Looking Ahead: Klingberg a Potential Odd Man Out
Andrew Santillo
2022-03-04
The calendar flips to March and we're in for a crucial four-week fantasy time span. It's time to jockey for playoff position or try to climb back into the playoff picture.
The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)
Yegor Sharangovich, C/LW/RW, New Jersey Devils (Available in 81% of ESPN leagues, 55% Fantrax, 81% Yahoo) – The Devils offense has been playing very well as of late which means we need to strike while the iron is hot and find some value with a lower-owned player. I think Sharangovich fits that perfectly.
Sharangovich has 11 points in his last eight games played and just scorched the stat sheet in the month of February. In the eight games New Jersey played in February, there was only one at which Sharangovich did not record a point. He's moved around new Jersey's top six, playing at times on their second line across from Jesper Bratt but has most recently moved up to their top line paired with Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer.
In some leagues Sharangovich is eligible at all forward positions so he can easily float around your roster to help fill it without having to decide between two players which is a big advantage to have. If he's available, trends are your friends, so I think he's worth taking a flyer on for the next week or so.
The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)
Michael Bunting, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs (Available in 74% of ESPN leagues, 28% Fantrax, 48% Yahoo) – I'm actually kind of surprised Bunting's ownership is lower on a couple of the more prominent fantasy sites. I would have guessed it would higher because. A.) He plays for Toronto. B-Z.) He plays for Toronto and is on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
When the Leafs took Nick Ritchie off of line one (dark days), Bunting took top LW responsibilities and began to play well right away. I'd considered him for an Immediate Fix but as time went on, I feel we need to make him a Building Block. In the last three games played Bunting has seven points and nine points in his last five. Those numbers alone are good but what makes him a Building Block moving forward is simple, he skates on the best scoring line in hockey.
The trio of Bunting, Matthews, and Marner has 14 goals in their past ten games and seven goals in their last three, both NHL bests. Bunting isn't correlated on the power play with this line, but as a whole the Leafs have scored the most goals at all strengths in the month of February, so there's been plenty of scoring chances to go around. I don't necessarily want to call Bunting a third wheel so to speak but let's be honest, if Matthews or Marner (or both) go off in a game then odds are Bunting is going to come right along with them. Down the stretch if you have a free roster spot or are looking to fill a player that landed on IR, I think adding Bunting could make a big difference these next few weeks.
The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)
John Klingberg, D, Dallas Stars (Owned in 68% of ESPN leagues, 87% of Fantrax, 65% Yahoo) – It was deciding whether or not to fade the Stars Wednesday afternoon that I began to look a little bit deeper into Klingberg's overall numbers. I've been watching him for a few weeks now and I think it's time we dive into him being an Odd Man Out for the time being.
Klingberg has no points in his last seven games since missing a contest on February 13 versus Colorado with an upper-body injury. His average ice time over that span has been down around one minute but not really speculating an injury here, just looking at the numbers themselves. What makes Klingberg an odd man is his spot on the Stars power play. For the majority of this season, he quarterbacked the Stars' top power-play unit but last game he shared that time with fellow defensemen Miro Heiskanen. Not saying a two defensemen power-play can't work, but this could potentially cut into Klingberg's offensive value if they keep this current power-play unit together.
Maybe reading into this a little too much, but he's on the last year of his deal at a decent number, I don't think it's out of the question that he's potentially dealt? I don't think that's out of the conversation at this point, and we're right around the corner from NHL trade rumors ramping up before deadline. If you're rostering Klingberg, I would take a look at the ice time and where he's slated to skate for the Stars for the next several days.
The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)
Torey Krug, D, St. Louis Blues (Owned in 83% of ESPN leagues, 95% of Fantrax, 90% Yahoo) – This ownership for Krug is wildly high on all sites and I feel like it could just be a matter of looking at the name and the skaters that Krug is often paired with? The numbers aren't promising, let's take a look.
What finally did it for me with Krug was his place on the ice for the Blues, now moving down to St. Louis's second power-play unit. Sure, that unit still has Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich together, but that's still a decline in ice time. In the past three games the Blues top power play unit saw 5:13 minutes with the second around 4:50 with Krug's average ice time falling by a minute.
Along with the decreased ice time comes the offensive numbers, in the past 30 days Krug has only three points and currently has the lowest individual points percentage of his career. This could be a case of a player just getting unlucky, but with St. Louis as a whole spreading out their ice time, I think it's more a matter of not being paired with a consistent forward grouping. If your league hasn't passed the trade deadline, I think trying to move Krug in a deal may be the way to go to try and get something in return.
Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)
This period runs from March 4 to March 17
Calgary – The Flames just look like they're having a ball out on the ice and I would think going 9-1-0 over their last ten games probably has something to do with it. Calgary has five games next week with four of them on home ice. They're for sure a Love Em next week.
Los Angeles – The Kings top six have been great recently and they'll have a busy schedule upcoming to roster them. They'll see Boston on the road to start next week who absolutely crushed them on Monday, but then have a home and home against the Sharks, who have only one line that seems to score. I like the Kings here coming up.
NY Islanders – The Isles have a homestand coming up where they'll see some tough competition but were quietly top five in goals in the month of February. This is a club that doesn't take a lot of penalties and have gotten good goaltending as of late.
Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)
Buffalo – Yeah, I know it's Buffalo, but this club hasn't been bad offensively as of late and their top line has been a very popular main or filler stack on DFS the past couple weeks. Moving forward, yes, they are on home ice but they'll see Florida, Vegas, and Toronto. That's a tough stretch for any club let alone one that's near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Dallas – The Stars will see Buffalo at home on Sunday which is great, but next week they only have two games on the schedule, which is taking me off them.
