I’ve never seen an organization do more to sabotage their own team and coach as the Canucks have over the last six weeks. They’ve been openly interviewing coaches for two months while Boudreau was still employed. It was already reported that Rick Tocchet was going to take over the Canucks before the Canucks played on Saturday night. It was highly emotional for the fans, players, and coaches, as Zach Hyman had a goal and three assists with five shots to lead Edmonton to a 4-2 win over the Canucks in Boudreau’s last game. He was 50-40-13 in his Vancouver, a 90 point pace per 82 games, much better than it should be with their roster. Boudreau is one of the best coaches of the last 20 years, and I hope he gets another chance. Fantasy wise, Tocchet steps in and well, he was really bad when he coached the Lightning and Coyotes. His only playoff appearance was in the bubble because of an expanded playoffs. The schedule does lighten up quite a bit for the Canucks in the short term, which obviously helps. The distraction of the entire situation being gone also helps, but at the same time, they’re going to trade Horvat sooner than later, and this could end up a slight negative for the value of their players. If anything, I lean neutral to their values, but I really don’t like the way things are trending in Vancouver. Shame on Aquilini and Rutherford for handling this situation as poorly as possible. As for the Oilers, they’re on fire finally starting to solidify their playoff positioning being carried by their superstars. The big thing I would say is never panic about their lines, Hyman and RNH will score plenty regardless, and will end up taking extra shifts with McDavid and Draisaitl anyways. Let’s take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Friday’s Games
Tristan Jarry – 44 saves on 45 shots in the 4-1 win over the Senators. Not a bad return to action, eh? Jarry should be a bottom end #1 ROS.
Jake Guentzel – Two goals and an assist with five shots. It feels like Guentzel has disappointed, yet he’s playing around a 40+45 pace. I’d like to see the shot rate go back up, but he’s been just fine.
Bryan Rust – Two assists with a shot. Rust is back on the first line, but he’s only an elite streamer because he’s still on PP2.
Alexandar Georgiev – 28 saves on 29 shots in the 4-1 win over the Canucks. Georgiev has been very good, and the Avalanche are starting to turn the corner. There’s top five upside in the second half, but his floor is an elite #2.
Nathan MacKinnon – Two assists with ten shots on goal, 16 attempted. MacKinnon was dominant throughout the game. He’s playing as well as anyone right now.
Mikko Rantanen – Goal and an assist with four shots. Rantanen’s season continues to go under the radar. He’s been a top ten forward so far, and I expect it to continue.
Saturday’s Games
Trevor Zegras – Two goals and an assist with four shots. The production has been there for Zegras, but I keep looking at that -23. In roto, I couldn’t hold him, but in H2H, I would.
Ilya Lyubushkin – Three assists with three shots. I wouldn’t be expecting any more games like this, but as a Sabres fan, it was nice to see Lyubushkin have a big game after struggling mightily this year.
Alex Tuch – Two assists with four shots. Tuch is on the verge of blowing all of his previous career highs out of the water. He’s been the perfect fit in Buffalo.
Victor Olofsson – Two goals on four shots. Olofsson has found one of his patented hot streaks lately. With six goals in the last six games, he’s in elite streamer territory as a hot schmotato.
Rasmus Dahlin – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. Dahlin has lapped the field this season. He’s been so valuable that he’s been worth as much as Burns and Q. Hughes combined in roto. Absolute monster.
Peyton Krebs – Two goals on three shots with five PIM. Krebs has been thriving on the 4th line lately. That doesn’t help us in fantasy, as he’s only a bottom end streamer this year, but I still like the long term upside quite a bit.
Noah Hanifin – Three assists with three shots. Hanifin is yawnstipating as Fantasy Master Lothario Grey Albright would say, but he’s a bottom end hold because he’s decent enough at everything.
Rasmus Andersson – Goal and two assists with four shots. Andersson has taken a small step forward this season, which was enough to solidify himself as a #2.
Mikael Backlund – Two assists with two shots. Middling streamer with Backlund having the highest shot rate of his career.
Tyler Toffoli – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. Toffoli has been on the fringe for most of the season, although for the first time in a while, I’m leaning towards holding. He has eleven points in the last ten games.
Dillon Dube – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. I was expecting more from Dube, but it’s looking like he’s stuck as a bottom end to middling streamer.
