There weren’t many better outcomes if you’d been stashing Patrick Kane all season.
Kane is headed to the Detroit Red Wings, a team on the rise with a lot of offensive talent. A scenario where Kane plays with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin could be very fruitful or, at the very least, definitely make Kane productive enough going forward to roster.
There is uncertainty with Kane, though. We’ve seen major hip surgeries to players of his age not turn out so well. Nicklas Backstrom, who is just a year older than Kane at 36, recently had to step away from the game due to his own hip issues. Kane may have some challenges with the pace of play coming off this surgery, in a league that’s faster than it’s ever been.
Still, Kane was never a player who relied on speed to get the most out of his game. He’s a cerebral player who uses his vision and hockey sense to be productive. Even if his body starts declining a bit, the intangibles won’t suffer.
There’s also the matter of who loses their spot when Kane arrives. You’d have to think Lucas Raymond drops down from the top line and maybe even the first power play, too. JT Compher could also potentially lose his power-play spot when Kane enters the lineup and Larkin is healthy.
I’m not sure I would pencil Kane in for more than a 60-point pace anymore, even if he is playing on a top line with DeBrincat and Larkin. That’s still not bad, though, for a guy you are adding to your roster two months into the season.
Kane’s body of work is solid enough to make him a risk worth taking.
Time for your questions:
It’s been a disappointing season for Pierre-Luc Dubois, to say the least. His points are trending down, and his hits and blocks totals are not what we’re accustomed to. At first, I was concerned he was simply getting used to a new team, but it’s his deployment that’s now most worrisome. Dubois is skating on the third line and second power-play unit, which doesn’t provide him enough talent or opportunity to really be fantasy relevant. I think he could be a drop candidate.
I can’t say I’m too excited about this move from a fantasy perspective. Sure, it should give Anthony Beauvillier an opportunity to play more, but we haven’t really seen anyone outside of Connor Bedard in Chicago have much value this season. The Blackhawks do have a need at forward with a bunch of injuries and Corey Perry having his contract terminated, so if Beauvillier plays with Bedard regularly, he may have some short-term value. I’m not sure he’ll be worth rostering in the long run, though.
This is a tricky one. Everyone is talking about Jason Robertson like he is having a terrible season, but even though his goals are down, he’s still averaging almost a point per game. If 80 points is an off-season for a player, they have a lot of value. That’s why I think you need to get more than Roman Josi to move on from Robertson. I would try to target another high-end underperforming player such as Kirill Kaprizov. Perhaps the new coach bump in Minnesota will give him a boost.
I’d probably give MacKenzie Weegar a try. He’s been a bit better offensively lately, scoring six points in eight games while also providing decent coverage for hits, blocks and shots. Weegar is also playing big minutes and getting some power-play time. You may have to shuffle players in and out from that roster spot and target players when they’re hot.
If I had to pick between the two, I’d hold Jake Sanderson, especially if you’re in a keeper league. I know his offence has dried up lately, but Sanderson has been really good overall this season and he’s been very effective if you have blocked shots as a category. I’m not as sold on Jakob Chychrun. Unless you’re in a really deep league, there are probably comparable options that are playing better right now on the waiver wire.
I’m not a prospect guru, but Nikolai Kovalenko had a pretty strong season in the KHL a year ago. I’d imagine he’d eventually get a look in North America. That said, I’m not giving up a former seventh-overall pick in Alexander Holtz for a sixth-round pick who’s three years older. I’d take my chances with Holtz.
Even though he’s coming off a strong outing, I’m dropping Ivan Barbashev if you need the roster space. He was never going to be able to sustain the offence he produced in last season’s playoffs and, to me, he’s really valuable only in deep leagues that count hits. I’m sure some people were hoping he’d be the next Tom Wilson, but I don’t think he can provide enough points to hold in most formats.
If it’s just a points league, I think both are safe to drop. Jake DeBrusk really misses Patrice Bergeron this season. They played a ton together at even-strength in 2022-23.
I’m honestly having a very hard time deciding between these pairs. Both are very strong, and I think if it’s a one-year league I’d be fine with either, but if it’s a keeper league, I’d go with Adrian Kempe and Matthew Tkachuk. I’m slightly more confident in those two long term.
I’d rank them Stuart Skinner, Joonas Korpisalo and Filip Gustavsson because I’m least confident in the Minnesota Wild. The Edmonton Oilers finally seem headed in the right direction and Skinner should pick up a lot of wins if this keeps up.
