The Florida Panthers have had so many high draft picks that among their young core, Vincent Trocheck tends to be forgotten. The 22 year old has taken a massive step forward in his progression this season and he had his best game to date on Thursday, scoring a goal and three assists in the 6-2 win over the Senators. Trocheck now has 20+25 with solid numbers in all categories with 15 games to go. He’s 90% at this point (I’m surprised it’s not 100%) and should make a nice target in the mid to late rounds in drafts next season. Here’s what else I saw around the league on Thursday night:
Cam Ward – 30 saves on 32 shots in the 3-2 OT win over the Bruins. I’m surprised the Canes haven’t given Eddie Lack more games as they are out of contention. It’s not like Ward is lighting the world on fire either. He falls into the desperate for starts category.
Riley Nash – Two assists with a shot. Irrevelant even in the deepest of leagues,
Noah Hanifin – Two assists with a shot. The upside is tremendous and he just turned 19 so it will take some time for everyone to see it. In dynasties, there is reason to hold onto him but he shouldn’t be owned in redraft leagues.
Elias Lindholm – Goal and two PIM. Lindholm’s assists are up but everything else is down or stagnant across the board. The Canes hope he’s their 1C in the future but we haven’t seen it yet.
David Pastrnak – Goal on four shots. Still one of my favorite streamers. The minutes aren’t good enough right now to hold but the 19 old still chips in enough to be streamed.
Marko Dano – Goal on three shots. It infuriates me every day that he didn’t get a real chance in Chicago. That said, the breakout should happen next year so I’ll be all over him on draft day.
Mark Scheifele – Assists with two shots and two PIM. Hotter than a pistol right now. This great ending is surely going to boost his value for next season but I don’t care, I want him everywhere next season.
Justin Abdelkader – Goal and an assist with two shots and two PIM. It’s not great but he does enough to be held everywhere, especially with the PIM.
Dylan Larkin – Goal on two shots. He’s been ice cold but that happens with 19 year olds in this league. I have no worries about him long term and 20+20 at this point is nothing to sneeze at.
Craig Anderson – 25 saves on 31 shots in the 6-2 loss to the Panthers. And this is why he fits in the “box of chocolates” category. He plays very well, then gives up 13 goals in 3 starts. I wouldn’t want to own him in 12’ers.
Erik Karlsson – Goal and an assist with four PIM. It’s appalling how bad the Senators would be without the silky smooth Swede.
Zack Smith – Goal and an assist with two shots. Insert fire emojis here. Clear must own at this point.
Mark Stone – Assist and a shot. If only he could play as well in the first half as he does in the second half.
Jaromir Jagr – Two goals. Complete side note but on a local radio station in Buffalo, Andrew Peters was talking about how there were 40 players he’d take over Jagr all time. He was mentioning names like Mike Modano? Seriously? There aren’t 10 players better than him. If there weren’t lockouts and he stayed in North America instead of going to Russia, he’d have the most goals ever. I salute you, Mr. Jagr. 23 goals and 28 assists to this point is terrific for anyone, let alone a 44 year old.
Jussi Jokinen – Goal and an assist with two shots. He’s about to reach 50 points with solid PIM and plus-minus. Not bad for somebody who wasn’t being drafted in 12’ers/
Jonathan Huberdeau – Goal and an assist with three shots and four PIM. It’s a shame he was injured this year because Huberdeau would have had a big jump in points this year. Hard to remember he’s still only 22. Borderline top 100 going into next year.
Roberto Luongo – 27 saves on 29 shots in the win. His numbers are almost exactly in line with last year across the board except he has the same number of wins in 11 less starts. Helps to get some offensive support finally!
Evander Kane – Assist with seven shots and two PIM. The assists are always going to be a little disappointing but everything else is pretty amazing.
Alex Galchenyuk – Two goals on four shots. I have been begging for him to play center and now he has 11 goals on 8 games, including 2 in 3 consecutive games. I didn’t expect this but wow, we are finally seeing why he went third overall. I said in my top 200 in the preseason that next year was the breakout but we are getting it now to end this year.
Mark Barberio – Two assists with a shot. And there’s your annual Mark Barberio update!
P.K. Subban – Assist and three shots before being stretchered off the ice following an awkward collision. He gave the thumbs up and was moving around after he received the hit so it looked precautionary but you never know after a hit to the head. With the Habs out for the year, it wouldn’t surprise me if they hold him out for the year.
Sven Andrighetto – Assist and three shots. Streamer success! He will stay on the radar as long as he’s on the top line.
Cam Talbot – 29 saves on 30 shots in the 2-1 win over the Wild. Prince Cam is on fire right now so he has to be owned in all leagues.
Connor McDavid – Goal on two shots. Kid is good, scary good.
Zach Parise – Goal on three shots. He feels like the type of guy who can fall off really quickly but he’s still only 31; it won’t happen for a while.
Keith Kinkaid – 30 saves for his second career shutout in the 3-0 win over the Sharks. With the Devils out of it and Cory Schneider hurt, Kinkaid should get almost of the starts down the stretch. That said, he’s a “desperate for starts guy.”
Travis Zajac – Two goals. Would still prefer him as a stream because of the lack of shots.
Devante Smith-Pelly – Goal on his only shot. Played 18 minutes so he’s fully on the streaming radar.
Friday Streamers – There are five games on the docket Friday so streaming should be prevalent to set up for the weekend. Here are my top 3 streamers:
Jamie McGinn (1.2%) – The matchup isn’t great but options are limited and McGinn’s minutes will be there.
Michael Raffl (0.1%) – He’s disappointed by my standards this year but he’s back in the top 6. Tonight, there are no great options so take what you can get.
Antoine Vermette (3.6%) – The matchup with Calgary is pretty strong and the options are pretty limited.
That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back on Monday recapping the weekend’s action. Be sure to check out Matt’s article that comes out this afternoon! As always, feel free to ask any questions and leave any comments. I hope everyone has a great weekend; take care!