Pittsburgh – Another week of a light schedule for the Pens with three tough games coming up on the horizon with matchups vs Florida, Vegas, and Carolina. For now, they're a Leave Em for me.
Friday, March 4th to Thursday, March 10th, 2022 |
Best Bets |
Toronto 4.56 – Away CBJ – Home VAN SEA ARI |
Vegas 4.39 – Away ANA PHI BUF – Home OTT |
Florida 4.35 – Away BUF PIT – Home DET PHI |
Los Angeles 4.25 – Away CBJ BUF BOS – Home SJS |
Minnesota 4.19 – Away BUF DET – Home DAL NYR |
Steer Clear |
Pittsburgh 1.81 – Away CAR – Home FLA |
Montreal 1.95 – Away EDM VAN |
Vancouver 2.11 – Away TOR – Home MTL |
Dallas 2.61 – Away WPG MIN NSH |
San Jose 2.75 – Away ANA LAK – Home NSH |
Saturday, March 5th to Friday, March 11th, 2022 |
Best Bets |
Toronto 4.56 – Away CBJ – Home VAN SEA ARI |
Florida 4.35 – Away BUF PIT – Home DET PHI |
Vegas 4.34 – Away PHI BUF PIT – Home PIT |
NY Islanders 4.15 – Home STL COL CBJ WPG |
Minnesota 4.09 – Away DET CBJ – Home DAL NYR |
Steer Clear |
Dallas 1.71 – Away MIN NSH |
Pittsburgh 1.89 – Home FLA VGK |
Montreal 1.95 – Away EDM VAN |
Carolina 2.10 – Home SEA COL |
NY Rangers 2.71 – Away WPG MIN STL |
Sunday, March 6th to Saturday, March 12th, 2022 |
Best Bets |
Vegas 4.34 – Away PHI BUF PIT – Home OTT |
Los Angeles 4.30 – Away BUF BOS SJS – Home SJS |
Calgary 4.25 – Home EDM WSH TBL DET |
Anaheim 4.20 – Away CHI NSH NJD – Home SJS |
Ottawa 4.12 – Away VGK STL – Home SEA CHI |
Steer Clear |
Pittsburgh 1.89 – Home FLA VGK |
Montreal 2.15 – Away VAN – Home SEA |
Vancouver 2.31 – Home MTL WSH |
Philadelphia 2.60 – Away FLA CAR – Home VGK |
Colorado 2.61- Away NYI NJD CAR |
Monday, March 7th to Sunday, March 13th, 2022 |
Best Bets |
Calgary 5.11 – Away COL – Home EDM WSH TBL DET |
Toronto 4.60 – Away CBJ BUF – Home SEA ARI |
Vegas 4.18 – Away PHI BUF PIT CBJ |
Los Angeles 4.15 – Away BOS SJS – Home SJS FLA |
NY Islanders 4.15 – Home COL CBJ WPG ANA |
Steer Clear |
San Jose 1.80 – Away LAK – Home LAK |
Dallas 1.85 – Away NSH – Home NYR |
NY Rangers 2.76 – Away MIN STL DAL |
Arizona 2.76 – Away DET TOR BOS |
Pittsburgh 2.78 – Home FLA VGK CAR |
Tuesday, March 2nd to Monday March 14th, 2022 |
Best Bets |
Ottawa 4.57 – Away STL – Home SEA CHI ARI |
Vegas 4.18 – Away PHI BUF PIT CBJ |
St.Louis 4.06 – Away NSH – Home OTT NYR WPG |
Calgary 4.06 – Away COL – Home WSH TBL DET |
Nashville 4.01 – Away MIN – Home DAL ANA STL |
Steer Clear |
San Jose 1.80 – Away LAK – Home LAK |
Dallas 1.85 – Away NSH – Home NYR |
Buffalo 1.89 – Home VGK TOR |
Edmonton 2.10 – Home WSH TBL |
Boston 2.47 – Home CHI ARI |
Wednesday, March 3rd to Tuesday, March 15th, 2022 |
Best Bets |
Montreal 4.51 – Away VAN PHI – Home SEA ARI |
Vancouver 4.46 – Home MTL WSH TBL NJD |
Los Angeles 4.24 – Away SJS – Home SJS FLA COL |
NY Islanders 4.20 – Away WSH.- Home CBJ WPG ANA |
Vegas 3.99 – Away BUF PIT CBJ WPG |
Steer Clear |
Buffalo 1.89 – Home VGK TOR |
Dallas 1.90 – Away TOR – Home NYR |
Seattle 2.19 – Away OTT MTL |
Columbus 2.60 – Away NYI – Home MIN VGK |
Colorado 2.61 – Away CAR LAK – Home VGK |
Thursday, March 4th to Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 |
Best Bets |
Ottawa 4.78 – Home SEA CHI ARI CBJ |
Boston 4.42 – Away CHI MIN – Home CHI ARI |
Los Angeles 4.24 – Away SJS – Home SJS FLA COL |
NY Islanders 4.20 – Away WSH – Home CBJ WPG ANA |
Calgary 4.11 – Away COL – TBL DET NJD |
Steer Clear |
Washington 1.84 – Away VAN – Home NYI |
Buffalo 1.89 – Home VGK TOR |
Dallas 1.90 – Away TOR – Home NYR |
Edmonton 2.10 – Home TBL DET |
Colorado 2.61 – Away CAR LAK – Home CGY |