Welcome (again) to the 2022-23 fantasy hockey season.
Tuesday will be the NHL’s official opening night with two games on the docket, but the season had already started with the Sharks and Preds playing a two-game series in Czechia. The Preds took both games, the third time in four Global Series in which a team has been swept.
Fantasy managers who had stakes in the Sharks-Preds game have taken an early lead in head-to-head matchups, but they drop to 25th and 23rd, respectively, on the schedule matrix with two games each for the remainder of a 10-day Week 1 matchup. Preds backup Kevin Lankinen’s 33-save performance in his first start of the season might earn him another early-season start in a home-and-home series against the Stars, while Sharks duo James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen will likely split games again since they’re playing another set of back-to-back against the Canes and Hawks.
Ten teams will play a league-high three games – 28 will be featured on the first Saturday of the season, and then a breather on Sunday to come down for our one-game overreactions. (There will be many). Players on the Blues and Jets have the least amount of upside because they play only one game, and note the Blues have been awful in the pre-season.
Legend:
P% = season points percentage
Opp. P% = opponents’ season points percentage
Diff. = difference between P% and Opp. P%
Green is good. Red is bad. All advanced stats courtesy naturalstatrick.com.
Courtesy of Jason Chen
Goalies:
Jonathan Quick, LA – Quick (2-0-0/.930/1.96) is confirmed to be the Kings’ opening night starter on Tuesday against the Knights after outplaying Cal Petersen (0-2-0/.853/4.82) during the pre-season. The Kings’ goaltending situation will be tough to figure out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kings opt to give Petersen the second home game against the Kraken on Thursday despite a bad pre-season, and then decide on Saturday’s starter in Minnesota after having seen both goalies play.
Adin Hill, VEG – Logan Thompson started the final pre-season game and looked pretty good, so despite Hill’s 50-save performance in the pre-season, Thompson will likely be Vegas’ opening night starter. That means Hill will get the home opener against the lowly Hawks on Thursday or start on the road on Saturday in Seattle. If Hill has a good start, he might be worth a stash should Thompson falter.
Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, BOS – Ullmark (1-1-0/.915/2.03) has outplayed Swayman (2-0-0/.897/2.98) and it’s still unknown who will start their season opener against the Caps. It’s shaping up to be another even split – they each played 41 games last season – and we shall see what kind of rotation Jim Montgomery prefers, and hopefully it’ll be easier to figure out than Bruce Cassidy’s. Regardless, whichever goalie gets the second game has a distinct advantage because it’s a home matchup against the lottery-bound Coyotes.
Anthony Stolarz, ANA – John Gibson exited his last pre-season game with an injury and did not return. It was precautionary, so expect Gibson to start their season opener on Wednesday. If Gibson is not available, look for Stolarz to get the start against the Kraken at home and the highly-regarded Lukas Dostal to serve as the backup. Stolarz was one of the league’s best backups last season and worth a streaming start in a good matchup for the Ducks.
Daniil Tarasov, CLB – Tarasov will open the season as the backup with Joonas Korpisalo (hip) placed on injured reserve. Tarasov went 2-1-0/.927/2.03 during the pre-season but his first game of the season will be tough; the Jackets have a back-to-back against the Lightning and Blues after their season opener, and both opponents are significantly better. If you need saves, Tarasov’s an option, but he likely won’t win any games.
Weekly Bangers (< 75% rostered on Yahoo, on teams with max games per schedule matrix):
Blocked Shots (’21-’22 BkS/GP):
Connor Murphy, D, CHI (2.63)
Brayden McNabb, D, VEG (2.59)
Andrew Peeke, D, CLS (2.06)
David Savard, D, MON (2.05)
Zach Whitecloud, D, VEG (1.95)
Hits (’21-’22 Hits/GP):
Ryan Reaves, RW, NYR (4.04)
Brandon Tanev, LW/RW, SEA (3.27)
Keegan Kolesar, C/RW, VEG (3.19)
Martin Fehervary, D, WSH (3.18)
Sean Kuraly, C, CLS (3.12)
Blocked Shots + Hits (’21-’22 BkS/GP + ‘21’22 Hits/GP):
Connor Murphy, D, CHI (4.91)
Brayden McNabb, D, VEG (4.83)
Martin Fehervary, D, WSH (4.66)
Andrew Peeke, D, CLS (4.39)
Erik Cernak, D, TB (4.33)
Short-Term Streamers (< 75% rostered on Yahoo):
Kiefer Sherwood, RW, NSH – It’s safe to think Sherwood won’t be scoring at a point-per-game pace for the season. But it’d be good to strike the iron while it’s hot, and the Preds’ second line with Sherwood, Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter might have just moved them from playoff contender to dark horse. Sherwood becomes a long-term hold if he gets to play 15 minutes per game with some power play time.
