Fantasy Hockey: Superstar Buy-Low Targets

We are in Week 6 of the Fantasy Hockey Season, and teams are starting to separate themselves in leagues as pretenders and contenders. Targeting buy-low candidates is one way to improve a struggling team or to enhance a loaded squad and is crucial if you want to continue to achieve season-long success. After five weeks, there are a few names that stand out as players to target who may seem cold or struggling but could be just games away from breaking out.

Aleksander Barkov (FLA – C)

16 GP | 4G | 10 A | 14 Pts | 58 SOG | 23:00 ATOI

There are limited times during any season when you can get away with snaking a 100-point superstar from a quick-acting owner due to a slow start. Barkov may fall the most into that category as he begins to heat up as we enter the second quarter of the 2022-23 season. Barkov has been eating ice time as he leads all forwards with a 22:54 average time on ice, which is 45 seconds more than the closest forward (Connor McDavid). Due to the heavy usage, his shot totals have skyrocketed as he is currently 27th in the NHL in SOG (58) and on pace for a career-high 298 shots across an 82-game season. While his shot totals have risen, his 6.9 SH% is glaringly far from his career 13.9 SH% that he’s achieved over 10 NHL seasons. With Barkov currently sitting on four goals and 14 points, he is a few lucky bounces away from being over a point per game and back to the near 40 goal scorer he was in 2021-22. Even though Barkov started slow, he should be a top 15 fantasy producer the rest of the season as he now has defenseman Aaron Ekblad back in the lineup after his 11-game absence due to injury so feel free to trade mostly anyone not in the top 20 in production for the 27-year-old superstar if you can pull it off.

Jonathan Huberdeau – (CGY – LW)

12 GP | 2 G | 5 A | 7 Pts | 22 SOG

Huberdeau is having one of the worst seasons of his 11-year career in his first season as a member of the Calgary Flames. Call it growing pains or just a cold streak but either way, Huberdeau is coming off a season where he finished second in the NHL in points behind Connor McDavid with 115 points (30G/85A), meaning deep down he is still one of the best set up men in the league after leading the NHL in assists in 2021-22. Huberdeau has struggled to get pucks on net as he only has 22 SOG in his first 12 games played since joining the Flames (155 SOG pace). Mix that in with his 9.1 SH% which is nearly three and a half points shy of his 12.5 career SH% across 683 career NHL games and you can see why he’s struggle out of the gates. Things are bound to improve as he increases his volume and success rates. Huberdeau has been slowed down by an early season injury that kept him out for three games (lower-body), and subsequently, he has found himself on Calgary’s third line upon his return. This may very well be the lowest he finds himself in the lineup and point totals for a long time, so if there is ever a time to pounce on a player who had more assists than games played last season, now is that time. Attack the frustrated Huberdeau owner right away before he heats up. Huburdeau ranks sixth across the entire NHL in points during the last five seasons with 353 (105 G/248A), that’s type of production you could get for pennies on the dollar right now.

Roman Josi (NSH – D)

16 GP | 3G | 7 A | 10 Pts | -9 | 61 SOG

Much like Barkov, there are limited times you can grab a top-five player at a position, and Josi is this year’s buy-low candidate representing defenseman after 16 games played. Although he only has three goals and 10 points to go along with his glaringly bad minus-9 rating, he still ranks second among all defensemen with 61 shots meaning better days are surely ahead for the 12-year-veteran who finished last season with 23 goals and 96 points in 80 games. Josi is on pace to beat last year’s career high in shots (281) by nearly 20 SOG as he is on pace to hit 313 shots at his current rate across an 82-game showing. Nashville’s powerplay currently ranks 30th in the NHL, converting just 15.0 percent of the time, meaning Josi could be a few lineup adjustments away from returning to prominent form while improving the Predators’ horrendous powerplay. There are very few defensemen I would not trade for Josi currently, regardless of his slow start.

Kris Letang (PIT – D)

15 GP | 0G | 8A | 31 SOG | -9

Letang has struggled so far in 2022-23, as evidenced by his zero goals and eight points in the first 15 games. If owners are starting to grow weary of the 17-year-veteran, you may be able to sneak away one of the highest-scoring defenders of the last decade right from under their nose. In the last five seasons, Letang ranks fifth in the NHL among all defensemen in points (221), ninth in goals (48) and sixth in SOG (760) while missing 59 games due to injury, proving he is still an elite contributor across all statistical categories while leading the Penguins’ blueline and top powerplay. He finished last season seventh in defenseman scoring after putting up 68 points (10G/58A) in 78 games, so if you can find an owner who’s struggling early on and has a short memory, going after Letang seems like a move that cannot miss when looking for low buy targets to help your fantasy team on the back end.

Frederik Andersen (CAR – G)

8 GP | 5-3-0 | .891 SV% | 2.72 GAA

It is never usually a good idea to target players on the injured reserve, but in the case of Andersen, you may never get him at a lower cost than right now. Finishing fourth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2021-22, Andersen struggled by his lofty standards before his stint on the injured reserve, posting a .891 SV% and 2.72 GAA but still having a winning record at 5-3-0. If you can find an owner who has lost his first few weeks and needs goaltending relief due to Andersen’s injury, snaking him off their hands could be a long-term move that proves the difference come playoff time. Carolina has not been their expected high-scoring selves this season as they rank 20th in the NHL in goals per game (3.0) but fourth in shots on goal per game (35.8) and fifth in xGF/60. Anytime you have a chance at a goaltender of a top-five NHL team, you should always jump on it, even if it does come at the risk of having him occupy your injured reserve spots for a few weeks. In the meantime, pick up Pyotr Kochetkov, who is only 17% rostered in Yahoo leagues and holds a 2-0-0 record with a 1.00 GAA and .959 SV%, filling in admirably for Andersen amidst his indefinite absence.