Hey folks, welcome back to the Weekly Wrap! For those of us who use playoffs, the completion of week six of fantasy hockey marks the quarter mark of the fantasy season.
There are some surprising names near the top of the leaderboards. We’ll dig into those. As well, who’s been hot and cold over the last week. I’ve also discovered a cool feature built into Fantax that you’ll find useful if you have multiple fantasy hockey pools.
Let’s dive in.
Fantasy Hockey Week in Review
Martin Necas, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Necas has been on an absolute tear to start the season. In 17 games, he is third in league scoring with 30 points. We all wanted a bounceback season. No one expected a 1.76-point-per-game pace. He will slow down. Only Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers have maintained this pace since 1995-96.
Connor McMichael, C, Washington Capitals
He’s tied with Cole Caufield, RW, Montreal Canadiens, for fourth in the league in goals with 12, one back of the league leaders (3 tied with 13). Well, three back of his teammate Alexander Ovechkin, LW, who scored his 14th and 15th last night.
McMichael is having a breakout season. In 18 games he is six goals, eight assists, and 14 points away from setting career highs. Most of this production has come at even strength. Limited power play opportunities will limit his point production this year.
Jonathan Quick, G, New York Rangers
If you need a spot start in net look to see if Quick is starting. He is arguably the best backup goalie in the NHL for the second straight year. He has been automatic for the Rangers. His numbers are ridiculous. He’s 4-0 with two shutouts, a .970 Goals Against Average, and a 0.91 Save Percentage.
Sam Montembeault, G, Montreal Canadiens
He has turned in three quality starts in a row, including a 30-save, 3-0 shutout of the Edmonton Oilers last night. That bumps his save percentage to .906 on the year. Montembeault has been up and down so far. I expect the inconsistencies to continue all year. The Canadiens still aren’t a good team, his stats will continue to suffer from defensive zone breakdowns.
Mason Marchment, LW/RW, Dallas Stars
Marchment has 10 points over his last four games, including a five-point game on Monday, November 11. He looks like the Florida Panthers Marchment of 2021-22.
Dustin Wolf, G, Calgary Flames
Let’s start the Calder Trophy conversation here. Wolf is 6-2 with a .921 save percentage on a weak Flames team. This only makes his start more impressive.
William Eklund, LW, San Jose Sharks
He is quietly putting together a strong start to his sophomore season. With two goals last night, he has a modest four-game point streak and 15 points in 19 games. He looks to be taking a solid step forward in his development.
Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthews has yet to resume skating. According to Head Coach Craig Berube, there have been no setbacks in his recovery. However, no positive news was reported either. The Leafs have a light schedule this week, playing only two games. Expect him to miss his eighth and ninth straight games. Hopefully, there will be an update later in the week to shed some light on a potential return date for Matthews.
Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
He is thriving in Matthews’s absence. In the seven games Matthews has missed, Marner has 11 points, 7 on the power play. Not only is Marner thriving, but the Leafs’ power play has been dynamic. Week six of fantasy hockey was a good one for Marner.
Matvei Michkov, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
He also had a solid week, scoring two goals and adding two assists. Expect to see his name attached to Calder Trophy talks all season long. His 15 points lead rookie scoring.
Travis Sanheim, D, Philadelphia Flyers
Sanheim is putting to bed any doubts about his 44-point season, last year. He had back-to-back three-point games last week and now has 12 points in 19 games. His 46 shots also have him tied for 13th amongst defencemen.
Eric Brannstrom, D, Vancouver Canucks
Brannstrom is making the most of his limited ice time in Vancouver. Five of his six points have come in the last seven games. Averaging just 14:26 per game, Brannstrom is in a limited third-pairing role. That said, if he continues to produce there should be space for him on the Canucks second power-play unit.
We’ve seen defencemen put up decent offensive numbers from a third-pairing role when given time on the power play. Limit expectations regardless. Brannstrom sits behind Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek on the power play depth chart.
Honestly, it’s just good to see him find some success.
Valeri Nichushkin, LW/RW, Colorado Avalanche
Week six of fantasy hockey marked Nichushkin’s return to the NHL. He has now played two games since being reinstated. It’s been a slow start for Nichushkin. This should surprise no one, considering it’s been six months since he last skated with his teammates.
If you held onto him this long, you can afford to be patient while he finds his legs and rhythm. Most leagues don’t allow suspended players on the injured reserve. Which means he chewed up a bench slot during his entire suspension anyway.
Personal opinion: If your league allows suspended players on the IR – change the rule. They aren’t injured. We can forget the suspension debate. They don’t meet the definition of ‘Injured Reserve’
Fantrax Feature:
For those moments when you feel the urgent need to rush across your hockey pools and try to claim a specific player before anyone else does…
Click the player and open their player card
There is a heading titled ‘Rostered’
It will list all your fantasy hockey pools and tell you which league the player is a free agent or who owns him.
Alexander Ovechkin Record Watch:
Five goals in his last two games gives him 15 on the season.
Career Goals: 868
Gretzky’s Record: 894
To Tie Record: 26 Goals
To Break Record: 27 Goals
*It appears Ovechkin suffered a lower-body injury in the 3rd period. I’ll update on BlueSky and X when an update is given.
That will do it for this week. Thanks for reading.
You can follow me on X: @doylelb4
You can also now follow me on BlueSky Social: @logandoyle.bsky.social