First off, I want to apologize for not having notes on Friday. I wrote them up Thursday night, scheduled the post and then when I logged on Friday afternoon, it was nowhere to be found. I have no idea what happened so hopefully it’s a one-time incident. Anyways, the first two major trade dominoes fell on Sunday night. We’ll get to the Wild’s big move later but the first trade of the night was Ben Bishop getting moved. I’m not shocked that he was traded but I am pretty shocked that it was to the Kings. There are a few players impacted by this move. First, Bishop’s value takes a massive hit. If you are in a redraft, I think you can just cut Bishop. He probably gets one out of three games down the stretch for the Kings barring another Jonathan Quick injury. That’s seven games the rest of the season. I would stream Bishop in all of those games but I don’t think it’s worth holding. If you’re in a dynasty and out of contention, I think it makes a lot of sense to buy low on Bishop on the hopes he lands somewhere nice in the offseason. Peter Budaj goes to Tampa in the trade and he loses all of his value; you can safely drop him. The real winner is Andrei Vasilevskiy who should be the workhorse down the stretch. We know that he’s been up and down all season but he should be owned in all leagues now for the upside. Here’s what else happened around the league the last few nights:
Friday’s Games:
Braden Holtby – 30 saves on 31 shots in the 2-1 win over the Oilers. Goals against under 2, save percentage at .928, 31 wins in 46 starts. Pretty, pretty good. I probably won’t have Holtby on teams next season just because I don’t like to draft goalies in the first round but he should be the first goalie off the board.
Phillip Di Giuseppe – Two assists with five shots. He showed some flashes last season but hasn’t received much of a chance this year. He’s still only 23 so there’s a bit of upside here but Di Giuseppe shouldn’t be owned anywhere right now.
Jordan Staal – Goal and an assist with eight shots. He had been ice cold before this one but Staal broke out in a big way. He remains a solid streamer.
Eddie Lack – 34 save shutout in the 3-0 win over the Senators. I do not trust him one bit and this game doesn’t change that. I wouldn’t even stream him.
Troy Brouwer – Goal and an assist with two shots and two penalty minutes. He’s disappointed in his first season in Calgary. Brouwer has only 21 points, barely over a shot per game and the penalty minutes have dried up. Pass.
Michael Frolik – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. Top end streamer but it’s not quite enough to hold with 35 points in 62 games.
Matthew Tkachuk – Two assists with a shot. He’s been completely overlooked because of the other rookies in this class but Tkachuk has been excellent. I’m going to want him everywhere next season.
Chad Johnson – 36 saves on 38 shots in the 4-2 win over the Panthers. It’s still good enough to hold but Johnson is only a #3 at this point
Reilly Smith – Two assists with three shots. Bottom end streamer at this point.
Martin Hanzal – Goal on eight shots. Hanzal was traded to the Wild on Sunday for a nice set of draft picks. I assume Hanzal is going to end up the third line center. That said, his quality of teammate is going to drastically increase and everyone seems to have a surge under Boudreau. If he’s available in your league, I’d probably grab him in case things work out.
Radim Vrbata – Goal and an assist with four shots. This game gives him an eight game point streak. Hotter than a pistol! Must own right now.
Jamie Benn – Goal and an assist with five shots. The total stat line is outstanding as expected.
Esa Lindell – Two assists with a shot. He’s a good example of good player in real life, not so much in fantasy.
Devin Shore – Goal and an assist with two shots. Shore has had a nice rookie season making himself an interesting dynasty player. I think he’ll end up being a solid streamer next season.
Saturday’s Games:
Patrick Eaves – Traded to Anaheim; five shots on goal in his first game. He played with Rakell and Perry on a scoring line so I’d hold him for now.
Jeff Carter – Goal and an assist with four shots and five PIM. They call that the Gordie Howe hat trick. Carter reached 30 goals on the season with 25 assists and well over 3 shots per game. Amazing year from him.
Anze Kopitar – Two assists with four shots. Obviously this has been the year from hell for Kopitar. He’s honestly on the fringe at this point.
Tanner Pearson – Three assists with two shots and two PIM. I’m back to holding Pearson again.
Tyler Toffoli – Two goals on four shots. He’s another disappointment with 12+12 in 42 games but it’s still worth holding for the shots and upside for more.
Jonathan Quick – 32 saves on 33 shots in his return, a 4-1 win over the Ducks. As I said above, I wouldn’t worry much about Bishop going there. The Kings are currently on the outside looking in of the playoffs so expect a healthy dose of Quick going forward.
Chris Kreider – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. He’s also been cold but Kreider’s overall stat line is still incredible. He’ll be right around my top 50 next season.
Mika Zibanejad – Goal and an assist with two shots. It was his first goal in 15 games but I’m still holding him for the assists and plus-minus.
Kyle Palmieri – Two goals on four shots. Palmieri is hot right now with five points in the last three games. He’s been right on the fence all season so I’d probably hold him while he’s rolling.
