Brad Marchand was one of the biggest breakout players in 2015-16 scoring 37 goals drastically increasing his shot rate to 3.5 per game while adding 90 PIM. While all of those numbers are taking a slight step back this season, he’s improving the weaknesses in his game to become a well rounded player. Marchand returned to his old ways this weekend with three goals on six shots over two games to give him 12+22 on the season. He’s only six assists from a career high and we’ve just reached the halfway point. Marchand also has nine power play points which is already a career high. Instead of being a three or four category stud (depending on plus-minus), he’s become a big plus in five categories with the potential for all six if the plus-minus improves. These totals have him 15th in the player rater among forwards and that shouldn’t come as a shock coming off a top ten season. It might not be exactly what you wanted but it’s been excellent across the board. Here’s what else I saw around the league this weekend:
Friday’s Games:
Juuse Saros – 32 saves on 34 shots in the 2-1 loss to Florida. Another great start for Saros who is an excellent stream every time out and a great long term value in dynasties.
Filip Forsberg – Assist with two shots and two PIM. Forsberg is really coming into his own again lately. He started slow last season as well and really turned it on in the second half. A repeat of that certainly could be in the cards.
James Reimer – 28 saves on 29 shots getting the win. He has played extremely well after a slow start and even got both games of a back to back this weekend (although the second didn’t go as well). It’s not quite the n0-brainer stream every time he starts like I thought Reimer would be but it’s not far off.
Vincent Trocheck – Assist with six shots. The minutes and shots are massive right now so the points should be coming with it.
Jonathan Marchessault – Goal on two shots with two PIM. He’s on the first line again with Trocheck and Jaromir Jagr (assist, shot, four PIM) so I’d own him in all 12’ers again for the time being.
Frederik Andersen – 30 saves on 32 shots in the 4-2 win over the Devils. This was his one good game in the last four but I’m still holding tight.
Tyler Bozak – Goal and an assist. I prefer to stream Bozak because of the lack of shots and penalty minutes but if you need points, you can hold him. He’s on a 55 point pace.
Connor Brown – Goal on two shots. Elite streamer as long as he’s with #34.
Nazem Kadri– Goal and an assist with two shots. Who is quietly on pace for a 30 goal / 100 PIM season with 250 shots? That would be Mr. Kadri.
James van Riemsdyk – Two assists with two shots. On fire at the moment and he went to blue flames on Saturday (spoiler alert!).
Adam Henrique – Assist with three shots. We talked about him extensively on the latest podcast. He’s right on the fence between holding and top stream /cliffs.
Scott Darling – 39 saves on 40 shots in the 2-1 win over Carolina. Darling is a must start every time out at this point.
Calvin Pickard – 35 saves on 36 shots in the 2-1 OT win over the Islanders. The Avs finally win! Starting Pickard is playing with fire. I want nothing to do with him right now. He may be their long term answer in net so there’s some dynasty value but virtually none in redrafts.
Gabriel Landeskog – Goal on three shots. I think we see the Kog pick it up in the second half assuming he stays healthy. The top line has potential to be pretty damn good.
Nathan MacKinnon – Goal and an assist with two shots. The top line has that potential mostly because of this guy. MacKinnon has been extremely solid this year and you can’t help but think it’s going to get better down the line given he’s still only 21 years old.
Thomas Greiss – 37 saves on 39 shots taking the tough loss. Greiss has played extremely well in his last five starts so I’d be sure to own him everywhere.
Ryan Strome – Assist with six shots. He moved onto the point of the first power play unit bringing him back to streaming status.
Ryan Miller – 44 saves on 46 shots in the 4-2 win over the Flames. Talk about stealing a game; the Flames outshot Vancouver 46-13 and lost. I’m fine with using Miller while he’s this hot but I don’t see this lasting.
Markus Granlund – Two goals and an assist in a revenge game. There’s some value in deep dynasties but that’s about it.
Brian Elliott – 9 saves on 13 shots taking the loss. All sorts of fail here. I’m not buying into the Elliott resurgence (before this game) one bit.
Mikael Backlund – Two assists with two shots. Six game point streak after this game (ended Saturday) puts Backlund firmly on the fringe. I’m probably holding for the short term because the shots are solid.
