20 Fantasy Thoughts: Where would you take Connor Bedard in fantasy drafts next season?

That time off did not serve Pyotr Kochetkov well.

The Carolina Hurricanes netminder won Rookie of the Month honours for December after going 7-0-1 with a .939 save percentage, but then didn’t play for two weeks after Antti Raanta received a string of starts. Kochetkov was back in the net this week for two, though he went winless in those contests and gave up four goals in both games.

It’s a bit of a critical stretch for Kochetkov, as Frederik Andersen is almost ready to return and the Hurricanes will have to decide what to do in goal. The simplest thing, much to the chagrin of fantasy hockey enthusiasts, would be to send Kochetkov back down and roll with Raanta and Andersen. Kochetkov, however, was playing so well last month he was forcing his way into the full-time conversation and no doubt had the Canes considering a trade. He’ll have to continue on that level to remain relevant and keep his spot.

A lot of fantasy hockey squads are depending on it.

1. While everyone was marvelling watching Connor Bedard at the World Juniors, I posed a question on Twitter asking how high people would draft him in fantasy next year. The answers ranged from first overall, to second or third round, to between 75-100, and not at all. I think a lot depends on if you’re in a one-year league or a keeper, and what team Bedard ends up on. Out of all the teams near the bottom of the standings, I think the Vancouver Canucks or Anaheim Ducks would give Bedard the best chance at having a major immediate impact. Getting a chance to play with Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes or Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry would put Bedard in a great spot right away. My answer would probably be around 20th overall or late second round for a one-year and potentially top 10 in a keeper. Bedard seems like a generational talent in the mold of a Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin or Connor McDavid and locking him up on your roster for years to come makes too much sense. You’ll regret it if you pass up the opportunity. He’s just that good.

2. Tanner Jeannot was a trendy pick across fantasy hockey circles this season, after last year’s campaign saw him hit 24 goals and over 300 hits. Things aren’t going nearly as well for the Nashville Predators forward in 2022-23. It was expected Jeannot’s offensive numbers were going to take a dip given his 19.4% shooting percentage in 2021-22, but just three goals at this point is quite a fall. His shot and hits totals are still on last year’s pace, though the lack of offence drops his value and makes him tough to roster in a lot of leagues.

3. I hope you won the saves category this week if you have Juuse Saros. A whopping 64-save performance against the Hurricanes was like two starts for the price of one.

4. The Boston Bruins are starting to get Jeremy Swayman more involved. Swayman and Linus Ullmark have rotated every other game over the past 11 starts, and four out of Swayman’s past five starts have been quality. If this pattern continues on a similar trajectory the rest of the way, Swayman is going to have major value given how strong the Bruins look.

5. Some injuries come at the worst times. Jake DeBrusk’s would definitely qualify, as the Bruins winger was in the midst of a career year. He was on pace for 36 goals and averaging well over a hit per game. Keep an eye on Pavel Zacha as he slides into the top six with DeBrusk out. Zacha could be a decent short-term option if he captures lightning in a bottle.

6. Klim Kostin is becoming a very interesting add to consider. His hit numbers are off the charts, as he’s averaged over four hits per game over his past 11 outings. Kostin also recently received a bump up to the Edmonton Oilers top line to play with Connor McDavid, after he scored three goals in two games late last month. If Kostin can even produce a hint of offence to go with those hit totals, you’ll want him around.

7. Last week we talked about Evan Bouchard falling short of expectations for a breakout season, so this week I wanted to highlight someone that exceeded them. Much like Bouchard, Tim Stutzle was tabbed by many for a big year and he hasn’t disappointed. After a mediocre start, Stutzle is on pace for 91 points and 142 hits, which are both easily new career highs. He’s also on pace for a whopping 39 power play points. Stutzle is suddenly becoming a great multi-cat option and is definitely a keeper in almost any league.

8. If I said there was a goalie with a .500 record right now and a .921 save percentage, how many guesses would it take you to land on Alex Stalock of the Chicago Blackhawks? The Hawks barely have any rosterable players, but Stalock is coming off a shutout to give him five quality starts in his past six outings and he’s only given up more than three goals twice all season. If you use him selectively, Stalock appears to be a more than viable streaming option.

