Well folks, we're midway through November, and by now we've seen a decent sample size across the board from all teams and players. A couple weeks ago I was preaching patience and I highlighted a few players who it would be wise to give some more time. No more mister nice guy though. Eventually in the course of a fantasy season, you need to make some tough decisions and decide to cut your losses on some players.  While it's important not to have a quick trigger finger, at some point you will have to make a tough call. While it may be a little harsh, let's dive into some players it may be best to move on from going forward this season.

Kaapo Kakko (NYR) – RW

2021-22 Stats: 10 GP- 0 G. 0 A, 0 PTs, 13 Shots, 3 Hits, 2 Blocks, 14:45 ATOI

Going into the start of this season, I was very high on Kaapo Kaako. With the departure of Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues, I figured Kaako would be a prominent fixture in the New York Rangers top-six. Additionally, the Rangers seem like they are on the up-and-up with a number of strong players in their prime as well as a nice blend of youngsters, including the aforementioned Kaako. 

Unfortunately, things have not started off well this season for the young Finnish winger. He hit the IR early in the campaign with an upper-body injury which saw him miss four games. When he came back he joined a Rangers team that was already sputtering offensively and Kaako's return didn't seem to turn the tide. He is pointless through 10 games thus far and Kaako isn't going to rack you up a lot of other peripherals. If he isn't making offensive contributions, it's really hard to warrant keeping him around. I still think his future is bright, but for now it may be best to look elsewhere for your fantasy needs.

While he is slotted on the second line with Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin, he still averages south of 15 minutes of ice time per game. That's not a ton and while he has been on the ice, he hasn't done enough. His shot rate is a sheepish 1.3 per game. That's a bad number for both fantasy owners as well as for his own production. The Rangers have all the talent you could ever want, they just need to get it going. The Metro division is a tough one, and most nights the Rangers are in for a close matchup.

Trevor Zegras (ANA) – C

2021-22 Stats: 13 GP- 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS, 28 Shots, 7 Hits, 7 Blocks, 17:04 ATOI

Heading into the beginning of the season, Trevor Zegras was the odds-on favorite to capture the Calder Trophy. The 20-year-old American center debuted with the Ducks last year and dressed in 24 games. He did reasonably well during his first taste of NHL action, scoring three goals and tallying 13 points. The Ducks have a bevy of budding young stars, and Zegras is at the forefront of their youth movement.

For the past couple of years, the Ducks have experienced some growing pains and quite simply put, they've been quite bad. Though early on this season, much to the surprise of many, they've looked quite good. Aside from the usual strong play of netminder John Gibson, it seems as though Troy Terry is having himself a breakout season. In just 14 games played, Terry has amassed 19 points and is leading the Ducks offensively. 

The Ducks are top five in the NHL for goals scored and they are getting offense from lots of unlikely sources. Unfortunately, Zegras has not been a key contributor thus far for Anaheim. He's managed five points through 13 games so far, but I feel he's fallen well short of the mark set for him up to this point. 

With some key injuries to Ducks forwards Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell, there's a major lack of depth up front. That currently leaves Zegras centering a second line with wingers Sonny Milano and Nicolas Deslauriers. To me, that's not the most ideal spot for Zegras and he would benefit much more if he could play on a line with more bonafide NHLers. Despite this, he does still have a spot on the top power play unit for the time being.

While the Ducks have looked good, if I were a betting man, I think eventually they will regress a bit. It's a long season full of peaks and valleys and this young Ducks team will need to show resilience to stay atop the standings in the West. Obviously, if you are in a dynasty league where young players are held long-term, Zegras is still a great asset. I think perhaps a bit more grooming may be in order.

Jeff Petry (MTL) – D

2021-22 Stats: 16 GP- 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, 18 Shots, 31 Hits, 20 Blocks, 23:58 ATOI

Finally, switching focus to the blueline, I have chosen to highlight Jeff Petry of the Montreal Canadiens. Simply put, this season has been a mess so far for the Habs. After a miraculous playoff run that saw Montreal go all the way to the Cup final last season, it's been one thing after another this year. It looks like Shea Weber's career may be permanently in jeopardy, so that's a huge loss both on and off the ice. It has also been well documented that Carey Price has been working though some personal issues, so the Habs have been without the services of two of their leaders thus far with neither of them likely to return any time soon.

Additionally, rookie phenom Cole Caufield had looked awful to start the campaign and has since been sent to Laval, Montreal's AHL affiliate. The Habs offense has been abysmal so far, ranking amongst the lowest in all the league. Jeff Petry has seen his offensive numbers dip big time. While Petry has never been an offensive dynamo, he has been a safe bet to get you 40 or more points over the past handful of seasons. If you supplement that with the massive number of hits and blocks he stacks up year in and year out, he can be a very solid d-man depending on the format of your league.

Well it's still a little early, but I think 40 points is off the table for this season. In 16 games, Petry has a mere two assists up to this point. It's not like he isn't getting ample opportunities to contribute. He averages a very robust 23:58 average time on ice, and he has a spot on both special teams' units as well. He is averaging just 1.1 shots per game which is basically half of what his shot rate was last season. If you really need a source of hits or blocks he may be worth keeping, but at this point you might want to just have an open slot for streaming starts. 

Sadly for Habs' fans, the 33-year-old blueliner is still on the hook for another three years at $6.25 million per season. He is currently on pace for about 10 points, so good luck with that.

* Well, that's all for this week guys. It's never a good feeling to cut bait on some of the guys you targeted in your draft or any player you had high hopes on. That being said, we are at the point where being stubborn and waiting too long to make a move could be counter-productive to your team. Good luck on making the right call for your teams, and until next week, cheers!