Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap! Week four of fantasy hockey was a busy one. This is the point in the season when we can pick out the breakouts and the bounce-back players. This is where the season and the stars find their flow. Let’s dive in.
More great fantasy hockey analysis: Slappers and Bangers | Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire | Goalie Streams | Weekly Wrap-Up | NHL Injury Report
Week Four of Fantasy Hockey:
Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals
If you thought Ovechkin was done, think again. It is no longer a question of ‘if’ he will break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, but when. He sits 34 goals back with 71 games left in the season. He’s scored seven in 11 games to start the season. He’s also on a four-game goal-scoring streak. It shouldn’t escape us that he added five assists in there too. At 39, you have to wonder how far into his 40s he will keep playing.
Dylan Strome, C, Washington Capitals.
You can’t talk about Ovechkin without mentioning Strome. He has been dynamite to start the year. He is also on a four-game point streak, with one goal and seven assists. Strome assisted on all five of Ovechkin’s goals. Talk about stirring the drink. It took some time but it appears Washington finally found a replacement for Nicklas Backstrom. Week four of fantasy hockey was dominated by the Capitals.
Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets
The streak continues. This is easily the best start to a season Connor has ever had. He has a point in every Jets game of the year. I know he has a 93-point season under his belt, but it feels like he’s found a new level in his game. Enjoy him. It’s going to be a big year.
Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
His game has not slowed down yet. In his last three games, he has four goals and three assists. His 14 points in 13 games perfectly paces him for another 88-point season. It would be nice to see him eclipse 100 points again. Honestly, don’t rule it out.
Ryan Donato, LW, Chicago Black Hawks
Donato is riding a six-game point streak. His seven goals leave him just nine shy of his career high, 16. Barring injury, he looks poised to break that. Without a bigger role, this little hot streak will be just that. Consistency has always been a big issue for Donato. At 13:07 per game and no spot on either power play unit, Donato sits with a glass ceiling on his point production. At most, repeating Daniel Sprong’s, RW, Vancouver Canucks, production of recent years is the best we can hope for.
Brandon Montour, D, Seattle Kraken
He is finding his groove in Vince Dunn’s, D, absence. He potted a hat trick last Tuesday and has 13 shots in the past three games. I still view his 73-point season as an anomaly. Last year’s 41-point pace isn’t indicative of his ability either. Knowing Dunn will return at some point, I’m more comfortable viewing Montour as a 55-60 point defenceman.
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
His five points in four games wasn’t the flashiest or biggest week, but like Connor, he has a point in every game of the season. His 12-game point streak has him up to 20 points on the season. Pretty standard MacKinnon stuff.
Daniel Vladar, G, Calgary Flames
His 22-save shutout was bookended with two losses. This is and will be the Flames’ season in a nutshell. Great performances surrounded by struggles and losses. Vladar is a decent short-term option to plug and play. However, we all know it’s Dustin Wolf’s, G, net in the long term.
Jake Walman, D, San Jose Sharks
Struggling as much as the Sharks are to find a defenceman to run the power play, Walman had a strong week which should get him some looks on the power play. When you have back-to-back three-point games, that’ll happen. However, amidst this mini-production outburst, the Sharks added a wrinkle…
Timothy Liljegren, D, San Jose Sharks
Enter Liljegren, the former 17th overall draft pick from the 2017 NHL draft. He was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last week after falling out of favor with new coach, Craig Berube. He’ll now battle Walman and Henry Thrun, D, for those coveted power play minutes.
If his first game is any indication, 2:40 (PPTOI) he’ll get his chances.
Martin Necas, C/LW, Carolina Hurricanes
No one had a bigger week four of fantasy hockey than Necas or a bigger surprise of a week. No one saw this coming. Necas is as hot as they come with nine points in his last three games. That’s not all though, he has 15 in his last six. Don’t expect this pace to last, but don’t expect him to fall off a cliff either. Big things have been expected from him for years. Perhaps he is finally delivering on all that promise.
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Winnipeg Jets
It’s about damn time. This start is long overdue. Years ago Ehlers and William Nylander received daily comparisons. Well, Ehlers topped out at 64 points back in 2016-17. That is, until now. Ehlers is off to the best start of his career with 17 points in 12 games.
What is most remarkable is his ice time. He is averaging a mere 15:50 per game. The biggest change is the power play. He has finally landed on the first unit, with a 63% share of power play ice time.
Now, if his ice time could creep up to that 18-minute marker, we could be looking at a real banner year.
Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo Sabres
Similar to Necas, Thompson has a down 2023-24. His 13 points in 12 games to start 2024-25 is a good sign that he’s returning to 2022-23 form.
Adam Gaudette, C, Ottawa Senators
Six goals in his last five games makes for a good story. Averaging 9:55 in ice time per game means this is a flash in the pan. Gaudette needs to keep this momentum going and carve out a larger role. If he can get to 13-14 minutes per game, he could provide streaky depth scoring in deeper leagues.
That will do it for this week. Thanks for reading.
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