Finally! NHL training camps are underway. It was a long, dry summer but we are closing in, surprisingly quickly, on opening night. Welcome back to another season of the Weekly Wrap: Fantasy Hockey Week in Review. We’re already seeing standouts and knee-jerk reactions.
Let’s dive in.
Fantasy Hockey Week in Review
Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Black Hawks
He drops a ‘Michigan’ in his first preseason game, against the St. Louis Blues.
Yes, it’s preseason. But, he scored it against Jordan Binnington, G, the Blues starting goalie. Here’s a non-fantasy note. Binnington has had several short-tempered moments in the past. What are the odds he tucks this memory away and retaliates mid-season? Keep your eye out for a two-handed chop down the road.
Back to Bedard; his play is already elevated from last year. A full season will leave Bedard breaking 90 and teasing 100 points. I’m not ruling anything out with this kid. That includes a 50-goal season as a sophomore.
Max Pacioretty, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Again, it’s one game, but Pacioretty looked 10 times better than at any point with the Washington Capitals. He scored two goals on seven shots, in just over 15 minutes of ice time.
I know he’s on a PTO (Player Try Out), at the moment. Don’t expect that to last. The Leafs will sign Pacioretty and for dirt cheap. He might be the second-line left wing the Leafs have been rumored to be searching for all summer.
Jesse Puljujarvi, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Remember, it is early in the pre-season. Puljujarvi dropped a natural hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. It is worth noting the Sabres played a good portion of what is expected to be their opening night lineup, including a full game by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G.
Right now, Puljujarvi remains a fringe waiver add, in deep pools. Add a watch tag to him and keep tabs. I’d love to see Puljujarvi put it together and push his way into fantasy hockey relevance. Realistically, expect him to play on the third line and end up around 35 points. Fifty points would be a banner year—temper expectations.
JJ Perteka, RW, Buffalo Sabres
Peterka had a solid year on a Sabres team that otherwise disappointed. He jumped from 12 goals and 30 points in his rookie season to 28 goals and 50 points last year.
Again, it is preseason, and early in preseason, but Peterka already has a hat trick and five points, through the Sabres first two games.
The Sabres have so many weapons on their roster and in the farm system. They have the firepower to score goals in bunches. They could cause real havoc in the Atlantic this season.
Cole Perfetti, RW, Winnipeg Jets
He just signed a two-year bridge deal with the Jets for $3.25 million per season. Getting him signed early in camp is good news for the Jets and Perfetti.
He has the potential to outplay this contract significantly and immediately. I am not so patiently waiting for Perfetti to explode offensively. After a strong first half, there were hopes it would happen last year. Then he struggled with just three points in 26 games from January 11th to March 26th. That cold streak likely had a direct impact on the contract he just signed.
Still, 19 goals and 19 assists in his first full NHL season isn’t too shabby. He now sits at 140 career games. His breakout threshold looms in mid-February.
Evander Kane, LW, Edmonton Oilers
Kane underwent abdominal surgery last Friday. He is expected to miss five to six months.
That places his return to the Oilers lineup sometime in late February to March.
When a player’s recovery hits the five or six-month mark, I temper expectations upon their return. Don’t expect Kane to be the full-throttle Kane we’re used to, upon return. I suspect he’ll seem a bit sluggish and experts will say Kane is washed up.
I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again. There is a difference between being cleared to play and being 100% healthy. Kane won’t be 100% healthy when he returns to the lineup. Sure, he’ll be healed and the issues resolved. But we’ve seen this over and over again. It takes a lot longer for the player to return to pre-injury form.
If you’re in a keeper league, look to acquire Kane with 2025-26 in mind. Barring any setbacks or further injuries, after a full summer of training, we’ll see a resurgence.
Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens
Over the last seven days, fantasy hockey has gotten very excited about Hutson. As advertised, Hutson skated circles in the prospect tournament. Then he delivers a ridiculous saucer pass for a breakaway.
There’s no doubt about it, the skill is real.
And pause, breathe. There will be growing pains.
As much potential as Hutson has, and as good as he could be, he’s not there yet. At least for this year, Mike Matheson, D, is still the first option on the power play. Hutson won’t jump into the pilot’s seat on day one. Those Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks-esque dreams will need to be brought along slowly, just like Hutson should be.
Expectations need to be tempered. A strong season will net Hutson 35-40 points. Be happy with that. Then watch him blossom.
In one-year leagues, Hutson isn’t on my draft radar.
In keeper and dynasty leagues, he’s a prospect you hold on to. If you try to acquire, you’ll be forced to overpay.
Kevin Lankinen, G, Vancouver Canucks
As luck would have it, It feels like yesterday that I wrote about Arturs Silovs as a deep sleeper.
I discussed the potential of the Canucks signing Lankinen as well. Lo and behold, on Monday, they did just that.
This is a smart move by the Canucks and it needed to be done. The team has playoff aspirations. It would have been unwise to lean on Silovs to the extent required. Folks, we’re still not convinced Silovs is NHL-ready. Even with a strong playoff performance, the rigors of the regular season are a different beast.
Having a veteran presence that can spell Silovs and also mentor him is just good GM’ing.
Lankinen has the potential to steal the starting job from Silovs. That is far from guaranteed. Most likely, we see Lankinen and Silovs in a 50-50 or 60-40 split, to start the season. Expect Rick Tocchet to ride the hot hand during Demko’s absence.
If you’re desperate for a goalie, Lankinen or Silovs would be a decent short-term option. I don’t trust either as a primary goalie or long-term.
Few titles will be won with either half of this tandem on a roster.
Fantasy Hockey Week in Review: Consensus Fantasy Defencemen for 2024-25
Over the last seven days, Fantrax posted its consensus fantasy defensemen. You can see mine listed under LD.
Going through the list, there were a couple of defensemen that I ranked quite differently.
Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres
The rankings included hits and shots. Dahlin is a top 10 producer in both categories for defencemen. Along with his elite scoring and power play production. It is the multi-cat capability that forced me to boost him just behind Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
Zack Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
I ranked Werenski 11th, my colleagues ranked him 27th, 27th, and 35th. I get it, health is a big concern.
He played 70 games for the first time in five years. He also produced 57 points. There’s another level in Werenski’s game yet to be unlocked. My ranking might be a bit on the speculative side, but another healthy year and very well could see Werenski surpass 65 points. The talent is there.
Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights
I could almost copy and paste my Werenski comments. His health is a big red flag. Theodore is a bit of a bandaid. Yet, the talent and potential to hit 65 points is real. This is why I ranked Theodore 14th, 10, and 14 places higher than my colleagues.
Mike Matheson, D, Montreal Canadiens
I ranked him 13th, 20 spots higher than Spencer and Brandon.
There was something about Matheson’s consistency and the fact he carried momentum from the previous year that made me a believer.
I also think the Hutson impact will be minimal on Matheson’s value in 2024-25. A repeat of 60-points is a real possibility. The addition of Patrick Laine, RW, and Cole Caufield a year older should improve the Canadiens power play. A power play Matheson is slated to quarterback.
Thomas Chabot, D, Ottawa Senators
Lastly, Chabot. Even though I ranked him 28th, it was still significantly higher than any of the other three rankings. I couldn’t ignore the comments about his wrist being healthy and full-strength for the first time in over two years. I know Chabot will play hard minutes for the Senators, which will limit his production. Health is still his biggest flag. A healthy Chabot could hit 50 points. Hard not to rank a 50-point defenceman in the top 30.
Well, that’ll do it for this week.
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you next week for another fantasy hockey recap.
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