Special to Yahoo Sports
Some high-profile struggling stars were featured a week ago, including Mika Zibanejad and Ilya Sorokin. There are plenty of other talented performers to highlight who make for strong buy-low options. It’s hard to blame fantasy managers for growing impatient with them, but it opens the door for others to swoop in with the hope of reaping huge rewards down the line.
The Ducks, though, are starting to cool down from a hot start, making a number of their players intriguing sell-high candidates.
TRADE FOR
Matt Boldy, LW/RW, Minnesota Wild (86% rostered)
Boldy has only produced one goal on 27 shots through 10 games. As a player with an ADP of 55.7, he hasn’t come close to playing up to expectations. But Boldy isn’t the only member of the Wild who hasn’t lived up to their draft stock as he offers the potential to rebound in a big way.
His 3.7 shooting percentage is a far cry from the 12.5% across his first 128 NHL appearances when he scored 46 times on 368 shots. Boldy is bound to start finding the back of the net again sooner rather than later. He also isn’t a stranger to ramping up his production later in the year as he tallied seven goals and 21 points in his final 28 outings of 2021-22, with 15 and 23 over the last 20 of last season.
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Boldy for Jonathan Marchessault
Valeri Nichushkin, LW/RW, Colorado Avalanche (73% rostered)
Nichushkin has been a popular waiver wire addition after earning five goals and two assists during a four-game point streak, including three power-play goals and 18 shots on net over that stretch.
He’s been a bit streaky this season, though he’s stepped up in a big way since Artturi Lehkonen went down with a neck injury having averaged 22:33 of ice time during his point spree while skating alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Nichushkin has also been participating on the Avs’ top power-play unit.
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Nichushkin and Mika Zibanejad for Dougie Hamilton and Owen Tippett
Quinton Byfield, C/LW, Los Angeles Kings (38% rostered)
Byfield could still be available on the wire. But even if he isn’t, he’s worth snatching away from a rival fantasy manager. The second-overall pick in 2020 has been all over the scoresheet to begin this season, having registered 12 assists and 15 points through 17 games. Byfield has failed to pick up at least one point in only two of his last 12 outings.
The 21-year-old forward has been clicking alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe at even strength. Byfield was also recently promoted to the top power-play combination. He’s enjoying a breakout performance and is worthy of more fantasy attention.
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Byfield for Owen Tippett
Jordan Kyrou, C/RW, St. Louis Blues (80% rostered)
Kyrou has accounted for three goals and four helpers over his past eight matches, with the bulk of that production (three goals, two assists) coming in two multi-point performances. Still, much more was expected from him after he topped the 70-point plateau in each of his last two campaigns.
Kyrou’s 6.8 shooting percentage is well below the 14.0% he established during his previous three seasons when he amassed 78 goals on 558 shots over 208 appearances. He should be able to turn the corner, especially since he’s currently averaging career highs in shots per game (3.47) and ice time (18:38).
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Kyrou and Darnell Nurse for Ivan Provorov and John-Jason Peterka
TRADE AWAY
Frank Vatrano, C/LW, Anaheim Ducks (87% rostered)
Vatrano tallied nine goals on 31 shots for an unsustainable 29.0 shooting percentage in nine games to begin the season and benefited from two hat tricks during that span. Vatrano has registered 12 goals, 17 points and 62 shots on target through 18 contests. His previous personal highs for goals and points in a single season are 24 and 41, so it’ll be extremely difficult for him to maintain his current scoring rates.
Unsurprisingly, Vatrano has already started to slow down offensively and that makes him a strong sell-high candidate. He hasn’t lit the lamp in seven of his last nine outings and still notched seven points during that period of time, though two goals and three assists came in two multi-point efforts. Vatrano’s shooting percentage has plummeted to 9.7% over that nine-game span. See what you can get for him, as the results will probably surprise you.
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Vatrano for Jeremy Swayman
Troy Terry, RW, Anaheim Ducks (52% rostered)
Terry collected five goals, five assists and 35 shots on net from his first 11 outings. However, it doesn’t look like this will be the year he takes a significant step forward offensively.
Terry has gone ice cold of late by only chipping in with two assists and nine shots on goal across seven contests. He logged a season-low 14:34 against St. Louis on Nov. 19, which certainly doesn’t help. The Ducks’ offense has also cooled off by producing three goals or fewer in six of the last seven games (2-5-0).
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Terry and Jakob Chychrun for Sebastian Aho
Pierre-Luc Dubois, C/LW, Los Angeles Kings (67% rostered)
Dubois has posted five goals, nine points and 32 shots on net through 17 games. He’s picked up scoring in bunches during his first campaign in Los Angeles, which makes him a movable asset.
Dubois averaged over 18 minutes in each of his last two seasons with Winnipeg. However, he’s only at 16:38 this year and is on pace to finish below the 50-point mark after eclipsing 60 in each of his last two campaigns. Dubois has also been mainly skating with the Kings’ third line and lost his job on the top power play.
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Dubois for Dylan Larkin
Erik Gustafsson, D, New York Rangers (36% rostered)
Gustafsson has accumulated one goal and seven assists over a six-game point run. He’s averaged 20:58 during that stretch, but his increased role and spot on the top power-play unit are on borrowed time as you should be looking to sell high on him soon.
Gustafsson has stepped in the absence of Adam Fox, who’s progressing nicely in his recovery from a lower-body injury. Fox is eligible to be activated from long-term injured reserve as early as Nov. 29. It’s unclear if he will be available to play by then, but he recently accompanied the Rangers on the road and took part in a morning skate with his teammates. And when Fox was in the lineup, Gustafsson only produced two goals, two assists and an average ice time of 17:49 in 10 games.
Example of a deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Gustafsson for Jakob Chychrun
