The start of the NHL season is almost upon us. The team and sleeper previews series is at an end.
With every end comes a new beginning, so welcome to the first installment of “Wednesday Weekly Wrap-up: Fantasy Hockey Week in Review.”
This is exactly what you (hopefully) think it is. Or maybe not. If not, hopefully a good ‘not.’
A recap of interesting and important stories over the past seven days in fantasy hockey. Quite literally, fantasy hockey week in review. Hopefully, you’ll bear with the first few articles as I find my rhythm and flow.
If you’re wondering what you’ll find in this column from week to week, expect a little bit of everything. I’ll cover fantasy prospects to players of the week; points pools to salary cap pools; hot & cold streaks to contract signings and trades. I’ll also throw in some random personal thoughts and happenings within my own hockey pools (one to come below). Some articles will cover five topics, while others will cover fifteen. It will all depend on how much ink needs to be spilled on a topic.
I’m playing catchup this week, the pre-season is more than half over. This one will be a bit longer than future articles as I play catchup. Rather than continuing to ramble senselessly about it. Let’s dive in.
Fantasy Hockey Week in Review
Anaheim Ducks News
Trevor Zegras signed a sweetheart three-year deal with an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $5.75 million. With this AAV, the third year surprised me. This is one of the most reasonable bridge contracts I’ve seen in recent years.
In salary cap pools it provides immediate value. To oversimplify, the goal is for a player to provide 10 points per million in cap (whether you use real salary or AAV. Basically, Zegras needs to produce 58 points a year to meet the value of this deal. Considering he had 61 and 65 points in his first two full seasons and sits at 180 games, he’s just entering his breakout window; this is an immediate value deal for fantasy owners.
Keeping with the Anaheim Ducks for a moment, Jamie Drysdale is one of three restricted free agents remaining without a contract. After missing all but eight games in 2022-2023 due to injury, a bridge deal makes a lot of sense. I look at Evan Bouchard in Edmonton who signed a two-year $3.9m deal as the ceiling of what Drysdale should get. Two years with a $3.35 AAV would make a lot of sense.
I’m afraid I need to stick with the Ducks for a moment longer. Three players were claimed on waivers this week.
Lassi Thompson
Of the Ottawa Senators is one of them, claimed by the aforementioned Ducks. I get it, their prospect pool is depleted of defensive prospects (sarcasm).
Is there a team with a deeper pool of defensive prospects under age 23? Beyond Drysdale, they currently have the reigning defensemen of the year in all three CHL leagues – Olen Zellweger (WHL), Tristan Luneau (QMJHL), and Pavel Mintyukov (OHL). Lest we forget Jackson LaCombe, a smooth-skating defenseman with offensive ability in his own right.
The Ducks only have three defensemen making over a million this year (four once Drysdale signs). While they boast this magnificent prospect pool, Thompson is a little closer to NHL-ready. This is a very savvy move by the Ducks.
Samuel Fagemo
A Los Angeles King was also claimed on waivers. The Nashville Predators were the recipients this time. Fagemo, like Thompson, fell victim to the numbers game. A young player who hasn’t been able to display he is ready to jump full-time on a team with depth. There’s a road to making the Predators available. For the Kings, it was a numbers game. Too many bodies ahead of him.
More Senators Waivers – Bernard-Docker & Sokolov
Jacob Bernard-Docker and Egor Sokolov have also been waived. By the time you read this, we should know if either has been claimed.
Bernard-Docker didn’t have a great camp. He also didn’t have a strong season in the AHL. Even though he’s a former first-round pick, this one could clear waivers.
Sokolov on the other hand, had a strong year in Bellingham last year, two strong years. In 2021-22 he had 50 points in 64 games, which he followed up with 59 points in 70 games. He also had 70 PIM. AT 6’3″, 220lbs, Sokolov brings a heavy game. I’ve been surprised before, but I will be quite surprised if Sokolov clears.
The San Jose Sharks are a team that could use this type of player and provide a roster spot to start the season.
Vasily Podkolzin & Canucks development issues.
Podkolzin was cut from the Vancouver Canucks this weekend after having a terrible camp. I know I just wrote about him as a potential sleeper for the team. The season hasn’t started and there’s tons of time for him to rebuild his confidence and prove me right, yet.
This does reinforce the larger concern regarding the Canucks and their ability to develop prospects. As I discussed in my Canucks fantasy team preview, the Canucks have not developed a top-six forward since Ryan Kessler. Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, and Brock Boeser made the team in their first pro-seasons. They spent no development time in Manitoba, Utica, or Abbotsford (the three locations of their AHL affiliates for the past decade).
Sorry Canucks fans, if management can’t fix this, they will forever remain a fledgling bubble team. You can’t win in the salary cap era if you can’t develop your draft picks.
Andrei Vasilevsky & Replacement
Andrei Vasilevsky is out two to three months after suffering a fracture in his left foot. There is no overstating the magnitude of this injury to the Lightning.
