Week 10 of fantasy hockey is in the books. This is the halfway point of the season for a lot of pools. This is where the jockeying for playoffs begins. Several teams in my pools are flying the white flag and loading up on draft picks and prospects. The hope of securing the mantle of the league champion one day is now pushed years down the road (opinion on dynasty rebuilds to come).
NHL stars were also fantasy stars last week. Another power-play shuffles its defensive quarterback, and a trade of little fantasy consequence went down. It was a busy week. Let’s dive in.
Week 10 of Fantasy Hockey
Atlantic Division
John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
He didn’t have the biggest week by fantasy standards. But he did have a big game Sunday versus the Buffalo Sabres. He recorded the 12th hat trick of his career in a 5-3 comeback win for the Leafs. Tavares added six shots and was 16-9 on face-offs.
People want to write Tavares off, partly because he plays for the Maple Leafs (the hate is real). He is 34, but elite players don’t fade the same as depth players do later in their careers. The proof is in his stats. Tavares is on pace for 40 goals and 78 points, which is right there with the best seasons of his career.
Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers
Ekblad has recently taken over duties on the first power-play unit. The Panthers don’t have a true number-one power-play quarterback they are happy with. They lost Brandon Montour, D, Seattle Kraken, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Toronto Maple Leafs, to free agency this summer. They were the two defensemen utilized in the Stanley Cup Finals.
From 2020-21 to 2022-2023, Ekblad played this role. Under Paul Maurice, Ekblad probably isn’t a long-term solution. Enjoy the ride while it lasts. My gut feeling is that the Panthers look to acquire a defenseman by the trade deadline specifically for this role.
Drake Batherson, LW/RW, Ottawa Senators
Batherson also had a hat trick last week, part of a four-point game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Everyone wants to talk about Brady Tkachuk, RW. Well, Batherson has entered the conversation. He’s up to 33 points in 30 games, which puts him on pace for 90 points. His career high for points is 68.
Batherson is in the midst of a breakout season.
Linus Ullmark, G, Ottawa Senators
Ullmark went 3-0, with a shutout last week. He also posted a sparkling .967 save percentage. Luckily I avoided Ullmark in week 10 of fantasy hockey. He was dynamite. He’s now 6-0-1 in his last seven. It’s also seven games in a row with a save percentage above .900. In those seven games he’s given up 1 goal or less four times.
The Senators have finally found a goalie. They sit in the second wild-card spot. Imagine if they fixed their blueline.
Anthony Stolarz, G, Toronto Maple Leafs
Stolarz left Saturday’s game with a knee injury. After having a small procedure completed on his knee this week, he is expected to miss four to six weeks.
This provides Joseph Woll with an extended window to demonstrate he has the goods to be a number-one goalie. This is a luxury the Leafs haven’t had in decades – two solid options in net. Once Stolarz returns, expect the Leafs to return to a rotation system.
Metropolitan Division
Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals
He returned to practice in a non-contact jersey. This is a very encouraging sign and signals he is progressing well in his recovery. He will need to don a regular jersey and receive medical clearance to return to the lineup, but we’re getting closer.
Break a leg, return to practice in less than a month, no big deal!
Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers
Just when you think he’s returning to form, he throws up a stinker. That 5-1 loss to the Kings stung a lot of fantasy owners.
The Rangers are a mess. Shesterkin’s play is a reflection of the state of the team. Even the best fantasy hockey goalies will implode a fantasy hockey matchup or two. Weather the storm. At some point, Shesterkin will produce a stretch of play that will remind everyone why he signed an 8-year, $92 million contract. My prediction, the hot streak will begin shortly after the Four Nations Cup.
Matthew Barzal, C/LW, Bo Horvat, C, Anthony Duclair, RW, New York Islanders
After missing six weeks, Barzal returned to the game action on Sunday. Horvat returned to the Islanders last night after missing just one game. Duclair looks primed to return later this week.
The good news, the Islanders were able to find scoring with key players missing. The bad news, they lead the NHL in blown third-period leads.
Simon Holmstrom, LW/RW, New York Islanders
With the emergence of Holmstrom as a top-six option, the Islanders offer up a balanced offensive attack. Holmstrom really began to thrive in a top-six role, filling in for injuries. We’ll see if he maintains this role now that the Islanders are healthy or if he gets relegated to the third line once Duclair returns.
Week 10 of Fantasy Hockey Western Conference
Pacific Division
Keifer Sherwood, LW, Vancouver Canucks
In multi-cat pools, Sherwood has been a heck of a find. He was rostered in less than 10% of Fantrax pools to start the year. That is up to 48% this week.
Teams roster him for his hits. He is averaging just over six hits per game. However, it was his offense on display Sunday. Sherwood delivered a hat trick on seven shots, including a short-handed goal.
