Special to Yahoo Sports
Even if the stakes in your fantasy hockey league don’t amount to much, there’s still pride in working hard and finishing in the money. Maybe you got lucky and avoided significant player loss. So what? At least some effort went into that and you’re in line to reap the benefits.
If winning sounds like a good plan, then you may want to head to RotoWire for the latest news and in-depth material.
Apologies in advance for bringing up an obvious addition, but you would probably ask where he was if he was not included.
(Rostered rates/stats as of March 3.)
Forwards
Nico Hischier, NJ (Yahoo: 30%)
After exiting COVID protocols late last year, Hischier reeled off 20 points — with eight on the power play — 59 shots and 238 faceoff wins in 23 games. Jack Hughes has unsurprisingly outpaced him during the same stretch but is much less available (at 76 percent). With both logging similar overall minutes and Hischier differentiating himself with a shorthanded role, the offensive output alone should be enough to get him on more rosters.
Anthony Mantha, WAS (Yahoo: 28%)
Mantha has been sidelined four months after shoulder surgery but could be back Thursday as he’s now a full participant at practice and skated with the second unit Wednesday. That doesn’t mean he’ll immediately get the green light or jump right into a prominent role, though you might want to add the power forward before others do.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS (Yahoo: 21%)
We’ve reserved the free square on our bingo card for DeBrusk even though everyone else and their pets have already recommended him. In case you’ve been under a fantasy rock the last week, you may have missed his five goals alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand on the first line highlighted by a hat-trick Monday. Regardless of this boom, DeBrusk seems destined to be dealt by the deadline. If he does end up heading elsewhere, he’s not going to find better linemates. But until then, DeBrusk has struck the even-strength mother-lode and should continue to be added wherever available.
Nino Niederreiter, CAR (Yahoo: 21%)
Niederreiter never lived up to his status as a high draft pick, yet he’s been fairly dependable in his career. Despite almost exclusively skating on the third unit, he’s notched 29 points in 47 games. And in his most recent 18 appearances, Nino has posted six goals, six assists, 31 shots, 28 hits and a plus-9. Only four PPPs, though his overall ice time and scoring chances will keep coming as part of Carolina’s loaded attack.
Rickard Rakell, ANH (Yahoo: 14%)
An upper-body injury kept Rakell out a few weeks early in the campaign. He came through with a nice haul from the next nine outings, yet only six helpers would result from the subsequent 19. Since then, Rakell has almost exclusively switched to the other side of the scoring ledger with seven goals — three of those PPGs — an assist, 25 shots and 17 hits. As long as he stays in the top-six and first man-advantage, that 14 percent coverage is bound to significantly increase.
Adam Lowry, WPG (Yahoo: 7%)
Lowry’s come up a little dry for much of the season, though he’s turned it around with six points, eight shots, 15 hits, and 59 faceoff wins over seven games. It’s also noteworthy he potted two SHGs and a PPA during this stretch. That type of offense probably can’t continue over the long haul, but Lowry’s involved enough in the Jets’ offense to qualify as a short-term flier.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI (Yahoo: 5%)
For someone who averaged 50 points a year with the Devils, it was tough to watch Palmieri go through a significant scoring drought while enduring multiple absences. He’s looked like his vintage self the last couple of weeks, racking up five goals, an assist, 20 shots and 18 hits. The Isles look to be finding the net again and that can only help Palmieri and other skilled forwards get back to their attacking ways. Getting to team up with Mathew Barzal doesn’t hurt either.
Jack Roslovic, CLS (Yahoo: 3%)
Like Palmieri, Roslovic struggled to find the scoresheet for long stretches. But it’s always nice to be reunited with talented teammates and that’s recently been the case with Jakub Voracek and Oliver Bjorkstrand flanking Roslovic’s wings. The former Jet has jumped back up the depth chart and has taken advantage of the opportunity with five points, five shots and 21 faceoff wins in four games. There’s no guarantee he can remain in the top-six, but this latest run will do a lot to help his cause.
