April 2021 NHL Fantasy Market Report

Since the 2021 season began, I have been tracking player ownership and statistics month by month on Yahoo. At the end of every month, I’ll be posting the top risers and fallers in ownership, with a brief synopsis.  You’ll also get my top performers and top disappointments of the month. All the numbers listed below are entirely for the month of April (unless stated otherwise).

 

Best Value:

 

April All-Star Team: Best players for the month by position. Some centers who are eligible at wing in Yahoo are included at the wing position below.

C) Connor McDavid, Edm: 11 GP, 21 PTS

W) Brad Marchand, Bos, 17 GP, 24 PTS

W) Artemi Panarin, NYR, 16 GP, 24 PTS

D) Adam Fox, NYR, 16 GP, 17 PTS

D) Cale Makar, Col, 13 GP, 15 PTS

G) Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB: 12 GP, 9 Wins, .926 SV%

 

Best Value Under 50% Owned (Apr 1) All-Star Team: Some centers who are eligible at wing in Yahoo are included at the wing position below.

C) Sam Bennett, Fla: 12 GP, 16 PTS

W) Jason Robertson, Dal: 17 GP, 18 PTS

W) Kevin Fiala, Min, 14 GP, 17 PTS

D) Alex Goligoski, Ari, 15 GP, 12 PTS

D) Dmitry Orlov, Wsh, 15 GP, 11 PTS

G) Jeremy Swayman, Bos: 7 GP, 5 Wins, .946 SV%

 

Top Ownership Risers:

 

Which NHL players had the biggest jump in fantasy hockey ownership for the month of April 2021?

1) Sam Bennett, Fla, +58%: Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery and the opportunity to play with a star player for unfulfilled expectations to finally be realized. Getting traded to the Florida Panthers is the best thing to ever happen to Sam Bennett. He finished April with 16 PTS in 12 GP, which paces to 109 PTS per 82 GP.

Sam Bennett is the most added player on Yahoo thus far today, as his #FantasyHockey ownership climbs to 17%. He collected 2 PTS in his Panthers debut Saturday, playing on a line with Huberdeau and Duclair. These next 2 Columbus games will be interesting. He's worth considering.📈

— Hockey Economist (@Hockeconomics) April 19, 2021

2) Anthony Mantha, Wsh, +41%: Getting traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Washington Capitals and getting the opportunity to play with more gifted offensive players is very appealing to fantasy owners. I had been regretting putting Mantha on my pre-season sleepers list, until he was traded and took off.

3) Jason Robertson, Dal, +40%: He started the season in the AHL, and now is in the conversation for NHL Rookie of the Year, scoring 18 PTS in 17 GP in April. You can count him among the breakout stars of 2021, as he’s been generating high praise from anyone paying attention.

I added Jason Robertson to my #FantasyHockey team on Sunday morning as a temporary streamer, but he's scored a goal in every game since, making him hard to stream out. He's up to 26% owned on Yahoo, potting 16 PTS in his last 18 GP. I'm becoming a believer. 📈

— Hockey Economist (@Hockeconomics) April 2, 2021

4) Jeremy Swayman, Bos, +33%: At one point in April, Rask was injured and Halak had Covid, so the Bruins were forced to rely on Swayman and Vladar. It was Swayman who made the most of the opportunity with a .946 SV% in 7 GP.

5) Alex Goligoski, Ari, +32%: Goligoski averaged 39% ownership last season, so people were happy to jump back on the bandwagon as he was scoring his 12 PTS in 15 GP in the month of April.

6) Craig Smith, Bos, +32%: Craig Smith was already hot when the Bruins acquired Taylor Hall, but that impressive production only continued when Hall-Krejci-Smith formed their new second line.

7) Anthony Duclair, Fla, +30%: It’s been an up and down season for Duclair, but he flourished when placed on the 2nd line with Sam Bennett and Jonathan Huberdeau.  He did miss some time with an injury, but scored 12 PTS in 10 GP when healthy.

8) Mike Reilly, Bos, +27%: Reilly was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline, arriving on a much better team with a depleted blueline. Reilly scored at a 50-point pace in April.

9) Frank Vatrano, Fla, +26%: Vatrano has proved valuable to fantasy owners in category leagues with a high shooting volume. He scored at a 56-point pace while averaging 3.4 shots per game.

