You can’t stop Alex Ovechkin, you can only hope to contain him.
On Tuesday night, the 35-year-old Washington Capitals sniper potted his 718th career goal, passing Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL’s all-time list. In case you’re wondering, Marcel Dionne is next at 731.
After a slow start to this odd season, Ovechkin has really started to cook — he has five goals in his past six outings. Frankly, I’d give it maybe two more weeks before he’s in the top-10 in league goal scoring again. Dude’s insane.
As expected, the Ovechkin buy-low window is dissipating quicker than Buffalo’s playoff chances. Also, rostering the Russian winger moving forward in the Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey Pool would be a wise idea, especially considering the fact that goals are worth two points in this year’s game.
Now to your questions:
No, I’m strongly against dropping Jordan Binnington right now. I know he’s been dreadful lately, but there’s still a half-season to play. You have to give him the benefit of the doubt.
As a whole, I think the Blues are in line for a much better second half. They’re getting healthier, which in turn should help them get back on track. That roster is way too talented to keep struggling like this. Simply put, I’m buying on St. Louis.
Hold on Pietrangelo, too. The way I see it, the replacement option will pale in comparison to what Pietrangelo can offer you once he’s back and healthy. At this point in the fantasy season, it’s slim pickings on the waiver wire when it comes to blue-liners.
The Canes are a wagon, aren’t they?
Despite his fantastic first half, I’d say Jordan Staal is the likeliest of the three to fall off a bit in production. Once Vincent Trocheck returns and the trade deadline passes, I expect the veteran to settle back into his traditional third-line centre role for the stretch drive.
When it comes to Nino Niederreiter and Martin Necas, I fully expect them to continue trucking right along. As long as they continue to see firm attachment to either Sebastian Aho and/or Andrei Svechnikov, they’ll continue to do their things. Both players have been tremendously underrated fantasy contributors so far this season.
As for Conor Garland, I chalk it up to the ebbs and flows of an NHL season. I know you submitted the question on Wednesday, but Garland broke out of his slump with a multi-point effort against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. Mark my words: Another hot streak is coming.
At the very least, he’s an intriguing file to monitor closely as his NHL debut nears.
Initially, I expect Vitali Kravtsov to factor somewhere inside the New York Rangers’ middle-six. That said, if there’s one thing we’ve learned from David Quinn, it’s that every player – regardless of who they are – will have to earn their stripes. The 21-year-old is no different.
Yes, there’s potential to be found here, but I’d be more inclined to take a wait-and-see approach.
Short-term no, long-term yes.
The reason I put it like that: Without any meaningful attachment to Kirill Kaprizov 5-on-5, Kevin Fiala will be hard-pressed to live up to last season’s expectation. That said, I do think it’s inevitable that the duo is reunited at some point. For now, his fantasy stock will continue to plateau.
All you can do is sit tight and play the waiting game — the Kaprizov, Victor Rask, Mats Zuccarello trio won’t be split up anytime soon.
Definitely on my radar, yes. With the Dallas Stars chasing the schedule for the rest of the season, I’d grab him, especially in deep leagues. It’s a no-brainer for me. He’s been solid, Dallas has not.
Starting with Nick Suzuki, I think he’s getting toward that droppable range. Quite frankly, you can find a better producer on the waiver wire right now. Again, you can always circle back if he heats up.
On Pierre-Luc Dubois, I’d definitely hold. The numbers aren’t there (just yet), but he’s looked excellent the past couple of weeks. I think his game is rounding into form and a breakout performance is coming. Stand pat.
Weird times.
Normally, I’d endorse scooping some guys up two weeks before. That said, the current quarantine protocols here in Canada have thrown a wrench into that strategy. What if someone you pick up is traded from an American team to a Canadian squad? You’re screwed. For what it’s worth, I do expect the quarantine rule to be modified (maybe to one week) as the deadline draws closer.
For now, I’d just tread carefully and react once a deal is confirmed. Just stay on top of things.
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