Games Played this Week by Team
4 Games: ANA, CGY, CAR, LA, PIT,
3 Games: ARI, BUF, CHI, COL, CBJ, DAL, DET, EDM, FLA, MIN, MTL, NSH, NYI, NYR, OTT, PHI, SJ, STL, TB, WSH, WPG
2 Games: BOS, NJ, VAN, VGK
Streaming Selections
Unintentionally, all five of this week’s Streaming Selections are prospects that have a lot of potential in the coming years. Having young guys on your fantasy team is exciting because of their long-term potential, but so far these five have made the most of their time early in the season. I’d be surprised if any of these players are available in dynasty leagues. However, the question here is: Are they worth adding in redraft leagues?
Mikhail Sergachev – D – Tampa Bay Lightning
73% Owned on Fantrax
At the moment, Sergachev is known for two things: The defenseman was drafted ninth overall in 2016 to eventually replace PK Subban. The following year, he was traded to Tampa as part of the deal to send Jonathan Drouin to Montreal. So far, the 19-year-old has three goals and seven points in eight games. His first two goals were in the same game. The only thing that could be alarming is Sergachev’s average ice time is low (12:36). However, with six points in the last three games, his ice time will surely increase. It already has. He played 17 minutes in his last game against Pittsburgh. Sergachev has 16 shots on goal this season and has ice time during the power play, so he is getting his chances. As a prospect, he was hyped highly for his offensive abilities as a defenseman, so he is certainly capable of being fantasy relevant. With a 73 ownership percentage in Fantrax leagues, there is a chance he isn’t available in your league. So it is a get-him-if-you-can situation. He probably won’t stay this hot all season long, but he is worth adding until he cools off.
Brandon Montour – D – Anaheim Ducks
61% Owned on Fantrax
Usually this early in the season, teams aren’t incredibly banged-up with injuries. However, the Ducks are an exception. Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler, Ryan Getzlaf, Patrick Eaves and Ryan Kesler are all injured at the moment. That’s a lot of significant players to be injured. However, with all these injuries comes opportunity. Brandon Montour has been one of the Ducks’ top prospects for some time now. DobberProspects claims he is “an offensive defenseman who can be utilized in all situations and will make everyone around him better.” He’s been pretty good so far, with two goals and two assists in seven games and, more importantly, he has an average of 20 minutes of ice-time with power play minutes as well. The Ducks played only once this week, but Montour was impressive with one goal and one assist against Carey Price and the Canadiens. With four games for the Ducks this week, Montour will be a good add, especially with all the Ducks’ injuries on the back-end. Montour may stay on the team when everyone is healthy, especially if he plays well, but he probably won’t get a ton of ice-time. Pay attention to Lindholm, Vatanen, and Fowler injury news because they could be back very soon.
Kyle Connor – LW – Winnipeg Jets
50% Owned on Fantrax
Big surprise: The Jets have another young forward on their roster. Kyle Connor has one goal and one assist in his first two games this season. It’s been only two games, but he looks like he’s been playing in the NHL for the past couple of years. He’s currently on the Jets’ top line with Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele and also plays on the second power-play unit. So far, he is averaging 18 minutes of ice-time. However, he has three shots on net in two games, which is a bit concerning but could increase once he gets more comfortable. The 2015 17th overall pick was called up when Mattieu Perrault suffered a lower-body injury. It’s unclear what will happen once Perrault gets healthy, but it is surely something to monitor in the near future. Connor is a good add in deep leagues, and he’s something to keep on your watch list in shallow formats.
Anders Bjork – LW – Boston Bruins
45% Owned on Fantrax
The Bruins are in a bit of a youth movement and have had the injury bug bit some of their core players early on this season. This can lead to growing pains and inconsistency. However, now that Patrice Bergeron has returned, Anders Bjork has the potential to be a dependable guy. Bjork had a goal and an assist in the five games that Bergeron was out. In the last two games when Bergeron returned, Bjork had two goals and two assists. Bjork is also on the second power-play unit and has an average ice time of 15:27. That’s surely going to increase soon considering he’s on the top line. The Bruins have only two games this week, so Bjork should be acquired if your team has room.
Kailer Yamamoto – C/RW – Edmonton Oilers
50% Owned on Fantrax
One of the biggest questions over the offseason was who would be on Connor McDavid’s right wing now that Leon Draisaitl is the second line center. The Oilers haven’t been playing up to their high expectations this season. Draisaitl being out with a concussion doesn’t help matters. However, a bright spot is that the right wing spot has been taken by the 2017 22nd overall pick, Kailer Yamamoto. So far, Yamamoto has three assists in six games. He hasn’t scored a goal yet, but he does still have value considering he has 20 shots on goal in those six games, including 10 shots this week in three games. It’s only a matter of time. With Draisaitl being out for a bit longer, the Oilers could keep Yamamoto up past the nine games. Considering he hasn’t done a ton yet, he isn’t a must-own. However, if you truly believe he can stay on McDavid’s wing and your team could use some more shots on goal, Yamamoto isn’t a bad option.
STREAMING CHECK-UP
Let’s take a look at how the players I mentioned in last week’s article have performed since then.
Will Butcher – With only one assist in three games this week, Butcher has cooled off a bit. However, he is still seeing time on the power play and had five shots in the last game. I’d hold onto him for now. You might want to sell high on him if you own him, though.
Sven Andrighetto – Andrighetto didn’t score at all in Colorado’s two games this week. However, he is still on the top line and power play. I’d wait another week. Nail Yakupov, on the other hand, has seen his ice-time decrease and can be safely dropped.
Conor Hellebuyck – For some reason, Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice didn’t start Hellebuyck on Tuesday, so he played in only one game this week. Hellebuyck gave up three goals against Minnesota, but he did get the win. He had a better start than Mason did on Tuesday, so maybe Maurice learned his lesson and will start Hellebuyck more. Hellebuyck has earned his keep.
Bryan Rust – He had one assist in three games with seven shots. He is still on the top two lines in Pittsburgh. You can stash him in your lineup if there are no other options in the free agent pool. You could try to trade him, but he’s just not as exciting as Guentzal or Sheary, so you might not get much.
Dustin Brown – Brown is the best of the five listed. He had a goal and three assists in two games. He’s obviously still worth a roster spot in your lineup.
Other decisions:
Players to Drop: Jesper Bratt
Players to Hold on in Shallow Leagues: Noah Hanifin
Stash in Deep Leagues: Jan Rutta and Devin Shore