Travis Zajac – Two assists with two shots. He’s also hot with six points in the past four but I’m lower on Zajac. Low shots, low PIM, -5, he just doesn’t do much for me.
John Carlson – Assist with ten shots on goal. Who does he think he is, Brent Burns? With Matt Niskanen out for the last few games, Carlson gets a significant boost for daily leagues.
Viktor Arvidsson – Goal and an assist. One of the waiver wire pickups of the season, Arvidsson remains a clear hold.
Ryan Ellis – Two assists with a shot. The blueliners for Smashville are surging right now. If Ellis is available in your league for some reason, go grab him now.
Filip Forsberg – Goal and two assists with three shots. Dude follows up back to back hat tricks with another three point game. I called Forsberg having a big second half on the podcast last week but I wasn’t thinking back to back to back three point games! Ride the heater while you can.
Ryan Johansen – Three assists with a shot. All your assists are belong to me! He should set a new career high assists this season with the chance to reach 50.
Roman Josi – Two goals on four shots. Josi is on a massive tear as well lately finally paying off his preseason value.
Juuse Saros – 24 saves on 26 shots in the 5-2 win over the Capitals. Man, I really wish he played more. Stream him every time regardless of matchup.
Joonas Korpisalo – 24 save shutout in the 7-0 win over the Islanders. He barely plays but it’s worth streaming when he does solely for the high win probability.
Josh Anderson – Two goals on six shots. Anderson is a nice player who just doesn’t have the role right now. He’s a sneaky dynasty play with his big penalty minutes contribution.
Nick Foligno – Two goals on five shots. Just a monster season in all categories for Foligno. Ranking him for next season is going to be absurdly tough.
Boone Jenner – Goal and an assist with six shots. I’ve been streaming him a lot lately because the shot rate is excellent again. I will look to get Jenner later on in drafts next season as a bounceback candidate. For the rest of this season, just keep streaming him if you need shots with PIM upside.
Brandon Saad – Two assists with a shot. He’s dropped off quite a bit but it’s still solid everywhere besides penalty minutes.
David Savard – Goal and two assists with three shots. It would take an injury to one of their guys on the first pair for Savard to be 12’er worthy.
Alexander Wennberg – Two assists. He remains an assist whore but at least he’s really good at it!
Alex Galchenyuk – Goal and an assist with four shots. He’s stayed as the second line center but it’s been revamped. They were great throughout this game so I’m still counting on a big finish from Gally.
Andrew Shaw – Goal and an assist. Nothing has changed for Shaw. If you need the penalty minutes, use him. If you don’t, don’t.
Auston Matthews – Two goals on seven shots. Thirty goals already for Matthews which is amazing. There is even some upside for more down the stretch and next season just because the minutes should increase.
Shayne Gostisbehere – Goal on three shots with four PIM. His plus-minus is a disgusting -24 now. You have to decide for yourself if that’s worth stomaching.
Jake Guentzel – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. Solid streamer but I’m not holding anymore because the shots have dried up again.
Matt Murray – 36 saves on 38 shots in the 4-2 win over the Flyers. Murray has been almost as good as it gets. It certainly could change but there’s a chance I rank him as the #2 goalie next season. For the rest of this one, he’s #3 with the ability to carry your fantasy team over the last six weeks.
Blake Comeau – Goal and an assist with three shots. He may become a bottom end streamer if he’s moved but I’m not excited about Comeau at all.
Gabriel Landeskog – Two goals and an assist with two shots and two PIM. The Kog was ice cold before this game but the upside is there. I think at this point I’d rather stream him than hold but it’s admittedly close.
Nathan MacKinnon – Two assists with three shots. Speaking of ice cold, MacKinnon can’t buy a goal lately. I still have to hold him for the tremendous upside.
Matt Nieto – Two assists with three shots. I’ve been really impressed with his play since the Avalanche claimed him but that’s a real life thing. In fantasy, there’s not much here.
Martin Jones – 35 saves on 36 shots in the 4-1 win over the Canucks. Jones is a tier behind the truly elite guys but it’s solid enough to be a #1 goalie. Look for the Sharks to keep rolling him as they push for the division title.
Chris Tierney – Two assists with a shot. And there’s your annual Chris Tierney update!
Sunday’s Games:
Patrice Bergeron – Two goals and an assist with five shots. The top 25 player we expected before the season has been there for the last month plus. Their first line is still the best in hockey for me.
Torey Krug – Three assists with two shots and two PIM. He can’t buy goals for the second straight season but Krug should get to 50 points for the first time in his career. He’s a nice #2D now and going forward.
Brad Marchand – Goal and two assists. It’s so damn good in every category. He has to be the discussion for a first round pick next season.
David Pastrnak – Two assists with two shots. The breakout is real and he still can’t legally drink in the U.S. We still haven’t seen the best of Pastrnak.