He’s on pace for 30 goals and 46 points. Maybe it is time for Keith Tocchet to contemplate bumping Sherwood onto Elias Pettersson’s wing. In the absence of my dreams coming true, Sherwood continues to do his thing.
Leon Draisaitl, C/LW, Edmonton Oilers
In week 10 of fantasy hockey, Draisaitl produced four goals, and seven assists, for 11 points over four games to take home the NHL’s first star of the week honors. This is the Draisaitl we’ve come to rely on. Four of those points were on the power play. Two of his goals were game-winning goals. He also averaged 4 shots per game last week. He’s up to a 124-point pace.
Nazem Kadri, C, Calgary Flames
Kadri turned in a goal-of-the-year candidate. The most impressive part about the goal might be the fact he didn’t land on the sprawling defenseman he leaped over.
He now has goals in 4 straight, and points in eight of nine. He’s become a plug-and-play fantasy option over the past few years.
Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks
Week 10 of fantasy hockey marked the return of Demko. It was a rough return for Demko, giving up nine goals in his first two games. He settled into his third game, giving up just one goal on 32 shots. You had to expect rust. He hasn’t played in over six months.
Luckily for Vancouver, Lankinen has played well enough the Canucks can load-manage Demko. This has been an issue in the past – not trusting their backup and playing Demko too much. It’s worth losing a couple of Demko starts if it keeps him healthy. Both in real life and in fantasy hockey.
Victor Olofsson, LW/RW, Vegas Golden Knights
Olofsson has four goals in his last three games. He’s also taking reps on the Knights’ top power-play unit. Keep an eye on this deployment. There’s no guarantee this will stick long term. The upside is great if he does.
Central Division
Arvid Soderblom, G, Chicago Blackhawks
He’s won three of his last four starts in Petr Mrazek’s absence. It’s been a great mini-opportunity for Soderblom to showcase he can handle a larger workload. Mrazek’s still the workhorse, and the Blackhawks are still not good. Still, Soderblom is owned in only 19% of fantasy leagues. If you are desperate for a spot start, Soderblom is an option.
Robert Thomas, C, St. Louis Blues
Last night, Thomas broke his seven-game point streak and is now on pace to match his 86-point production from last season. Over his last five games, Thomas has only five shots on goal. This is the one frustrating part of owning Thomas; his shot totals are passable at best. Last year’s 170 shots were a career high. If only he could increase to 2.5 shots per game, it would boost his fantasy value a tier.
Cam Fowler, D, St. Louis Blues
I don’t really understand this trade from the Blues’ perspective. It’s another large contract and another defenseman on the wrong side of 30. Yes, the Ducks did retain $2.5 million, but they have him under contract for another year.
He hasn’t received a lick of power-play time since the trade either. There’s no fantasy value here. Fowler isn’t a peripheral producer either.
Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche
Rantanen scored three goals on 10 points over his last four games. All at even strength. Hard to believe Rantanen didn’t register a single power-play point. I’m not complaining because 2.5 points per game is fantastic. Okay, maybe a slight complaint. I don’t own him in any hockey pool.
Dynasty Rebuilds
They are a lot of fun. Collecting prospects and draft picks and building the ‘perfect team.’ I get it. The thought of drafting Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Blackhawks, Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks, and Matvei Michkov, RW, Philadelphia Flyers, among many other blue-chip prospects, would make any fantasy owner drool.
My goodness, do they take forever to come together? I simply don’t have the patience for it. I’ve been a die-hard fantasy hockey guy for over a decade. I have never torn down a team to the studs. Nor will I ever. It’s fantasy hockey. There is no need.
Take this one pool I am in for example. Two teams have been involved in a complete rebuild for four to six years. One is starting to compete this year. The other is looking to draft in the top four again this year. Two more teams just stripped their team bare in the hopes of following suit.
Meanwhile, another team tore a competitive team apart in months after trading away his own first-rounder. So there was no tanking for Bedard at play. Somehow, he ended up drafting Connor Bedard with a pick he acquired. He’s made thirteen trades in the last three months and is currently in a playoff spot.
My point, it’s fantasy hockey – you don’t need to engage in a real-life rebuild. Expedite it. Be active. If you do your homework, you can uncover hidden gems off the waiver wire. I’ve made five trades across my five pools directly from free-agent claims. It’s helped me restock draft picks while I battle for first place.
If you are playing for money, I’ll double down on my argument against long rebuilds. You become a donor for the other owners. My pools range from $50 to $100. Imagine entering a six-year rebuild at $50 a year. You would have to win the regular season and playoffs just to break even.
Don’t rebuild – retool. Be active. Make trades. It also makes the pool more fun. Trades become contagious. Hold the absolute stud prospects – be willing to trade the rest.
That will do it for this week.
Thanks for reading.
Follow me on X: @doylelb4
Follow me on bluesky: @logan.doyle.bsky.social