Michael Frolik – Two goals on three shots. Him vs. Backlund comes down to whether you want points or goals.
Anthony Duclair – Two assists with three shots. Pushing back towards streamer status but he’s still not there yet. This has been a lost first half for Duclair.
Saturday’s Games:
Patrik Laine – Assist and two shots before leaving the game with a concussion. Laine was absolutely crushed by Jake McCabe in a clean center ice hit that saw Laine’s head hit the ice. Hopefully the wunderkind comes back sooner rather than later.
Dustin Byfuglien – Four shots and eighteen penalty minutes, sixteen of which came after he lost his mind once the game ended. Big Buff was trying to fight everyone in his path, especially Robin Lehner. He’s a top 5 defenseman on the season now because when he’s not scoring, he’s still contributing.
Marcus Foligno – Goal on three shots with two PIM. He looks amazing and with three goals in his last five after moving onto the top line, there’s some streamer value here.
Ryan O’Reilly – Goal and an assist with three shots playing over 24 minutes. It’s safe to say at this point that they won’t be easing RoR back into things after the appendectomy.
Sam Reinhart – Assist with two shots. All he does lately is get a point every game. Is that good?
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 40 saves on 44 shots in the 4-2 loss to the Flyers. He’s firmly in the “desperate for starts” category now.
Nikita Kucherov – Goal on four shots. Nobody is stopping Kuch right now. Nobody!
Nikita Nesterov – Two assists. There’s a small bit of long term upside here but Nesterov is far from fantasy relevance right now.
Sean Couturier – Goal on four shots. He’s back in the streaming group.
Jakub Voracek – Two assists with three shots. After a prolonged cold streak, this was Jake’s second straight two point game. He’s a true five category stud.
Michal Neuvirth – 24 saves on 26 shots getting the win. It wouldn’t surprise me if Neuvirth ends being splitting again or getting the majority of the starts. You never know what you’ll get with these Philly goalies.
Mikko Koivu – Goal and an assist with two shots playing over 22 minutes. He’s on quite the heater with seven points in four games prior to Sunday’s game. Even though the shots and PIM are poor, Koivu still needs to be held right now.
Jeff Carter – Goal and two assists with two shots. Carter has already had 12 multi-point games this season which is remarkable.
Drew Doughty – Two assists with four shots and two PIM. He’s been a solid #2 this season as I expected but far from where he was being drafted.
Jake Muzzin – Goal and an assist with two shots. Muzzin has been a massive disappointment. He’s been a solid #3 for a few years now before falling off a cliff this year. Leave him on the waiver wire outside of the deepest of leagues.
Tanner Pearson – Goal on three shots. He needs to be held everywhere at this point.
Jeff Petry – Two assists with two shots. He’s still available in over 1/3rd of leagues and I don’t understand why.
Alexander Radulov – Goal and an assist with three shots and four penalty minutes. Hotter than a pistol right now.
Shea Weber – Two assists with five shots and six penalty minutes. Six points in the last four brings Weber back into the #2 spot for defensemen again.
Mitch Marner – Three assists with four shots and two PIM. While he’s not going to outperform his #1 overall rookie teammate like I said in the preseason, it’s not far off.
James van Riemsdyk – Goal and two assists with four shots and two PIM. I probably should have made JVR the lede; I’ll be sure to talk about him again on the podcast. This hot streak pushes him into the top 50 forwards on the season.
Braden Holtby – 30 save shutout in the 1-0 win over the Senators. He’s rapidly approaching the top three goalies on the season after his second consecutive shutout.
Mike Condon – 19 saves on 20 shots in the loss. He’s been much better than in Montreal last season but I still don’t trust Condon.
Tuukka Rask – 25 save shutout in the 4-0 win over the Panthers. Last year is looking more and more like the outlier as this season progresses.
Cam Talbot – 19 saves on 20 shots in the 2-1 OT win over the Devils. With so many goalies going down for periods of time, Talbot has played his way into the top 10 goalies for the season in raw totals. I still think he’s a #2 but it’s nice to get that consistent value.