Defensemen
Jakob Chychrun, ARI (Yahoo: 54%)
Bending the rules again by including a player who’s less than 50 percent available. Chychrun has been the topic of trade rumors for a while and that probably won’t stop before the deadline unless he gets dealt. Forty-one points last season hinted at his stardom, yet that’s fallen off with the Coyotes often failing to generate offense and the offseason addition of Shayne Gostisbehere. As the club is nowhere near contending, one of these blueliners likely will go. Arizona is apparently asking for a lot in exchange for Chychrun and that may turn off all potential suitors. It’s impressive the 23-year-old averages more than 23 minutes a game, though it’s kind of scary he’s only managed 15 points while Ghost Bear is up to 31. But there’s hope for Chychrun as he heads into Thursday having registered back-to-back multi-point efforts.
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Rasmus Ristolainen, PHI (Yahoo: 26%)
On the subject of defenders with historically awful plus-minus ratings, we come to Ristolainen. He once operated as an elite fantasy commodity while in Buffalo, but the offense started to decline last year and has followed suit in Philly. The positive in all this is that Ristolainen is still laying out opponents at a significant rate with 59 hits in 13 games. The goal and four assists over the same span are just a bonus while the 19 shots and 22 blocks work well in deeper category formats. There’s a hint of power-play time, but don’t get your hopes up on that front.
Justin Holl, TOR (Yahoo: 5%)
Holl was drafted way back in 2010 but only debuted on NHL ice eight years later after climbing through the NCAA, ECHL and AHL. He never was a big scorer at any level and that hasn’t changed with the Leafs. Holl’s a force in the physical areas and that’s led to 77 hits and 68 blocks. The seven points in the last five matchups would be described as an anomaly, though that uptick coincides with Jake Muzzin being placed on LTIR with a concussion. Holl has subsequently moved alongside T.J. Brodie and that should continue for at least the next few weeks. Toronto won’t be regularly netting 10 goals, but all their main skaters should benefit in some way.
Erik Gudbranson, CGY (Yahoo: 3%)
The Flames have resembled a juggernaut with 12 wins in the last 13 outings and a lot of kudos should go to their defense. All six regulars are working well in their pairings, with some achieving more in the attack than others. That doesn’t bother Gudbranson, who’s known for his size, and that’s resulted in 53 PIM, 91 hits and 65 blocks. The veteran’s also a major participant on the penalty kill, though that’s not particularly relevant to his fantasy worth — and neither are the three goals from the most recent eight.
Goaltenders
Mikko Koskinen, EDM (Yahoo: 44%)
The Oilers are trying to hold off others for a playoff spot and Koskinen has recently done his best to help the cause. Since Jan. 22, the Finn is 7-0-1 with a 2.34 GAA and .927 save percentage, including a 39-save shutout Tuesday against the Flyers. Meanwhile, Mike Smith has produced a 3-5 record supplemented by a 3.35/.889 line following his return in early February. Unless Edmonton decides an upgrade is required, Koskinen should be the main man between the pipes.
Nico Daws, NJ (Yahoo: 2%)
Mackenzie Blackwood has been absent for most of the season and current Devils starter Jon Gillies is 28 with some shaky moments lately. Daws has stepped in with some decent performances while starting on both Monday and Tuesday. Perhaps the rookie’s overall numbers (2.80/.909 through seven games) aren’t the greatest, yet he’s seen action in four of the last five. With Jersey far from the postseason chase and the other netminders not reliable from a health/consistency standpoint, Daws could be provided more opportunities the rest of the way.
(Players to consider from past columns: Nazem Kadri, Tim Stutzle, Joel Eriksson Ek, Robert Thomas, Lucas Raymond, Michael Bunting, Ryan Hartman, Ondrej Kase, Brock Nelson, Jesper Bratt, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakub Voracek, Mason Marchment, Lawson Crouse, Anthony Cirelli, Matthew Boldy, Ryan Johansen, Trevor Zegras, Josh Anderson, Tage Thompson, Sonny Milano, Ivan Barbashev, Zach Parise, Anton Lundell, Kailer Yamamoto, Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner, William Karlsson, Troy Terry, Matt Duchene, Nick Paul, Mikael Granlund, Connor Brown, Evan Bouchard, Jared Spurgeon, Damon Severson, Noah Hanifin, Noah Dobson, Nate Schmidt, Moritz Seider, Shayne Gostisbehere, Rasmus Andersson, Jamie Drysdale, Josh Morrissey, Ryan Pulock, Oliver Kylington, Ville Husso, Kaapo Kahkonen, Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger, Matt Murray)
