You can’t call the 4 Nations Face-Off anything but a roaring success.
The hockey was incredible, there was a marquee matchup in the final and the game was decided by the world’s best player in sudden-death overtime. You simply couldn’t ask for more. Now we pick up the pieces in the fantasy hockey world.
There are a handful of players missing games this weekend, whether for different injuries, illnesses or simply rest. It’s understandable that would happen given the nature of the tournament and some players’ respective NHL clubs starting back up again less than 48 hours later, but it’s less than ideal when it comes to fantasy hockey. Most leagues likely only have a few weeks left before the fantasy playoffs, so every lost game is critical at this point. It’s something we haven’t really had to deal with since the last best-on-best in 2016.
The biggest concern and most impactful player that’s out right now is Matthew Tkachuk. The Florida Panthers forward couldn’t finish two games at the 4 Nations and is clearly battling something. Tkachuk’s injury highlights something that you’re going to have to account for going forward when it comes to fantasy hockey, as there’s now a commitment to continue with best-on-best hockey more regularly.
We’ve seen Tkachuk try to gut it out before with a serious injury two playoffs ago in the Stanley Cup Final against Vegas, so it’s no surprise he wanted to give it a go in the championship game for his country. His commitment to being there for his teammates is admirable, though if you’re the Panthers or are rostering Tkachuk in your league at the moment, you’re left in a tough spot.
Nevertheless, next year we’ll have the Olympics and then a World Cup of Hockey in 2028, ultimately leading to some type of international competition every two years. This is great for hockey fans, but the timing makes things tricky. As it stands now, these are all set to take place in February, right in the heart of the NHL and fantasy hockey calendar. There may be some pushback from NHL clubs and management because of injuries, but the Olympics isn’t moving its schedule and shifting a World Cup of Hockey to the pre-season brings its own set of challenges. The league would then be competing with the NFL and the stretch run of baseball for interest and eyeballs.
As it stands, in years where there is a best-on-best tournament, you’re going to have to expect some of the best players on your fantasy team potentially missing time following the competition. That may mean just a game or two when players return for rest or in a worst-case scenario, longer absences like Shea Theodore, Charlie McAvoy and Tkachuk are facing.
As tough as it is losing a key player during a push to the fantasy playoffs, it’s a small price to pay to have best-on-best hockey back.
1. We knew there were probably going to be at least a few significant injuries at the 4 Nations Face-Off and unfortunately Theodore was the recipient of one of them. That means Alex Pietrangelo or Noah Hanifin moves up to see power-play one time, so check if either is available on your waiver wire. Hanifin has always been one of those players with more NHL value than fantasy value for me, though. Temper your expectations where he’s concerned.
2. McAvoy is going to miss time for the Bruins after his injury at the 4 Nations. Mason Lohrei is one to watch while McAvoy is out, as he took McAvoy’s spot on power-play one and had a pair of points and four shots Saturday night. Lohrei was already getting big minutes before the break.
3. One player who really raised his stock at the 4 Nations did so in just two games. Thomas Harley had an impressive showing for Canada coming in cold in the middle of the tournament. With the Dallas Stars, Harley is on pace for 15 goals after netting 15 as well last year. He’s becoming one of those defencemen you can rely on for double-digit goals.
With Miro Heiskanen sidelined for the foreseeable future with an injury, Harley gets to quarterback the Stars’ top power play and will play significant minutes down the stretch. I think there’s going to come a day soon when Harley gets drafted ahead of Heiskanen in fantasy leagues.
4. There’s been so much talk about Martin Necas’s strong play since he joined the Colorado Avalanche, but Artturi Lehkonen has arguably benefited just as much. Lehkonen has five goals and seven points since Necas joined the team and Lehkonen’s line alongside Nathan MacKinnon. He’s also filling the shot column and getting great ice time. Hopefully, this trio stays together even when Valeri Nichushkin returns.
5. Marco Kasper has been really good since getting promoted to the Detroit Red Wings’ top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. That’s forced Patrick Kane to the third unit, though, since his return from injury. Kane is going to have to take advantage of top power play time if he’s going to be worth holding and right now, he’s doing just that. Back-to-back games with a point on the man advantage.
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Real Kyper’s Trade Board
Hockey Insider Nick Kypreos shares the latest intel on players who could be on the move ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.
6. Ryan Donato appears to be in high demand heading into the trade deadline, but I’d be hoping he stays right where he is for fantasy hockey purposes. The Chicago Blackhawks forward is up to 19 goals on the season and has 13 points in his past 11 games. Not to mention his triple position eligibility and faceoff win coverage. If Donato goes to a stronger team, he’ll likely slide down the lineup into more of a depth role, as opposed to skating alongside someone with the talents of Connor Bedard.
7. It sounds like it’s at least possible Seth Jones gets moved, too. His cap hit won’t make it easy, but it would be interesting to see what Jones looks like fantasy-wise in a better situation. The Blackhawks defenceman picked it up offensively over the month leading up to the break.
8. We’re back to a regular schedule next week, with Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Winnipeg playing four times. Seattle, Ottawa and Colorado play twice, while every other team plays three times.
I’ve mentioned these players recently, but I’d look at both Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie of the Boston Bruins as adds. David Pastrnak has been putting up points at a torrid pace, with Zacha and Geekie taking advantage of things on his line. The four games make either Zacha or Geekie all the more valuable next week.
