Week 14 of the NHL season is here and I have some potential streaming targets. The
award for best schedule this week goes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, facing the
Sharks, Islanders, Avalanche, and Red Wings who have all struggled with goal
prevention in the last 30 days (especially San Jose and Detroit). Minnesota,
Philly, and Dallas also play 4 games, but 3 times on light nights if your
starting line-up is plugged on busy nights. Scroll to the bottom to see my
strength of schedule and watchlist graphics (tailored to be useful to prop
bettors), followed by my December fantasy awards.
My blog has been moved to
Substack this season and I’ll be repeatedly encouraging everyone to sign-up for
a free subscription to alleviate my dependence on Twitter for traffic. I’m
concerned that Elon will follow through on his threat to charge everyone for
Twitter and ostensibly destroy his own company. Subscribers receive an email
notification each time a new post is published, and even if Twitter stays free,
the algorithm likes to hide Tweets with links so you don’t leave.
Best Standard League Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):
1) Martin Jones, Tor, (55% Yahoo ownership): Martin Jones received a plug here last week and found his way onto both my fantasy teams. The Leafs did win my best schedule award this week, but that’s based on opponent goal prevention. Sadly 3 of those teams have been effective at goal scoring, so Jones isn’t necessarily a beneficiary of this “opportunity”. That being said, he’s sporting a .930 SV% in his last 10 games and shutout LA this week stopping 31 shots. He might be on my bench vs Colorado, but otherwise, I’m loving Martin Jones! Another option is Scott Wedgewood. Jake Oettinger is nearing return, but Dallas plays Minnesota twice (half their roster is on IR), Nashville and Chicago. Wedge should start at least 2.
2) Jake DeBrusk, Bos, (41% Yahoo ownership): The Boston Bruins have the 2nd best 4-game schedule in terms of opponent goal prevention, but play 3 times on busy nights so you’ll need to make sure there’s room in your starting line-up to fit DeBrusk. The dual-eligible winger has scored 7 PTS (4 on the PP) in his last 7 GP with 14 shots and 7 hits playing with Brad Marchand on line 2 and power play 1. The best thing about the Bruins schedule is being front-loaded, including Mon-Tue. So, you can add him early then stream him out for someone with a nice weekend slate. His linemate Charlie Coyle is available in more leagues, but plays PP2 instead of PP1, scoring 7 PTS (2 on the PP) in his last 7 GP.
3) Owen Tippett, Phi, (56% Yahoo ownership): If you are playing in a categories league that counts hits and shots, Owen Tippett might be the best available forward option ahead of DeBrusk. In his last 13 GP the dual-eligible winger only has 7 PTS, but amassed 48 shots and 33 hits. So, if you’re in a points-only league, this is less enticing, aside from Philly’s 3 games on light nights. So, you can pad your shot and hit totals while the rest of your roster has the day off. That’s why I’m also interested in Sean Couturier, who joins Tippett on the Flyers top PP (also centering line 1). Couturier has scored 9 PTS in his last 13 GP with 34 shots, he just doesn’t hit and is only eligible at center (but easy to fit into your starting line-up).
4) Alexis Lafreniere, NYR, (30% Yahoo ownership): The Rangers have 4 games in the week ahead (2 on light nights) and former first overall draft pick Alex Lafreniere is playing line 2 (with Panarin) and power play 2 (without Panarin). The dual-eligible winger has scored 6 PTS (1 on the PP) in his last 7 GP, with 20 shots. The Rangers have won 7 of their last 10 games and are currently first place in the NHL (technically tied with Colorado but with 2 games in hand). Another option with multi-position eligibility and an even better schedule is Tyler Seguin in Dallas, available in 62% of leagues. In his last 14 GP, Seguin has scored 11 PTS with 30 shots, playing line 2 and power play 2 for the Stars (skip ahead for more on that line).
