Rankings like these ones are meant to be for the rest of the season. It means we have to sometimes downplay the short-term gains and think about the long-term wins.
Brandon Montour (up one spot to No. 158) has been dazzling on the point for the Panthers for the past few weeks, sitting sixth in fantasy points among defensemen. Hampus Lindholm (up eight spots to No. 189) has been nearly as good for the Boston Bruins and sits 11th among defenders.
So why are they ranked so low?
Because a good chunk of that production going forward is going to belong to someone else. When Aaron Ekblad (up 57 spots to No. 87) returns for the Panthers sometime in the next couple weeks, he’ll be getting the lion’s share of the offensive looks from the blue line and, while Montour may share some of the power-play duties on the point, Ekblad will be there, too. Meanwhile, Charlie McAvoy (up 65 spots to No. 96) is due to return this month and will usurp Lindholm’s power-play time completely.
Both situations are a good reminder that some of fantasy hockey management is tackling roles, as opposed to players. You want to roster the power-play quarterback from most teams. And if something holds one of those players out of the lineup, the role that opens up will have value that approaches what the player was achieving. Even look to the short-term injury to John Carlson for the Washington Capitals; Erik Gustafsson had a three-assist night on the power play on Monday filling in for Carlson.
Forward notes
Alex DeBrincat, W, Ottawa Senators (down nine spots to No. 30): The move that looked like it could help DeBrincat on paper — having Shane Pinto replace the injured Josh Norris — didn’t work out in a small sample and the Sens quickly abandoned that combination. Rightly or wrongly to give up on Pinto that quick, it means DeBrincat is still left in the lurch for finding his offensive rhythm. Puck luck hasn’t been on his side either, as he sports a 4.1 shooting percentage when his career average is 15 percent. On the positive side, the Sens have shown some willingness to mix up the lines as their losing streak continues, so DeBrincat could get a kick-start that way.
Elias Pettersson, W, Vancouver Canucks (up seven spots to No. 35): Whether the Canucks overall struggles are over or not, I think we can stop worrying about Pettersson. He’s found a line combination with Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev that is pretty dominating at five-on-five. In fact, the trio have the highest goals per 60 minutes of any line that has played at least 30 minutes together this season (per MoneyPuck.com).
Jonathan Huberdeau, W, Calgary Flames (down four spots to No. 42): Mixing up the lines for a couple of games doesn’t seem to have triggered Huberdeau to find his footing. Now the Flames have just gone back to the same lines that they started the season with. And the top trio of Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli have still only scored once at five-on-five together. It would be hard to complain if the depth chart was working, but the Flames have lost five straight. Hopefully we get some kind of permanent change to get Huberdeau going.
Jesper Bratt, W, New Jersey Devils (up 24 spots to No. 77): The Devils are just a whirlwind when it comes to driving possession and shot attempts. They are second to the Hurricanes in overall possession (Corsi %) and No. 1 in the league in Corsi for per 60 minutes. Bratt is right in the heart of the offense, coupled with Jack Hughes, who, for the record, arguably has another gear to reach as well.
Jake DeBrusk, W, Boston Bruins (up 19 spots to No. 149): With Brad Marchand back, we need to give DeBrusk some more fantasy respect. Still only rostered in 33.3 percent of leagues, DeBrusk is settled in for the long haul on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Marchand, but, perhaps more impressive and important, also plays with them on the top power-play unit where they are joined by David Pastrnak. He may cede that power-play role to David Krejci or Taylor Hall at times this season, but the fact he is in the mix should make him a roster mainstay.
0:44
Jake DeBrusk tallies goal for Bruins on the power play
Carter Verhaeghe, C/W, Florida Panthers (up 62 spots to No. 180): Like DeBrusk, Verhaeghe’s upside for his role is not being represented in his fantasy usage. Rostered in only 37.3 percent of leagues, Verhaeghe is a near-lock to flirt with 2.0 fantasy points per game this season if he can keep his job on the top line with Aleksander Barkov.
Defense notes
Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings (down four spots to No. 41): Can we say the dreaded double-S out loud? Actually, no. Seider is not at risk of a sophomore slump here because his game is about way more than just offense. So he has no goals and only five assists? Doesn’t matter. Seider also has 29 hits, 30 blocked shots, 23 shots and no competition for his role. He’s earned 2.2 fantasy points per game to date with little to no offense. The offense will come. He still has top-five defenseman upside.
