Every Sunday, we’ll 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. Brayden Point really seems to up his game in the playoffs, but hasn’t quite put things together bringing the same production on a regular basis on the regular season. In his first five years, would you believe he only has one point-per-game season? Well, believe it, and understand that if you are drafting/trading for Point in the offseason, that the odds are you’re getting a 75-80-point player, and not the 90+ point guys that we have seen in the playoffs the last couple years. (jun9)

2. Carolina seems to finally have their goalie situation settled, and the internal option turned out to be the best one all along. One of James Reimer or Petr Mrazek may be brought back next year, but expect Alex Nedeljkovic to see 60% of the available starts. All in all, goaltending has been a reason that the Canes got as far as they did rather than the skaters carrying the team as was the case in the regular season. (jun9)

3. In a few days, I’ll be publishing the June update to the Top 100 Roto Rankings. I asked Twitter if anyone had any feedback to provide for June, and I didn’t hear from anyone. I’m guessing this is because we just finished a fantasy hockey season, so single-season rankings won’t be top of mind until leagues begin to form again. The rankings are updated monthly for those early birds out there, though. As a result, my updates will mainly consist of players who were removed during the season because of injury but should be ready for the start of the 2021-22 season. (jun12)

4. Hence, with the Top 100 Roto Rankings in mind, let me say a few words about Elias Pettersson. Before the season started, Canucks fans were telling everyone who would listen that Pettersson should be in the same conversation as North Division rivals Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. By the end of the season, it was clear that he’s not in that handful of top-tier stars. Does that mean Pettersson has lost ground in terms of what his ceiling should be?

After a slow start (6 GP, 0 G, 1 A), Pettersson was a point-per-game player as expected. Then there was that mysterious injury (a wrist issue) that started as a day-to-day thing that stretched out to the entire rest of the season. I’ve heard rumblings that he might have returned had the Canucks been in more of a playoff battle, which might have happened had COVID not forced them to shut down. But don’t take that as any insider (or insiderr) information – just me trying to make sense out of his situation.   

As he stands now, Pettersson has a 0.93 PTS/GP average over his three seasons. That puts him in the company of players like Gabriel Landeskog, Jonathan Toews, and Nicklas Backstrom. Very strong numbers for a player in his first three seasons, but clearly not in the top-tier category. That could change as he now enters his fourth season, a point in time when we often see players really take off. If you’ve watched Petey, you’ll know that the raw talent is there for such a breakout.

If you see Pettersson’s ranking and don’t think I’ve placed him high enough, keep in mind that his peripherals don’t really stand out. Yes, there’s the power-play production. But we’re not talking about an overly physical player, and he’s never taken 200 shots in a season. Plus, he plays center, the most stacked position in fantasy hockey. For those reasons, I will probably rank him more conservatively than many of you will. And as many of you already know, I’m a Canucks fan. (jun12)

5. In a video interview, projected first-overall pick Owen Power said that he is “leaning” toward returning to the University of Michigan next season. I know that first overall picks often join their NHL teams right away, and one could imply that his statement could mean he doesn’t want to play in Buffalo. I don’t think this is such a big deal, though.  

Defensemen that are only 18 years of age don’t jump to the NHL regularly (the last one might have been Rasmus Dahlin). Defense is a position that takes time, and not starting in the NHL didn’t hurt the development of the likes of Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar. As well, Power’s freshman season at Michigan was unusual in that it didn’t include fans and had a COVID pause, and he specifically addressed not receiving the true college experience. In the end, COVID could have a major impact on player development in ways we have yet to see. (jun12)

6. An important question in Boston for next year is whether Charlie McAvoy or Matt Grzelcyk is the PP1QB next year. The power play was much better with McAvoy than Gryzz throughout the regular season. McAvoy also took over the reigns in the playoffs, so it seems like he has an inside edge. If he can become a 50-point defenseman, with his peripherals, he’s a slam-dunk top-10 defenseman in multi-cat leagues. (jun11)

7. Last month, I discussed the NHL awards and how despite a down year from Victor Hedman, he was not only going to be a top-3 Norris Trophy nomination, but probably win the award. I had him winning with Adam Fox and Cale Makar as the next up, or possibly Charlie McAvoy. I feel like I nailed this one.