5) Hampus Lindholm, Bos, (48% Yahoo ownership): This is a week where I actually prefer my “deep league” options better than the 25% to 65% ownership demo. Harley is my top target already added to one of my teams, but this isn’t a bad time to add Hampus Lindholm if he’s available and you need a guy. In his last 7 games the defenseman has 4 PTS (one on the power play), but doesn’t return strong shot or hit numbers despite logging over 24 minutes per game. He’s on the Bruins second PP unit, which is more than can be said of my next choice, Travis Sanheim. The Flyers play 4 games, 3 on light nights and Sanheim has 3 PTS with 10 shots and 7 hits in his last 6 games. Better peripherals than Lindholm.
Honorable Mentions: Charlie Coyle, Sean Couturier, Tyler Seguin, Travis Sanheim, Scott Wedgewood,
Last Week: Gabe Vilardi, Elias Lindholm, Martin Jones, Noah Hanifin, Tom Wilson
Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):
1) Mason Marchment, Dal, (19% Yahoo ownership): Mason Marchment has been pinging my radar regularly for the past several weeks, because the Stars second line (which is also their 2nd power play) continues rolling. Seguin already received a plug above, while Duchene was pumped here 2 weeks ago (now above 65% owned otherwise he’d be here again). Marchment has notched 14 PTS (3 on the power play) in his last 14 GP with 23 shots and 10 hits (not great). Another option playing 4 games and on 3 light nights (albeit it against better competition) is Joel Farabee, deployed on the top line and 2nd power play in Philly. The winger has logged 9 PTS in his last 6 GP while taking 13 shots (a better shot rate than Marchment)
2) Morgan Geekie, Bos, (6% Yahoo ownership): Another player who has pinged my radar for consecutive weeks is Morgan Geekie, who is centering line 1 and power play 1 with David Pastrnak in Boston. Frankly I’m mildly confused why his ownership didn’t climb more this week given that outstanding assignment. In theory that’s a high-profile player to be feeding passes. Geekie is eligible at wing and center, scoring 6 PTS (1 on the PP) in his last 7 GP with 17 shots and 6 hits. One of his teammates is also on nice little heater, as Trent Frederic has 6 PTS in his last 7 GP with 11 shots and 13 hits. He doesn’t play power play and is only on the 3rd line, but he’s a solid option if you need a few extra hits.
3) Thomas Harley, Dal, (24% Yahoo ownership): As mentioned above, I’m targeting Thomas Harley for both my teams. Dallas has a strong schedule including 3 games on light nights. Minnesota has been good defensively and they play Dallas twice, but half their team is on IR, which should make them easier to score on. What I like most about Harley is that Miro Heiskanen is week-to-week with an injury and Harley is the top candidate to replace him on the Stars PP1. The youngster has scored 9 PTS in his last 14 GP with 30 shots and 10 hits. Speaking of Minnesota, Brock Faber is another enticing option with 6 PTS in his last 14 GP (though pointless in his last 6) with 24 shots and 15 hits averaging nearly 27 minutes per game.
4) Dakota Joshua, Van, (23% Yahoo ownership): Dakota Joshua received a plug here last week despite the Canucks only playing 3 games (there were fewer 4 game teams), but this week they’ll be playing 4 (sadly only 1 light night). In his last 12 games, Joshua has 10 PTS with 40 hits and a +8. He’s a must add in banger formats, and will be considered for my standard league teams just to help me win the hits category. He ranks #71 league-wide in Yahoo’s player rankings for the last 30 days, eligible at both wing and center. Another option with all the aforementioned injuries in Minnesota is Marco Rossi, who should get a nice deployment boost, scoring 8 PTS (2 on the PP) in his last 14 GP (not great) with 27 shots.
5) Casey DeSmith, Van, (15% Yahoo ownership): The Vancouver Canucks have a 4-game schedule coming up, and Mr DeSmith is sporting a .936 SV% in the last 30 days. The caveat here being this is not an easy schedule for Vancouver, facing the Islanders, Rangers, Penguins, and Sabres, all teams who can score (yes, even the Islanders suddenly). It’s not a risk-free bet, but there aren’t many better options in this ownership range. One who did receive consideration is Dennis Hildeby, and surely some of you are seeing that name for the first time. It’s usually not my style to recommend goalies who have never played an NHL game, but he should get 1-2 starts for the Leafs, in theory their easier games. It’s not without risk, but may produce a nice reward.
