Fantasy or not, it’s a tough time of year to be scrambling for goaltending help —that’s for sure.
But that’s the predicament many find themselves in with the sudden rash of injuries and inconsistent play. Suffice it is to say, a plethora of teams are in a very precarious position leading into the Mar. 21 trade deadline.
When in doubt, take the over.
1. One name to lookout for is Montreal’s Jake Allen, who you should scoop up and stash ahead of his possible return this week. The 31-year-old has been out since Jan. 12 with a lower body injury. Even if Allen doesn’t get dealt, he could still emerge as a coy piece for you down the stretch. The Canadiens have looked infinitely better under Martin St. Louis.
2. The obvious in-house replacement for the injured Robin Lehner in Vegas is Laurent Brossoit. That said, it’s understandable to have minimal confidence in the Golden Knights right now, they’re severely banged up. Honestly, who saw this coming for this powerhouse?
3. In Toronto, with Jack Campbell on the shelf, Petr Mrazek SHOULD see the brunt of the load moving forward. Keyword being "should." The way Mrazek’s been playing, anything’s possible. For now, stay away.
4. Believe it or not, we’ve entered a potential buy-low period for Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning superstar netminder has surrendered 16 goals in his past four appearances. Yeah, if that opportunity presents itself, do it quickly.
5. When applicable, stream Antti Raanta. Last week, in the absence of Frederik Andersen, the 32-year-old went 3-0-0 with a 1.31 goals-against-average, .956 save-percentage and one shutout.
6. Another cheeky flier option is Anton Forsberg. Personally, I think the Senators should re-sign him, but his name has been out there in trade rumours recently. Since Jan. 1, the 29-year-old has posted a 2.57 goals-against and .923 save percentage. Think about it.
7. Put Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka on your watch list, too. If this guy gets moved, his fantasy stock will go through the roof.
8. Lastly, Devils rookie Nico Daws has been impressive since being summoned from the AHL. New Jersey is still an adventure defensively, so I’d be very strategic with his deployment.
9. In general, the buy-low window in Washington is slamming shut. Last call for bargain pricing on the likes of Nick Backstrom, John Carlson and T.J. Oshie. Ditto for Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov in between the pipes.
10. Lots to unpack from the Gabriel Landeskog news. This is what Colorado’s top six looked like coming out of practice on Saturday:
Nichushkin – MacKinnon – Rantanen
Newhook – Kadri – Burakovsky
Be mindful.
11. Some external Landeskog injury replacement options: Anders Lee, Carter Verhaeghe, Trevor Zegras, Tage Thompson, and Nick Schmaltz.
12. Love what Brock Nelson has been bringing to the table lately on Long Island. The 30-year-old has 11 points in his past 12 outings and is up to 23 goals on the season. Take a flier.
13. Drop Ondrej Palat. The 30-year-old, who’s currently mired in a 15-game goalless drought, is pointless in six straight and has just three points – all assists - in his past 14 games.
14. Can someone please tell me how and why Clayton Keller is still under 60 percent owned in standard leagues? The Yotes winger is currently riding a modest five-game point streak and has 18 points in his past 12 outings. Impressively, he’s now up to 56 points in 57 games this season. Add immediately.
15. Same thing with Detroit’s Jakub Vrana. Coming off preseason shoulder surgery, the 26-year-old has three goals in three games to start his year. Additionally, Vrana now has 11 goals in 14 total games as a Red Wing dating back to his trade from Washington last April.
16. Sticking with the theme of criminally underrated, it’s time to jump back in on Robert Thomas. The Blues forward has four goals and six points in the past two contests. He’s starting to cook again, and so is St. Louis.
17. Considering his teammates are dropping like flies, you may want to consider gauging the trade market on Patrik Laine. Boone Jenner is now considered week-to-week and even the ultra-durable Jakub Voracek is banged up. Tough go.
18. With Miro Heiskanen (mono) out indefinitely for the Stars, look for Esa Lindell to receive an uptick in responsibilities.
The same goes for Sean Durzi in Los Angeles, who will do his best to fill-in for Drew Doughty.
Elsewhere, Rasmus Andersson, T.J. Brodie, Ryan Pulock and Shayne Gostisbehere can provide you with some short-term value.
19. Time to dissect the upcoming week (Mar. 14-20) in the NHL:
Monday: 1 Game
Tuesday: 11 Games
Wednesday: 4 Games
Thursday: 10 Games
Friday: 6 Games
Saturday: 11 Games
Sunday: 6 Games
Total: 49 Games
20. Everything you need to know is laid out below:
4 Games: ARI, DAL, NYI, NYR, OTT, SJS, VAN, WSH (8)
Ottawa Senators: Mon (ARI), Wed (CBJ), Fri (PHI), Sat (@MTL)
Waiver Looks: Josh Norris, Tim Stuetzle, Anton Forsberg
SN Fantasy: Brady Tkachuk 2, Tim Stuetzle 1
Vancouver Canucks: Tues (NJD), Thurs (DET), Sat (CGY), Sun (BUF)
Waiver Looks: Connor Garland, Vasily Podkolzin
SN Fantasy: J.T. Miller 3, VAN Goalies 2
2 Games: ANA, COL, MIN, SEA, STL, TBL (6)
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