Kirill Kaprizov – Three assists with a shot. He’s slightly behind last season’s pace, but Kaprizov is still above a 100 point pace. Everything is just fine.
Joel Eriksson Ek – Goal and an assist with seven shots. JEEK is firmly on the fringe. I still lean towards hold for the all-around contribution.
Matt Boldy – Goal and an assist with four shots. I actually thought Boldy was having a better season than he is, not that he’s been bad. He is also on the fringe depending on team needs.
Sam Reinhart – Goal and an assist with two shots. My stubbornness with Reinhart has been rewarded with ten points over his last seven games.
Anton Lundell – Goal and an assist with three shots. The main problem with Lundell is lack of opportunity. He’s been fine, and I see the path to being very good in fantasy down the line, but he’s locked into a solid streamer for the time being.
Carter Hart – 30 saves on 31 shots in the 2-1 win over the Red Wings. Hart has been fantastic, but his overall numbers are rough because of how bad Philly is. The wins aren’t bad though, so I lean towards hold as a #3.
Rem Pitlick – Goal and an assist. Still no.
Connor Hellebuyck – 25 saves on 26 shots in the 5-1 win over the Senators. Hellebuyck is having a better season than he did when he won the Vezina. He’s firmly in the discussion to win a second one.
Mark Scheifele – Two goals and an assist with two PIM. Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler each had a goal and two assists as part of this newly formed line. Scheifele and Ehlers are clear top 50 players (conservatively), while Wheeler is bumped up to the fringe.
Nico Sturm – Goal and an assist. Sturm is actually providing some decent offense to the Sharks. There can be some value for you super deep league degenerates.
Patrik Laine – Goal and an assist with five shots. Laine probably should be closer to the fringe than I think, but I’m stubborn. I’m holding without much thought.
Gustav Nyquist – Goal and an assist with three shots. Nyquist seems likely to get traded at the deadline or sooner. For now, it’s a bottom end streamer.
Johnny Gaudreau – Goal and an assist with three shots. The season has been a disaster for Columbus, but Gaudreau is only slightly below expectations. There could be some real opportunity for Gaudreau to get back to super elite level if CBus is lucky enough to land Bedard.
Kent Johnson – Two assists. I’m a big fan long term. For now, it all depends what line he’s on.
Nick Blankenburg – Two assists. There can be some deep league value, although the plus-minus can be rough.
Sebastian Aho – Hat trick. Mr. Consistency is firmly on pace with his point pace from three of the last four seasons. Shocking, I tell you!
Jordan Staal – Goal and an assist with four shots. Bottom end streamer.
Teuvo Teravainen – Two assists. Teravainen is back on the top line, but still isn’t on the first power play unit. He’s only a middling streamer as one of the most disappointing players in the league this season.
Jake Oettinger – 33 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Coyotes. Oettinger is up to the #2 goalie overall on the season. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Radek Faksa – Two goals on three shots. And there’s your annual Faksa update!
Miro Heiskanen – Two assists with a shot. And just like that, Heiskanen has a new career high in assists and points in January. He’s been everything we hoped for.
Jason Dickinson – Goal and two assists. Dickinson could set career highs, but that doesn’t mean anything. Easy pass.
Sam Lafferty – Goal and an assist with five shots and two PIM. Lafferty is a fine fourth liner, but we know how much worth that has in fantasy.
Jordan Kyrou – Goal and an assist with three shots. Kyrou’s goals are through the roof, solely due to him shooting the puck more. He’s a disaster in plus-minus, but Kyrou is still an easy hold.
Ivan Barbashev – Goal and an assist with two shots and five PIM. No surprise, Barbashev’s goals have dropped off because he wasn’t going to shoot 23.4% again. Bottom end streamer, middling at best.
Anze Kopitar – Two assists with a shot. Kopitar is on the fringe at this point of his career depending on what you’re looking for.
Sean Durzi – Goal and an assist with three shots and two PIM. I’m fine with holding Durzi in 12’ers, although the plus-minus and shot rate are a little shaky.
Roman Josi – Three assists with three shots and two PIM. While the points are down, Josi is well over four shots per game. The assists won’t come close, but he could actually top last season’s 23 goals with a bit of good fortune. His floor is as high as any defensemen at this point.
