Fantasy Hockey Week 4: The Fasth and the Furious

I hope each of you fantasy hockey owners know that there is still draft-worthy talent and guys that are ready to help right now on the waiver wires.   This week we have a really hotly added goalie, one that's not so hot, and some worthy defensemen from some of hockey's smaller markets.

Pick Him Up Fasth

Another goalie has heat up the waiver wire uncontrollably in NHL Fantasy Week 4 and his name is Viktor Fasth (G, Ducks)   a 30-year old rookie from the Swedish Elite League.  He’s been on fire in his last four games, including his last outing, a 3-0 win over the Avalanche, in which he stopped all 31 shots in his first career shutout.  He has now a .962 save percentage and an unbelievable 0.98 GAA, which are sensational numbers.  He poses a threat to incumbent Jonas Hiller and is now owned in 50% of ESPN leagues and 32% of Yahoo leagues.  Given that his play is top five so far in fantasy goaltending, you should grab him immediately if he’s still available or suffer the consequences.  He has made a seamless transition to the NHL and should be transitioned over to your fantasy squad with all deliberate speed.

Fedor Tyutin (D, Blue Jackets) is only owned in 1/3 of most standard leagues and the reliable Russian has played well on the Blue Jackets blue line.  He’s already got eight points in a season where most fantasy pundits thought his scoring would be down.  He’s getting plenty of minutes and has shaved his plus/minus down to minus-4.   He’s probably not going to score 38 points as is his current pace but scoop him up and benefit from the hot streak.

The Man is an Island(er)

A return to the states is in store for Lubomir Visnovsky (D, Islanders) who after a contentious dispute, will not be able to play for HC Slovan Bratislava, the KHL team he opted to play with rather than New York.  The Isles dug in on this one because their struggling line play, and they could use Visnovsky's services on either power-play unit.  Lubomir is only two years removed from being the top offensive-defenseman in all of hockey so their is fantasy value here.  Just monitor the situation to see if is willing to play at all.  He'll get some playing time but how motivated will he be to produce?

Leland: Wheelin and Dealin?

Also keep in mind that Miikka Kiprusoff is out with an injury which means Leland Irving (G, Flames) is the main guy in the crease for Calgary.  Danny Taylor was called up from AHL Abbotsford to back Irving up.  This is a deep waiver wire acquisition until Irving shows us a little more minding the net but is worth a flyer in any case.  Since Kiprusoff is out indefinitely and may be playing down the injury, Irving will have a chance to show he is the Flames ‘tender of the future.

Ales Hemsky (RW, Oilers) has also gone under the radar in fantasy (in the 10% ownership range) but just had his first multi-point game of the season (a goal and an assist) in a 3-2 loss to Dallas Wednesday night.  Hemsky was fantasy-relevant three years ago and was thought to be a fading star in the Edmonton offensive galaxy.  He’s at a 19-goal pace and if he can continue to work on his plus/minus (-4 on the year) or your league’s settings don’t factor that then he’s a good value because he’s done it before and has talent around him.

Some other news on the wire:

• Veteran Bruin goalie Tim Thomas, expected to be out for the year, was traded to the Islanders for a draft pick in a cap-related move'; probably something that keeper owners should pay attention to.

Fantasy Hockey Week 3/4 NHL: Saves on The Waiver

It feels good to see Vladimir Tarasenko and Cory Conacher, two young awesome rookies, continue their torrid play so far in Week 3.  While this week's waiver saviors aren't quite at that talent level we do offer some goalie help, including a growing 'tender controversy in Pittsburgh. One of the most exciting things in fantasy is to grab those super rooks before everyone  else, and then watch dude ball, grind,puck, and dominate and become a major source of fantasy points be it NBA, NFL, MLB or the National Hockey League.  Some players just have the skills that you don't need to see the whole resume to snag and start.  Here's to Tarasenko and Concacher being top options yearlong this year in fantasy hockey.  Both are part of feared offenses; it might be time to trade now.  Let's look at the waiver saviors in Week 3.

Vokoun: Growing Goalie Contronversy?