The Lightning lost a ton of depth in the off-season. It will be a massive risk to rely on the goalies in their system. Jonus Johansson hasn’t been a quality goalie for any extended stretch of his NHL career. He did throw a shutout Tuesday night against Florida as he battles Matt Tomkins for starter rights in Vasilevsky’s absence. Hugo Alnefelt as expected, has already been assigned to the AHL
Vasilevsky should slide in fantasy drafts, at least a couple of rounds. I will happily let someone pick him in the first two or three rounds. If he is still available in the fifth, I would be comfortable grabbing him and stashing him until December.
There are enough 1 B-type goalies available to grab a late-round fill-in comfortably. Someone like Cam Talbot, Philipp Grubauer, or Jordan Binnington, should be available in the later rounds.
Matt Coronato, Calgary Flames
It has been feast or famine for Matt Coronato of the Calgary Flames, with seven points in five preseason games. Four came in the first game, three came in game five. He has had twice as many defensive zone faceoffs as he has had in the offensive zone. It’s a strong indication of which part of his game the coaches are scrutinizing.
With only one year in the NCAA before turning pro, this is his first Flames training camp, don’t be surprised if he is a final-day cut. The way he is trending it will be a tough decision.
As good as he has played, he is waiver-exempt and just turned pro. The Flames could opt to let him chew up big minutes in all situations and adapt to the pro game in the AHL. If all goes well there, he could be a mid-season call-up.
Sidney Crosby in Halifax
A change of pace… Oh to be in Halifax Nova Scotia this weekend. I was born and raised in Nova Scotia. Sidney Crosby was the talk of the province well before he went to St. Mary’s Prep in Minnesota at 15. No one cares about the score of this one. Haligonians (yes, that’s what they’re called), finally got to see Crosby play live. The whole province claims Sid as their hometown boy. He’s loved from coast to coast in that province (there’s a lot of coast).
All grown up. It’s not a matter of if, but when and where they erect a statue of him, Cole Harbour or downtown Halifax. Welcome home Sid!
Detroit Red Wings Connections
Daniel Sprong is vying for a spot in the Red Wings top six. He’s having a helluva camp.
Ironically, the player he likely was signed to replace, Jakob Vrana, is having a helluva training camp with the St. Louis Blues himself. Now with three goals, five points, and nine shots in three games, Vrana finally seems motivated.
I do like to remind myself that it is preseason. The regular season is long and grueling. Time will reveal if Vrana has stepped up his game for real this time
Sprong could be a big-time sleeper. Vrana might be a ‘pump-and-dump.’ Take advantage of a hot start and trade before the bottom falls out. I hope Vrana finally sticks and puts it together, I just have more confidence Sprong will produce over the full season.
Connor Bedard
Had himself a night. He scored his first goal of the pre-season and the first professional goal of his career. It capped off a three-point night. Two of his points, a goal and an assist, were on the power play. He also fired five shots in 16:16 ice time.
He is up to five points in three pre-season games. Get used to this.
Taylor Hall also picked up three points. It looks like Hall is hooked to Bedard, at least to start the year. He could be in for a strong bounce-back year. It’s not the first generational player Hall has had the luxury of playing with.
Fantasy Prospect Draft Observation
I completed two prospect drafts this weekend. Both are 12-team dynasty pools. I didn’t have a first-round pick in either draft. One holds 30 prospects per team, that’s up to 360 prospects rostered. I wouldn’t call it an expert pool. There are varying levels of addiction.
A curious thing occurred in both. Dmitry Simashev fell hard. My first pick was 2-10. I was eyeing Matthew Wood or Brayden Yager, hoping one would somehow slide to the 22nd pick. Neither did. Instead, staring me in the face was the sixth overall pick in the draft, Simashev.
Look, I get not wanting to draft defensemen in the first round of a draft like this, especially in the top 10. The only time I can recall drafting a defenseman in the top ten was Bowen Byram with my 9th pick. It was also my fourth first-round pick of that draft.
Regardless, I couldn’t pass on Simashev here. The last time a team stretched on a large defenseman in the top ten he turned into Moritz Seider.
Later that night, I took part in my second prospect pool. I had the same pick, 2-10 to start things off. I decided to take Pyotr Kochetkov. It’s a much shallower prospect league. I felt desperate to add a top goalie prospect that is close to NHL-ready. My next pick, 3-10 rolled around, and guess who was sitting there? Yep, Simashev. Zero chance I was passing on him this late in the draft.
I’m not surprised he fell in my drafts. He was a surprise at sixth. I am surprised he fell this far. Especially in my second draft. Maybe it’s the wait time of roughly three years? Or fears he doesn’t have the offensive chops, I’m not sure. All I saw was a defenseman with top four written all over him and a top pair ceiling.
Time will tell if this was a steal or if everyone else knew something I didn’t know.
I’d love your feedback on the format and content. Let me know what you liked, or didn’t like. What you’d like to see more or less of.
That’s a wrap for the week, thanks for reading.
Follow me on Twitter: @doylelb4
Looking for more great fantasy hockey analysis? Check out our 2023 Fantasy Hockey Draft Kit for team previews, rankings, and all the sleepers you can shake a stick at.