I’d also circle back on Quinton Byfield, who was a trendy drop after a slow start to the season. Byfield had six assists in a three-game span just before the break and has been averaging around 20 minutes per game for a few weeks now.
As far as drops go, I think it could be time to part with Dan Vladar. Dustin Wolf has taken over the net for the Calgary Flames and even though they have four games next week, it’s a really tough schedule. Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina is a difficult road, and Vladar won’t have any favourable matchups if he gets in there.
9. It’s been a fairly pedestrian season thus far for Kevin Fiala, but the Los Angeles Kings forward is notorious for strong finishes. Fiala has four multi-point games in his past five contests, so that’s a good sign he’s again going to be a difference-maker down the stretch
10. Lots of chatter surrounding the rumours John Gibson’s preferred destinations are Edmonton or Carolina if he were to be traded. There would be significant fantasy implications of a move like this, most notably with negative impacts to the likes of Stuart Skinner, Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen. Gibson, though, just can’t stay healthy and went down again Saturday with an injury, on a day when both Skinner and Kochetkov got lit up. It’s hard to imagine a team trusting Gibson as a major trade piece with his recent injury history, but there may be at least one or two desperate enough squads still willing to take a risk
11. Speaking of goalies, one impact the 4 Nations could have is accelerating the workload for some netminders down the stretch. For those who didn’t participate or get into a game at the tournament like Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jeremy Swayman and Wolf for example, I wonder if they play a fair bit more the rest of the way than they even normally would now that they’ve just had a couple of weeks to rest. All of their respective teams are trying to secure a playoff spot, so don’t be surprised if they get a ton of volume to close out the season.
12. Plenty of injury updates as NHL teams returned to the ice this week. The New York Islanders appear to be inching closer to getting healthier on defence, as both Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock skated this week. You’d have to think when they return it will hurt the value of Scott Perunovich and Tony DeAngelo. If you scooped either of them up, it might be time to start thinking about contingency plans.
13. Jacob Markstrom joined the New Jersey Devils for a portion of practice on Wednesday. His return doesn’t seem imminent, but Jake Allen very well could be a drop when Markstrom is back to full strength. Allen was a great find on waivers while Markstrom was missing from action, posting a few shutouts over that span.
14. Thatcher Demko, on the other hand, doesn’t seem like he’s going to be back anytime soon. He got injured in the final game before the break and won’t be travelling with the Vancouver Canucks on this five-game road trip. Kevin Lankinen’s stock immediately rises again. Lankinen is still under 60 per cent rostered, so give him a look if you need help between the pipes. The new contract he signed gives me the indication he’ll be a significant player in the Vancouver crease moving forward.
Always follow the money when it comes to forecasting goalie starts.
15. The Seattle Kraken are getting Jordan Eberle back in their lineup after he missed much of the season with an injury. I’m not racing to pick Eberle up, as the Kraken’s forward group isn’t loaded with talent and I expect Seattle to sell off assets before the deadline.
16. One of the few Kraken that is worth grabbing is Kaapo Kakko. The bet by Seattle has paid off in a big way, as Kakko scored against the Panthers on Saturday, giving him 18 points since he joined the Kraken. Kakko is still only nine per cent rostered.
17. Boone Jenner is back. The Columbus Blue Jackets forward was a popular stash this season after an off-season injury. Columbus is a top-10 scoring team and with Jenner’s blend of offence and hits, he could be really valuable to close out the campaign. The only question, as always with Jenner, is can he stay healthy?
18. There was nobody colder than Patrik Laine heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off.
After scoring eight times in nine games to start his season following a significant injury, Laine was held pointless in his final eight contests leading up to the tournament. The Montreal Canadiens forward didn’t end up scoring for Finland, but he was a solid distributor and contributed three assists. All came in must-win games for Finland, including a pair in a victory over Sweden that all but knocked their rival out of the tournament.
Laine will now hope to carry his offensive production back to Montreal where the Canadiens desperately need it. After working their way back into the playoff mix, the Canadiens were trending in the wrong direction heading into the break, losers of eight of nine games. Even with a win Saturday, that still puts Montreal five points out of a playoff spot and it’s going to be a major uphill climb to reach the post-season. If they have any hope of getting there, Laine is going to have to find the scoresheet frequently, like he did against Ottawa on Saturday night.
We all know he can score, but drawing the defence to him and setting up teammates like he did for Finland can help the Canadiens, too. Everyone knows Laine is most effective on his off wing ripping one-timers on the power play, but so is Cole Caufield. Only one player can hold down that spot, so if Laine can move around a bit and help create offence for others, it’s going to make the Canadiens that much more dangerous
19. Is there a possibility Mikko Rantanen gets flipped again before the trade deadline? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted on Friday’s 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that Rantanen would draw plenty of attention if he and the Carolina Hurricanes can’t agree on an extension. The Hurricanes could also retain salary, making his cap hit very digestible. It’s no secret Rantanen hasn’t really found his footing in Carolina, and I do think there are better destinations for him due to the Hurricanes’ more structured and balanced play. That said, it’s going to be hard to replicate the value he had playing big minutes next to MacKinnon.
20. John Klingberg looks like he’s moving pretty good to me. The Edmonton Oilers defender had a goal and an assist on Saturday, appearing more healthy than he has in several years. Klingberg is still not going to challenge Evan Bouchard for power play time, so just put him on your watchlist for now.
