There are times in the draft when you just miss out on a player you really wanted. It happens, don’t fret; I have a list of some awesome fantasy duos who yield a lot of points. There are actually a lot of really good combo’s in the league, usually two on each team. What I’d like to do is point out how big of a score you can get the ‘runner up’ in the duo. The best example to get you thinking would be Crosby and Kunitz. Obviously Crosby is going to be drafted in the first round, likely first overall. Kunitz on the other hand won’t be drafted until a few rounds later, and if all goes well could put up huge numbers. This was an easy example, and there would be a lot of people who have Kunitz in mind as an option.
Here is a list of some of the best player duo’s in the league:
Getzlaf – Perry -- Thornton - Pavelski Ovechkin – Backstrom -- Subban - Markov Benn – Seguin -- Hall - Eberle Kane – Saad -- Toews – Hossa Kopitar – Gaborik -- Datsyuk - Zetterberg Giroux – Vorachek -- Koivu - Parise Kessel – JVR -- Duchene – Landeskog (last year) Mackinnon this year in Duchene’s spot? Lucic – Krejci -- Ladd – Little D Sedin – H Sedin -- Steen – Oshie
Some of these combo’s you will have one of the players picked higher than the other, yet; in some cases they may end up just a few points apart. Some duo’s like Datsyuk and Zetterberg or Benn and Seguin will be picked in around the same time period during your fantasy draft. But, guys like Kane and Saad or Giroux and Vorachek will be rounds apart. Of course don’t expect the same output from as a guy in round 1 as you would round 6, but it never hurts to take a player that is playing with one of the best. Last year, Okposo was an excellent example of this; playing alongside Tavares (when he was healthy) was an excellent combo.
Of course this works for defensemen too as Markov will surely be drafted in the later rounds than Subban. Think about some other defensive combinations of players who have the luxury of their defense partner being a fantasy producing machine. How about St. Louis Blues defensive combo of Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester? Last year they were an excellent combo, so good that Yzerman decided to keep them both together on Team Canada’s Gold Medal run; Bouwmeester was a steal last season. These are the type of duo’s you want to key in on, so when the more ‘expensive’ player picked in the earlier rounds is gone, highlight his partner or put them on your list. See if you can’t get the other guy a few rounds later, it really can pay off knowing some of the elite combo’s throughout the NHL.
Now that some of the big names are out there with their sidekick, I’d like to mention a few combinations that I think could excel this season whom which I think would be worth considering for your fantasy team(s). These pairings may not be 150+ point pairings like some of the others mentioned above, but at least some good value depth players; here you have it:
Chris Kreider – Rick Nash With Stepan being injured at the start of the season expect a line shuffle, but don’t expect Kreider’s game not to be elevated from last season. As for Nash, I expect nothing but a bounce back after an abysmal 39 points in 65 games last season. Kreider will be available much later than Nash, but should have an excellent season for the Rangers; he also puts up good penalty minutes.
Alexander Semin – Eric Staal Last season was Eric Staal’s worst season since his rookie campaign going all the way back to 2003-04 when he got only 11 goals. Last year he got 21 goals, but basically every season before that he was a 70 point player. Expect Staal to have dropped down a couple rounds in the draft this season, but will almost surely surge back with a dandy for the Hurricanes. His winger Semin who at times seems to lack parts of his game has certainly had success in the past and would most definitely be drafted a few rounds later than Eric. If healthy, Semin can easily find the twine for 20 goals, and should have no problem getting at least 55 points alongside Staal.
Brayden Schenn – Wayne Simmonds The Flyers have two excellent lines, but this second line is bound to explode at some point in the near future. Wayne and Brayden are both tough on the ice, and both have a lot of offensive firepower. Simmonds will go in the 5th-7th round is my guess, but Brayden is the ‘sleeper’ pick here as he hasn’t quite exploded into the player who I think can reach 55-60 points. Schenn, like Simmonds also puts up decent penalty minutes 40-60 and I think will surprise people with a good season for the Flyers. Remember last season the Flyers had a horrible start, and once Giroux was healthy they were a dominant force.
Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler Incase you havn’t noticed Wheeler’s output over the last three seasons, its actually very impressive…210 games played with 174 points accumulated. Not bad at all for a second liner on a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in those three seasons. Scheifele, who is going to be a sophomore this season and had 34 points in 63 games last season for the Jets. He is most certainly a sleeper pick, as they also have Evander Kane on their line who is also a player of good value. Don’t be shy to wait and draft Scheifele as I predict he has a 50 point season for Winnipeg.
Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel Sure Bozak had his best season last year, but there is still a lot of doubt out there from all the Toronto haters, and of course the ‘faithful’ Leafs fans. But that doesn’t mean anything to me; Bozak is a good middle/late round pick for the prime reason that he is without a doubt going to be beside Phil all season. Do I think Bozak turns into a 70 point center? No, but I do see him getting 55-60 points with the Leafs this season and he certainly won’t be picked up in the early rounds. If you see Bozak available as the first line players are depleting, I would consider him a good pick around the 10th round.
Brendan Gallagher – Max Pacioretty What an absolute pest Gallagher is, but yet, very effective. Take note Avery ;) Gallagher has speed, hands, and excels in front of the net causing troubles for most goalies. With 73 penalty minutes last season and 41 points you can see this small and young forward has a future ahead of himself. Last season Max almost hit the 40 goal plateau which would have been a huge accomplishment as he’s never scored so many goals in his professional career, even going all the way back to the AHL days. Max will go in the earlier rounds, but if you need some penalty minutes and around 45 points or so, then keep Gallagher in mind.
There are a bunch of other players I want to mention to keep an eye on, some of them would be the first player to move up a line if there was an injury and some would be considered to play on the first line power play. I will let you decide where you feel they fall in terms of when to draft, but these players have good value and if you feel one of them sticks out, keep them in mind and even do a bit of research on them so you get an idea of what to expect. I’ve listed one player from each team:
Mikhail Grabovski -- Tyson Barrie Jeff Skinner -- Chris Stewart Adam Henrique -- Jonathan Huberdeau Marcus Johansson -- Nazem Kadri Cam Atkinson -- Clarke MacArthur Matt Read -- Gustav Nyquist Mats Zuccarello -- PA Parenteau Christian Ehrhoff -- Valtteri Filppula Jacob Trouba -- Dougie Hamilton Colin Wilson -- David Perron Filip Forsberg -- T.J. Brodie Antoine Roussel -- Zack Kassian Mikhail Granlund -- Sam Gagner Andrew Shaw -- Jake Muzzin Vladimir Tarasenko -- Tomas Hertl Devante Smith-Pelly
Good luck in your upcoming drafts this weekend, I look forward to hearing about some of your picks!
Thanks for reading.