Well folks, it all comes down to this! We've arrived at what is the final week for most fantasy hockey leagues. By this point you are either playing for first or third place if you are in a head-to-head league and still competitive, or you are in a roto league and looking to make one final push in the standings before time runs out. Either way, it's been a hell of a season and let's all try to finish strong. I am going to be making these final recommendations under the parameters that your league might be using an elongated format for the final week that will stretch to the end of the regular season, so keep that in mind. Let's take a look at who is up for grabs!

Nashville Predators Players

Okay this is a little bit of a cop out right of the gate, but let me explain. There's three teams that have seven games to play from Monday to the end of the season. Those teams are Colorado, Seattle, and Nashville (and conversely, avoid the Islanders as they only have four games left). Colorado hypothetically still has a bit to play for, as they could still become the top seed in their division, and potentially even with the Western Conference title again. Seattle is sitting at 90 points, and they are pretty close to sealing the deal on one of the wild card spots in the West. In both these scenarios, I could see both clubs resting some of their guys heading into the final few games of the season.

Nashville on the other hand, has miraculously hung on to their playoff hopes despite pretty much throwing in the towel on the season at the trade deadline. Combine that with key injuries to the major players they have left such as Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg, and Roman Josi, it's pretty insane that they are still in the conversation for that final wild card spot. With Josi potentially coming back next week, the Preds have the slimmest of chances to make the playoffs, and my point is that they will be hungry and hopefully playing a good brand of hockey to finish out the season.

I didn't highlight one player because there's a couple of good candidates out there that could be worth picking up. The first and most obvious one to me is Tommy Novak. He's turning 26 in a few weeks, and has finally gotten his chance to shine at the top level after being drafted back in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft in the third round. In 44 games played this season, he's scored 15 goals, and added 23 helpers for 38 points. If you were to expand that into a full 82-game season, he is on pace to be a 70-point player. 

He is currently getting A-1 deployment in both even strength and power play scenarios. If you are in need of some offense in the final days of your season, Novak could be a great choice. Don't count on him to be much of a peripheral guy, he may chip in with an occasional block, but he's not overly physical so count out hits. He shoots at an average pace at just under two shots per game. He is currently owned in 10% of Yahoo leagues and 35% of leagues on Fantrax, so he is still pretty available as of right now.

Alternatively, you turn to his linemate and current partner in crime Luke Evangelista, who is still a bit more of a prospect, having just turned 20 in February. Evangelista has had a shorter stint with the Predators, having just played 17 games with the club to date. In his 17 games, he has managed to net six goals and add six assists to boot. I had considered mentioning him in the Geek of the Week a couple weeks ago but ultimately passed him up. I think this is a great opportunity for him especially considering he is playing major minutes on the top line with potential playoff aspirations on the line. These games could be huge for his development.

For fantasy hockey purposes, I think I like Novak a bit better, but he's a pure center whereas Evangelista is a right winger. He hasn't racked up points at quite the same rate, but one advantage I'd give him over Novak is that he shoots at a higher rate. So If you are in a league with shots on goal, keep that in mind. Like Novak, he isn't a physical player which comes as no surprise at his young age. He is just 1% rostered on Yahoo and 22% rostered on Fantrax (most likely deeper dynasty formats). Both these young bucks are great options. If you were unlucky and they are both taken, consider Cody Glass or Philip Tomasino as alternative options.

Yanni Gourde

So yes, I explained before I wanted Nashville players over Colorado and Seattle players, but I still think Gourde could be a serviceable option over the next handful of days. First off, if Seattle clinches a playoff spot and opts to rest some guys, I don't think it'll be Gourde. I'd assume guys like Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, and Alex Wennberg would be prime rest candidates, as they log a ton of minutes. Of course, the Kraken may not even clinch until the final couple games, if at all, so nothing is set in stone yet anyhow.

As for what I like about Gourde, well lots actually. I specifically wanted to add in someone of his ilk because the Nashville boys don't offer a ton of peripheral value. My man Laurel Yanni may not have blossomed into the offensive dynamo that many were hoping he would be back in his earlier Tampa Bay days, but that doesn't mean he's useless! As he has become more acclimated into the NHL over the years, he seems to have found a solid balance between supplemental offense, and grit which makes him an ideal middle-six forward. This pretty much defines a lot of the forwards on the Kraken to be honest.

He's managed only 11 goals and 33 assists for just 44 total points this season. But he also chips in with a decent amount of faceoff wins every game, nothing in the realm of a Patrice Bergeron or a Bo Horvat, but he will get you an average amount. He can also lay the body at a pretty steady rate. He has 104 hits to date which is a pretty solid number, in fact it's a career high for him and he has seven games left to build on it. He's also got 47 blocked shots to his credit, which isn't a ton, but that's more than most forwards.

Gourde is rostered in 12% of leagues on Yahoo, meanwhile the gang over on Fantrax have him in just over a third of their leagues. If you aren't sold on Gourde, or if he is taken already, there are some solid alternatives. If you are in need of some offense, Jordan Eberle is available in most leagues, and he's close to hitting the 60-point plateau. Matty Beniers is also a serviceable option. If you need more of a grinder, Brandon Tanev could be had as well.

Well guys, that's all she wrote for this season! And for yours truly, this will be my final edition of Geek of the Week as I'm stepping down from the position after a few great years here at DobberHockey. I really had a blast working for the site, and especially am grateful for working directly with fantastic senior editor Ian Gooding. I wish you all the very best in your fantasy hockey endeavors. For the few of you who have reached out with fantasy hockey questions via email over the years, I've loved the dialogue, and honestly don't mind if you ever care to pick my brain about hockey down the road, don't be strangers! Cheers everyone!