Welcome back to the Fantasy Hockey Week in Review. This week we’ll cover Torey Krug, Morgan Rielly, Juraj Slafkovsky, Brady Tkachuck, the three stars of the week, and more. Jacob Markstrom was the first star of the week, but there’s more to discuss with him than his big week.
Without further adieu, let’s dig in.
Fantasy Hockey Week In Review
NHL Three Stars of the Week
First Star: Jacob Markstrom, G, Calgary Flames
Markstrom is locked in right now. He was a perfect 3-0-0 last week with a 2.00 goals-against average (GAA) and a .939 save percentage (SVPct). He also had two assists in those three games. He now has 4 on the season and sits one behind the Flames franchise record of five, set by Roman Turek (2001-02). More to come on Markstrom below.
Second Star: Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers
Bobrovsky and the Panthers keep rolling. He went 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .966 SVPct. Bobrovsky found his form last year in the playoffs and it has carried over into the 2023-24 season. He’s now 25-10-2, with a 2.43 GAA, and a .913 SVPct on the year.
Third Star: Nick Suzuki, C, Montreal Canadiens
Suzuki had a really solid week with four goals and two assists in three games. He also has 14 points on his current eight-game point streak. With 51 points in 53 games, he’s on pace for a career year and could notch the first point-per-game season of his career.
Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
He has been suspended five games for cross-checking Ridley Greig.
What matters to us, Rielly is now dead weight on your bench for the next four games (Rielly served the first game of the suspension last night). He is eligible to return on Thursday, February 22nd versus the Vegas Golden Knights.
Mitch Marner, RW – John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
They both missed last night’s game due to illness. Expect both to be game-time decisions Thursday against Philadelphia.
Torey Krug, D, St. Louis Blues
He set a franchise record for a defenceman with five assists in Sunday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. He now has one goal and 25 assists on the year. Krug now has six points in his last ten games.
Yes, that means one assist in the eight games preceding Sunday’s game. Chalk this up to being more of a blip than a potential hot streak. I’m not rushing to acquire Krug in any format based on that game.
Tage Thompson, C/RW, Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres scored seven goals in a 7-0 blowout of the Los Angeles Kings. Somehow, Thompson missed out on all of the festivities. He registered one shot in 14:46 of ice time.
Thompson is in the midst of a dreadful cold streak, registering one goal and one assist in his last ten games.
At 6’6″ and 343 games played, Thompson is closing in on his exceptionally sized player breakout threshold, 400 games. He should hit that near the end of November, next season. In the meantime, Thompson and the Sabres continue to have a disappointing season. With 94 points last year, Thompson we can easily argue Thompson has already broken out.
I can’t say I expect Thompson to catch fire to the degree he performed last year. But he should return closer to 2022-23 form next year. This is a good buy-low window.
Jacob Markstrom, G, Calgary Flames
He followed up on his first star of the week with an utter gem against the New York Rangers. He made 29 saves on 30 shots in a 1-0 loss. It’s a shame to waste his .967 performance.
Rumors are, that Markstrom was close to being dealt to the New Jersey Devils last week (Source: Frank Seravelli). With the trade deadline a few weeks away there is plenty of time for the Devils and Flames to sort out their differences. It appears Markstrom was/is willing to go to the Devils. This should be a solid boost in the win column for Markstrom. I’m not sure we can expect much improvement over his SVPct and GAA from where it currently is.
Regardless, Markstrom could very well be on the move. If not New Jersey, Carolina, and Los Angeles should be in the market for a goalie upgrade. Philadelphia could enter the goalie market as well.
Elvis Merzlikins, G, Columbus Blue Jackets
For a team not wanting to pay the price to acquire Markstrom, Merzlikins will likely be a cheaper option. He voiced his displeasure of the goaltending situation in Columbus earlier this year.
He could be the first goalie traded. A team may lose out on Markstrom and trade for Merzlikins before any Markstrom deal is finalized.
Juraj Slafkovksy, LW/RW, Montreal Canadiens
Slafkovksy is starting to show signs as to why Kent Hughes took him first overall.
I’m not jumping onto the Slafkovksy bandwagon just yet (it is already pretty full), but his play has significantly improved. It has improved not only over the last year (drastically) but also significantly over the first half of this year (significantly).
Things clicked when St. Louis moved him onto a line with Suzuki and Cole Caufield. One could argue he’s riding their coattails, but he’s lined up with these two in the past and it didn’t work. He also doesn’t look like a passenger on that line. He’s creating and pushing the play with them.
Slafkovksy also finds himself on a six-game point streak. We’re still a couple of years away from knowing what Slafkovksy’s upside really is. Yet, there are positive signs all over the ice. He’s on pace for 45 points, which is modest at best. Yet, compared to the ten points he had last year, fantasy hockey owners need to take the win.
Cam Atkinson, RW, Columbus Blue Jackets
He went from red hot, 1o points during a six-game point streak, to ice cold, zero points in his last six games.
At 34, his best days are likely behind him. As he demonstrated during the point streak, Atkinson still offers short-term help to your fantasy hockey team. He makes for a great streaming option once the offense clicks back on.
It is also good to note that he played for John Tortorella for years in Columbus. Tortorella is known to hold unwavering trust in his veteran players. That is why he’s averaging 17:09 in ice time per game and is receiving 43% of the power play.
Brandon Hagel, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
He’s now up to 49 points in 54 games played or .91 points per game pace. It’s hard to say he was worth three first-round picks, but at least he is making a case.
Hagel is also on his own streak, with 11 points in his last seven games. Imagine if he was receiving more than a 26% share on the power play. With only seven power-play points, 42 of his points have come at even strength. It might be time for him to get an extended look at the first unit.
Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
In an 8-4 win, McDavid casually dropped in six assists. He now has 77 points on the year and is entering both the Art Ross and Hart Trophy conversations.
If McDavid is about to go nuclear, look out.
Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators.
For multi-cat leagues, he had a huge night. If two power-play goals and a hattrick weren’t enough, Tkachuck added seven goals and six hits. The kind of stat-line dreams are made of.
He is now up to 44 points in 49 games. He also has 18 points in his last 17 games. I’m expecting Tkachuck to have a big second half. His career highs of 35 goals and 83 points, which he set last year, could both be in jeopardy.
That’ll do it for this week. Thanks for reading.
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