Welcome back to another edition of the “Cold List,” where we highlight some of the NHL’s top stars who aren’t worth rostering in fantasy hockey moving forward. Listed below are three players who have not only struggled throughout the winter, but aren’t showing any signs of turning things around going into the Christmas holidays.
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Week 11 Fantasy Hockey Cold List
Matvei Michkov – Philadelphia Flyers
Through the first month of the season, Matvei Michkov was one of the first players featured on the “Cold List,” with his play through October having been surprisingly lackluster. Despite showing flashes of brilliance since then, Michkov has ultimately disappointed in his sophomore year and will likely not help fantasy managers make a playoff push throughout the second half of the season.
Michkov has only tallied 4 points during December, and hasn’t notched a goal since November 29th when he scored twice against the New Jersey Devils. Moreover, the 21-year-old doesn’t provide value in the form of hits, blocks, and face-offs, making him a player that owners shouldn’t hesitate to drop on waivers.
Filip Hronek – Vancouver Canucks
When Filip Hronek consistently collects points, he can be a solid option for fantasy managers on the defensive end due to his peripheral value, but he continues to rarely produce on the scoresheet. Despite playing nearly 25 minutes a night, Hronek has only recorded 1 point this month and has continued to struggle on Vancouver’s second power-play unit.
It can be argued that Quinn Hughes being traded would open the door for Hronek to receive more offensive opportunities, but with the Canucks’ future looking bleak, more ice time for the nine-year veteran could lead to more negatives than positives. Additionally, Vancouver has already turned to newly acquired defensemen Zeev Buium to generate offense, making Hronek and an easy drop on the waiver wire this week.
Jacob Markstrom – New Jersey Devils
Where other struggling goaltenders, such as Linus Ullmark and Juuse Saros, have begun to string together some impressive performances in net, Jacob Markstrom has been nothing but disappointing for managers who roster him. The 35-year-old has posted a save percentage under .900 in five of his last six starts, while only picking up 1 win in the process. However, Markstrom’s insufficient goaltending goes beyond just December, with the netminder averaging a 4.00 goals against average throughout the first two months of the season.
As New Jersey continues their cold streak, fantasy managers would be wise to drop Markstrom for a goaltender who not only picks up wins but can reliably post consistent numbers on a week-to-week basis.
Going forward, fantasy hockey managers can’t afford to roster underperformers on their team, especially with most leagues being in the second half of their season. Therefore, it’s best to part ways with talent who are struggling on bad teams or losing ice time due to their poor play.
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