Anyway, if you want to reward the absolute best defenseman in the NHL this year, it’s Makar. If you want to reward an elite defenseman who played a full schedule, it’s Fox. If you want to give Hedman the Drew Doughty Memorial Award, well, that’s your prerogative. (jun10)

8. The Bill Masterton Trophy nominees were revealed with Matt Dumba, Oskar Lindblom, and Patrick Marleau earning the honours. Marleau’s story is great, but it doesn’t hold a candle to what the other two have been through over the last two years. Lindblom’s story is more personal after a successful battle against cancer, while Dumba’s work for the community and the game has been sorely needed and yet still under-appreciated in the current climate. Both are deserving of the nomination and the recognition. (jun9)

9. On the ice, Dumba is someone that really intrigues me, but his outlook for next year is going to vary greatly depending on how the offseason goes. The 26-year-old already has two seasons pacing for 50+ points, however, in the last two years he has slipped back down to around 30.

The recovery from a major pectoral injury can take the blame for some of that, but Dumba also hasn’t had the same kind of luck and deployment as he did in his two peak seasons. If he stays with the Wild and they return with the same defense core (possibly plus Calen Addison as well) then Dumba’s offensive opportunities are going to be too limited for him to have a fair shot at 40+ points.

If he moves elsewhere though, then odds are he should be soaking up the power-play time, possibly getting back into the 40-50-point range. Keep an eye on him, and if he does change teams, bump him up your draft board in the fall. (jun9)

10. Feeling fantasy withdrawal, looking to get an early edge for next season, or just have a burning fantasy hockey question?  If so, Rick Roos' fantasy Mailbag is looking for questions.  To send one (or more), either private message "rizzeedizzee" via the DobberHockey Forums or, instead, send an email to [email protected] with "Roos Mailbag" as the subject line. He does the best deep dives in the business! (jun9)

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IN THE SHOP:

The 2021-22 products are now available for pre-sale! The usual Packs – Keeper League and Ultimate Packs. You can also subscribe, choosing one of three different subscriptions. The first document out will be the Fantasy Prospects Report, which will be ready on July 10.

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11. The Winnipeg Jets were unceremoniously dumped out of the playoffs in the second round, being speed-bagged in four games by Montreal. It wasn’t really close, either, as the Canadiens ran over the Jets basically every game, outscoring them 14-6 in that span. Winnipeg got a good performance out of Connor Hellebuyck but most everyone else was not. The suspension to Mark Scheifele didn’t help but honestly, he wasn’t the difference in that series. He wasn’t the difference between the Jets being bounced in four games or winning in seven. No, it would have taken a lot more than him. (jun10)

12. The Jets' blue line continues to need an overhaul. This has been the case for two years now. To their delight, I’m sure, Neal Pionk had a strong season. He looks like a different player than he was in New York, showing the offensive skill he’s been known to have, but also becoming much better defensively. If he can keep growing like this, he’s not far from being a legit top-pair guy. (jun10)

13. Also, has been the case for a while, the second-line center role is a big, glaring need for Winnipeg. Pierre-Luc Dubois never really got off the ground in Winnipeg. He showed up and was almost immediately stuffed on the wing for a handful of games.

I am not a professional hockey coach, but if my team had just traded Patrik Laine for the team’s future 2C who had been a 1C for two years, I would play him as the 2C every night to ensure he can start mixing chemistry with his wingers for the future. Alas, I am not a professional hockey coach.

Dubois did get some run later in the regular season as the 2C but a balanced top-6 never really materialized and teams without depth infrequently make deep postseason runs. The bright side is nearly the entire top-6 will be back for next year, so Dubois will get another kick at the can here. The team also has Cole Perfetti on the rise, and he is potential center depth for the future.

For the near-term, though, Dubois needs to show more of what he did in Columbus and less of what he did in Winnipeg. Just beware of him reaching 60 points again. He is unlikely to get significant PP time and that hurts a lot. (jun10)

14. If nothing else comes out of this postseason for the Habs, the fact that Tyler Toffoli–Nick Suzuki–Cole Caufield have looked so good together is a great sign for next year. Ostensibly, with that line and whatever the line with Brendan Gallagher is, they don’t have to worry about their top-6. At least not as a top priority. That might be the first time in over a decade they’ve been able to say that.