Tomas Vokoun (G, Penguins)  may create a goalie controversy in Pittsburgh, posting a shut-out Thursday night, stopping 28 shots in a 3-0 blanking of a good New York Rangers team.   The veteran Vokoun has a 1.81 goals against average and a .940 save rate (3^rd in the NHL so far) to being this young season and presumed starter Marc-Andre Fleury has posted a 2.94 and a .890 comparatively.  Fleury allowed four goals against the Islanders and five against the Maple Leafs so he has been vulnerable to the meltdowns that plagued him last year in the playoffs against the Flyers.  Vokoun was added to push the young Fleury and netminder for the Pens is such a fantasy-friendly proposition that Vokoun is getting scooped up at an alarming rate.  It may be time to follow suit; he’s owned 36% in ESPN leagues and less than 50% in Yahoo..

Reimer Reasons..Is Toronto Going to Score Enough?

Provided the Maple Leafs don’t trade for Roberto Luongo, there is growing fantasy value with goalie James Reimer (G, Maple Leafs).  Reimer didn’t get much fantasy love in 2011-12, in which he oscillated between injury (19 games with a concussion?) and ineffectiveness (3.10 GAA) but he’s been decent this year with a .910 save percentage (15^th in the league).  He’s worth a pickup for matchups at this point with a bit of upside; an improving Toronto defense could make him much more fantasy useful.

It is may be useful to you to inquire on the waiver wire status of Evgeni Nabokov (G, Islanders).   He’s no spring chicken, but he’s quietly 4-1-1 this season although his 3.14 GAA and .906 aren’t exactly record-setting.  What is encouraging is that the Islanders offense is improving and playoffs look very doable at this point.  He’ll give you wins at this point.  He’s owned in about half of standard fantasy hockey leagues.

Jiri Hudler (LW, Flames) the diminutive Czech has shown flashes of offensive mastery (57 points in 2009 with Detroit) and already has four points in two games.  He’s missed the beginning of the season dealing with the death of his father.  He may benefit from the move to Calgary as most folks who know the game still believe in Hudler’s potential.   Calgary doesn’t have anywhere near the goal-scoring arsenal as Detroit did so Hudler will be counted upon to score and facilitate.  Word out of Calgary is that the second line is all his and that he could even jump to the first line if oft-injured Mike Cammalleri gets hurt.  Hudler can play either wing so that screams fantasy potential as well.  I just don’t think we’ve seen all that Hudler can do on the ice yet.

Tom Gilbert (D, Wild) Already has six points in seven games for Minnesota and is gaining adds as we speak.  He is still on the second-team power play but if he were to bump Jared Spurgeon from the top-pair position and ends up playing alongside big-free agent acquisition Ryan Suter? His fantasy upside would rise significantly.  He’s added much more in Yahoo (only owned in about 15% of leagues) than ESPN where he was drafted in most leagues.

Fantasy Hockey Week 2: Short Season Surprises

Now that we are a weekend in the hockey season and you, dear owner, have gotten a taste of who should start and who should cool their heels on your bench for the time being, let’s review the guys who are likely still out there on the wire.

Conacher: The Latest in a Line of Greatness?

Cory Conacher (C/ LW, Lightning)  Excellent family hockey lineage aside (his distant cousins, Charlie, Roy and Lionel Conacher are all hockey hall-of-famers, this undrafted rookie might be the Vlad Tarasenko (i.e, a scalding hot add) of this week.  In Tuesday’s win over Carolina, he scored his second goal of the season and has points in all three games this year.  This Tampa Bay outfit is going to score a ton of goals this year, already netting 13—good for second in the NHL—and Conacher figures to be in the thick of it all year.  He’s shown palpable chemistry with Teddy Prucell and Vinny Lecavalier and has dual C/ LW eligibility at least in Yahoo.  Don’t miss out on him- he’s going to gone off the wire “Lightning” quick.

Kovalev the Greybeard Fitting in Well in Florida

Alex Kovalev (RW, Panthers) Perfect time to grab the veteran off the waiver wire as he is unowned in the majority of standard leagues.  So far this season Kovalev has shown good chemistry with super rookie Jonathan Huberdeau, leading the team in assists (2).  He’s owned in about 25% of ESPN leagues and less than half that in Yahoo.

The St. Louis Blues look like they are going to give a lot of teams the blues this season, especially on defense where the Blues look to continue their offensive arsenal from last year.  So far in this young season they are tied for third in the league with Anaheim in goals (12).  Chris Stewart and Vlad Tarasenko were recommendations last week and this week its Andy McDonald (C/LW, Blues) who has scored in all three games this season and has dual eligibility in some leagues.  He’s owned plenty in ESPN leagues, but in less than a third in Yahoo.  Check the waivers for this guy.  He'll be in involved in a bunch of goal-scoring in this short year.

