Fantasy Take: Wennberg Looking to Expand Role in Seattle
Michael Clifford
2021-07-28
Seattle remains maybe the most mystifying team of the offseason. They did not make a single trade at the Expansion Draft, and it seemed they shot themselves in the foot by asking for too much in return. That is a huge mistake because teams are dumping good players left and right *with* draft picks in order to clear cap space. Why the Kraken weren't in on players like Shayne Gostisbehere is beyond me.
The head-scratching continues:
Not that Wennberg is a bad player or anything. But why sign him for three years at $4.5M a season when they could have traded *for* Tyler Johnson at a similar cap hit (which is irrelevant for them anyway) *and* receive a draft pick for their troubles? No? Just sign a middling free agent for some reason? Ok.
Anyway, I called him a middle free agent for a reason. According to HockeyViz, his offensive and defensive impacts are the very definition of middling:
In that sense, this isn't a terrible deal. The Kraken get a guy who can competently play 3C for three years while the team is building. But again, why not just go get Tyler Johnson and a draft pick?
Does he do anything for them in the fantasy game? Well, it depends.
One of Wennberg's strengths is playmaking. He isn't good in transition, but once the puck is in the offensive zone, he's near the 90th percentile in shot assists. He has had two seasons where the team's on-ice shooting percentage spiked over 10 percent with him on the ice (2018 and 2021) and if he can do that in Seattle, he'll be a huge boon for his wingers. He can also finish when he gets the chance, he just doesn't shoot enough to do it.
His problem might be his line mates. It doesn't look like Seattle is stocking up this year, and if he's on the third line for a true expansion team, we're looking at line mates like Brandon Tanev, Calle Jarnkrok, and Mason Appleton. If he's not with their top guys like Jordan Eberle or Yanni Gourde, even if he plays well, the team could struggle to score with him on the ice.
There just isn't much here for fantasy. If he were to go to a team with good third liners like Tampa Bay or Colorado, that's one thing. An expansion team without a set roster? He is a pass in most leagues.
It does make Florida's 3C spot more interesting. Sam Reinhart? Noel Acciari? We'll see.
Who this helps
Brandon Tanev
Who this hurts
Morgan Geekie
Alex True
Related Posts
UPCOMING GAMES
| Jan 22 - 19:01 |
 N.J
| vs |
 BOS | |
| Jan 22 - 19:01 |
 TOR
| vs |
 CBJ | |
| Jan 22 - 21:01 |
 COL
| vs |
 WPG | |
| Jan 22 - 22:01 |
 L.A
| vs |
 FLA
| |
Starting Goalies
Top Skater Views
| Players | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| DARREN RADDYSH |
 T.B | |
| LANE HUTSON |
 MTL | |
| MIKE LUNDIN |
 | |
| KAAPO KAKKO |
 SEA | |
| PAVEL DOROFEYEV |
 VGK
| |
Top Goalie Profile Views
DAL
WSH
OTT
NYR
LINE COMBOS
| Frequency |
N.J Players
| |
|---|---|---|
| 20.3 | DAWSON MERCER TIMO MEIER JUSTIN DOWLING | |
| 18.9 | STEFAN NOESEN NICO HISCHIER JESPER BRATT | |
| 15.9 | JACK HUGHES PAUL COTTER NATHAN BASTIAN | |
DobberHockey Podcasts
Keeping Karlsson: May the Schwartz Be With You
Elan and Brian see new sides of Jaden Schwartz and Kaapo Kakko, get hopeful for Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Tomas Hertl and Jason Robertson, and take a moment to sympathize with Eric Comrie.
Fantasy Hockey Life: Western Conference Buys and Sells
Victor and Jesse make the rounds of the Western Conference with an argument on opne buy and one sell for each team. We talk Jackson LaCombe, Mason McTavish, Martin Pospisil, Nazem Kadri, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matthew Savoie, Drew Doughty, Kevin Fiala, William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, Shane Wright, Chandler Stephenson, Tom Willander, Jake DeBrusk, Victor Olofsson, Noah […]
Keeping Karlsson: Matchup Maximizer Week 16
Elan looks at the schedule for the upcoming week of NHL action and recommends some players with good schedules that you should consider streaming in to win your head to head matchups.
Keeping Karlsson Short Shifts – The Wilkes-Jarry Penguins
Elizabeth and Lewis are back to take listeners through a host of power play changes that are giving managers the opportunity to get exposure to great players off the waiver wire, including Philly, Jersey, and Tampa talk. They also cover Jarry’s AHL demotion, Cooley’s ascension to the top-line and powerplay, and injuries to Tavares and Hintz. The duo wrap up with some hot and cold streak deep dives, including discussion of the Red Wings crazy powerplay success in the last ten games, whether Erik Gustafsson is rosterable or an overperforming illusion, Fantilli’s continued success, Merilainen as Hamburglar 2.0, and whether Schenn’s success and Neighbours’ lack thereof are likely to continue.
Keeping Karlsson: Leaving Letang
Elan and Brian find a couple volume and potential starters showing up midseason, consider whether Jake Walman really is on the league’s longest hot streak, and encourage you to pause the pod for a Columbus 1C stepping onto one of the NHL’s best lines.