So far this postseason, that trio has an expected goal share of nearly 60 percent, putting them between the Sidney Crosby line and the David Krejci line league-wide in that respect. In limited minutes during the regular season, the duo of Caufield-Suzuki posted an expected goal share of over 60 percent. These are all small samples, but taken in totality, in over 100 minutes together, Caufield-Suzuki have about a 60 percent goal share this year. That is great, instant chemistry.

Now, we could chalk a lot of this up to “the North Division isn’t very good” but half of Caufield’s career NHL games, regular and postseason, have come against the Leafs (9/18). Whatever we think about Toronto, they were generally a strong team. Being able to post strong numbers in a schedule that features half their games against Toronto is a great sign. All that aside, Caufield has shown up and been great, and has shown instant ability with the team’s future top-line center. That is great news for the Habs, their fans, and fantasy hockey owners. There should be plenty of fantasy goodness with that duo for years to come. (jun8)

15. The sad thing, as a Habs fan, is that coach Dominique Ducharme refuses to run a top-6 of Tomas Tatar–Phillip Danault-Gallagher and Toffoli-Suzuki-Caufield. The Danault line, with Tatar/Gallagher, was elite for years, and was elite again this year. (That trio led the NHL this year in both expected goal share and actual goal share. Yes, they put up better goal-share numbers than the Auston Matthews line, the Brock Nelson line, the Max Pacioretty line, and the Nathan MacKinnon line. Why Tomas Tatar is a healthy scratch is completely beyond me.) (jun8)

16. Corey Perry signs with the Habs, understanding that he won’t be a regular in the lineup. But he wanted to prove teams wrong and show that he’s still an NHLer.

He ends up playing nine games in the first quarter, 11 in the second. In the third quarter, he plays 12 games and his ice time jumps from around 12.5 minutes to 14. In the fourth quarter, he played all 17 games (fourth quarter saw more games due to postponements) and his ice time was a shade under 15 minutes per. Thus far, he has six points in 11 playoff games and is averaging 14:10 per game. (jun7)

17. Joel Armia has shown us this upside before. But then he always seems to get hurt right when he gets rolling. This season he was enjoying a four-point game but then was injured (concussion). At that time, he had five points in five games. Last year, he had 21 points in his first 35 games, on the way to possibly 50. But then – hurt (lower body).

As a big forward (6-3, 212 pounds), Armia was pretty much predetermined to not hit his upside until later in his career. Say 27 years old. He just turned 28 last week. What is his potential, really? The two times that it looked as if we were starting to see it, he got injured. But that’s what you get with Armia. He’s been injured in four of his five full NHL seasons.

So, you’d be smart to pencil him in for 65 games, but I think you’ll see him exceed his career-high points-per-game average of 0.52. Say 0.60 at 65 games, which is 39 points. If he can stay healthy he’d take a run at 50. His career high is 30 points. (jun7)

18. I’m not hearing much complaining from Montreal fans about Carey Price‘s contract these days. This is big-money goaltending. And it certainly bodes well for his fantasy value heading into next season. (jun7)

19. It wasn’t that long ago – less than a month ago – that I was discussing how Tyson Jost had turned himself into a responsible middle-six forward. I stand by that. I do think Jost is a responsible middle-six forward. The Vegas series showed, however, that his middle-six role is not second-line center for a Cup contender. At least, not yet. (jun8)

20. J-G Pageau has 13 points in 12 playoff games. He has 24 points in 35 playoff games since joining the Islanders. Yeah that was a nice acquisition. He has 52 points in his last 89 games overall with that team. Clutch. His regular season numbers have been established. I consider him firm as an expected 45- to 50-point player even though his career high is 43. His pace the last two shortened seasons were for 43 and 51. But man, come playoff time, watch out. (jun7)

21. Auston Matthews, Jaccob Slavin and Jared Spurgeon were announced as the three Lady Byng finalists. Because of the amount of Toronto-based hockey writers and because forwards almost always win this award, I would bet on Matthews winning.

I realize there’s more to the award than just fewest penalty minutes, but Slavin has a strong case with his one minor penalty while often being matched up against a team’s top line. Using Frozen Tools‘ game log for Slavin and boxscore records, I was able to find out that his only penalty was on March 7 for… puck over glass? What a nefarious thing to do! How dare he! (jun6)

Have a good week, folks – be safe!!

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