Every Sunday, we share 21 Fantasy Rambles from our writers at DobberHockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week’s 'Daily Ramblings'.

Writers/Editors: Ian Gooding, Michael Clifford, Alexander MacLean and Dobber

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1. One game was all that it took for Patrik Laine to hit injured reserve. The Blue Jackets winger is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks with an elbow sprain. Laine was injured in Columbus’ Wednesday opener against Carolina. Obviously the Laine – Johnny Gaudreau magic that was expected to occur will now have to be put on hold, while Boone Jenner stock will probably fall a bit.

The player elevated to the CBJ top power-play unit after Laine left the game was… Justin Danforth! In spite of coach Brad Larsen’s comments that Danforth’s first-line spot alongside Gaudreau is “in pencil,” Danforth was handed 20 minutes of ice time and first-unit power-play duties on Friday. Not exactly what we’d expected when we forecasted the Jackets, but players come out of nowhere every season. That’s part of the fun. Given Friday’s encouraging boxscore, I’m a little more interested in Danforth than I was prior to this game. That being said, Danforth will undoubtedly be on a short leash if he can’t take full advantage of this opportunity while Laine is out. (oct15)

Danforth recorded just 14 points in 45 games last season, although 10 of those points were goals. He’s a 29-year-old undrafted 5-9 forward who has spent some time in the KHL and ECHL, so he arrives with virtually no pedigree (and a potential nice story.) (oct14)

2. The Flyers have signed Travis Sanheim to an eight-year, $50 million extension. For those in salary cap leagues who need to plan ahead, this works out to a raise of just over $1.5 million per season.

This signing doesn’t have a ton of implications otherwise in fantasy leagues. To give you an idea, Sanheim was just 2% rostered in Yahoo leagues this past Thursday. From a real-life hockey perspective, the number of 7-8-year deals seem to be on the rise, with this signing and the Mattias Samuelsson contract yesterday showing as two examples of non-star players landing the big term. Teams are taking a bet that these defensemen will progress as hoped and that the cap hit will be a bargain once the salary cap rises, especially with the cost of top-4 defenseman normally coming at a premium. We’ll find out years from now whether this is an effective strategy. (oct14)

3. Samuelsson’s contract (seven years, $30 million) is not one that has many comparables, given that he has 54 career NHL games and zero goals to his name. Oscar Klefbom signed a long-term deal with just 77 games of his own, so that could be the upside for Buffalo here. If Samuelsson has the impact of (a healthy) Klefbom, this will be a home run sooner rather than later.

There are downsides, obviously. Buffalo needs to be confident that he can be a middle-pair blue liner for them or this turns into an anchor. The jury is still out on Jesperi Kotkaniemi in Carolina, but he was given a similar contract and with Vincent Trocheck gone, the pressure is mounting on him to fulfill his potential. Samuelsson won’t have much pressure on him just yet but seeing signs of improvement this year will go a long way to settling the discourse a year or two down the road. (oct13)

4. Someone has to score in Philly this season. In John Tortorella’s debut as the Flyers coach, that was Travis Konecny and Morgan Frost. Each scored a pair of goals in their 5-2 win over New Jersey. Also making his Flyers debut, Tony DeAngelo chipped in a pair of assists. We’ll probably see the frustrated version of Torts a lot this season, but at least for opening day, everyone was bright and cheery in Philadelphia. (oct14)

5. Michael Rasmussen might be playing on the tallest line in the league, which also features the 6-3 Oskar Sundqvist and the 6-6 – 6-8 (depending who you ask) Elmer Soderblom. A surprise to skip the AHL and immediately crack the Red Wings in his first season in North America, Soderblom scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game on Friday. He also saw second-unit power-play time and took five shots in just under 13 minutes of ice time. Even though he’s an easy fellow to remember, Soderblom should probably be left for the deepest of leagues at the moment. (oct15)

6. Josh Anderson is making some noise again because he’s on the Habs’ top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and is on the first-unit power play. Although he was held without a point like the rest of his teammates on Friday, he scored the game-winner on Wednesday against the Leafs. Anderson is most ideal for bangers leagues than pure scoring leagues, if you’re thinking about making the add. Yet he’s a certified Band-Aid Boy that hasn’t quite hit a 40-point pace the past two seasons in spite of some flashes of brilliance. (oct15)

7. Until one of the goalies can turn into the second coming of Johnny Bower (or maybe even Felix Potvin?) Leafs Nation will constantly worry about the goaltending situation. Expect both Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov to split starts as they get their feet wet in the pressure-cooker environment. Yet as the season goes on, expect Sheldon Keefe to ride the hot hand. [Update: On Saturday, it was announced that Murray will be sidelined for at least four weeks with an adductor injury.] (oct14)

8. In his first NHL game on Thursday, 19-year-old Wyatt Johnston scored his first NHL goal, which was also a power-play marker. Johnston and Stars newcomer Nils Lundkvist were both on the Stars’ second power-play unit. Johnston was on what appeared to be the Stars’ third line with Jamie Benn and Denis Gurianov. He might be worth a look in deeper leagues, but keep in mind that he’s currently on the nine-game trial as well. (oct14)

9. Shane Wright played a grand total of six minutes in his NHL debut on Wednesday. So, on Thursday, he was made a healthy scratch. Unless this is a one-time arrangement, I’m wondering how much sense it makes to bench him in the NHL when he could be playing as much as he wants to in the OHL. General manager Ron Francis has stated that he expects Wright to spend the season in Seattle, but is that really what’s best for him if his icetime is going to be limited?

