11. Add Jake Oettinger. Over the past two weeks, the Stars blue-chipper has really started to emerge as the team’s number-one option in-between the pipes. The 23-year-old is 4-0-1 over his past five outings with a 2.24 goals-against and 0.922 save-percentage.
12. Meantime, the consistency continues for Ottawa’s Matt Murray. In 10 appearances since his recall from the AHL, the 27-year-old has notched a 5-3-2 record with a 2.18 goals-against, .937 save percentage and one shutout. Be mindful.
13. Once the Panthers return to action on Wednesday, you should absolutely jump back in on Mason Marchment. Aided by a six-point night, the Florida winger had 12 points in five games before the break. Heat check.
14. It’s buy-time on Patrik Laine. The Jackets sniper has seven goals and 12 points in his past six outings. This dude’s as streaky as they come.
15. Full transparency, the window to acquire Elias Pettersson for less than market value is closing fast. The Canucks centre has seven goals and three assists in his past 12 contests. Petey’s back.
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16. Flip Mark Stone immediately. With Jack Eichel’s debut imminent, there’s whispers that Stone, who’s been dealing with a nagging upper body issue, could be placed on LITR and miss the balance of the regular season. Act quickly.
17. Need some help on the back end? Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, Noah Dobson and Esa Lindell have all been providing some legitimate value lately.
18. Let’s wrap with the upcoming schedule (Feb. 14 – 20).
Monday: 4 Games
Tuesday: 9 Games
Wednesday: 4 Games
Thursday: 10 Games
Friday: 4 Games
Saturday: 7 Games
Sunday: 8 Games
Total: 46 Games
As mentioned earlier, this is the week to be all over Edmonton’s depth. They’ll play five games.
Edmonton Oilers: Mon (@SJS), Tues (@LAK), Thurs (ANA), Sat (@WPG), Sun (MIN)
Waiver Looks: Jesse Puljujarvi, Evan Bouchard, Kailer Yamamoto
SN Fantasy: Connor McDavid 4, Evander Kane 2, Evan Bouchard 1
19. Meantime, there’s five four-game teams (BUF, CHI, MIN, OTT, WPG).
I like these two schedules the best:
Chicago Blackhawks: Mon (@WPG), Thurs (CBJ), Fri (DAL), Sun (FLA)
Waiver Looks: Dylan Strome, Brandon Hagel
SN Fantasy Pool: Alex DeBrincat 3, Patrick Kane 2
Minnesota Wild: Mon (DET), Wed (@WPG), Fri (FLA), Sun (@EDM)
Waiver Looks: Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy
SN Fantasy Pool: MIN Goalies 3, Kevin Fiala 2
20. Conversely, there’s a bevy of teams to stay completely away from.
2 Games: ARI, DET, MTL, NSH, PHI, VAN, WSH (7)
1 Game: NJD, TBL (2)
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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