Even as he approaches his 37th birthday, Evgeni Malkin is still a very formidable fantasy option.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward is on pace for 82 points and doesn’t appear to be slowing down whatsoever. Given the uncertainty around his contract in the off-season and the injuries he dealt with a season ago, many likely brushed Malkin aside in drafts in favour of younger options with potential.
Sometimes, though, reliable and safe is a good draft strategy. Malkin is a proven point per game player and until he demonstrates otherwise, he should be treated as such. The Penguins are in the playoff race thanks in part to Malkin still contributing at a high level well into his 30s.
Could you imagine where Pittsburgh, and a number of fantasy teams, would be without him this season?
Time for your questions:
It seems very likely they’ll both be traded if you can hang on for another week or so. Jakob Chychrun would be the one to keep if you can only choose one, as his value will likely jump the most because he’s probably headed to a stronger team. My concern with Luke Schenn is that he’ll end up going to a team that will utilize him on the third pair and his minutes will drop, which means his hits will fall a bit, too. Though if you’re rostering him specifically for that, he should still be effective.
That said, dropping Schenn for Tyson Barrie could be a better move for you overall unless you really need the hits. Barrie is having a solid season and producing well on the power play.
This would probably be a wise move. Chandler Stephenson’s value has taken a big hit since Mark Stone went down, and he’s fallen down the Golden Knights lineup to the third line.
Ryan O’Reilly is looking really strong with Mitch Marner and John Tavares, coming off a huge game earlier this week. Keep in mind, though, the Toronto Maple Leafs could eventually experiment with moving O’Reilly down to the third line for more balance, which would hurt his numbers. But at this point, I’d say O’Reilly is still a better bet than Stephenson.
It definitely feels like this could be the best season of Zach Hyman’s career, but that doesn’t mean his numbers are going to plummet next season. There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t slot right back on the top line in 2023-24 with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, while also getting top power-play duties. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore the trade market for him. Hyman’s value might never be higher, so if you get offered a huge haul, it’s worth considering, but you’re in a good position where if you don’t like the offer, you could simply keep him.
No question, it’s Filip Gustavsson at this point. Pheonix Copley has been great for wins but his overall numbers haven’t been great, while Gustavsson sits in the top two in the NHL in both save percentage and goals-against average. He’s taken over the starting job on a good team and should help you in every area.
It really depends on team need. If you have a couple of goalies and you can afford to move on from Vitek Vanecek to improve your centre depth, then pursuing O’Reilly could make sense. Without knowing the ins and outs of your league, though, I’d say having a quality starting goalie on a good team as with Vanecek is very valuable. I’d only make the move if you’re stacked between the pipes.
Jakub Vrana got back into the Red Wings lineup this week, but played limited minutes in each game. The fact that he hasn’t been utilized much by Detroit lately makes me think he might not be in their future plans. Maybe they plan to try to move him at the deadline to a team that will give him more of an opportunity. Vrana is definitely a question mark.
Two three-point games in the past eight days should definitely up the intrigue in Seth Jarvis. He’s had a lot of stop and starts this season as far as his production goes, so it’s hard to get too excited just yet. Jarvis is in a great spot on the Carolina Hurricanes top line, though, and given where we are in the season with injuries and thin waiver wires, he seems like as good a bet as anyone.
I think it’s officially closed. Brandon Hagel is having a tremendous season and is skating on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s top line, with two very potent offensive players. If you can still get him for a reasonable price, you should jump at the chance.
Are there any NCAA kids who could potentially make an impact the last couple of weeks of the season?
One player to watch is Matthew Knies of the Maple Leafs. It sounds like the plan is to have him join the team when his collegiate season is done, and Knies boasts plenty of upside. Don’t expect the world from him because it’s going to take time before he’s a significant contributor, but if Knies gets a shot with Marner and Tavares if Toronto moves O’Reilly down, you might be able to catch lightning in a bottle for a few games.
Of course. Anthony Duclair was a 30-goal scorer a year ago and the Florida Panthers have no shortage of talent in their top six. My guess is Duclair slots in there and he’s worth a shot if all it’s going to cost you is a waiver add.
The only one I’d really be concerned about here is Nik Ehlers. He was dropped down to the Jets' third line and off the first power-play unit recently, as his minutes really dropped. Ehlers seemed to be in Rick Bowness’ bad books and he’ll need to be in the top six to have any real value. Thankfully, he was bumped back up recently and has points in two straight games. Monitor how Winnipeg utilizes him over this next stretch to get an indication of what his outlook might be for the rest of the season.
As long as Jake Sanderson is back soon, I’d say him and Seth Jones. Torey Krug is an interesting option, but he’s been banged up lately. For the forwards, I’d try Pavel Zacha and Dawson Mercer. Zacha especially interests me, as that Boston Bruins second line is really clicking and Mercer has been incredible over the past five games.