Mark Letestu – Goal on two shots. He’s an okay streamer playing on the first power play unit but there’s nothing more unless he moves up the lineup at even strength.
Cory Schneider – 41 saves on 43 shots taking the loss. We talked about Schneider at length here; nothing has changed since then.
Adam Clendening – Two goals on four shots. If he was in the lineup every night, he’d be a nice deep league option since he plays on the second power play unit. The problem is that he doesn’t play that often. If that changes, there could be something here.
Michael Grabner – Two goals and an assist with four shots. Just as he starts to fall off the map, Grabner gets two goals and an assist in back to back games. With the Rangers not playing until Friday, I wouldn’t hold him right now but I’d definitely stream him on Friday.
Oscar Lindberg – Goal and an assist with three shots. Move him back into streamer status again.
Sam Gagner – Two assists with three shots. He has to be in the running for waiver wire pickup of the season. 30 points already!?
Scott Hartnell – Goal and an assist with two PIM. This season for Hartnell is bizarre in that it’s nothing at all like his previous numbers. This year, the plus-minus is great, the penalty minutes aren’t there and the shots have fallen off a cliff after it’s been the opposite for years. I’m still waiting for him to lose his mind and double his penalty minute total in one game.
Thomas Greiss – 26 saves on 27 shots in the 2-1 SO loss to the Coyotes. Back to back losses to the Avalanche and Coyotes? Come on, Islanders! Greiss played extremely well in both starts reassuring my previous belief that he’s a must own.
Johnny Boychuk – Assist. He has a point in three straight games. It’s bottom end but if you need some extra shots, you can hold Boychuk as your last defenseman in 12’ers.
Louis Domingue – 27 saves on 28 shots earning the win. I want nothing to do with Coyotes goaltending.
Patrick Eaves – Goal on six shots with two PIM. He’s right on the fence but I prefer to stream him. Eaves is still on the first power play unit but his quality of linemate is down quite a bit at even strength.
John Klingberg – Goal and an assist with two PIM playing over 26 minutes. I’m declaring it right now: Klingberg is back!
Lauri Korpikoski – Goal and an assist with two shots. Not much value coming from Korpedo these days.
Paul Stastny – Two goals and an assist with four shots. Stastny is bottom end right now; I would prefer to stream him.
Kevin Shattenkirk – Two assists with two shots and two PIM. Man, teams are going to be lining up on July 1st opening up the checkbook for Shatt Deuces.
Alex Steen – Two assists with a shot. Please start shooting the puck again!
Chad Johnson – 28 saves on 29 shots in the 3-1 win over the Canucks. I still think Johnson will get more starts than Elliott going forward despite Elliott’s improved play.
Bo Horvat – Goal on two shots. Dr. Bo carving everybody up out there! I’m all aboard the Horvat train for dynasties.
Matthew Tkachuk – Assist with four shots and two penalty minutes. That’s five straight games with a point for Tkachuk. If you had any doubt about him being a hold a few weeks ago when we talked about him at length on the podcast, that doubt should be alleviated.
Andreas Athanasiou – Goal and an assist with four shots remaining on a scoring line. Color me intrigued. I can see him being on my streaming list for Tuesday’s game.
Anthony Mantha – Goal on five shots. His numbers have been terrific since his recall. Prorate them over a full season and you’re looking at 35+25 with solid shots and penalty minutes. Clear hold.
Thomas Vanek – Goal and an assist. TV hasn’t slowed down one bit. He’s looking like pre-Minnesota Vanek again.
Brent Burns – Two assists with five shots finishing +3. Brent Burns doing Brent Burns things!
Dylan DeMelo – Two assists with two penalty minutes. And there’s your first ever Dylan DeMelo update! I don’t see many more coming either…
Paul Martin – Two assists with a shot. It’s a very bottom-end line that is fringe in 16’ers and should be reserved for even deeper leagues.
Timo Meier – Assist with four shots. The former top ten pick has been playing with the two Joe’s lately making him a very interesting streamer.
Joe Pavelski – Two goals on four shots. On pace for his typical 30+ goal, 40+ assist season.
Joel Ward – Two assists with a shot. After doing nothing the majority of the season, Ward had consecutive two point games. I’m not streaming yet but it’s worth monitoring.