Erik Karlsson, D, San Jose Sharks (up 67 spots to No. 102): This is honestly just fun to see Karlsson back. I don’t even care it was a huge collective miss on the hockey world to write him off. I’m ready to buy in to Karlsson’s renaissance completely from a skills standpoint. But there is one little hitch I’m keeping an eye on when measuring the cost of acquisition here: Karlsson has never played more than 56 games in a season with the Sharks. To be fair, he’s only had three chances to go over that mark as the shortened campaign only had 56 games. But still, it’s the only thing that gives me pause.
Josh Brown, D, Arizona Coyotes (up 31 spots to No. 217): Hearkening back to the top of this article; sometimes I wish I could do offseason rankings using roles instead of players. I had Dysin Mayo down for around 1.9 fantasy points per game as the physical defense partner for the offensive-minded Shayne Gostisbehere. Mayo is young and looked solid playing almost 900 minutes with Gostisbehere last season. But, alas, the job is Brown’s this season. That’s fine, as Mayo wasn’t someone to use a draft pick on anyway, but it’s another example of the idea that a role exists and has value for whomever ends up filling it.
0:57
Josh Brown nets goal vs. Capitals
Goaltender notes
Tristan Jarry, G, Pittsburgh Penguins (down one spot to No. 44): The underlying numbers for Jarry still look good, so it’s worth holding out hope for the Penguins to pull out of their tailspin sooner than later. One problem might be the number of high-danger shots — and therefore high-danger goals — coming Jarry’s way. His 15 high-danger goals allowed is one off league-leader Karel Vejmelka for the Arizona Coyotes. Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin bear some responsibility. After the defensive pair allowed only 2.22 goals against per 60 minutes last season, they are allowing 3.23 so far this season (per MoneyPuck.com).
Carter Hart, G, Philadelphia Flyers (up 24 spots to No. 89): I hope all fantasy managers in dynasty leagues that had to suffer through the past two seasons are reveling in what Hart is doing at the moment. I have no doubts in the skills he is showcasing. I have some doubts about the Flyers being able to support his overall fantasy value through wins over the course of a season.
Alexandar Georgiev, G, Colorado Avalanche (up 23 spots to No. 106): Those were some big points in a back-to-back set last week, but defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets twice at this stage isn’t something to write home about (unless home is Russia and you are in Finland, then by all means). But seriously, Georgiev hasn’t erased the concerns over the Avalanche allowing too many power-play goals to keep their goalies head above water because the Blue Jackets have the most anemic power play we’ve seen in a long while. In fact, you could argue it’s concerning that the Avs allowed two power-play goals to the Blue Jackets in that set, as it was their first two power-play goals of the season. Georgiev has this crease to himself, no doubt, but we need a couple more solid games against someone other than Columbus to move him into the top tier of goalies.
Cam Talbot, G, Ottawa Senators (enters top 250 at No. 166): He’s back and stopped 39 of 41 pucks sent his way in two appearances. I’m still not sold on the Senators from a defensive perspective, as the team ranks 26th in shots allowed per game at five-on-five and 20th in shot attempts against. Still, Talbot deserves to be on rosters.