Thoughts on Cole Perfetti? Out of the lineup so much the last two years!
I think Cole Perfetti is still a few years away from being a really effective fantasy option. He’s battled injuries and consistency issues, but remember, he’s only played 69 NHL games. He does have triple eligibility going for him and good deployment when he’s in the lineup, so he can be used as a streamer when he’s productive. Just don't expect too much from Perfetti yet.
That’s definitely a move to consider in a one-year league. Nick Suzuki will likely go through some cold stretches for the Canadiens now that Cole Caufield is out for the season, whereas Jake DeBrusk should produce more consistently for the Bruins. DeBrusk already has a few points and plenty of shots since returning from injury and it sounds like making that swap would help your roster flexibility as well.
It certainly is Philipp Grubauer’s net at this point. He’s been much better than Martin Jones lately for the Kraken and Jack Campbell is struggling mightily again for the Oilers. It’s anyone’s guess if Campbell will regain his form in the next few weeks or so, but most people don’t have time to wait. The fantasy playoffs are fast approaching and you have to ride the hot hand in net.
I don’t think I would. Nicklas Backstrom has a lot of name recognition but the production isn’t anywhere near what it was in years past and he’s also sitting at minus-12. The Washington Capitals also look like they’re trending in the wrong direction. I don’t see you getting any further ahead by dropping one of those three for Backstrom.
Even though Logan Thompson is injured, I’ll still say Vegas. If he gets healthy in time for the fantasy playoffs, the tandem of Thompson and Adin Hill should provide you the most consistency. Neither Jacob Markstrom or Dan Vladar have been able to secure the Calgary net and Campbell is suddenly struggling once again. There is too many question marks in the crease for the Flames and Oilers to roster both goalies from either team. I’d rather stash Thompson and use Hill for the time being.
If you trust in your abilities, you probably don’t need to completely rebuild, though that can be fun sometimes, too. Maybe you just make a trade or two and acquire a couple of additional draft picks so you can retool on the fly for next season. You can also comb the waiver wire for players who may have been dropped to use as keepers for next season. Caufield is one who is now under 40 per cent rostered who comes to mind.
With Cam Talbot coming back shortly to the Senators, I’d probably go with Mads Sogaard. He just won’t play enough to give you the value that the others will, and even though all the rest on that list have their flaws, they’ll still play regularly. Volume is important sometimes.
Anyone who has the potential to score 60 goals is always worthy of keeping and using a first-round pick on. It’s really tough to get 60, so there needs to be some perspective that Auston Matthews isn’t going to hit that total every single year. Still, he’s on pace for 42 this season and that’s still very good production in what most would consider a down year. Maybe that’s the best way to look at it, would you use a first-round pick on someone whose floor is still well over 40 goals? Absolutely, you would.
Luke Hughes very well may have some defensive challenges at the NHL level, but that hasn’t stopped a number of players from producing big fantasy numbers before. I don’t think anyone would call Morgan Rielly, Tyson Barrie or even Quinn Hughes stellar defensively, but they are still very effective options in fantasy.
It’s possible he returns, though I would have a tough time placing expectations too large on Robin Lehner. Given his injury and all the time he’s missed, it’s going to take a lot for him to just be fantasy relevant again, let alone a top-20 keeper. There’s also the fact that Thompson has emerged as a very capable option and has a really cheap contract, so the path for Lehner to regain the net for the Vegas Golden Knights is going to be an uphill climb.
For many of the reasons I mentioned earlier, I’d go with Gustavsson. He’s so well-rounded and does everything well. Take advantage of it as long as you can. Tristan Jarry and the Penguins simply don’t look like themselves.
There’s nothing wrong with Nikita Kucherov and he’s usually near the top of the league when it comes to points per game. Tage Thompson is a few years younger, though, and could end up being the better long-term move. I actually think this deal is very fair and would make sense for both sides depending on the priorities of your team.
Definitely Hill. Joonas Korpisalo is playing very well lately but I could see him getting dealt at the deadline and settling into a backup role, where Hill could be the starter on a strong team for at least the next few weeks.
This might not be the most exciting or shocking list, but I’ll go Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Kirill Kaprizov. That’s in no particular order and assuming everyone is healthy. I think the value someone like Makar can give you on defense pushes him into my top five, and you could make an argument for Brady Tkachuk as well simply because of his hits. I don’t tend to overthink the top five of a draft too much in multi-cat leagues and get hung up on things like hits, because I think the safety of consistent point production still trumps everything else. Looking for category coverage as you get further into the depths of your roster is a good way to go.
That’s too much to give up in my opinion. I’m not sure Darcy Kuemper is that much more valuable than just Jeremy Swayman, as the Bruins rotate their goalies fairly regularly. Plus, you’re adding Vince Dunn, who is having a great season. I think you come out ahead with Swayman and Dunn.
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