Fantasy Hockey Mailbag: What to do about Ovechkin's struggles

Who are these San Jose Sharks?

After losing their first 11 games and scoring just 12 times during that stretch, the Sharks have 22 goals in their past four games and have won five of seven. Their most recent back-to-back wins were their most impressive, rallying from 4-1 and 4-0 down to secure improbable overtime victories against the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, respectively.

San Jose was the punchline for a lot of jokes on social media to start the season, but the truth is, a team playing that poorly isn’t ideal for fantasy hockey. You want as many teams scoring as much as possible to make the player pool in your league that much greater. Virtually no one was rosterable from the Sharks a few weeks back, but now they have several players that are assets. Tomas Hertl, Anthony Dulcair and William Eklund have all been filling the scoresheet of late.

Take advantage of it while it lasts.

Let’s get to your questions:

I’d say so. J.T. Miller has a legitimate chance at 100 points and 200 hits. That’s not quite Brady Tkachuk territory and you’d like his shot volume to be a bit higher, but he’s incredibly valuable in a multi-cat league. There’s simply nobody with his type of offence who can also provide that hit coverage. Even though Tkachuk is going to post far more hits and shots, he likely is going to top out at 80-85 points. Alexander Ovechkin in his prime might be someone comparable who could provide Miller’s level of offence while also hitting a ton, but you won’t find anyone else like him today.

Miller, in general, I think is very underrated in fantasy. He had an ADP this season of 47, which is incredible value if you snagged him in the fourth round. I’m sure nobody expected the Vancouver Canucks to be this good, but it’s been going on five years now where Miller has proven to be a borderline elite fantasy player. Give him his due.

Jonathan Huberdeau had picked it up recently, but he’s gone quiet again. I don’t think there’s any issue with dropping him at this point, especially looking at some of those names you’re considering. Brayden Schenn and Jared Spurgeon are particularly interesting for category coverage.

Just not scoring enough, unfortunately. Pierre-Luc Dubois should typically be around a 60-point player, but he’s pacing nowhere close to that. The bigger concern might be his hit totals, which are also down significantly. At least if he was providing value there, you could give him more time. I think he’s definitely a drop in points leagues and pretty close in multi-cat formats. You just can’t wait much longer.

I can’t say I’m overly confident in Patrik Laine for the remainder of this season. The Columbus Blue Jackets have struggled for the most part and Laine has battled injuries, too. After his healthy scratch he had a three-game point streak, so you know the talent is there, it’s just not very consistent right now. I think I’d use him as a streamer when needed.

If those players are available, you could consider dropping Jakob Chychrun. He’s been ice-cold and you’d probably be better off with Luke Hughes or Rasmus Andersson. Hughes would be where I’d lean because he’s on power-play one due to Dougie Hamilton’s injury.

I don’t think so. Calen Addison hasn’t taken advantage of the Sharks' recent scoring surge and he hasn’t done much with a bigger opportunity in San Jose. Unless you’re in a very deep keeper league and thinking long term, he should be fine to drop. There are probably better options on waivers.

There’s a couple of things to look at here. First, Timo Meier has been bumped out of the New Jersey Devils top six since returning from injury. He was at his best earlier this season when he was promoted to play with Jack Hughes. His current deployment, which is also only on power-play two, isn’t going to help his offence.

Second, he’s averaging around 2:30 less in ice time since arriving in New Jersey from San Jose. This is always my fear with players who join a loaded team from a weaker one, their role and responsibility can shrink and it can ultimately hurt their production. I think Meier is dealing with this now. San Jose was leaning on him for everything and he’s now on a team with a handful of forwards just as good or better than he is. If you’re looking at the glass half full, Meier’s shot volume has still been pretty good, so hopefully that starts turning into points. Ultimately, he has to get back into the top six to be really fantasy-relevant again, though.

There’s no doubt they’re definitely in the market for a player like that. I’m not sure bringing back Ilya Lyubushkin back makes sense though, because the Toronto Maple Leafs need more of a legitimate top-four option. Chris Tanev would work and there’s been chatter that they’re interested, but there are always cap implications to consider with his contract and pending free agency. Plus, even with John Klingberg’s money now available, the Leafs would probably need the Calgary Flames to retain salary, which would cost Toronto another asset. Whoever they get will probably be a right shot who can play in the top four.

Nik Ehlers is finally getting real minutes and top-line deployment. The return of Rick Bowness behind the bench and Gabriel Vilardi coming back from injury haven’t impacted Ehlers negatively, although he is only on the second power play. Still, Ehlers has been scoring of late and is receiving solid ice time. If that keeps up, there’s no reason to drop him.

Maybe very low. I’m a little skeptical about Dylan Cozens. He’s had a disappointing season and didn’t do much when Tage Thompson was sidelined. Cozens has been a bit better lately and is still on power-play one and slotted with JJ Peterka at even-strength, so maybe he can recapture something. If it doesn’t cost you much, you could give him a chance, just don’t overpay.

I wonder if someone like Tage Thompson might make sense. Between his injury and a somewhat quiet start, maybe someone is willing to part with him for a player on a torrid run like Sam Reinhart. Over the long term I’d value Thompson over Reinhart, given his shot volume and power-play production. I’d start with that offer to open the conversation.

It’s been a nightmare season for Alexander Ovechkin. He’s scored only five goals, and two of those came into an empty net. He’s clearly starting to regress and I’m sure he was a top-20 pick in a number of drafts this season. The obvious answer is try to trade him immediately, but with his value at an all-time low, that’s not really a great option. You could hold him and hope he bounces back, though given his age and the talent on the Washington Capitals, I’m not sure you can expect anything more than a modest improvement. He’s on pace for 19 goals, so it’s hard to see a scenario where he gets back to scoring at the pace he has in the past few years. Plus, at 38 and with all the miles on his body, it’s unlikely Ovechkin is going to suddenly turn back the clock.

My suggestion would be to keep him for now and try to capitalize on a potential hot streak. You’ll have to hope he scores in three or four straight games, let’s say, and try to move him then. A short run could convince someone that Ovechkin is finding his game and maybe they make you an offer that’s at least better than what you’d get for him today.