William Karlsson is someone I’d look at. He’s scoring at almost an 80-point pace but he’s more of a 60-point player in a best-case scenario. Karlsson is already starting to slow down as well. Frank Vatrano is another one but I’m on the fence about what to do with him. His shooting percentage is a bit high and I don’t see him continuing to score at this rate all season. I don’t mind holding him but if you get a great offer, I’d say take it.
I’m not dropping a generational talent like Bedard unless he really goes on a cold streak. I know it’s tempting in a league that small given the drop in minutes and production, but you have to consider Bedard is only going to get more comfortable as the season goes on. If anything, try to shop him around in a trade to see what you can get for him. I think he’s going to have some big games still to come.
You can definitely move on from Jaden Schwartz, especially now that he’s sidelined with an injury. He’s not the type of player you need to roster full time, as he can be a great streamer while he’s hot but then dropped for another streaky option who’s playing better.
I think that’s a fair return, but I’d be bit cautious about doing this given the rest of your goalies. Karel Vejmelka and Lukas Dostal don’t provide consistent value and Joseph Woll, despite how good he’s looked, is still very inexperienced. If Woll has a bit of a cold stretch, that could leave you pretty thin between the pipes with only Andrei Vasilevskiy to lean on.
Peterka or Batherson for the rest of the season?
I’m definitely going with JJ Peterka. The Ottawa Senators don’t fill me with confidence and Peterka has been really good over the past month. I suppose there’s a scenario where Drake Batherson could turn things around and out-produce Peterka, but that seems like a stretch to me given where things stand.
I always hesitate to give up on players playing huge minutes like Travis Sanheim is, but the offence has really dried up. We knew this was coming, so Luke Hughes seems like a viable replacement with more upside. Sanheim probably still has some value in leagues with volume categories like hits and blocks, though in points leagues I’d be comfortable moving on.
It’s Quinton Byfield for me. He’s in the midst of a breakout season and in a great spot playing with Kempe and Anze Kopitar. Byfield is also six-foot-five and just 21 years of age. I’d attach my rocket ship to him.
I’d go with Brock Nelson, without question. He has a chance to reach 40 goals this season and he could easily finish in the top 30 for shots on goal. Nelson is typically one of the most underrated players in fantasy and he never really gets impacted by the New York Islanders’ struggles to find the back of the net. I’d keep him around as long as you can.
Cozens doesn’t look to take up the opportunity that is Thompson’s absence, is he a drop now?
It’s unfortunate given the season Dylan Cozens put together last season, but it could be time to drop him if you’re desperate. Four points in the past month isn’t going to cut it and he hasn’t taken advantage of Tage Thompson being sidelined. Not to mention, he’s been passed on the depth chart by Casey Mittelstadt. He did pick up a couple of points Thursday, so maybe give him another game or two to see if he catches fire and then decide.
Ilya Samsonov and Woll should rotate fairly regularly going forward and it looks like Connor Ingram might be taking over more of the timeshare with the Arizona goalies. I’d still lean toward Woll and Samsonov because the Toronto Maple Leafs should be stronger than the Coyotes. Woll would be the goalie out of the four who should be the most valuable.
It sounds like Trevor Zegras has resumed skating, so you might want to keep him on IR and see what he does when he returns. It was a very slow start for Zegras, but he’s too talented to stay that cold for long. There’s plenty of upside there, so if he isn’t costing you a roster spot, I’d just hang onto him and see how it plays out.
I think Brock Faber has the most upside out of the three players you listed. He’s getting big minutes for the Minnesota Wild and he might be able to take advantage of the new-coach bump. Faber has the best long-term outlook.
I’d like to see where Ridly Greig is deployed before making an add. If he plays with Vladimir Tarasenko, he’s worth considering, but if the Ottawa Senators juggle their lines and he’s not playing with a potent winger, Greig won’t be as valuable.
I know I praised Sanderson earlier, but it’s Mike Matheson for me. Matheson can fill just about every category for you and should finish well above Sanderson for points.
I’ll be talking more about Jake Neighbours in my Thoughts column later this week, but the short answer is yes, he is worth a look, given his deployment and recent production. I wouldn’t drop Trevor Moore, though. He’s been too good.
I think for now you could just roster Brandon Montour. It’s possible the Panthers will go back to a two-defenceman power play at some point, but it’s hard to see who they would remove. Aaron Ekblad really hasn’t been that fantasy relevant anyway, outside of one strong season a couple of years back.
