OUT NOW!

I released the Fantasy Guide on August 4, and the last update is August 19 with the Carey Price news. Pick up the Fantasy Guide here and immediately download both the PDF and the spreadsheet. This week I plan to put in the team goals-for projections/rankings now that Nazem Kadri has signed.

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Mason McTavish dominated the WJC so thoroughly, that I bumped up his NHL readiness as well as his upside. I don't do this with too many players, as it is only one tournament, but he really stood out as a complete player with an elite offensive touch. You may have noticed he jumped up into the Top 10 in the recent Fantasy Prospect Rankings. In the Fantasy Guide I predict he makes the team (80% certainty) and posts 39 points. But I may need to add him to my sleeper section for 50-plus. He looks every bit as capable of doing it as Trevor Zegras did last season. If the two play together, you can probably lock that in.

The other Duck who starred in the tournament – Olen Zellweger – was an offensive dynamo for Team Canada. But with the roster that the Ducks have right now, there is no way he makes the team this season. Next season (2023-24), however, he's a lock – John Klingberg and Kevin Shattenkirk will be gone.

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I'm impressed with Joakim Kemell, who finished second in WJC scoring. But I still tend to hold down Nashville prospects in terms of their arrival times. Let's look at some key draft picks over the past decade:

Kevin Fiala, drafted 11^th overall in 2014, 'arrived' as a fantasy player in 2017-18…and didn't seriously arrive until 2019-20. The wait time there was five years before he was a pro-team player on most fantasy rosters.

Eeli Tolvanen, drafted 30^th overall in 2017, still hasn't arrived as a true pro-team fantasy player.

Philip Tomasino, 24^th overall in 2019, actually made the team last year and looks very promising. But didn't get on a pro fantasy team with his 32 points. That's three years now.

The list goes on. You can look at defensemen (Dante Fabbro, Sam Girard), or go further back for forwards with the likes of Pontus Aberg. But the point is – as great as Kemell is looking right now, this is Nashville. And I err on the side of caution with him and any short-term expectations.

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I already had plenty of respect for the likes of Logan Stankoven (Team Canada, Dallas prospect), Aatu Raty (Team Finland, NYI prospect) and Kent Johnson (Team Canada, CBJ prospect). But one guy who has been rapidly rising up my lists is Joshua Roy. He's a Montreal prospect who fell all the way down to 150^th overall in 2021. His trajectory has been skyrocketing ever since, beginning with his QMJHL-leading 119 points last season. His WJC performance was overshadowed by some of the other bigger-named stars out there, but he was money in the bank for Team Canada, and ended up with eight points in the seven games. He'll crack the Top 50 in the next Fantasy Prospects list update.

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And what can I say about Connor Bedard? Best pre-draft prospect since the other Connor and nothing in this WJC has indicated otherwise, only reinforced it. If you're in a rebuild in your dynasty league, put a Chicago Blackhawkian effort into drafting this guy.

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A quick word on William Dufour, who was also strong in this tournament and also dominated the QMJHLO (just three points behind Roy, actually). He is an Islanders prospect. And so, as with Nashville except even more so – I fear for the wait time. Not for him making the NHL, which I'm sure is just a year off. But for his big season. I mean – we're still waiting on Anthony Beauvillier!

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Landon Slaggert did not make this month's Top 200 Fantasy Prospects list, but the Chicago prospect really surged up it. One hundred and twenty-two spots to be precise. He sits at 291 due to the longish wait time. But he definitely stuck out for Team USA.

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Juraj Slafkovsky was this year's top draft pick, but I don't think he makes the Habs. Being first overall traditionally means you're on the team immediately, but the Habs can afford to make him wait a year and not make the Kaapo Kakko (another elite prospect with size) mistake of rushing him. Sure, they could do it. But why? It's a lost year. They already made this abundantly clear by taking on the Sean Monahan salary and stocking up draft picks. They don't want to bring Slafkovsky into such an environment, do they? It makes the most sense to maintain an extra year of player control and bring Slafkovsky in next year. They have too many forwards anyway, even if they start the year with Paul Byron on IR, Mitchell Stephens, Jesse Ylonen and Michael Pezzetta in the minors. Even with all that, the team has 13 NHL forwards – proven NHL forwards – under contract. No, expect Slafkovsky to play his nine-game trial period and then get sent to the AHL.

By the way, Slafkovsky is eligible to play as an 18-year-old in the AHL because he didn't play Canadian junior hockey.

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With Carey Price likely out of the season, the Habs will turn to Jake Allen. Wait, that can't be right. Montreal goaltending was terrible, surely they won't roll with the same group of goalies? Well, yes. Take a look at the options on the free agent market. There's…really nobody. Braden Holtby? No thanks. The only other option is the trade route. Anton Khudobin? Well, that would certainly fit into plans for a rebuild – he'd really help them tank. Jonathan Quick? That would be interesting – just one year left on his deal, and it would allow Cal Petersen to take the reins unopposed. James Reimer? Another interesting one. But I think they stick with Allen, who was actually decent in the second half. In fact, after November 27 here were Allen's numbers over 20 games:

 5-11-3, 3.51 GAA, 0.909 SV% and 45% QS

Not horrible on a team that a better second half. This team won't make the playoffs, but I think they're too good to enter the Bedard sweepstakes.

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The Rasmus Sandin situation is starting to feel like the William Nylander situation back when Nylander sat out until the very last day possible, which was December 1. Until he starts missing training camp, I won't be adjusting any projections for him. But it's starting to feel like that situation. And, no coincidence here – Lewis Gross is the agent for both Sandin and Nylander!

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See you next Monday.