Ramblings: Post-Trade Play from Guentzel, Kuznetsov, Toffoli & Bunting; Capitalizing on Washington’s Schedule (Mar 18)

Brennan Des

2024-03-18

With an assist on Sunday, Jack Roslovic now has three points in six games since joining the Rangers. Although he's been skating on the top line beside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, his average ice time in New York is a measly 14:44. To provide some perspective, he was averaging nearly 19 minutes a night during his final 12 games with the Blue Jackets, in which he posted 13 points. Maybe he just needs time to develop chemistry with his talented linemates, but I wouldn't expect much more production with such limited action.

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Although Jake Allen came away with the loss on Sunday, he was excellent against Vegas, stopping 34 of the 36 shots he faced. Allen has posted a save percentage above .940 in both of his starts with the Devils and should see more action down the stretch. New Jersey has a lot of tough opponents over the next few weeks so I'd hesitate to endorse Allen for this year's fantasy playoffs, but he should be on your radar for next season.  

After tallying an assist on Sunday, Shea Theodore now has 14 points in 12 games since retuning from a three-month injury absence. He has 32 points in 32 games this season. I wonder if he'd be recognized as a top-tier fantasy defensemen had he been healthy all year. He'll certainly cost more in next season's drafts than he did this year.

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Devin Cooley made his NHL debut against Chicago on Sunday. Although he was solid in his first two periods of play, he surrendered three goals during a two-minute span in the third as San Jose lost 5-2 to Chicago. It's hard to endorse a Sharks' netminder in fantasy formats given the team's current roster.

Mikael Granlund tallied an assist on Sunday, giving him 15 points in his last 15 games. He's really the only Shark keeping his head above water this season.

Tyler Johnson tallied two assists on Sunday, giving him eight points in his last six games. He's in a great spot right now, skating beside Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev at even strength and also seeing time on Chicago's top power-play unit. The Blackhawks don't have an ideal schedule over these next few weeks, so it may be hard to incorporate the center-only Johnson into your fantasy lineup. Regardless, if you need offense in a deeper league, Johnson could be a solid option.

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After missing five games with a lower-body injury, Thomas Chabot returned to the lineup and factored in on both goals Ottawa scored in a 7-2 loss to Carolina. He also racked up six shots. Injuries have limited Chabot to just 39 games this season, but he's been solid when healthy – racking up 24 points. That translates to 50 points over 82 games. Considering he's available in nearly 50% of Yahoo Leagues as I write this, it's likely someone grew frustrated with Chabot's frequent absences and dropped him. Cross your fingers and check out the waiver wire if your blueline needs some help.

Dmitry Orlov had a rare four-point night on Sunday and now has six points in his last three games. That's pretty remarkable considering he had six points in 37 games prior to this hot streak. He hasn't seen much power-play time this season but saw prominent minutes with the man advantage on Sunday. Despite a disappointing start to the campaign, it looks like he'll end the year on a high note.

Carolina's new Hurricanes are starting to surge. After going pointless in his first three games with the team, Evgeny Kuznetsov posted two points on Sunday and now has four in his last three outings. After struggling through the end of his tenure in Washington, it's nice to see Kuznetsov enjoying himself again after a brief stint in the NHL's player assistance program. He's cementing himself in Carolina's top six with his strong play, guaranteeing exposure to high-end talent thanks to the team's strong wingers. Currently rostered in just 22% of Yahoo Leagues, Kuznetsov should provide sneaky value down the stretch. He could be especially valuable in leagues that track shots, racking up at last three in each of his past four games.

Jake Guentzel's acclimation period was even shorter than Kuznetsov's. Although Guentzel went pointless in his debut with Carolina, he's posted five points in three games since – including his first goal with the team on Sunday.  

Although Kuznetsov and Guentzel had been skating together recently, they were separated against the Senators on Sunday. Guentzel played beside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, while Kuznetsov centred Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas. With the Hurricanes firmly in a playoff spot, it makes sense for coach Rod Brind'Amour to test out his new tools and find out how they're best utilized.

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Sunday was yet another tough outing for Alex Lyon, who surrendered five goals on 37 shots. Although he seemed to be an underrated option earlier in the year, he hasn't posted a save percentage above .900 in his last eight starts. Detroit's next game is against the lowly Blue Jackets, but James Reimer may end up starting that game after outplaying Lyon this weekend.  

Sunday's dance with Detroit highlighted favourable situations for a few under-the-radar Penguins.

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First up is Michael Bunting, who scored on Sunday and now has three points in his last four games. The sample size is small (six games), but he's averaging over 18 minutes a night in Pittsburgh. That's a sizeable upgrade from the 15 minutes he averaged while in Carolina this season.  

After tallying two points against Detroit on Sunday, Lars Eller now has five points in his last three games. He's benefitted from an expanded role on Pittsburgh's top power-play unit. Although I wouldn't expect big numbers from the 34-year-old center over the course of a full season, I see no harm in riding this hot streak while it lasts.

Finally, there's Drew O'Connor, who scored on Sunday. The 25-year-old winger has four points in his last three games and has been skating beside Sidney Crosby at even strength. A lack of power-play opportunity limits his value, but exposure to Sid could help him produce.

Pittsburgh plays on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday this week, so Bunting, O'Connor or Eller could be a decent late-week add.  

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Winnipeg's second line lifted the Jets to a 6-1 victory over Columbus on Sunday. The trio features new acquisitions in Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli, as well as the often underrated and underutilized Nikolaj Ehlers.

After going pointless in his first two games with Winnipeg, Toffoli has now posted back-to-back two goal games. Although he's still seeing prominent minutes with the man advantage, he's seeing less overall ice time in Winnipeg than he did in New Jersey. I'm hesitant to endorse him long term as he's skated less than 14 minutes in each of his last two outings, but I'll happily ride this hot streak as he seems to be developing chemistry with Ehlers and Monahan.  

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After a quiet stretch of games, the Blues' big boys finally came to play on Sunday. Pavel Buchnevich tallied three assists and Robert Thomas scored two goals as St. Louis beat Anaheim 4-2. Prior to Sunday, Buchnevich had just one point in his last eight outings, while Thomas had three. Jordan Kyrou also had three in eight, but he didn't find the scoresheet Sunday. Given the lack of recent production from St. Louis' top talents, I wouldn't blame you for dropping them in one-year formats – especially Kyrou.

Troy Terry scored two goals against St. Louis on Sunday, shattering a six-game pointless streak. Anaheim has a strong schedule next week (March 25th – 31st), so if you have a bye week this week and you're looking to load up for the week after, Terry could be worth stashing.

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If you're looking to the waiver wire for help this week, the Capitals should be first in line. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are light nights this week – when most other teams aren't in action. Washington plays on all three of those days, making it easy to incorporate players from the team into your fantasy roster. Although high-profile guys like Tom Wilson, T.J. Oshie and Dylan Strome are worth rostering, if you need a more under-the-radar option, consider Connor McMichael. He's posted a point in each of his last three games and has been skating beside Alex Ovechkin and Oshie on Washington's top line.

While it'll be easiest to fit Capitals into your roster, this week's schedule also creates space for the Kraken and Coyotes. If you want Seattle's four games (two light nights), Oliver Bjorkstrand is in good form, with points in seven of his last nine games. If you don't mind settling for three games (two light nights), Nick Schmaltz is hot like the desert he plays in, boasting 16 points in his last 12 games. As I write this, both Bjorkstrand and Schmaltz are available in over 70% of Yahoo Leagues.

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Thanks for reading! If you ever have any fantasy hockey questions, follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza and shoot me a message!

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