We’re three days into the season with everyone playing one or two games so far. Today, I’m going to give an immediate reaction to every team, focusing on something that was either unexpected, or confirming a preseason belief that I had. Let’s get right to it!
ANAHEIM DUCKS
Mason McTavish looks to be their #1 forward. We’ll see if it holds, but he played the most minutes of anyone on the team besides LaCombe, getting over 20 minutes. The 22 year old should be owned everywhere.
BOSTON BRUINS
An injury to Hampus Lindholm leaves the Bruins incredibly thin on the blue line. In banger leagues, Nikita Zadorov and Andrew Peeke could both be great in hits and blocks.
BUFFALO SABRES
Alex Lyon looked the part despite the loss. I mentioned him as a great last pick in drafts. We’ll see how things shake out, but if you’re desperate for goalie help, you can do worse on Saturday against Boston.
CALGARY FLAMES
Can we please get Zayne Parekh in the lineup? The bottom pair for Calgary got destroyed twice, so if you’re going to keep your potential superstar prospect on the roster, please play him.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Seth Jarvis looks the part of a superstar. He scored two goals on three, and while one was an empty netter, the more important thing was over 21 minutes of ice time. I was already bullish, but this reaffirmed my beliefs.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Frank Nazar is a borderline hold. He has three points in two games and was buzzing throughout the Panthers game. There’s no denying his talentm and the Blachhawks play some weaker defensive teams in the short term.
COLORADO AVALANCHE
Scott Wedgewood is a stream no matter who the opponent is. There are a few teams in the league where I would start their goalie every time, but Colorado usually isn’t one of them. Wedgewood looked great in both games, and even though Blackwood will be back shortly, Wedgewood looks to be a solid streamer.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Jet Greaves starting game one is a great sign. Yes, they didn’t win the game, but Greaves saving 29/31 against Smashville is a good start. I semi-expected Columbus to give Elvis the start, so it was nice to see Greaves get the first game. I drafted him everywhere I could and the first crack of the season looked promising.
DALLAS STARS
The top line could take the league by storm. Mikko Rantanen had 1+2 with three shots and two PIM. Roope Hintz had two assists with seven shots and two PIM, while Jason Robertson finished with 1+1 and eight shots. Only the Robertson goal was at even strength as the top line dominated. I said that I might have been too low on Hintz because of the potential here, and against a dominant defensive team, they were fantastic. All could be top 50 players or even top 30 if Hintz blows up.
DETROIT RED WINGS
Ranking John Gibson as undraftable looks justified. No, I’m not going to take a victory lap after one game. However, Gibson couldn’t have had a worse game with 5 goals on 13 shots in 37 minutes before getting pulled. Doing that against Montreal who was on a back to back is rough.
EDMONTON OILERS
Jack Roslovic, potential elite streamer? It’s hard to say what role Roslovic slides into after signing with the Oilers, but there’s a clear spot on McDavid and Draisaitl’s line right now. I’m sure they will go back and forth between playing together or separate, but either way, Roslovic should get a very favorable opportunity. In deep leagues, he’s a clear hold, and in 12’ers, he’s firmly on my streaming radar.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
They played two poor teams, but Florida looks to be playing extremely defensive hockey. They’ve only allowed 19 and 20 shots in the first two games. The goals against average for Sergei Bobrovsky could be insane.
LOS ANGELES KINGS
The workload says Quinton Byfield is going to be their top forward by usage. He played almost 20 minutes against Vegas, scoring a goal and an assist. The most encouraging thing is seven shots over two games. It’s the only thing holding Byfield back from a potential top 100 player.
MINNESOTA WILD
The top line could be top five in the league. We know about the two superstars, but that could make Marco Rossi a fantasy stud as well. Rossi had a goal and an assist with two shots in the 5-0 win. Here’s to hoping Hynes doesn’t jerk Rossi around anymore because I’d love to see a true breakout.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
It looks to be a slow start for Ivan Demidov. Look, I’m all in long term, and I hope it’s just them easing Demidov into the season. However, 13 minutes and 12 minutes in their first two games isn’t encouraging. I’m not cutting Demidov, but in roto leagues, I’d lean towards sitting him to see how things shake out over the next week.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
I’m going to be dialed into Juuse Saros over the next week. You can’t ask for a better start than 37/38 in a 2-1 win. I still had Saros ranked 15th amongst goalies despite last season’s disaster of epic proportions. I want to see how their next five games look, Utah and then four on the road, to see how I feel about a true bounceback.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
The blue line looks to be very close to an even split between all three pairs. Pesce was the leader with 21:42, while Dillon was the low man at 16:50. That is fine for Hamilton and Hughes, although I did expect more. I have to give a short term bump to Luke Hughes, who did play PP1 in the loss to Carolina. They went 0/2 and Dougie could get it back at any time, but it can only help Hughes right now, who looked great with two assists.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
The most minutes for the Isles in their first game? Tony DeAngelo. I ranked him well above consensus because of the opportunity that he has. He’s barely owned anywhere, but I think he belongs at the bottom of rosters, even in 12’ers. It’s a nice combo of shots and PIM at the very least.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Yes, they played some poor offensive teams, but Igor Shesterkin looks like the superstar he is. The underlying numbers last season said he was still elite, and he’s saved 65/66 shots so far. The forwards look committed defensively, which they need given the poor blue line after the top pair. They have Pittsburgh again next, but after that, they have Washington, Edmonton, and Toronto. I look forward to seeing them against better teams, and Igor is included in that.
