I'm slightly pivoting from my original plan to keep things moving. Today, I'm going to go through the forwards ranked 42-60 in full detail like I have with the first 41 forwards. Then, I'm going to have a post ranking 61-100 where I will still right more than it simply be a list, but I'm going to highlight players that I like or dislike compared to consensus, and limit what I write about players who we know who they are at this point e.g. Kopitar in his last season. If you missed the Top 40 post, you can check that out here. Let's get to it!
This post is going to be a long one, so I'm going to cut right to the chase. Today, we're going to look at the Top 40 forwards. The top 16 were covered in my Top 20, which you can read here. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave them below. Let's get to it!
The rankings kick off with my Top 20 overall players. My rankings put a priority on goals, assists, shots on goal, and special teams points (almost all on PPP, but a small boost to those that PK). I assume that most leagues have PIM and/or hits, but I try not to overweigh those categories. Yes, they are equal to the other categories, but they are easier to target in drafts and extremely easy to stream, so we should be focused on the scoring categories. Of course, they won't be ignored, or I would be giving you a horrible set of rankings where guys like Brady Tkachuk are far too low. If you have any specific questions, let me know in the comments section below. And with that, let's get started!
And we're off! Just past the ten year anniversary of my start at Razzball and over 1,000 posts later, I'm back to provide everything you need for the upcoming fantasy hockey season. Today, I'm simply going to outline my schedule before the season starts as I wanted to let everyone know that I'm returning and to get my first post out as soon as possible.
And with that, the regular season has ended. I hope everyone was able to take down their fantasy hockey championship! I’m going to have a few more posts in April before I call things for the summer. Please, blog, may I have some more?
Five teams for three playoff spots. One division on the line. There's still some things on the line over the last three nights of the season, so today, I'm going to give you a quick rundown of teams that will be going hard to finish the season, and what teams will take their feet off the gas before the playoffs start. Let's get to it!
Montreal did the seemingly impossible on Monday, blowing a 2-0 lead against the Blackhawks, eventually losing in a shootout. The good news for them is they only need one point against Carolina on Wednesday to clinch, and Carolina has nothing to play for. Additionally, Columbus has to win both of their remaining games in regulation as well. I have a few takeaways from Monday's game. One, Ivan Demidov stole the show in the first period, scoring a goal and an assist. I covered him extensively last week here. Two, for a team with very few bright spots this season, Frank Nazar looks like the real deal for Montreal. He was torching Hutson regularly, and few players have done that in the second half of the season. Nazar will be a very good late round target next season. Lastly, Sam Rinzel stood out on a regular basis. The former first round pick picked up his fourth assist in eight games, playing almost 27 minutes in this one. He's also averaging 2.5 shots per game in the small sample size, but we could see a fantasy impact as soon as next year.
Montreal was able to make a big move this week, signing their former top five pick Ivan Demidov after his KHL season ended. He has to acquire a visa to play here, so I wouldn't count on any impact from Demidov this fantasy season, although he could end up playing in the playoffs against Washington, which would be incredible. Today, I'm going to take a deep dive in Demidov's long term value for fantasy and how I'm going to project him going forward.
It had to happen in his office. On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin set the NHL goal scoring record, tallying his 895th career goal from his hot spot against the Islanders. In my preseason bold predictions, I said that Ovechkin would break the record this season despite his projections being in the low 30's both by sportsbooks and projection systems. You can see everything I wrote here (I will look back at all of these in a post once the season is over). I have to say that I never saw it coming after his injury. Forty-two goals in 61 games is absolutely insane for anyone, let alone a 39 year old. That's why he's the greatest goal scorer we have ever seen. It will be fascinating to see where he's ranked next season, in what presumably will be his last in the NHL. I had him 45th overall going into the season, a bit above ADP, but I think it has to be higher than that now. The Capitals are very good, and on a per-game basis, Ovechkin is a top ten forward this season. I can't wait to see how the Capitals do in the playoffs, Ovechkin included. Let's take a look at some other highlights from the weekend:
I'm going to change things up today, as I've already done a big playoff schedule breakdown for everyone and will continue to answer all specific questions you have for those still in contention. Today, I'm going to focus on three different players who signed in the last week and stepped right into the NHL from college. All three are on teams in the playoff picture giving them some meaningful games right away. I'll talk about all three players, how they project long term, and who I would prioritize for those of you in keeper leagues. Let's get to it!
The Oilers have taken a massive hit lately missing both of their superstar centers, but on Saturday, one returned and picked up right where he left off. In the Battle of Alberta, Leon Draisaitl dominated, scoring two goals and an assist with eight shots in his first game in almost two weeks. It's been a three way battle for the top forward spot on the season between MacKinnon, Kucherov, and Draisaitl. Draisaitl's shot rate resurgence to go with him blowing away the rest of the league in the goals department gives him a real case for #1. Regardless, he's the Hart favorite and has played his way back into tier one going forward. Let's take a look at some players around the league that have had a value change recently:
The new Robert Thomas gets things done before 3 a.m. The Blues won their seventh straight game on Tuesday, destroying the Canadiens 6-1. Their best player led the way with a goal and three assists, giving him 2+11 in his last eight games. The Blues are getting closer and closer to a lock for the playoffs, which is a big triumph for Montgomery and the organization. It's not a knock on Kyrou or their other wingers, but I'd love to see what Thomas could do with a superstar winger on his side. In terms of a pure playmaker, Thomas would be in my top ten in the league, and probably top five. He's still only 25 years old and his game should age incredibly well, so now that his shot rate is to a below average level instead of a huge drain, Thomas is a great dynasty asset. Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
Who knew that McDavid and Draisaitl injuries would actually help Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? It's been a very disappointing season overall, but RNH is closing in a big way. On Saturday, he scored a hat trick on five shots, playing over 23 minutes in the 5-4 win over the Kraken. That was his third three-point game in the last four, making RNH a short term hold while he's hotter than a pistol. At the least, if he's available in your league, I would be sure to grab him for his Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back against the Stars and Kraken this week. Let's take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Page 3 of 88«12345...102030...»Last »