Honorable Mentions: Joel Farabee, Brock Faber, Trent Frederic, Marco Rossi, Dennis Hildeby
Last Week: Anthony Mantha, Laurent Brossoit, Dakota Joshua, Cole Perfetti, Rasmus Sandin
December MVF
Who was the most valuable forward of the month?
Nathan MacKinnon COL
Nikita Kucherov TBL
Evgeni Malkin PIT
December MVD
Who was the most valuable defenseman of the month?
Evan Bouchard EDM
Noah Dobson NYI
Miro Heiskanen DAL
December MVG
Who was the most valuable goalie of the month?
Connor Hellebuyck WPG
Juuse Saros NSH
Joey Daccord SEA
Stock Rocket Award
Player with biggest increase in fantasy ownership.
Joey Daccord SEA +50%
Scott Wedgewood DAL +49%
Gabe Vilardi WPG +46%
Nikolaj Ehlers WPG +43%
Blake Coleman CGY +40%
Martin Jones TOR +38%
Connor Ingram ARI +35%
Mattias Ekholm EDM +30%
Mikael Granlund SJ +27%
Josh Manson COL +25%
Stock Plunger Award
Healthy(ish) player with the biggest drop in fantasy ownership.
Ilya Samsonov TOR -34%
Mason McTavish ANA -28% (did miss time but is back)
Antti Raanta CAR -27%
U.P Luukkonen BUF -27%
Jonas Johansson TB -26%
Erik Gustafsson NYR -22%
David Perron DET -20%
Carter Hart PHI -19%
Pierre-Luc Dubois LAK -18%
Jonathan Huberdeau CGY -18%
Jonathan Huberdeau Award
Player most below my point projection (full season, not just December).
Matthew Tkachuk FLA 36 GP 22 PTS
Johnny Gaudreau CBJ 38 GP 25 PTS
Connor McDavid EDM 32 GP 48 PTS
Pleasant Surprise Award
Player most exceeding my point projection (full season, not just December).
Mathieu Joseph OTT 25 GP 19 PTS
Nick Bjugstad ARI 35 GP 21 PTS
Pat Maroon MIN 35 GP 13 PTS
Simon Edvinsson Award
Player I’m most disappointed to see in the minors.
Simon Edvinsson DET
Ilya Samsonov TOR
Spencer Knight FLA
Best Standard League Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):
1) Martin Jones, Tor, (55% Yahoo ownership): Martin Jones received a plug here last week and found his way onto both my fantasy teams. The Leafs did win my best schedule award this week, but that’s based on opponent goal prevention. Sadly 3 of those teams have been effective at goal scoring, so Jones isn’t necessarily a beneficiary of this “opportunity”. That being said, he’s sporting a .930 SV% in his last 10 games and shutout LA this week stopping 31 shots. He might be on my bench vs Colorado, but otherwise, I’m loving Martin Jones! Another option is Scott Wedgewood. Jake Oettinger is nearing return, but Dallas plays Minnesota twice (half their roster is on IR), Nashville and Chicago. Wedge should start at least 2.
2) Jake DeBrusk, Bos, (41% Yahoo ownership): The Boston Bruins have the 2nd best 4-game schedule in terms of opponent goal prevention, but play 3 times on busy nights so you’ll need to make sure there’s room in your starting line-up to fit DeBrusk. The dual-eligible winger has scored 7 PTS (4 on the PP) in his last 7 GP with 14 shots and 7 hits playing with Brad Marchand on line 2 and power play 1. The best thing about the Bruins schedule is being front-loaded, including Mon-Tue. So, you can add him early then stream him out for someone with a nice weekend slate. His linemate Charlie Coyle is available in more leagues, but plays PP2 instead of PP1, scoring 7 PTS (2 on the PP) in his last 7 GP.
