Fantasy Hockey Daily Roundup — 03/11/19

The Fantasy Hockey Daily Roundup highlights the most prominent fantasy hockey news in the NHL. It provides analysis Monday through Friday on the fantasy implications of the day’s biggest stories.

Pastrnak Won’t Travel this Week

David Pastrnak will not travel with Boston for their upcoming road trip. The thumb injury that’s forced Pastrnak to miss the last 13 games will hold him out for at least two more. That makes Saturday’s home game against the Blue Jackets the earliest possible return for Pastrnak. Pasta owners in daily leagues will want to monitor his status for updates closer to the weekend. Danton Heinen remains a quality waiver-wire option, currently owned in just 14% of Yahoo! leagues. He carries triple-position eligibility and is skating in place of Pastrnak on the Bruins’ first-line and power-play unit. Unfortunately, Boston’s schedule (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) makes it difficult to stream Heinen this week.

Voracek and Eichel Suspended Two Games

A pair of fantasy stars are set to sit out two games at the worst possible time. Jakub Voracek and Jack Eichel have each received a two-game suspension. A busy week for Philadelphia means Voracek will be eligible to return Thursday, but Eichel isn’t so lucky. He’ll be out until Saturday when the Sabres visit Carolina. Eichel’s suspension leaves an obvious void atop Buffalo’s lineup, but it creates an excellent opportunity for Casey Mittelstadt. Mittelstadt is expected to skate with Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville on the first line on Tuesday. It’s the best spot he could find himself in, and he could be worth taking a flyer on if you’re desperate to get some extra games in. Mittelstadt’s ownership sits at just 11% in Yahoo! leagues.

Hopefully you’re on bye this week and aren’t scrambling to find replacements, but there are options out there. Most notably, Oskar Lindblom. Lindblom is skating on the Flyers’ top line alongside Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier. He offers a ton of upside so long as he’s there, and Philly’s four-game week means you can get a lot of mileage out of Lindblom. He is almost universally available, owned in just 3% of Yahoo! leagues. He is one of the top streaming options this week and could be worth holding onto throughout the fantasy playoffs.

Tarasenko Out at least 10 Days

The Blues and fantasy owners will be without Vladimir Tarasenko for at least another 10 days. Tarasenko was a late scratch on Saturday due to an upper-body injury. The team announced he will be re-evaluated in 10 days, suggesting a return late next week is the best-case scenario.

It’s a huge blow to Tarasenko owners, but a significant boost to Jaden Schwartz’s upside. Schwartz jumped up to the first line with Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly in Tarasenko’s absence. He played 20:53 on Saturday and should continue to see heavy minutes so long as Tarasenko is sidelined. He’s available in 72% of Yahoo! leagues and is a decent band-aid for Tarasenko owners.

Brassard/Compher Skate with MacKinnon

The Colorado Avalanche threw their lines back into the blender after the injury to Gabriel Landeskog. Derick Brassard and J.T. Compher are getting a look with Nathan MacKinnon on the first line. Compher (6% owned) and Brassard (5% owned) are legitimate spot-starts for tonight’s game against the Hurricanes. In addition to the premium minutes at 5v5, they should be with MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Tyson Barrie on Colorado’s top power-play unit. Their value is directly tied to their spot in the lineup, so be sure to monitor Colorado’s lines moving forward.

Kassian Continues to Thrive with McDavid

Zack Kassian is making the most out of his dream opportunity to skate alongside Connor McDavid. He’s scored four goals in five games since joining McDavid with an ATOI of 18:18.

Edmonton is a terrific team to target on the wire this week with games on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Leon Draisaitl is expected to join McDavid and Kassian on the top line for tonight’s game against the Rangers, further solidifying Kassian’s value. He’s currently owned in just 4% of Yahoo! leagues.