Matt Duchene – Two goals. Duchene is playing with Forsberg and Cody Glass (2A, SOG, 2 PIM) right now. Duchene is on the fringe, but I lean towards holding as long as he’s with Forsberg. Glass bumps up to a middling streamer.
Ryan Johansen – Goal and an assist, as did Mikael Granlund. Two guys who used to be fantasy stars, now they’re middling streamers at best.
Alexandre Carrier – Two assists. Carrier provided bottom end offense last season, but he’s been a mess this year. Nothing for fantasy right now.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Goal and two assists with two shots. Quietly, RNH is easily having the best season of his career. 38+60 pace. So damn good.
Connor McDavid – Goal and an assist with seven shots. McDavid already has 40+48. In 48 games. A 150 point season is firmly in play at this point.
Quinn Hughes – Two assists with a shot. All your assists are belong to Hughes!
Nic Roy – Goal and two assists. Roy is a fine player, but he’s a bottom end streamer at best.
Alec Martinez – Goal and an assist, +5. He does nothing offensively any more, but Martinez is blocking over three shots per game on the season. That makes him worth streaming if needed.
Alex Pietrangelo – Two assists with a shot, +5. It’s been a very good bounce back for Pietrangelo. I still don’t buy it, and would look to sell him right before Theodore comes back.
Chandler Stephenson – Two assists. The shot rate puts Stephenson on the fringe, although the points are so good, I prefer holding.
Paul Cotter – Two goals on five shots. Cotter has shown some flashes this season, but he’s stuck on the third line. The hits are excellent to stream, but that’s about it.
Pavel Francouz – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 2-1 SO win over the Kraken, spoiling a Philipp Grubauer (26/27) revenge game. I’d stream Francouz every time he starts, and it could turn into a hold if he plays enough. Grubauer is only worth using in the very best of matchups e.g. Anaheim, Arizona, and Chicago.
Sunday’s Games
Vitek Vanecek – 25 saves on 26 shots in the 2-1 OT win over the Penguins. Vanecek has been a godsend for the Devils this season, playing as a middling #1 goalie.
Dougie Hamilton – Goal and an assist with five shots. Jack Hughes also had a goal and an assist with three shots, as their two biggest stars led the way. Dougie has been the #2 overall D (Makar passes on per game basis) while Hughes is pushing towards being a top 10 forward. That top 20 ranking is surely paying off.
Linus Ullmark – 17 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Sharks. Left the game for a couple minutes because of a skate issue. Ullmark continues to be the best goalie in fantasy. Absolutely insane.
David Pastrnak – Goal and an assist, as did Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy. These guys keep chugging along as Boston runs through the entire league with a buzzsaw.
Pheonix Copley – 18 saves on 19 shots in the 2-1 win over the Blackhawks. This says more about Chicago than L.A., but Copley is still a bottom end hold for me for the time being.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan – Two goals on five shots, both assisted by Kevin Fiala. JAD also moved onto the first power play unit in this game. I’m not streaming yet, but it’s worth monitoring. Fiala continues to be excellent across the board as expected.
Brenden Dillon – Two assists with a shot. Who had Dillon being the one Jet with multiple points in a 5 goal game against the Flyers? Anyways, he’s an elite streamer for hits and blocks.
Kevin Hayes – Two goals on three shots. Hayes’ All-Star season continues to go swimmingly. He’s been on a tear ever since Torts scratched him for a game.
Tony DeAngelo – Two assists with a shot, two PIM, and a -4 rating. The full Tony Dawgs experience. It all comes down to whether or not you can stomach the plus-minus.
Karel Vejmelka – 35 saves on 36 shots in the 4-1 win over the Golden Knights. Vejmelka has actually been quite good, but you can’t tell because the team in front of him is so bad. It’s a desperation play, although I’d stream against other bottom feeders.
Clayton Keller – Hat trick on four shots. Another case of “can you stomach the plus-minus,” as everything else is a value add.
Nick Schmaltz – Two assists with two shots. The points are solid, but the shots aren’t, and the plus-minus is harder to stomach without more contributions. Middling streamer.
Three Point Challenge: Tuesday’s games per usual. No McDavid, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Robertson, Pastrnak, Karlsson, Thompson, Hughes, M. Tkachuk, or Rantanen. I’ll go with Marchand against the Canadiens.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Wednesday recapping the action from the next two nights. As always, feel free to ask any questions, give any comments, or make any suggestions below. Thanks for reading, take care!
