Fantasy Nuggets
Two weeks of hockey action are in the books and enough has happened that many of my pre-season valuations would be significantly different if I were drafting today. That said, in cases where the surrounding factors remain positive I’m comfortable staying the course or trying to acquire players I was bullish on prior to the year.
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Despite the presence of talented teammates Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen is the Anaheim blueliner I want to own right now. I realize this information would have been more useful to you had I delivered it before Sunday’s two-goal performance, but I only publish a column once per week folks – what do you want from me? Anyway, let me state my case. The 23-year-old Finn is the only defenseman currently skating on the team’s top power play unit alongside Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler and whichever winger Bruce Boudreau feels like throwing out there with them. The use of four forwards and one defenseman with the man advantage is an increasingly-popular formation across the NHL, which my colleague Michael Finewax covered in his recent Power Play Report, and Vatanen is taking advantage of this cushy gig. With an extra three minutes of ice time per game as compared to last season, the young rearguard has averaged two shots per game while notching five points in six contests thus far. His current ownership rate of 41 percent in Yahoo leagues proves that many of your competitors don’t trust him to remain relevant all year long, but they’re wrong. There’s nothing fluky about his performance.
Also, there is still plenty of time to join a Yahoo! Hockey Pool.
The injury suffered by Tampa Bay blueliner Victor Hedman last week was a major buzzkill for fantasy owners since he was just beginning to show how dominant a force he figures to be for the next decade or so prior to breaking a finger. Whether you’re a Hedman owner looking to fill the void or just someone trying to gain an edge, I suggest you turn your attention to the under-appreciated Anton Stralman. In the Lightning’s first game without the behemoth, the former Ranger led the team with 23:18 of total ice time and 2:30 on the power play as he filled Hedman’s role on the top unit along with Steve Stamkos, Ryan Callahan, Ondrej Palat and Valtteri Filppula (yes, Tampa Bay also employs four forwards with one blueliner with the man advantage). He has registered four points in six games this season and yet he’s still owned in just 15 percent of Yahoo leagues.
I’m not expecting many shocked expressions as I endorse Blues dynamos Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz since both were trendy sleepers prior to the season, but I still don’t think the fantasy public has accounted for the changing of the guard that’s happening in St. Louis. Looking specifically at Tarasenko, it’s notable that he has seen his power play ice team increase by over a minute per game, moving him from seventh among Blues forwards last season to second this year. The young Russian’s knack for generating scoring chances is also evidenced by the fact he has registered 24 shots on goal in his first five games of the campaign after averaging just over two shots per contest in 2013-14. Both of these players have Yahoo ownership rates just shy of 70 percent, but I see no good reason why they shouldn’t each be north of 95. They’re that good.
Entering the season, Washington phenom Evgeny Kuznetsov topped a number of industry sleeper lists and the love for him is justified given his pedigree, but it turns out he may not even be the most intriguing prospect in D.C. this year. Andre Burakovsky has been the more impressive rookie thus far and there’s every reason to believe he could be the better target in keeper leagues as well. While both players were late first round selections by the Capitals, it’s the 19-year-old Burakovsky who is garnering regular minutes in Washington’s top-six, something I thought would be reserved for the 22-year-old Kuznetsov. It’s this larger role in Barry Trotz’s lineup, not the few extra points he has scored in a small sample, that have me backing the younger prospect. The fact that he’s owned in just 13 percent of Yahoo leagues (Kuznetsov is owned in 58 percent) just means there’s a buying opportunity in most pools.
It wouldn’t be an edition of the Fantasy Nuggets without my weekly Cam Atkinson update. Although the diminutive scorer was held off the score sheet for the first time all season in Saturday’s loss to the Senators, Atkinson remains on a point-per-game pace and has averaged four shots per contest yet he’s still owned in just 26 percent of leagues. That’s a nice uptick from last week’s 17 percent mark, but let’s not forget that he’s currently the 53rd ranked player in the Yahoo game after he was ranked 222nd in the preseason. That ownership rate should still be higher.
Since they play in a different time zone from most hockey fans and they’re not a particularly good team, you can be forgiven for not following the recent goings-on in Calgary. While you were all busy watching Canadiens, Bruins, Maple Leafs and Rangers games early this season, the Flames have received some impressive performance. In addition to Corsi heroes Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie going about their usual business, Mason Raymond (26 percent owned) and Joe Colborne (5 percent) have put together some decent stat lines. Raymond has picked up seven points (five goals, two assists) in eight contests and has fired 21 shots on goal in that span while Colborne has managed six points, all assists, with just six shots. It doesn’t take a genius to speculate that Raymond’s production appears significantly more sustainable than Colborne’s.
James Neal was a player I thought very highly of prior to the season so I have no intention of jumping ship after just five unremarkable games with his new club. Uncharacteristically for me, there aren’t a ton of peripheral stats to support my cause at the moment, but a long history of production by Neal makes me believe he’ll be just fine over the long run. The setup in Nashville under coach Peter Laviolette remains a potentially positive one for Neal so don’t let a bad two weeks sway your decision in this circumstance.
Bargain Bin Finds
As always, I’ll use this space to highlight players owned in fewer than 20 percent of Yahoo leagues that I believe warrant your attention.
Trevor Daley (19 percent) – With six points in six games including three power play goals, it’s hard to believe Daley hasn’t been a more popular pickup. With a prime spot on the power play alongside the Stars’ top guns, there’s every reason to think he can easily set new career bests in goals and points.
David Desharnais (15 percent) – If it’s penalty minutes or hits you’re after, well you’ve come to the wrong place, but Desharnais is an underrated asset in points-only formats. With 52 points in 79 games last season his stats don’t exactly jump off the page, but his totals were skewed by a dreadful start to the campaign. From December 1st onwards, the creative playmaker racked up 42 points in 48 outings, good for a 70-point pace over a full year. Playing on the team’s top line alongside Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, I think he’s safe bet for 60 points this year with a chance for even more.
Ryan Strome (7 percent) – Save for the Nathan MacKinnons and Gabriel Landeskogs of the world, players don’t arrive to the NHL with much better pedigrees than Strome. After laying waste to the Ontario Hockey League as a junior player, the Islanders prodigy was dominant in the AHL as he amassed 49 points in 37 games before joining the big club last season. All this history is provided to demonstrate that nothing Strome accomplishes should be considered a fluke. With five points and 11 shots on goal in five contests entering Tuesday’s action, the former Niagara Ice Dog has put together a nice run that I would have expected had pushed his ownership much higher. The fact it remains below 10 percent is inexplicable.
