I was extremely bullish on Jakob Chychrun last season after his move to Washington, and was a bit above consensus this season. He’s now blowing my expectations out of the water. Chychrun scored two more goals on Thursday, helping the Capitals beat the Maple Leafs 4-0. He now has a fantastic 14 goals on the season and has firmly played his way into the Olympic picture. He’s the #2 overall defenseman on the season for fantasy purposes, and while I wouldn’t rank him there for the rest of the season, Chychrun is crushing across the board. He’s a clear #1 in all formats. Let’s take a look at what else happened on Thursday night:
Kirill Kaprizov – Goal and two assists, as did Matt Boldy. I had Kaprizov as a clear top 10 player going into the season, and Boldy in the top 20. If there was any doubt, the arrival of Hughes eliminates that.
Joel Eriksson Ek – Goal and an assist with two shots. It’s not fancy, but JEEK is a hold everywhere.
Zach Werenski – Two goals on eight shots. I’ve run out of superlatives for Werenski. What a monster.
Logan Thompson – 22 save shutout for the Caps. He’s clearly the best Canadian goalie, so I look forward to him being left of the roster for Binnington because of politics.
John Carlson – Goal and two assists with two shots. Chychrun is hoggin the headlines, but Carlson is having a big bounceback. He’s pushing towards a top 10 defenseman again.
Justin Sourdif – Two assists. The Caps gave up a lot for him out of nowhere. He’s been a fine fourth liner, but doesn’t matter for fantasy.
Anton Forsberg – 31 saves on 32 shots in the 2-1 win over Tampa. Despite this big game, Forsberg remains a risky streamer.
Adrian Kempe – Two goals with four PIM. Shockingly, it was his first multi-goal game of the season. Even with that, Kempe is crushing across the board.
Linus Ullmark – 24 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Pens. The regression fairies are finding Pittsburgh really quickly. Ullmark’s numbers are ugly, but we’re holding for a turnaround.
Brady Tkachuk – Two goals on five shots, both assisted by Drake Batherson. The Sens are thankful their captain is back in the fold, and so am I for fantasy.
Jakub Dobes – 14 saves on 15 shots in the 4-1 win over Chicago. Dobes is on the fringe for wins, but this game shows more about what Chicago is without Bedard. Woof.
Lane Hutson – Three assists with a shot. All the assists, all the time.
Nick Suzuki – Goal and an assist with two shots. It sure looks like he’ll be on Team Canada, and to be frank, it would be a joke if he’s not. He’s a solid defensive player who pushes 90 points now. Call him a superstar.
Zachary Bolduc – Two goals. Middling streamer.
Tristan Jarry – 12 saves on 13 shots before leaving injured. I didn’t understand this trade to begin with, but this injury only means one thing. Calvin Pickard is your short term answer.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Goal and an assist with three shots, as did Connor McDavid. This isn’t fantasy related, but if I had to pick a dark horse Team Canada option, it’s RNH. He can play the fourth line and both special teams, or move onto a wing with McDavid.
Igor Shesterkin – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 2-1 win over the Blues. The Rangers are a mess, but Igor’s floor is still a top 10 goalie.
Rasmus Andersson – Three assists with three shots. It’s a rally from Andersson I didn’t see happening. A trade probably hurts, but right now, he’s a clear hold everywhere.
Mikael Backlund – Two goals on four shots. Bottom end to middling streamer at this point.
Nazem Kadri – Goal and an assist with five shots. I can’t help but wonder if Kadri waives his no trade clause to move on. For now, he’s a clear hold in all formats.
Collin Graf – Two goals on four shots, both assisted by Macklin Celebrini (8 SOG). As long as Graf is with Celebrini, he’s a solid streamer. Graf has eight points in his last seven games.
Esa Lindell – Two assists with a shot. He stumbles into points with his minutes, but there’s not much here for fantasy.
Wyatt Johnston – Two goals on four shots. Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist, while Mikko Rantanen dished two assists. Hard to top the studs on Dallas right now outside of Colorado.
Bobby Brink – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. Middling streamer.
Mattias Samuelsson – Two assists with a shot and two PIM. Sammy going from a buyout candidate to a great defenseman in real life is stunning. For fantasy, he has real deep league value. For 12’ers, he’s a bottom end streamer.
Zach Benson – Two assists with four shots. He’s great in real life, but in fantasy, Benson isn’t converting enough to have big value. He’s a solid streamer because of the assists. AAGNOF!
