My leagues are in the thick of playoff season and at this point all of yours are likely there as well. For the last few weeks I have been trying to outline some players who seemed like they were well poised to help you get to the playoffs or in your first week. Part of the calculus for selecting those players was that they had some potential to provide value beyond the week ahead as not everyone had started their playoffs yet. At this point all of that is out the window. It is do or die for most teams so we have to make some decisions we might not normally make. To that end we are going to take a bit more of a cut throat take on players who you can drop, and some players you might want to think about adding.

 

First we are going to take a peek at a couple of scheduling notes as it will help us find some streamers later.

1. Only one western team doesn’t play Saturday
2. Three western teams don’t play Thursday
3. Eight western teams don’t play Tuesday
4. No western team plays a Friday/Sunday Split

 

Basically that means the streaming options I am going to be looking at are the ones that are most likely going to play in games that you can actually start them. There are a number of teams that play four times, but if your schedule is full on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday that player won’t help much.

 

For a larger picture of the Week Ahead check out Adam’s article from late last week.

 

Good (Likely to get you three games):

Vancouver is set up to provide the most potential games with three games outside of Sunday. Unfortunately Vancouver has not been a gold mine of fantasy value recently.

 

Low owned players who might be available in your league include; Josh Leivo, Alex Biega, Troy Stecher, Tyler Motte, and Tanner Pearson. Of the group Alex Biega is the most interesting to me. Points don’t come very often for Biega (but let’s be honest they aren’t coming particularly quickly for anyone in Vancouver at the moment), but he does hit and shoot so if your league counts hits he is worth a look.

 

If by some chance Alex Edler, or Bo Horvat have been dropped in your league by desperate playoff teams it is definitely time to snap them up.

 

Anaheim is also set to provide some value this week. They don’t play until Wednesday so adding a Monday game could so could bump that slot up to three games. While there is actually some more value here than in Vancouver of late, the pickings are also slim. Corey Perry, Daniel Sprong and Troy Terry might be the best options that are likely available in your league.

 

If somehow Jakob Silfverberg or Rickard Rakell were dropped by impatient or desperate owners in your league they are definitely worth a shot. They are two of only a couple of players that have been playing reasonably well on Anaheim as of late.

 

Decent (Likely to get you two games):

There are a number of teams that have the potential to give you a few extra games played. Guys to take a look at include (stats over the last two weeks);

Brendan Perlini (Chi) six goals, two assists, and 20.

Joe Thornton (SJS) two goals, three assists, and nine shots.

Ben Chariot (WPG) one goal, three assists, nine shots, 15 hits, 14 blocks.

Mathieu Perreault (WPG) three goals, two assists, six shots

 

Drop:

Our last category today is to take a look at players who you maybe have been keeping and that you should really think about dropping. Their poor schedules plus recent poor performances mean that they could provide next to no value for the week, which could kill your fantasy playoffs.

 

On Calgary I am definitely considering dropping anyone not named Johnny Gaudreau or Elias Lindholm. If you are feeling good about their three games and your waiver wire is thin, then hang onto Mark Giordano and maybe Matthew Tkachuk (though we really can’t expect five point nights very often). Sean Monahan is a dilemma as he is worth holding if healthy, but he isn’t. Wait as long as you can to hear news on that one, but if you are desperate you might not be able to miss out on that many games.

 

Noah Hanifin and T.J. Brodie are definite drops.

 

Over in Dallas Roope Hintz has been on a tear, but unfortunately you likely have no space for him this week. I am keeping Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Alex Radulov, and John Klingberg. Other spots are up for grabs if I can grab someone on a hot streak or a better schedule.

 

Mio Heiskanen, Radek Faksa, and Esa Lindell should be gone.

 

You already know what to do in Edmonton. If it isn’t Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl they are fair game. If your waiver wire is thin, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might be worth considering, but definitely check out who a replacement could be.

 

Zack Kassian seemed like he might be a good play, but he and Darnell Nurse are both likely worth a drop.

 

Finally over in Nashville. Basically outside of the top power play anyone is fair game. In particular I am not liking Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, and Wayne Simmonds right now.

 

Good luck this week. Thanks for reading.