Sunday’s Games:
Jonathan Drouin – Goal and an assist with seven shots. The Lightning are extremely dependent on him right now and he’s delivered with five points in his last five games. Drouin’s massive increase in shots gives him the long term upside we’ve hoped for. I don’t think he gets there this season but I think Drouin can be a top 50 player next year.
Vladislav Namestnikov – Goal on three shots. He’s heating up a bit with three points in his last four putting him back on the streaming radar.
Sidney Crosby – Two assists with four shots. Who would have thought the best player on the planet had another gear?
Matt Cullen – Two assists with a shot. Nothing here unless he moves up the lineup.
Conor Sheary – Goal and an assist with three shots. That’s a point in four straight for Sheary solidifying himself as a hold.
Marc-Andre Fleury – 28 saves on 30 shots in the 6-2 win over Tampa. Matt Murray is starting to skate meaning Fleury’s run may be ending soon. That said, roll him until it does officially end.
David Backes – Goal on three shots for the second straight game returning from the concussion. Get him back in your lineups.
Sebastian Aho – Two goals on five shots. Man, this kid is good. I’m feeling better about him being a hold right now.
Derek Ryan – Goal on three shots. He had fallen off a cliff but with three goals in his last three games, Ryan can be streamed again.
Brayden Schenn – Goal on two shots. Extremely solid down the line.
Sergei Bobrovsky – 25 saves on 26 shots in the 2-1 OT win over the Flyers in a revenge game. No slowing down Bob.
Mike Fisher – Two assists. He’s a bottom end hold right now for the penalty minutes boost with decent enough points.
Ryan Hartman – Hat trick on five shots. Hartman is an okay streamer but I’m not overreacting to this; two of these goals were empty netters.
Patrick Kane – Three assists with two shots. He’s starting to pick things up in a big way with seven points in his last three games.
Patrick Maroon – Two goals on six shots. If you didn’t read the Friday notes, pick him up immediately.
Connor McDavid – Two assists with four shots. Just as others started to push McDavid in the points race, McDavid starts the new year with six points in four games.
Cody Ceci – Two assists with two shots. While I didn’t have big expectations for Ceci, he’s been a massive disappointment having only five points all season seeing huge minutes.
Mike Hoffman – Goal and an assist. It hasn’t been great but Hoffman is still at three shots per game with solid enough points.
Zack Smith – Goal and an assist. Solid streamer with his penalty minute bonus.
Mark Stone – Goal and two assists. The non-points stats aren’t great but he’s playing at over a 60 point pace again.
Kyle Turris – Goal and an assist with three shots. Turris didn’t break out like I expected but he remains a clear hold.
Devan Dubynk – 23 saves on 24 shots in the 2-1 win over the Ducks. Dubnyk had three duds in a row but I expect him to get back on track now.
Zach Parise – Assist with four shots and two PIM. That’s six points in his last five games as Parise really starts to pick things up again.
Eric Staal – Assist with eight shots. He’s remained on the fringe on top 20 forwards all season which even exceeded my expectations of a bounce back season.
Ryan Kesler – Goal on three shots. All apologies to the Kesler family for hating on him in the preseason.
John Gibson – 34 saves on 36 shots in the loss. Finally some consistency, keep it up!
Monday Streamers – Four game slate on Monday limiting our options. Here are my top three choices:
Tanner Pearson (17.0%) – I will keep going back to the well until his ownership goes over 20%. Dallas isn’t locking anybody giving Pearson a great chance to extend his strong form.
Michael Frolik (15.4%) – He has four goals and five assists in the last seven games. That’s good enough regardless of the matchup and amount of games on the night but a game against the Jets is a strong spot for Frolik and the Flames.
Phillip Danault (4.0%) – Danault is centering the first line for Montreal right now with two hot as hell wingers on his sides. It’s not a great spot against the Capitals but the options are thin with only four games. When in doubt, I’ll take the guy getting massive minutes.
That’s all for now guys. As always, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below. With only four games tonight, my next set of daily notes will be on Wednesday. The plan is to record a podcast today so look for that to drop Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading, take care!