ESPN Fantasy hockey rankings
1. Connor McDavid, C, Edm (F1)
2. Leon Draisaitl, LW, Edm (F2)
3. Auston Matthews, C, Tor (F3)
4. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Min (F4)
5. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Col (F5)
6. David Pastrnak, RW, Bos (F6)
7. Igor Shesterkin, G, NYR (G1)
8. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TB (F7)
9. Steven Stamkos, C, TB (F8)
10. Cale Makar, D, Col (D1)
11. Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR (F9)
12. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB (G2)
13. Victor Hedman, D, TB (D2)
14. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ott (F10)
15. Brad Marchand, LW, Bos (F11)
16. Mitchell Marner, RW, Tor (F12)
17. Jake Oettinger, G, Dal (G3)
18. Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Fla (F13)
19. Roman Josi, D, Nsh (D3)
20. Ilya Sorokin, G, NYI (G4)
21. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buf (D4)
22. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Col (F14)
23. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Wsh (F15)
24. Artemi Panarin, LW, NYR (F16)
25. Sebastian Aho, C, Car (F17)
26. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Wpg (G5)
27. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Car (F18)
28. Aleksander Barkov, C, Fla (F19)
29. John Carlson, D, Wsh (D5)
30. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Ott (F20)
31. Timo Meier, RW, SJ (F21)
32. Jake Guentzel, LW, Pit (F22)
33. Kyle Connor, LW, Wpg (F23)
34. Sidney Crosby, C, Pit (F24)
35. Elias Pettersson, C, Van (F25)
36. Jack Hughes, C, NJ (F26)
37. Ivan Provorov, D, Phi (D6)
38. John Tavares, C, Tor (F27)
39. Jacob Markstrom, G, Cgy (G6)
40. Adam Fox, D, NYR (D7)
41. Moritz Seider, D, Det (D8)
42. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Cgy (F28)
43. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Min (F29)
44. Tristan Jarry, G, Pit (G7)
45. J.T. Miller, C, Van (F30)
46. Roope Hintz, C, Dal (F31)
47. Nick Suzuki, C, Mon (F32)
48. Elias Lindholm, RW, Cgy (F33)
49. Nazem Kadri, C, Cgy (F34)
50. Patrik Laine, RW, Cls (F35)
51. Dylan Larkin, C, Det (F36)
52. Logan Thompson, G, Vgk (G8)
53. Patrice Bergeron, C, Bos (F37)
54. Justin Faulk, D, StL (D9)
55. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, StL (F38)
56. Darcy Kuemper, G, Wsh (G9)
57. Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Col (F39)
58. Juuse Saros, G, Nsh (G10)
59. Filip Forsberg, LW, Nsh (F40)
60. Jack Eichel, C, Vgk (F41)
61. Mikhail Sergachev, D, TB (D10)
62. Dougie Hamilton, D, NJ (D11)
63. Jason Robertson, LW, Dal (F42)
64. Jacob Trouba, D, NYR (D12)
65. Darnell Nurse, D, Edm (D13)
66. Drake Batherson, C, Ott (F43)
67. Evander Kane, LW, Edm (F44)
68. Tony DeAngelo, D, Phi (D14)
69. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Cls (F45)
70. Troy Terry, C, Ana (F46)
71. Tage Thompson, C, Buf (F47)
72. Anze Kopitar, C, LA (F48)
73. Mark Scheifele, C, Wpg (F49)
74. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Vgk (D15)
75. William Nylander, RW, Tor (F50)
76. Jesper Bratt, RW, NJ (F51)
77. Chris Kreider, LW, NYR (F52)
78. Travis Konecny, RW, Phi (F53)
79. Patrick Kane, RW, Chi (F54)
80. Noah Dobson, D, NYI (D16)
81. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Ari (D17)
82. Brent Burns, D, Car (D18)
83. Vincent Trocheck, C, NYR (F55)
84. Nico Hischier, C, NJ (F56)
85. Alex Tuch, RW, Buf (F57)
86. Evgeni Malkin, C, Pit (F58)
87. Aaron Ekblad, D, Fla (D19)
88. Cole Caufield, RW, Mon (F59)
89. Carter Hart, G, Phi (G11)
90. Rasmus Andersson, D, Cgy (D20)
91. Tomas Hertl, C, SJ (F60)
92. Frederik Andersen, G, Car (G12)
93. Joe Pavelski, RW, Dal (F61)
94. Bo Horvat, C, Van (F62)
95. Kris Letang, D, Pit (D21)
96. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bos (D22)
97. Pavel Buchnevich, RW, StL (F63)
98. Matt Boldy, LW, Min (F64)
99. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Wpg (F65)
100. Zach Werenski, D, Cls (D23)