Justin Schultz, and not Vince Dunn, was on Seattle’s first-unit power play on Wednesday. Schultz made the most of it, recording two assists. Dunn logged slightly more power-play time on Thursday, although I think their second unit was on the ice longer than their first unit? Regardless, Schultz is only 4% rostered in Yahoo leagues at time of writing. His injury history has made him an afterthought in many drafts, but a potentially increased role with an expansion team in Seattle as opposed to established teams such as Pittsburgh and Washington could help his value. (oct14)

10. Seeing Nico Hischier in his regular top-line role is great from a fantasy perspective. He had a career-best 60 points last year (in just 70 games) and with the Devils starting to look like a playoff team, better seasons are almost certainly ahead. If he can manage to return in time for the start of the season, his fantasy managers should be please with the return. (oct13)

11. As a life-long Habs fan, it is getting a bit hard to contain myself here. Max Pacioretty was great winger for them for many years but it has been a long, long time since they’ve had a true game-breaker up front. A guy that, whenever he touches the puck, the entire rink sits up a bit and starts focusing harder. That kind of player makes every single game worth watching and also means they’re not out of games when they fall behind.

Cole Caufield still has a long way to go before he’s at that level, but the changes to his game since Martin St. Louis took over are noticeable. He and Nick Suzuki play catch with the puck more and have more confidence going into the offensive zone. Folks, we are getting excited. (oct13)

12. Opening night note: Jonathan Quick getting the start for LA over Cal Petersen, showing that the goalie split is likely still going to favour Quick’s experience and contract, despite this being year two of Petersen’s $5.0 AAV contract. He will take over as soon as Quick leaves though, and this is a team on the rise. If you own Petersen in a keeper, be patient. (oct12)

13. Aliaksei Protas made the team out of camp last year too, but looks a lot more NHL-ready this time around. The hulking centreman has some very light hands for his size, and makes an ideal complement to the top-six core missing Tom Wilson and T.J. Oshie. He should fill in while there are some injured forwards, and may be able to keep his spot in the top-nine even after most return. (oct12)

14. If your league counts plus-minus, you can skip young Coyote Matias Maccelli, but if you’re just looking for points, the upside is nice. He posted six points in his 23-game cameo last season, but didn’t get many minutes. If he sticks around all year it will be because he’s earned a spot on a scoring line, making him relevant as a possible 40+ point scorer. He has a 7.5 upside rating on DobberProspects, which means his ultimate upside is around 75 points. (oct12)

15. I’ll briefly say that there are also a ton of Calder candidates this year, including Alex Holtz, Marco Rossi, Calen Addison, Jack Quinn, Mason McTavish, Owen Power, Dylan Holloway, Wyatt Johnston, Nils Lundqvist, and just a bunch of other solid names. It’s a great time to be building a young team, because the wait times are just shorter and shorter nowadays.

I was also going to mention Vitali Kravtsov as a possible Calder candidate, but he left last Tuesday’s game with an injury. That puts a bunch of games, but maybe more importantly his top-six spot, in jeopardy. Hoping for a speedy recovery here. (oct12)

16. There are also a few rookies that made the opening-night lineup that should get a nine-game trial, but are a good bet to be sent back down after that.  

Simon Nemec, the most recent second-overall pick by the Devils had a standout camp, and earned an opening night roster spot. However, the Devils have a solid six defencemen, with some other reliable fill-ins waiting in the wings. Nemec is best served in the minors this year (and was assigned there late last week). 

Former top-10 picks Dylan Guenther and Brandt Clarke made their respective teams, as well, however neither is really needed this year. The Coyotes don’t need to put Guenther through a year in purgatory, while the Kings have at least four other NHL-worthy right-hand-shot defencemen. (oct12)

17. There are a number of top-end breakout options for Minnesota, but we will stick with the defenceman that managed 58 points in 77 career AHL games. Calen Addison has long been touted as a great puck mover and Minnesota needs a steady puck mover on the top power play. He has 40-point potential even playing on the third pair at even strength. (oct11)

18. We may see Alexis Lafrenière, Vitali Kravtsov, or Kaapo Kakko in the top-6 often, but it was Filip Chytil who seemed to really turn a corner offensively in 2021-22. It would not be shocking to see him have a Yanni Gourde-like season with 20 goals and 45 points from the third line. (oct11)

19. My initial pick for potential breakout player in St. Louis was Scott Perunovich, but an injury could keep him out all year. Playing for yet another veteran-heavy team, Jake Neighbours has often been skating on St. Louis’s third line and posted 78 points over his final 49 games in the WHL. His issue is being waivers exempt, which could mean inconsistent appearances on the main roster. (oct11)

20. If Nicolas Roy could get a top-6 role, he would be my breakout pick in Vegas, but it seems the team really likes him in a third-line role. Logan Thompson is going to have a lot of pressure on him as the team wants to get to the postseason again, but he could be a 55-start rookie goalie on a playoff team. That is worth a lot if he doesn’t falter. (oct11)

21. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that the Flames placed Juuso Valimaki on waivers. A 16^th overall pick who has seen his development severely stunted because of poorly-timed injuries, Valimaki is a 21-year-old in a 24-year-old’s body. That’s how I see this guy (he turned 24 last week, actually). He has missed so much time during key development years that he isn’t as far along as he should be. And unlike some players who just play so poorly that they get casted off (Olli Juolevi), there are some players who just had bad luck. On a team like Arizona, who need all the high-end upside they can get, this is a great fit. The Coyotes claimed him on Sunday. And although he’s a left shot and so is Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere – I think Chychrun gets traded within the next month, and I think ‘Ghost’ gets moved by the deadline. In the meantime, I’d like to see Valimaki just stay healthy and get 17 minutes per game of ice time and second-unit PP time. If so, he can still salvage a career that meets his potential. (Oct10)

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