Ryan Spooner – Goal and an assist with four shots. Spooner has five points in the last five games putting him back on the streaming radar.
Jiri Hudler – Goal and an assist with two shots. I really thought Hudler was going to be good in Dallas, at least doing what Eaves was. I don’t even want to stream him at this point.
John Klingberg – Goal and an assist with two shots. It’s starting to improve everywhere for Klingberg to the point where he can finish as a #3. Look for him to stay on track the rest of the season.
Tyler Seguin – Goal and an assist with seven shots. You kind of expect it from Seguin every time he goes against the Bruins. The Bruins would be absurdly good if they didn’t make that abortion of a trade.
Brian Elliott – 34 saves on 35 shots in the 3-1 win over the Hurricanes. I’m fine with using him if you need starts but his overall numbers are still atrocious.
T.J. Brodie – Two assists with a shot. I still wouldn’t own him in standard 12’ers.
Johnny Gaudreau – Two goals and an assist with three shots. Finally his prolonged goal scoring drought is no more. With eight points in the last four, his owners are finally getting some benefits for drafting him, probably in the second round. I’m still down on him compared to most but there is point per game upside down the stretch.
Cam Atkinson – Two goals on five shots. A true five category stud, Atkinson is no longer pushing a point per game but he’s tied his previous career high in points. I’ve run out of superlatives to credit Atkinson but let’s say his breakout into elite status is one of the bigger surprises of the year. Being a hold all year, sure, I could see it. Pushing towards a top ten forward, no chance.
Oliver Bjorkstrand – Two assists with two shots. A lot of people ask me in the comments section (keep the questions and comments coming!) about under the radar dynasty guys I like. Bjorkstrand is one of my favorites. I’d stream him regularly now but love the long term upside.
Alexander Wennberg – Two goals on three shots. Maybe he’s not a one trick pony! Four multi-point games in the last five has him rolling again. If his shot rate could get to even two per game, Wennberg would be a monster.
Sergei Bobrovsky – 28 saves on 30 shots in the 5-2 win over the Rangers. Bob is a beast, plain and simple. He’s the #3 goalie overall on the season a mile ahead of #4.
Oscar Klefbom – Two assists with three shots. I could see Klefbom being a nice target next season. He’s a clear must-own right now for the great shots and goals for a defenseman.
Connor McDavid – Goal and an assist with four shots. That’s a cool 50 assists for McJesus already. It’s scary to think that he has a bunch of room to grow. How good can he be? He should be getting 100 points every season starting next year.
Filip Forsberg – Goal on three shots. Only one goal!? What a bum.
Roman Josi – Two assists with three shots. Three straight multi-point games and at least one point in five straight. This is the Josi we expected. Well, not two points a night but you know what I’m saying.
James Neal – Three assists with a shot and two PIM. Despite the shots really drying up, I’m still holding Neal. He was a top 20 player last season and it’s still good enough as is this year.
P.K. Subban – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. He has only five shots in the last five games but he does have six assists in that stretch. Look for him and the Predators to keep rolling.
Patrick Kane – Goal and an assist with three shots. Obviously he’s not going to reach last season’s levels but Kane has been great this year.
Jonathan Toews – Goal and an assist with four shots. This hot streak is bonkers. Who the hell pissed off Mutton Chops?
Scott Darling – 30 saves on 32 shots in the 4-2 win over the Blues. Use Darling every time he starts as he has 15 wins in 22 games with a 2.18/.929.
Erik Karlsson – Two assists with two shots. He’s back in his usual position as a top 3 defenseman. Look for that to be maintained down the stretch or to get to #2 with the Senators pushing for the playoffs.
Mike Hoffman – Assist with three shots and two PIM in his return. Get him and Mark Stone (3 SOG) back in your lineups.
Craig Anderson – 37 saves on 38 shots in the 2-1 win over the Panthers. It’s to the point where you have to play Anderson every time he starts.
James Reimer – 31 saves on 33 shots taking the loss. He’s been starting two out of every three games lately and Roberto Luongo says he’s been dealing with something nagging. If Reimer is available in your league, I would grab him.
Jack Eichel – Goal and an assist with four shots and two PIM. I hate Disco Dan so much. Why the f*** is Eichel only playing 16 minutes? Even more infuriating considering they pissed away a two goal lead in the third effectively ending their slim playoff hopes.
Max Domi – Goal and an assist with four shots. Four game point streak for Domi who has a very nice per-game stat line. Here’s to hoping it keeps up.
Radim Vrbata – Goal and an assist with three shots. Make that a nine game point streak. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s moved at the deadline. I assume so and it could drastically change his value. Good thing I’ll be with you guys on deadline day, be it via a live post or a podcast.
I will add in streamers here in the morning.
That’s all for now guys. Reid and I will have a podcast go up Tuesday morning so be sure to check that out. My next set of daily notes will go up Wednesday morning. As always, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below. Thanks for reading, take care!