101. Seth Jones, D, Chi (D24)
102. Erik Karlsson, D, SJ (D25)
103. Anders Lee, LW, NYI (F66)
104. Linus Ullmark, G, Bos (G13)
105. Kevin Fiala, C, LA (F67)
106. Alexandar Georgiev, G, Col (G14)
107. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Cgy (F68)
108. Josh Morrissey, D, Wpg (D26)
109. Alec Martinez, D, Vgk (D27)
110. Robert Thomas, C, StL (F69)
111. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Wpg (F70)
112. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Edm (F71)
113. Brayden Schenn, C, StL (F72)
114. Mason Marchment, LW, Dal (F73)
115. Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Col (F74)
116. Mark Stone, RW, Vgk (F75)
117. Jack Campbell, G, Edm (G15)
118. Martin Necas, C, Car (F76)
119. Devon Toews, D, Col (D28)
120. Adrian Kempe, C, LA (F77)
121. Zach Hyman, LW, Edm (F78)
122. Trevor Zegras, C, Ana (F79)
123. Morgan Rielly, D, Tor (D29)
124. Gabriel Vilardi, C, LA (F80)
125. Quinn Hughes, D, Van (D30)
126. Miro Heiskanen, D, Dal (D31)
127. Ville Husso, G, Det (G16)
128. Bryan Rust, RW, Pit (F81)
129. Tim Stutzle, LW, Ott (F82)
130. Alexander Romanov, D, NYI (D32)
131. Jonathan Marchessault, LW, Vgk (F83)
132. Sam Reinhart, RW, Fla (F84)
133. Thomas Chabot, D, Ott (D33)
134. Jordan Binnington, G, StL (G17)
135. Brayden Point, C, TB (F85)
136. Logan Couture, C, SJ (F86)
137. Matty Beniers, C, Sea (F87)
138. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Fla (G18)
139. Brock Nelson, C, NYI (F88)
140. Boone Jenner, C, Cls (F89)
141. Tyler Seguin, C, Dal (F90)
142. Jared Spurgeon, D, Min (D34)
143. David Krejci, C, Bos (F91)
144. David Perron, RW, Det (F92)
145. Drew Doughty, D, LA (D35)
146. Jordan Kyrou, C, StL (F93)
147. Matt Duchene, C, Nsh (F94)
148. Michael Bunting, LW, Tor (F95)
149. Jake DeBrusk, LW, Bos (F96)
150. Rickard Rakell, C, Pit (F97)
151. Jeff Petry, D, Pit (D36)
152. Claude Giroux, LW, Ott (F98)
153. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Min (F99)
154. Mikael Granlund, LW, Nsh (F100)
155. David Savard, D, Mon (D37)
156. Ilya Samsonov, G, Tor (G19)
157. Shea Theodore, D, Vgk (D38)
158. Brandon Montour, D, Fla (D39)
159. Dominik Kubalik, LW, Det (F101)
160. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Cgy (D40)
161. Blake Wheeler, RW, Wpg (F102)
162. Kevin Hayes, C, Phi (F103)
163. Victor Olofsson, RW, Buf (F104)
164. Ryan Pulock, D, NYI (D41)
165. Taylor Hall, LW, Bos (F105)
166. Cam Talbot, G, Ott (G20)
167. Thatcher Demko, G, Van (G21)
168. Calen Addison, D, Min (D42)
169. Shane Pinto, C, Ott (F106)
170. Phillip Danault, C, LA (F107)
171. Adam Larsson, D, Sea (D43)
172. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, Wsh (F108)
173. Chandler Stephenson, C, Vgk (F109)
174. Mathew Barzal, C, NYI (F110)
175. Neal Pionk, D, Wpg (D44)
176. Nino Niederreiter, RW, Nsh (F111)
177. Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Det (F112)
178. Teuvo Teravainen, RW, Car (F113)
179. Anton Forsberg, G, Ott (G22)
180. Carter Verhaeghe, C, Fla (F114)
181. Anton Lundell, C, Fla (F115)
182. Jeff Skinner, LW, Buf (F116)
183. Brayden McNabb, D, Vgk (D45)
184. Jonathan Toews, C, Chi (F117)
185. Jakob Chychrun, D, Ari (D46)
186. Lucas Raymond, LW, Det (F118)
187. Jaden Schwartz, LW, Sea (F119)
188. John Klingberg, D, Ana (D47)
189. Hampus Lindholm, D, Bos (D48)
190. Brock Boeser, RW, Van (F120)
191. Andre Burakovsky, LW, Sea (F121)
192. Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, Van (F122)
193. Matt Roy, D, LA (D49)
194. Eric Comrie, G, Buf (G23)
195. Seth Jarvis, C, Car (F123)
196. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Min (G24)
197. Nick Ritchie, LW, Ari (F124)
198. Tyler Johnson, C, Chi (F125)
199. Connor Murphy, D, Chi (D50)
200. Nicholas Paul, C, TB (F126)
201. Torey Krug, D, StL (D51)
202. Michael Rasmussen, C, Det (F127)
203. Jason Zucker, LW, Pit (F128)
204. Jared McCann, LW, Sea (F129)
205. Ryan O’Reilly, C, StL (F130)
206. Andrew Mangiapane, LW, Cgy (F131)
