As many fantasy hockey leagues move closer towards the final quarter of the regular season, managers can’t afford to roster any players who are struggling to perform. Listed below are three players that fantasy hockey owners should drop to the waiver wire, before they ruin their playoff chances.
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Week 14 Fantasy Hockey Cold List
Yaroslav Askarov – San Jose Sharks
This past November, Yaroslav Askarov was one of the best goaltending options available, having recorded 8 wins and a .944 save percentage in 10 games. That said, although the San Jose Sharks still found a way to win games throughout December, Askarov’s numbers plummeted significantly.
In his last 10 starts, Askarov has posted a save percentage below .900 on 7 occasions, with some totals falling below the .750 mark. Additionally, the netminder logged a 4.07 goals against average last month, having allowed three or more goals in each contest during December. Going forward, Askarov should be dropped without hesitation despite his early success, as his unpredictable starts could be the difference between winning and losing a week.
Brent Burns – Colorado Avalanche
Brent Burns enjoyed a brief point streak throughout the holiday season, having collected points in six games straight before Christmas. However, the 40-year-old has provided little to no value since then, having tallied just 1 point in his last 7 games.
Burns can be useful in fantasy hockey when he’s adding to the scoresheet, but otherwise, he doesn’t contribute enough elsewhere to garner a roster spot. In addition to not being featured on the power-play, Burns doesn’t often throw the body and fails to accumulate blocks. Over time, Burns has improved his plus/minus rating, but there are likely better options on the waiver wire who can produce more offensively on a consistent basis.
Carter Verhaeghe – Florida Panthers
Carter Verhaeghe was featured on a previous edition of the Cold List, but when the Florida Panthers began their hot streak at the beginning of December, he quickly turned things around. Similar to Burns, going into Christmas, Verhaeghe was finally starting to score consistently, but he’s tapered off since coming back from the holidays.
Through his last 7 games, Verhaeghe has been unable to record a point playing on Florida’s second line, and has also been on the ice for several goals against, being a minus-7 during that time. At this point, with Verhaeghe failing to earn power-play minutes and being unable to contribute to other fantasy hockey categories, it’s best to drop him for a more reliable winger.
Although it can sometimes be worth it to take a chance on underperformers, Askarov, Burns, and Verhaeghe have been too inconsistent to trust going into the most important weeks of the fantasy hockey season. Make sure to return next week for another edition of the Cold List.
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