Kaapo Kakko, RW, NYR – We’re gonna be bouncing between Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere all season, but it looks like Kakko will open the season on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. That’s a plum assignment, and at some point, one of Kakko or Lafreniere *will* break out.
Nick Robertson, LW, TOR – Robertson was assigned to the AHL, but fear not – the plan is to bring him back for Thursday’s home opener once the Leafs recall him on an emergency basis with the intention of playing the season opener one player (John Tavares) short. It’s going to be another season of math gymnastics for Kyle Dubas, but the good news is Robertson is finally in the NHL. Worth a shot for some points but it’ll be difficult with the Leafs’ depth and bottom-six even-strength minutes.
Dylan Guenther, RW, ARI – Guenther is an exciting young winger who you will notice right away for his high work rate and offensive talent. Guenther can be assigned back to junior at any time this season regardless of how many games he plays – the nine-game rule only applies if the Coyotes are considering burning the first year of his ELC. Add to watch list.
Brandt Clarke, D, LA – He will be wearing No. 92 and you’ll notice him right away because he’s the guy jumping up on offense from the blue line every time. Clarke makes the Kings’ opening night roster but may not play. If he does, Clarke has a ton of offensive upside at a position that often generates very little. Add to watch list.
Calen Addison, D, MIN – Curious to see what he does. Addison makes the team out of camp and he has, by far, the most offensive upside of anybody on that blue line, but needs to play substantial minutes. It’s conceivable they play the other five defensemen 20 minutes each and then throw Addison out there only for offensive-zone starts and power plays. Add to watch list.
Arber Xhekaj, D, MON – Xhekaj made his presence felt in the pre-season and, despite getting assigned to the AHL on Monday, is expected to open the season with the Habs. Their blue line is banged up right now, and if Xhekaj draws into the lineup, expect some hits and even a fighting major for big value in banger leagues.
Alexander Holtz, RW, NJ – Holtz scored 51 points in 52 games for AHL Utica this season and wins a roster spot out of training camp. He’s one of the Devils’ top prospects, and if he secures a top-six spot, that means playing alongside Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier. Add to watch list.
Mid-Term Holds (< 75% rostered on Yahoo):
Nick Paul, C, TB – Paul will begin the season as 2C with Anthony Cirelli injured, and he’ll likely be flanked by Brandon Hagel and Alex Killorn. This will be a heavy, physical line, but I’m not sure how much they’ll score. It looks like the Lightning will be stacking their top line, and therefore leaning heavily on it for offense. Look for faceoffs (career 50.8 FOW%) and hits (career 1.58 Hits/GP) from Paul – I’m not sure about points, though.
Connor Brown, RW, WSH – He won’t be anywhere near as valuable as Tom Wilson was, but Brown’s top-line assignment opposite Alex Ovechkin means there’s a good chance he scores 20-25 goals this season.
Max Domi, LW/RW, CHI – This is just a PSA to let you know that Domi might open the season as the Hawks’ top center *laughs* with Patrick Kane on his wing. Domi could end up being fantasy-relevant this season with Kane bouncing 20 pucks off his butt (the score sheet does not discriminate) and with C/LW/RW-eligibility. No hurry for now.
Long-Term Pickups (< 75% rostered on Yahoo):
Nino Niederreiter, LW, NSH – That second line’s performance in Czechia was no joke. ‘El Nino’ finished his Global Series tour with three goals in two games, and with his shots and hits, he can be a very valuable fantasy player this season with 25-goal potential.
Ryan Johansen, C, NSH – Same as above, but with a few more assists, and instead of hits, it’s a lot of faceoff wins.
K’Andre Miller, D, NYR – I’m personally very keen on what Miller brings this season. He’s an exceptional athlete, plays well in all three zones and in any situation. Last year, Miller was only five hits away from becoming one of just 47 defensemen to record over 100 hits and 100 blocks. If Miller scores between 30 to 40 points, he has significant banger-league value.
Chandler Stephenson, C/RW, VEG – The Rodney Dangerfield of hockey – “I don’t get no respect!” – put together an excellent 64-point season with 653 faceoff wins but remains on an island (40% rostered on Yahoo). If the dual-position eligibility wasn’t enough, Stephenson will open the season as the second-line center with Mark Stone (51.5 5v5 CF% in 402:48 with Stephenson last season) and on PP1.
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