207. Clayton Keller, C, Ari (F132)
208. Tyler Motte, C, Ott (F133)
209. Anthony Duclair, LW, Fla (F134)
210. Luke Kunin, C, SJ (F135)
211. Radko Gudas, D, Fla (D52)
212. Matt Grzelcyk, D, Bos (D53)
213. Jake McCabe, D, Chi (D54)
214. Alex Iafallo, LW, LA (F136)
215. Sean Durzi, D, LA (D55)
216. Bowen Byram, D, Col (D56)
217. Josh Brown, D, Ari (D57)
218. Reilly Smith, RW, Vgk (F137)
219. Brandon Hagel, LW, TB (F138)
220. Ilya Mikheyev, RW, Van (F139)
221. Brandon Tanev, LW, Sea (F140)
222. Joel Farabee, LW, Phi (F141)
223. Gustav Forsling, D, Fla (D58)
224. Tanner Jeannot, LW, Nsh (F142)
225. William Karlsson, C, Vgk (F143)
226. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, NYI (F144)
227. T.J. Oshie, RW, Wsh (F145)
228. Vitek Vanecek, G, NJ (G25)
229. Ryan McDonagh, D, Nsh (D59)
230. Jason Dickinson, C, Van (F146)
231. Caleb Jones, D, Chi (D60)
232. Dawson Mercer, C, NJ (F147)
233. Charlie Coyle, C, Bos (F148)
234. Adin Hill, G, Vgk (G26)
235. Dmitry Kulikov, D, Ana (D61)
236. Frank Vatrano, LW, Ana (F149)
237. Scott Mayfield, D, NYI (D62)
238. Olli Maatta, D, Det (D63)
239. Conor Sheary, LW, Wsh (F150)
240. Kaapo Kakko, RW, NYR (F151)
241. Jamie Oleksiak, D, Sea (D64)
242. Owen Tippett, RW, Phi (F152)
243. Eeli Tolvanen, LW, Nsh (F153)
244. Jake Muzzin, D, Tor (D65)
245. Nicholas Robertson, LW, Tor (F154)
246. Marcus Pettersson, D, Pit (D66)
247. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, LA (F155)
248. Justin Holl, D, Tor (D67)
249. Cole Perfetti, C, Wpg (F156)
250. Vince Dunn, D, Sea (D68)
Just missed
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Gabriel Landeskog, W, Colorado Avalanche — Almost at the stage where he should be scooped up even in leagues with punishingly small benches and minimal IR space.
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Cam Atkinson, W, Philadelphia Flyers — Just the kind of player the Flyers need to add to their offense and he could be back in a couple weeks.
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Ondrej Palat, W, New Jersey Devils
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Alex Nedeljkovic, G, Detroit Red Wings — A couple of rough games, but also some really good goaltending hiding behind bad numbers.
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Ryan Lindgren, D, New York Rangers
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Jamie Benn, W, Dallas Stars — The power-play duty might just be enough for fringe value, despite the third-line deployment.
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Lawson Crouse, W, Arizona Coyotes
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Daniel Sprong, W, Seattle Kraken
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Joel Edmundson, D, Montreal Canadiens — Some rock solid peripheral numbers in his first games.
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Ethan Bear, D, Vancouver Canucks
Dropped out
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Oliver Bjorkstrand, W, Seattle Kraken
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Ryan Hartman, C/W, Minnesota Wild
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Sam Bennett, C/W, Florida Panthers
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Marcus Foligno, C/W, Minnesota Wild
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Dmitry Orlov, D, Washington Capitals
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Mackenzie Blackwood, G, New Jersey Devils
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Tyson Barrie, D, Edmonton Oilers
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Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Carolina Hurricanes
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Matt Dumba, D, Minnesota Wild
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Max Domi, W, Chicago Blackhawks
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Mario Ferraro, D San Jose Sharks
Source: www.espn.com