OTTAWA SENATORS
Can Shane Pinto play his way into hold status? He had two goals and an assist in their opener, playing over 19 minutes. Pinto also played on the first power play unit while Batherson was out. I’m not rushing to pick him up, and there’s no need to stream Saturday with all 32 teams playing, but I’m closely monitoring his game for after that. Pinto has some real upside.
PHILDELPHIA FLYERS
Dan Vladar started the opener, saving 32/34 shots in the 2-1 loss to the Panthers. I didn’t expect this, but it’s good to see given how poor Ersson played the last few seasons. In deep leagues, it’s a big bump to Vladar. In 12’ers or less, I’m only monitoring Vladar as the Philly opening schedule is extremely difficult.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
The Penguins starting 2-0 is quite the surprise. Evgeni Malkin has had a great start with five assists and five shots over the two games. His age could catch back up quickly, but given Geno’s pedigree, he’s firmly in play.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
My hopes for John Klingberg could come into fruition. He had an assist with three shots playing over 22 minutes in their opener against Vegas. The plus-minus could be awful, but the upside is of a clear hold.
SEATTLE KRAKEN
Did I sell Joey Daccord short? Again, it’s only one game, but he picked up right where he left last season off with 35/36 against the Ducks. I think Lambert is going to make Daccord a workhorse too so I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up a bottom end #1 in 12’ers.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
It was an ugly first game which I don’t want to overreact to. I did have a question about Jimmy Snuggerud in the comments, and I probably should have included him in my favorite lotto tickets. He did play on PP1 and L1 against the Wild so I’m going to keep monitoring him on Saturday.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
My hatred of how the Lightning treat Hagel with regards to power play time knows no bounds. This time around, it’s Oliver Bjorkstrand who moved onto PP1 instead of Hagel. Bjorkstrand did score on the power play in this game, so he should keep that spot in the short term, making him a solid streamer.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Couldn’t ask for a better start from Morgan Rielly, who had 1+1 with five shots and two blocks. I was very bullish on Rielly going into the season, and the opening signs look good. Berube looks to be giving Rielly second pairing minutes instead of first, which could actually give him a better chance to produce again in easier matchups.
UTAH MAMMOTH
They performed alright in their opener, but Wedgewood locked them down. Barrett Hayton missed the game and is out in the short term, which bumped Cooley onto PP1 and McBain onto L2. Olli Maataa was injured on their first shift and didn’t return, so there’s a lot to monitor here. I’ll be watching Saturday’s game intently.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
The minutes weren’t huge, but Jonathan Lekkermaki looks like a solid streamer. The former first round pick has a lot of offensive upside, and he showed it by scoring on Thursday. While his linemate Kane played on PP1, I think Lekkermaki gets that spot sooner than later. I’m a huge fan in dynasties, but I thought he was a year away. That might not be the case.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
The merchant of the year is going to be Ivan Barbashev. Barbashev is going to mooch off Eichel and Marner for the foreseeable future. My money is on Barbashev being an elite streamer, but it’s on the fringe. Also, Vegas is another team screwing over a clear PP1 guy. Vegas has gone with 5F on the first unit, leaving Theodore on the outside looking in for now.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Washington controlled the game against Boston, but Swayman stole a win. Honestly, there wasn’t much to take away from their first game. I guess one notable thing is that John Carlson played almost 27 minutes. If the Caps fall behind, he’s still going to be the main man
WINNIPEG JETS
Kyle Connor got paid, Connor scored a hat trick. All three were assisted by Scheifele and depsite the loss, it shows that the top line is matchup proof. I thought we’d sit a bit of regression, especially from Scheifele, but they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Monday recapping the action from the weekend. As always, feel free to ask any questions, give any suggstions, or leave any comments below. Thanks for reading, take care!