9. On the other end of the spectrum, Ville Husso is suddenly struggling mightily. He has an .849 save percentage over his past six games and only one win in his past eight. Alex Nedeljkovic suffered a similar fate going from the Hurricanes to the Detroit Red Wings last season, so I had concerns this was coming for Husso as well. Hopefully he can pull himself out of this quick or he won’t be worth holding onto.

10. Kaiden Guhle is expected to miss eight weeks with an injury, which could mean a few extra minutes for Arber Xhekaj. He’s been great for hits this season, averaging almost three per game.

11. Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson are expected to be back Sunday, which is going to shake up the Washington Capitals top six. I’d be the most concerned for Conor Sheary, Dylan Strome and Sonny Milano as candidates that could get bumped down, but it really remains to be seen what the Caps will do. I’d hold anyone for at least a few games to see what happens before making a drastic move. T.J. Oshie is often injured and that could ultimately open up another slot at some point. Whoever stays on the first power play will be worth having around.

12. There’s no question Jack Hughes is having a huge season points wise, but he’s also firing a ridiculous amount of shots on goal. Hughes has at least six shots in six straight games and has 19 alone in his past two contests. This recent surge has pushed him all the way up to third overall in the entire NHL in that category.

13. After scoring just three goals in his first 10 games, Chris Kreider is picking up the pace with three in his past four. I don’t think he gets anywhere close to 50 again, but these are encouraging signs if you’re banking on a second half surge from the New York Rangers sniper.

14. I’m not holding my breath that Casey DeSmith is going to go on a great run with Tristan Jarry sidelined. He hasn’t been good in his past four starts and I don’t think the Pittsburgh Penguins are as goalie friendly of a team as they used to be. Not to mention they’ve been very streaky all season. That said, the Pens have Arizona, Anaheim and Ottawa twice over the next little bit here, so there are worse options than DeSmith if your goaltending is in dire straits.

15. Quinton Byfield hasn’t produced much offence since being called up by the Los Angeles Kings, but he’s getting premium deployment. Byfield is playing on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe and is getting some power play time as well. If this keeps up the offence is going to come sooner or later. Put him on your watch list.

16. Martin Jones’ hot and cold season continues. The Seattle Kraken netminder is 4-0-0 with a .921 save percentage in his past four games after having a rough December. Jones’ overall save percentage this season isn’t sparkling, but you can’t argue with an 18-5-3 record. If nothing else he’ll help you out in the win column as long as the Kraken continue to play well.

17. There was some concern that the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending was in a really bad place, before Ilya Samsonov calmed things a bit with a quality start and win Saturday. Prior to that outing, Samsonov had allowed 17 goals in his past four starts and Matt Murray is arguably coming off his worst game of the season. Murray and Samsonov have been anything but consistent in recent years, so some worries were justified, but this Leafs team is much stronger defensively than groups of previous seasons. I wouldn’t push the panic button on either yet.

18. Kirill Marchenko is a name to watch on your waiver wire. A hat-trick Saturday against a strong defensive team like the Hurricanes was very impressive and that gives him eight goals in 15 games. That’s a 43-goal pace over 82 games. Marchenko may even deserve keeper consideration in deep leagues where you carry over quite a few players.

19. We shouldn’t be surprised that Mikko Rantanen is having a great year, but this might be his most impressive season to date. It would’ve been easy for Rantanen’s numbers to slip given that Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin have all missed considerable time due to injuries. Not to mention Nazem Kadri leaving in the offseason. Instead, Rantanen is on pace for over 50 goals and 100 points and well on his way to a career year.

20. What a display from Rasmus Dahlin on Saturday night. His five points, four shots and three hits powered the Buffalo Sabres to victory. I was thinking of how many defencemen would go ahead of Dahlin in drafts next season, and the list is short. Cale Makar? Sure. But there aren’t that many other locks. You could certainly make arguments for Roman Josi and Adam Fox as well, though Dahlin is building a strong case to challenge them. He fills so many categories and the scary part is, it doesn’t even feel like Dahlin has reached his full potential yet.