NHL 2017 Week 8 Fantasy Hockey Report

Players to watch, all formats:

1) William Karlsson, Vegas, (49% Yahoo ownership): This guy was barely 1% owned prior to the season and was available on the waiver wire of my 18 team Super League. I came close to adding him and chose Cody Eakin instead. I regret that decision. He’s got 17 PTS in his last 14 GP, including 11 Goals (3 of them game winners).

2) Jonny Marchessault, Vegas, (45% Yahoo ownership): If you need PTS, he’s been getting plenty lately, with 19 in his last 14 GP. Enjoy the hot streak.

3) Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado, (61% Yahoo ownership): He should be owned in 100% of leagues that count both Hits and PTS. In 22 GP he’s got 17 PTS with 64 Shots, +9, and 43 Hits.

4) Nino Niederretier, Minnesota, (58% Yahoo ownership): After a slow start to the season he’s now got 7 Goals in his last 7 GP. If you need goals, he’s a guy you’ve got to look at.

5) Anton Khudobin, Boston, (36% Yahoo ownership): If you need a goalie in a standard league, this guy is available in many. He has wrestled the #1 job away from Tuukka Rask and has posted a 1.71 GAA and .945 SV% in his last 4 starts.

Going Deep: players to add in deeper leagues:

1) Thomas Vanek, Vancouver, (8% Yahoo ownership): He’s got 7 PTS in his last 7 GP including 4 on the power play. If you need PTS in a deep league, he’s a guy you’ve got to consider while the scoring lasts.

2) Kyle Connor, Winnipeg, (8% Yahoo ownership): He’s been getting tons of ice time on a solid offensive team. 4 PTS in his last 5 GP, also averages 2.3 shots on goal per game.

3) Christian Dvorak, Phoenix, (5% Yahoo ownership): Scoring 4 PTS in his last 6 GP isn’t sensational, but it’s still good for a guy owned in 5% of leagues.

4) Jake Debrusk, Boston, (5% Yahoo ownership): In the last 6 GP he’s scored 7 PTS with 18 Shots. He’s a young player who is has been averaging over 15m per game of ice time with plenty of upside.

5) Jonathon Bernier, Colorado, (7% Yahoo ownership): It can be hard to find a good starting goalie on the waiver wire in deeper leagues. Over his last 4 starts Bernier has posted a 1.96 GAA and .925 SV%. I don’t know how long that good play will last, but right now he’s the best available guy owned in 10% of leagues or less.

The 1%: Top 3 Players to Add that are 1% Owned or Less

1) Charles Hudon, Montreal: Hudon is even more valuable if your league counts shots on goal, while also producing 0.62 PTS per game in the last 30 days.

2) Brendan Perlini, Phoenix: He has scored goals in 4 consecutive games while playing on the Coyotes top line, giving him 8 Goals in 20 GP this season. If you are looking for a source of cheap goals, this is one. He’s on my team in our very deep Super League.

3) Tobias Rieder, Phoenix: 4 PTS in his last 7 GP isn’t spectacular, but it is good production for a 1% player. He gets plenty of ice time on the Coyotes top line.

Sell High:

1) Mike Cammalleri, Edmonton, (13% Yahoo ownership): Scoring 2 PTS in his last 10 GP probably shouldn’t qualify as “sell high”, but he’s also the most added player on Yahoo today coming off news that he is going to start playing with Connor McDavid. I’m not a believer that Cammalleri will be successful with the young star. If you can use his promotion to swap him for a better player, do it while you can.

2) Carey Price, Montreal, (98% Yahoo ownership): He returned from injury to post a shutout. It’s possible that he returns to his old form now that he’s healthy, or perhaps now is the best possible time to trade him.

3) Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina, (62% Yahoo ownership): Scoring 12 PTS in 6 GP is outstanding, but he will obviously not continue scoring at that pace. You could probably flip him for a good return if you decide to sell at the high point of his season.

Buy Low:

1) Brandon Saad, Chicago, (86% Yahoo ownership): He started the season on fire and has cooled off considerably. He scored 2 PTS in his last game after getting just one in his previous 10 GP. The ownership % in way too high and he should probably be dropped in standard leagues. Still worth a gamble in deeper formats.

2) Aaron Ekblad, Florida, (81% Yahoo ownership): Ekblad has just one point in his last 10 GP. If he ever returns to the player he was before his concussion issues, he’s a must own. Right now, though, he’s barely ownable in a standard league.

3) Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg, (99% Yahoo ownership): He’s gone pointless in his last 8 GP, but is  still getting a ton of ice time and taking lots of shots. He’s got more value in deep categories leagues that include Hits, PIMs, and Blocks. You should be able to acquire him at a discount.

Be concerned:

1) Alexander Wennberg, Columbus, (34% Yahoo ownership): He’s missed several games with what the team has called a “full body injury”. I’m not sure what kind of injury qualifies as “full body”, but none of them can be good. He had a 6-game pointless streak prior to his full body injury.

2) Bobby Ryan, Ottawa, (25% Yahoo ownership): He returned from injury 6 games ago and still has not registered a point. This begs the question, has Matt Duchene been struggling because he’s playing with Ryan, or is Ryan struggling because he’s playing with Duchene? Probably a bit of both.

3) Cam Talbot, Edmonton, (98% Yahoo ownership): He ranks 7^th among goalies in ownership %, but only ranks 18^th in wins. If he’s your #1 goalie in a shallow league, it may already be a lost season for you