With the Preds and Pens returning from Stockholm, they are again not ideal options in Week 7. They’ll get extra days off and an opportunity to adjust from jetlag, resulting in the Pens playing just twice in a back-to-back at home on Friday and Saturday, and the Preds playing only once on Saturday hosting the Avs.
Injuries were again the story this past week, with the biggest story coming out of Jersey with Jack Hughes missing eight weeks with a finger injury suffered during a team dinner. On one hand, this will negatively impact the Devils’ offense and especially his usual linemate, Jesper Bratt, but it also opens the door for Dawson Mercer and Arseny Gritsyuk to play more minutes in offensive situations.
Injuries to Marco Rossi, Drew Doughty and Thatcher Demko have also opened the door for other players to see increased fantasy value, which I’ve covered more extensively below.
The Canes top the charts for fantasy options in Week 7 but some extra consideration should be given to the Sabres, who rank 10th. They’re playing on the less busy nights with all of their games played at home, and two of those games – Flames on Wednesday and Blackhawks on Friday – are against teams playing the second half of a back-to-back with travel.
While the Sabres are missing several key players, Rasmus Dahlin has returned and there are a few intriguing streaming options, including Ryan McLeod, Isak Rosen, Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan. Rosen and Doan, in particular, are seeing some time with PP1, though the Sabres power play has been a bit of a mess all season.
All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy.
Schedule
Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. Points percentages are as of Sunday morning.
Season-long adds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)
Frank Nazar, C, CHI (41% rostered)
Nazar missed just two games with an abdominal injury and returned to his usual 2C role, finishing with an assist in nearly 19 minutes against the Leafs. Nazar has more value in keeper leagues, obviously, but still has plenty of value in redraft leagues. He’s scoring at a 60-point pace with nearly two shots per game.
Adam Fantilli, C, CBJ (41% rostered)
The joke is it’s ‘Adam Fantillov’ when he’s playing on the top line with Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. Fantilli’s fantasy value tends to yo-yo depending on where he plays in the lineup, but it’s hard not to think he should stick as their 1C given his upside. He had a slow start but suddenly has three goals and seven points in seven games.
Jack Roslovic, C/RW, EDM (34% rostered)
Even with Zach Hyman’s return – he played an astounding 23 minutes in his season debut – Roslovic still managed to get 17 minutes and pitch in with a goal and an assist. I think we’ve seen enough to warrant a full-time roster spot for Roslovic on fantasy teams given his increased shot volume and potential for points this season. Even when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returns, Roslovic is making a very strong case to remain in the Oilers’ top six.
Joseph Woll, G, TOR (46% rostered)
Anthony Stolarz is eligible to return from IR soon, but even upon his return there are no guarantees the Leafs will split the starts. Stolarz has struggled and it opens the door for Woll to get more starts going forward. The Leafs have been disappointing but they’re still a playoff-caliber team. Woll can provide wins and a decent save percentage.
Jet Greaves, G, CBJ (34% rostered)
Greaves has started four straight games, a pretty clear sign that he’s taken over the crease from Elvis Merzlikins. Both goalies have been good but Dean Evason is starting to favor Greaves a little bit more. The Jackets are treading water playing .500 hockey but their goaltending has been solid all season. Greaves should be able to provide lots of saves, a decent save percentage and some wins.
Mid-term holds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)
Patrick Kane, RW, DET (40% rostered)
There will be times the Wings sit Kane for rest or maintenance, but when he plays, Kane remains a scoring threat. He’s scored eight points in nine games this season and in points leagues retains significant value.
Ryan Hartman, C/RW, MIN (6% rostered)
Marco Rossi was placed on IR which promotes Hartman to the top line with Kirill Kaprizov. Hartman’s played in this spot before and proven he can be productive, and on Saturday against the Ducks registered an assist in 17:49 TOI. Hartman’s offense isn’t his strong suit, but in a 1C role he’s going to get chances to put up points along with his usual peripherals in face-off wins and hits.
Brandt Clarke, D, LA (26% rostered)
The severity of Drew Doughty’s lower-body injury after blocking a shot is not yet known, but Clarke is the immediate beneficiary. The Kings opt to play five forwards on their top power play, but should they need a defenseman, Clarke’s name will be called first. He hasn’t had the big breakout season many expected, but he’s quietly on pace for career highs.
Akira Schmid, G, VGK (42% rostered)
The Knights broke away from their rotation and started Schmid in two straight games, though it’s very possible to return to their rotation following the weekend back-to-back. Schmid has seven wins in eight starts but clearly doesn’t have the full confidence of the Knights. Regardless, he’s still the better option than Carl Lindbom right now and might see an edge in starts until Carter Hart joins the team or when Adin Hill returns.
Jake Allen, G, NJ (28% rostered)
There’s a big part of me that thinks Allen and Jacob Markstrom will split the starts lot more evenly than people think, whether that’s an equal 50-50 split or a 55-45 split. Either way, Allen still retains a lot of fantasy value as a 1B option. Losing Jack Hughes will hurt and the Devils will win fewer games, but Allens’ .916 SP and 2.24 GAA is valuable in any format.
Kevin Lankinen, G, VAN (19% rostered)
We’ve reached the point in Thatcher Demko’s career where we expect him to suffer a significant injury at least once a season. The timeline isn’t clear – nobody trusts what the Canucks publicly say – but in the in meantime, Lankinen will get all the starts. The Canucks started Lankinen in both games of a back-to-back last weekend – they have another back-to-back Sunday and Monday – which means they have little confidence in third-string Jiri Patera.
Short-term streamers (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)
Braeden Bowman, RW, VGK (4% rostered)
I featured Bowman in my Saturday daily column after noticing his significant usage in his NHL debut, skating in the top six and on PP1. In his second game, he once again played more than 16 minutes and also scored his first NHL goal on the power play. He’s clearly an offensive player who isn’t afraid to shoot, and with usage like that should have tons of short-term value. His season-long value will depend on what the Knights lineup looks like when Mark Stone and William Karlsson return but, for now, Bowman’s fantasy value is skyrocketing.
Gavin Brindley, C, COL (2% rostered)
Jared Bednar named Brindley as one of the players who’s expected to see increased ice time with Valeri Nichushkin out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. We shall see if that’s true, but Brindley has been excellent lately with three goals and five points in his past four games. He’s a feisty energy player who led Michigan in scoring when they had Rutger McGroarty and Frank Nazar, so you know he has some scoring punch. Look for Brindley to get RW eligibility as well since he doesn’t play center in the NHL.
Sergei Murashov, G, PIT (6% rostered)
With the Pens playing back-to-back in Week 7, expect Murashov to likely face the Kraken on Saturday. He shut out the Preds on Sunday with 21 saves and he’s looked quite comfortable despite being a rookie. I suspect Murashov will see more playing time given his solid play so far and take some pressure off Arturs Silovs.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Hockey News