3) Owen Tippett, Phi, (56% Yahoo ownership): If you are playing in a categories league that counts hits and shots, Owen Tippett might be the best available forward option ahead of DeBrusk. In his last 13 GP the dual-eligible winger only has 7 PTS, but amassed 48 shots and 33 hits. So, if you’re in a points-only league, this is less enticing, aside from Philly’s 3 games on light nights. So, you can pad your shot and hit totals while the rest of your roster has the day off. That’s why I’m also interested in Sean Couturier, who joins Tippett on the Flyers top PP (also centering line 1). Couturier has scored 9 PTS in his last 13 GP with 34 shots, he just doesn’t hit and is only eligible at center (but easy to fit into your starting line-up).
4) Alexis Lafreniere, NYR, (30% Yahoo ownership): The Rangers have 4 games in the week ahead (2 on light nights) and former first overall draft pick Alex Lafreniere is playing line 2 (with Panarin) and power play 2 (without Panarin). The dual-eligible winger has scored 6 PTS (1 on the PP) in his last 7 GP, with 20 shots. The Rangers have won 7 of their last 10 games and are currently first place in the NHL (technically tied with Colorado but with 2 games in hand). Another option with multi-position eligibility and an even better schedule is Tyler Seguin in Dallas, available in 62% of leagues. In his last 14 GP, Seguin has scored 11 PTS with 30 shots, playing line 2 and power play 2 for the Stars (skip ahead for more on that line).
5) Hampus Lindholm, Bos, (48% Yahoo ownership): This is a week where I actually prefer my “deep league” options better than the 25% to 65% ownership demo. Harley is my top target already added to one of my teams, but this isn’t a bad time to add Hampus Lindholm if he’s available and you need a guy. In his last 7 games the defenseman has 4 PTS (one on the power play), but doesn’t return strong shot or hit numbers despite logging over 24 minutes per game. He’s on the Bruins second PP unit, which is more than can be said of my next choice, Travis Sanheim. The Flyers play 4 games, 3 on light nights and Sanheim has 3 PTS with 10 shots and 7 hits in his last 6 games. Better peripherals than Lindholm.
Honorable Mentions: Charlie Coyle, Sean Couturier, Tyler Seguin, Travis Sanheim, Scott Wedgewood,
Last Week: Gabe Vilardi, Elias Lindholm, Martin Jones, Noah Hanifin, Tom Wilson
Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):
1) Mason Marchment, Dal, (19% Yahoo ownership): Mason Marchment has been pinging my radar regularly for the past several weeks, because the Stars second line (which is also their 2nd power play) continues rolling. Seguin already received a plug above, while Duchene was pumped here 2 weeks ago (now above 65% owned otherwise he’d be here again). Marchment has notched 14 PTS (3 on the power play) in his last 14 GP with 23 shots and 10 hits (not great). Another option playing 4 games and on 3 light nights (albeit it against better competition) is Joel Farabee, deployed on the top line and 2nd power play in Philly. The winger has logged 9 PTS in his last 6 GP while taking 13 shots (a better shot rate than Marchment)
2) Morgan Geekie, Bos, (6% Yahoo ownership): Another player who has pinged my radar for consecutive weeks is Morgan Geekie, who is centering line 1 and power play 1 with David Pastrnak in Boston. Frankly I’m mildly confused why his ownership didn’t climb more this week given that outstanding assignment. In theory that’s a high-profile player to be feeding passes. Geekie is eligible at wing and center, scoring 6 PTS (1 on the PP) in his last 7 GP with 17 shots and 6 hits. One of his teammates is also on nice little heater, as Trent Frederic has 6 PTS in his last 7 GP with 11 shots and 13 hits. He doesn’t play power play and is only on the 3rd line, but he’s a solid option if you need a few extra hits.
3) Thomas Harley, Dal, (24% Yahoo ownership): As mentioned above, I’m targeting Thomas Harley for both my teams. Dallas has a strong schedule including 3 games on light nights. Minnesota has been good defensively and they play Dallas twice, but half their team is on IR, which should make them easier to score on. What I like most about Harley is that Miro Heiskanen is week-to-week with an injury and Harley is the top candidate to replace him on the Stars PP1. The youngster has scored 9 PTS in his last 14 GP with 30 shots and 10 hits. Speaking of Minnesota, Brock Faber is another enticing option with 6 PTS in his last 14 GP (though pointless in his last 6) with 24 shots and 15 hits averaging nearly 27 minutes per game.