10) Juuse Saros, Nsh, +24%: Saros was dropped in many leagues after a poor start was followed by injury, but he was a Vezina calibre goaltender in the second half of the season, helping to push the Preds into the playoff race with 8 wins and a .927 SV% in April.

 

Worst Value:

April Big Bust Team: Most Disappointing Players Over 60% Owned Apr 1, (not including injured players, and ownership listed below is from Apr 31). Some centers who are eligible at wing in Yahoo are included at the wing position.

F) Nazem Kadri, Col, (62% owned): 13 GP, 2 PTS

F) Patrik Laine, Cbj, (72% owned): 14 GP, 4 PTS

F) Matthew Tkachuk, Cgy, (93% owned): 12 GP, 6 PTS

D) Keith Yandle, Fla, (63% owned): 16 GP, 4 PTS

D) Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ari, (60% owned): 15 GP, 3 PTS

G) Kevin Lankinen, Chi, (65% owned): 10 GP, 3 Wins, .871 SV%

 

April Deep Bust Team: Biggest April busts between 10% and 50% ownership on Apr 1. Ownership listed below is from Apr 31. Some centers who are eligible at wing in Yahoo are included at the wing position.

F) Anthony Cirelli, TB, (35% owned): 15 GP, 1 PT

F) Kevin Hayes, Phi, (36% owned): 14 GP, 3 PTS

F) Scott Laughton, Phi, (13% owned): 15 GP, 1 PT

D) Filip Hronek, Det, (24% owned): 15 GP, 2 PTS

D) Alex Romanov, Mtl, (9% owned): 16 GP, 1 PT

G) Casey DeSmith, Pit, (30% owned): 6 GP, 3 Wins, .880 SV%

 

Top Ownership Decliners: 

 

What NHL players have seen their ownership drop the most in the month of April? Players who only dropped due to injury will not be included, focusing on the healthy players who dropped significantly.

1) Kaapo Kahkonen, Min, -34%: The rookie had a tremendous run when Cam Talbot was recovering from Covid, but slowly started to diminish once the veteran was healthy. Kahkonen only started 3 games in April and posted an .854 SV%.

2) Joel Farabee, Phi, -19%: It’s been a rollercoaster season for Farabee owners, scoring many of his points in clusters. He scored 4 PTS in the first game of the season and also scored 4 PTS in the entire month of April (15 GP).

3) James Reimer, Car, -18%: Petr Mrazek getting healthy and Alex Nedeljkovic's outstanding play made Reimer redundant in Carolina. He only managed 4 starts in the month, producing a .902 SV%.

4) Anthony Cirelli, TB, -15%: The Cirelli had an atrocious month of April offensively, scoring just 1 point in 15 GP. He scored at a 53-point pace last season, but only scored at a 5-point pace in April.

5) Matt Grzelcyk, Bos, -14%: Grzelcyk has had difficulty staying healthy this season, including for parts of April. Though he was healthy for the last 2 weeks, and produced below expectations.

6) Jordan Kyrou, Stl, -14%: Kyrou’s value has been tied to his deployment, bumping back and forth between the top 6 and bottom 6, leading to volatility in his ownership numbers. April 30^th just happened to catch him in that cycle. He scored 6 PTS in 12 GP for the month.

7) Mattias Ekholm, Nsh, -14%: Ekholm reached his highest peak in the absence or Roman Josi, which opened up power play time. It was a slow descent for Ekholm once Josi returned. He still scored at a respectable 35-point pace in April.

8) Patrik Laine, Cbj, -13%: There were high expectations when Laine was traded to Columbus, on the belief that he’d be given greater responsibility with his new team. Leaving Winnipeg turned out to be the worst thing for him.

9) Keith Yandle, Fla, -13%: Yandle's season long scoring pace would put him at 38 PTS in an 82-game season, but that output dipped to a 21-point pace in April. I was among the people who added Yandle in March then dropped him April.

10) James van Riemsdyk, Phi, -13%: We all knew that JVR’s hot start was not sustainable, but he still maintained a decent floor when regressing, scoring at a 44-point pace in April. Unfortunately, that’s insufficient production to sustain 80% ownership.