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It’s amazing what one off season can do for certain teams…Whether that be adding players, losing players or injuries effecting the team that’s being iced. There are some teams that are breaking out with huge starts to the season, the question is; can they keep it up? Now that November is underway it never hurts to take a look at who’s leading what fantasy categories and what surprise players are in the mix for each.
It’s no surprise that Crosby leads the league in points with a whopping 18 points in 10 games. He has a +4 rating with 8 penalty minutes and a league high 10 power play points which he shares with teammate Evgeni Malkin. Any coincidence that Patric Hornqvist is in the mix with 14 points, 8 of which are power play points…? I don’t think so, Pittsburgh has the best power play in the NHL.
How about Tyler Toffoli and Tyler Johnson both with 14 points in 12 games! An excellent start for both Tyler’s; whom which were in my sophomore breakouts blogs back in September. Hopefully you were lucky enough to scoop one of them up; I managed to get Toffoli in my one pool.
Corey Perry has been a fantasy Phenom to start this season. He has scored 11 goals and registered 15 points…how about his +11 rating and 25 penalty minutes to go hand in hand. There is a reason Perry was ranked in my top 3; he does it all. Rick Nash and Steven Stamkos are behind Perry in goals; with 9 and 8 (Nash has played 3 less games).
It’s unexpected to see Voracek at the top of the assists column in points because Philadelphia has had another slow start to the season. Both Tyler Johnson and Jakub Voracek have 13 assists; hopefully for their fantasy owners they are able to maintain this pace or close to it.
Now if you thought it was surprising to see Voracek at the top of the assists column; how about Filip Forsberg with 11 points in 11 games and a league high +13 rating...incredible for a rookie. Tampa Bay Lightening’s defenseman Anton Stralman is also at a +13 rating who is currently filling a void for Hedman; grab Stralman if you need a defenseman.
Looking at the top defensive point producers I see some familiar names and a couple fresh ones. San Jose’s Brent Burns at the top of the charts with 13 points in 13 games is impressive to say the least. TJ Brodie with 12 points in 13 games for the Flames is also excellent as the Flames haven’t had a ton of success in the past few years. Which brings me to Calgary’s Giordano right behind Brodie with 11 points; Calgary has had a ton of points from their defensemen so far this season. Wideman also made the top 10 with 8 points. Keith Yandle has 10 points in 11 games with 9 powerplay points and leads all defensemen in that category. Take note that Trevor Daley from the Dallas Stars has 9 points in 11 games and may be available as a free agent; if you need a defenseman perhaps he is worthy of a pickup.
As of now there is only one goaltender that has 8 wins on the season…Ryan Miller for the Vancouver Canucks. He has a record of 8-1 with a 2.24 GAA and a .918 save %. Not bad for Buffalo’s x-goaltender who signed with Vancouver, seems he has Vancouver back on track; either that a coach that has a better idea of what’s going on. Frederik Andersen holds the league’s lowest goals against average with a 1.60, he also has the league’s best save percentage at .941…he is 7-1 to start the season for the Ducks. Impressive to say the least; both Fleury and Kuemper have 3 shutouts before playing 10 games total.
Here is a list of which teams have how many games going forward this week:
(2) Games: Boston
(3) Games: Anaheim – Arizona – Buffalo – Calgary – Carolina – Chicago – Colorado – Columbus – Dallas – Florida – Los Angeles – Minnesota – Montreal – Nashville – New Jersey – New York Islanders – Philadelphia – Pittsburgh – San Jose – Tampa Bay – Washington – Winnipeg
(4) Games: Detroit – Edmonton – New York Rangers – Ottawa – St. Louis – Toronto – Vancouver
With a busy week ahead there will be some teams that are going to get desperate and may drop some decent players, be sure to keep a keen eye. Perhaps you are looking for a slot to rotate throughout the week or an upgrade. Here are a few players worth taking a look at who may be available:
(G) James Reimer: Leafs have looked pretty good lately, winning three games in a row and Reimer stood on his head versus Chicago in the third on Saturday’s victory. There may be more of a battle for that #1 spot that once thought…Reimer has been getting wins; that’s all that matters sometimes. I don’t think he takes the starter spot, but he may be good to pick up for a game a week or spot duty.
(G) John Gibson: Was anyone crazy enough to have dropped Gibson when he went down for his stint in the AHL? Just be careful, last night he injured himself in warm-ups; I am not certain how bad the injury is…but long term he may be a good fit on your roster as Anaheim is a great team with excellent two way play.
(F) Vladimir Tarasenko: Is he still available on your list? Get him if so…with Backes and Oshie out with concussions and Tarasenko playing with Steen; his fantasy value is high. He has 11 points in 10 games and a +8 rating; but has been playing excellent hockey!
(F) Nikita Kucherov: There is not a lot of players who get less than 13 minutes of ice time on average per game and have close to a point per game. Kucherov may be the only man; he has 11 points in 12 games with a +5 rating. He may be a bit of a risk; but for now…he’s producing.
(F) Justin Abdelkader: Playing alongside Datsyuk and or Zetterberg has its advantages. With 10 points in 11 games and a +5 rating, Abdelkader has been good for the Wings and there countless games played versus teams that just played the night before. Each of his 10 points have come at even strength, so don’t expect any points for Justin on the powerplay…he is more of a grinder to get Pavel or Henrik the puck.
(F) Nick Foligno: An excellent start for Nick Foligno this season as he has racked up 11 points in 10 games and has a +2 rating. With 5 powerplay points on the board and 9 penalty minutes you can expect Foligno to cool off a bit as players return to the lineup; but I don’t see Nick falling out of the top 6.
(F) Carl Soderberg: Not often do I point out a player on a third line as having a lot of fantasy value…Soderberg has excelled in his role and put up good points; 3 goals and 7 assists in 13 games. With the injuries to Chara and Krug you will see Carl on the first power play for Boston.
Be sure to remember to put your team together this week for the HBSL.
Best of luck this week going forward in your fantasy hockey!
Thanks again for reading.