DFO Fantasy Mailbag: Mar. 10

Nick Alberga
Nick Alberga(@thegoldenmuzzy)
Mar 10, 2023, 13:01 EST
DFO Fantasy Mailbag: Mar. 10
Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Alberga: Holy smokes, this is a tough one. Without question, Kane would be one for me. I just his love his attachment to the big boys in Edmonton, and that’s not changing anytime soon. Additionally, I would roll with Beniers because I think he’s only scratching the surface of what he could end up being. On top of that, the Kraken continue to trend upwards. Lastly, give me Troy Terry. Personally, I think the Ducks are some big changes this summer, so I’m anticipating they’ll get more players to complement the likes of Terry and Zegras.

Brock Seguin: The no-brainer first option is Matt Boldy. I think I would go with Troy Terry as my second pick. The third option is definitely a little more difficult. Jared McCann is the best goal-scorer of the bunch, but he’s also not going to shoot 22.4% next year. He’ll probably settle in as a 30-goal, 25-assist player next season. I’m a massive Nick Schmaltz truther, but he’s had injury issues and doesn’t seem to get any respect in fantasy hockey. So you probably don’t need to waste a keeper on him, and you can re-draft him as a value again next year without much concern. He’s basically been a point-per-game player for two years and is still only 40% rostered. Dawson Mercer has had an outstanding run, but his shot volume still makes what he’s doing unsustainable. So I think I’d take Dylan Cozens as the No.3 option since you already have two wingers with your first two.

Matt Larkin: Tough decision to make here. A lot of these players are valued similarly. Assuming your league isn’t just points only, I would still roll the dice on Evander Kane one more time. He’s had a fluky year with that unfortunate skate cut. Including playoffs, he’s completed exactly 82 games as an Oiler. His stats: 44 goals, 75 points, 297 shots, 274 hits. That’s Brady-Tkachuk-caliber. As for the other two: Beniers and Cozens are top-three NHL draftees who have taken huge leaps and aren’t at their ceilings yet, so I’d keep them.

Nick Alberga: Simply put, I’m a big proponent of schedule manipulation come fantasy playoffs. Essentially, all that means is prioritizing waiver adds based on strength and volume of schedule. There are 14 teams who play four times next week (BOS, BUF, COL, CBJ, DAL, MTL, NSH, NJD, NYR, TBL, TOR, VAN, WSH WPG). Conversely, Florida and Detroit have light two-game slates. Use that information to target potential waiver adds.

Brock Seguin:

Only six teams have 2+ games on light days that week. 

COL – 4

ARI – 3

CHI – 2

EDM – 2

LAK – 2

PIT – 2

Colorado would be the primary target but your only real option there is Evan Rodrigues. He’s a great streaming target, though, because he has terrific shot volume. So he’d be the No.1 option. 

Arizona would be the next best target, and Nick Schmaltz (37%) would be an excellent stream if he’s still out there. If not, Barrett Hayton (6%) has been great on their top line and also offers great shot volume. 

You can also get creative and add an Oiler, who play Monday + Wednesday and then drop them for someone on the Kings or Blues, who play Saturday + Sunday with nice matchups.

Matt Larkin: If your league caps transactions or discourages game stacking, the light nights won’t matter as much, as you can load up on games during the busy nights. If every team goes bananas adding guys during light nights, though? Use those nights to catch up on banger categories, as those types of players (maybe even some Avs) are more likely to be available on the wire. And don’t forget – if you go deeper in the playoffs, there is far less competition to add players, so the problem will dissipate.

Nick Alberga: I can’t believe I’m saying this because of his attachment to Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane, but of the three, I’d drop Trocheck. Admittedly, I’m biased towards Nelson. I’ve owned him for a few years now and he’s dynamite. For what it’s worth, you’ll feel good with whoever you decide to hold on to.

Brock Seguin: Tough one, but I think I would drop Nelson. The Mathew Barzal injury has left Nelson to skate with Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise, and their underlying metrics have not been nearly as impressive as when Nelson was skating with Anders Lee regularly. The Islanders will also likely score fewer goals than the Rangers and Jets down the stretch. It hasn’t clicked for the Rangers yet, but you have to feel good about Trocheck’s potential playing with two of Panarin/Kane/Tarasenko/Kreider. Scheifele is on pace for 45 goals, so I’m not dropping him.

Matt Larkin: Not Scheifele. He has been in a higher scoring tier than the other two for pretty much his whole career. Meanwhile, Trocheck has 17 points in his past 15 games and his company has improved – he now counts Patrick Kane as a new linemate along with Artemi Panarin, so we should eventually see that trio click. Yet Nelson has 22 points in his past 20 games. So, it’s really close, but I’d cut Trocheck, who hasn’t shown as high of a scoring ceiling. Do you have to cut any of them though? Damn.

Nick Alberga: I’ll go with Columbus Blue Jackets top prospect David Jiricek. It’s tough to find stud blue liners in fantasy hockey. With Columbus primed for a lottery pick and destined to improve upon this disastrous season, I could see Jiricek emerging next season as a Calder contender. He’s that good. Additionally, you can always look at guys like Luke Hughes, Matthew Knies and Logan Cooley, too.

Brock Seguin: Logan Cooley would be the top option for me. He has absolutely dominated as a Freshman at the University of Minnesota, leading the team with 46 points (15G / 31A) in 32 games. He’s expected to turn pro following the season and has a chance to make an immediate fantasy impact. He’s a super-talented prospect heading into a situation with the Coyotes where he could immediately step into a sizeable role given their lack of depth/talent.

Matt Larkin: Assuming I can’t name someone from the 2023 Draft class who hasn’t been selected yet? I’d look hard at the Coyotes’ Logan Cooley. He’s a dynamic scorer who has made it look easy as a college freshman. I see him turning pro after the season and expect him to be one of the top rookies in the NHL next season. Depending on how far the University of Minnesota goes in the 2023 NCAA tourney, Cooley may get a few NHL games in before this season is up, too.

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