Bobrosvky: Beast In The Crease?

When trudging the wire for would-be fantasy stoppers in the crease, you may still be able to grab under-the-radar goalie Sergei Bobrovsky ( G, Blue Jackets).  On Monday against Detroit he saved 39 of 42 shots, but still loss in the shootout.  He has stopped 71 out of 76 in his first two. The former Flyers goalie is looking to improve over a poor season last year (.899 SV%, 3.02 GAA for Philadelphia) and was certainly an unheralded acquisition.  He appears to be an upgrade over Steve Mason for the Jackets; this means if he continues his .934 and 2.31 GAA he could be a valuable fantasy asset.  He may be still on waivers in your league.

Daniel Winnik ( LW, Ducks) -  Winnik has already scored four goals this year and his career high is only eleven so it may be prudent to ride the wave with realistic expectations, i.e. short-term ones.  If youngsters in Anaheim aren’t ready to shoulder the offensive load on the scoring line, Winnik is the default choice for that line.  He would be playing with Teemu Selanne on the second line which is manna for fantasy usefulness.  He’s getting grabbed quickly but is still unowned in three-fourths of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

Fantasy Hockey Week 1 - Desire the Wire With Vlad Tarasenko

The fantasy hockey season is finally back! Granted you’ve already likely drafted your fantasy hockey squad for 2013; the season opened on Saturday.  There are a few guys who made have made themselves surprisingly fantasy relevant based on just the first one or two games that made make a Week 1 waiver wire add necessary.  We’ll explore them here:

Tasasenko: Russian For "Scoring Goals Easily"

Vladimir Tarasenko (RW, Blues)  The former first-round pick had a dazzling debut in his first game for the Blues.  Owners tend to take notice when you score twice in your first NHL start and that’s exactly what Tasasenko did helping St. Louis defeat the Detroit Red Wings on the season opener.  The young Russian has plenty of upside and word on the street is he could lead the Blues in scoring.  He dominated the KHL at the tender age of 19; his defense is the only that could affect his playing time.   A special player and he’s the hottest add right now in fantasy hockey.  Get him.

Also scoring two goals (one on power play) in the Blues dominant shutout of the Red Wings was Chris Stewart (RW, Blues) on five shots Saturday night.  Stewart reportedly dedicated his offseason to reconditioning thus increasing his speed on his skates, but time will tell.  Of course, being on of the most prolific offense in the NHL means that being on the Blues third line is probably equivalent to most second lines in the NHL.  He’s owned in 10% of standard leagues.

Zajac Attack

A good bet for scoring could come in the form of talented but oft-injured Travis Zajac (C, Devils). Limited to a handful of games the last couple of years, he reminded us all of his talent and fantasy usefulness during the Devils Stanley Cup run in 2012.  New Jersey seems to believe in him and you should too, even if he is only currently owned in 40% of standard leagues.  Reason number one: he signed an 8-year, $46 million dollar contract with New Jersey in the offseason not to be on the second line.   Reason number two: Although he’s without star Zach Parise (signed with Minnesota) he still lines up with marksman Ilya Kovalchuk.  Fellow center Adam Henrique is still there so it bears monitoring early on.

Jagr the Facilitator?

Jaromir Jagr (RW, Stars) Probably owned in most leagues) but add rate is jumping after yesterday’s opener. The grizzly veteran (aged 40) can still get it done and be fantasy relevant this year.  He scored 4 points against Phoenix in Dallas’s opener; he scored only 19 goals and only 54 points as a Flyer all of last year.  He has potential this season with center Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson to get pack to a point average a game—something savvy fantasy owners will capitalize on.  He will likely excel more as a facilitator then a pure goal scorer this year.

There may be some goaltender help for  accidental auto-pick hockey victims, or real deep leagues in the form of Toronto’s Ben Scrivens (G, Maple Leafs)  Owned in less than 5% of fantasy hockey standard leagues, Scrivens saved 21 shots in a scrappy 2-1 win against the Habs.  He’ll face competition from struggling incumbent James Reimer but it’s a situation to monitor. Reimer isn’t too far removed from promising fantasy goalie himself and there are the trade rumors swirling with Roberto Luongo.  It’s a deep situation to monitor but keep in mind Scrivens looked right at home in the crease, albeit against the offensively-challenged Canadiens.