4) Dakota Joshua, Van, (23% Yahoo ownership): Dakota Joshua received a plug here last week despite the Canucks only playing 3 games (there were fewer 4 game teams), but this week they’ll be playing 4 (sadly only 1 light night). In his last 12 games, Joshua has 10 PTS with 40 hits and a +8. He’s a must add in banger formats, and will be considered for my standard league teams just to help me win the hits category. He ranks #71 league-wide in Yahoo’s player rankings for the last 30 days, eligible at both wing and center. Another option with all the aforementioned injuries in Minnesota is Marco Rossi, who should get a nice deployment boost, scoring 8 PTS (2 on the PP) in his last 14 GP (not great) with 27 shots.
5) Casey DeSmith, Van, (15% Yahoo ownership): The Vancouver Canucks have a 4-game schedule coming up, and Mr DeSmith is sporting a .936 SV% in the last 30 days. The caveat here being this is not an easy schedule for Vancouver, facing the Islanders, Rangers, Penguins, and Sabres, all teams who can score (yes, even the Islanders suddenly). It’s not a risk-free bet, but there aren’t many better options in this ownership range. One who did receive consideration is Dennis Hildeby, and surely some of you are seeing that name for the first time. It’s usually not my style to recommend goalies who have never played an NHL game, but he should get 1-2 starts for the Leafs, in theory their easier games. It’s not without risk, but may produce a nice reward.
Honorable Mentions: Joel Farabee, Brock Faber, Trent Frederic, Marco Rossi, Dennis Hildeby
Last Week: Anthony Mantha, Laurent Brossoit, Dakota Joshua, Cole Perfetti, Rasmus Sandin
December MVF
Who was the most valuable forward of the month?
Nathan MacKinnon COL
Nikita Kucherov TBL
Evgeni Malkin PIT
December MVD
Who was the most valuable defenseman of the month?
Evan Bouchard EDM
Noah Dobson NYI
Miro Heiskanen DAL
December MVG
Who was the most valuable goalie of the month?
Connor Hellebuyck WPG
Juuse Saros NSH
Joey Daccord SEA
Stock Rocket Award
Player with biggest increase in fantasy ownership.
Joey Daccord SEA +50%
Scott Wedgewood DAL +49%
Gabe Vilardi WPG +46%
Nikolaj Ehlers WPG +43%
Blake Coleman CGY +40%
Martin Jones TOR +38%
Connor Ingram ARI +35%
Mattias Ekholm EDM +30%
Mikael Granlund SJ +27%
Josh Manson COL +25%
Stock Plunger Award
Healthy(ish) player with the biggest drop in fantasy ownership.
Ilya Samsonov TOR -34%
Mason McTavish ANA -28% (did miss time but is back)
Antti Raanta CAR -27%
U.P Luukkonen BUF -27%
Jonas Johansson TB -26%
Erik Gustafsson NYR -22%
David Perron DET -20%
Carter Hart PHI -19%
Pierre-Luc Dubois LAK -18%
Jonathan Huberdeau CGY -18%
Jonathan Huberdeau Award
Player most below my point projection (full season, not just December).
Matthew Tkachuk FLA 36 GP 22 PTS
Johnny Gaudreau CBJ 38 GP 25 PTS
Connor McDavid EDM 32 GP 48 PTS
Pleasant Surprise Award
Player most exceeding my point projection (full season, not just December).
Mathieu Joseph OTT 25 GP 19 PTS
Nick Bjugstad ARI 35 GP 21 PTS
Pat Maroon MIN 35 GP 13 PTS
Simon Edvinsson Award
Player I’m most disappointed to see in the minors.
Simon Edvinsson DET
Ilya Samsonov TOR
Spencer Knight FLA
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