Fantasy Hockey: Maximizing Games to Win in the Playoffs
The fantasy hockey playoffs are fast approaching. With March 9th as the default trade deadline in most leagues, time is quickly running out to finalize any last-minute transactions before the playoffs.
Maximizing your games played is one of the best ways to give yourself a competitive advantage in your fantasy league. Last week we examined maximizing games for the remainder of the season for fantasy owners trying to make one final playoff push. This week, we shift our focus to owners that are already playoff-bound. Below we look at teams to avoid and teams to target to maximize games and give yourself the best chance of winning in the playoffs.
Determine Your Start Date
Depending on your league settings, your playoffs most likely begin in three or four weeks, starting on Week 23 or Week 24. Below is a breakdown of the games played for each team during both respective three-week playoff schedules. Keep in mind that Week 26, the final week of a Week 24 playoff start date, is two weeks long so the number of games played will be much greater than the typical three-week schedule.
Week 23 Playoff Start Date
Week 24 Playoff Start Date
Teams to avoid
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are in a very rough stretch of hockey, having lost six of their last nine (3-5-1) and averaging only 2.2 goals per game during that span. The Golden Knights are dealing with a lot of injuries and lineup inconsistencies at the moment and given their high expectations this season, there’s no reason to believe they won’t turn things around and right the ship before long. That being said, with the lightest schedules in both of the above playoff formats, Vegas players should be avoided by fantasy owners at all costs.
Unfortunately with top players like Mark Stone (85% owned), and Max Pacioretty (91%) nursing injuries for the foreseeable future, the number of Vegas players with any significant trade value is fairly minimal. Alex Pietrangelo (98%) and Shea Theodore (95%) have had disappointing seasons from a fantasy hockey perspective but carry name value and high ownership that could be enough to sway a trade with them in your direction. Jack Eichel (91%) owners will probably have the best chance of getting a favourable return in trades this season as he carries a lot of intrigue and has had a decent start to his Golden Knights career (8GP / 2G / 3A / 5PTS). Robin Lehner (96%) has had an extremely underwhelming season and would probably be difficult to unload regardless of the upcoming schedule. However, the light schedule means that Vegas only has one back-to-back in Week 26, meaning that Lehner could potentially play all but one game and retain whatever value he has given up to this point in the season.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are tied with the Golden Knights for the fewest games in a Week 23 playoff start and only play one more game than them in a Week 24 start. The Canucks have been playing very well lately, going 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and have been scoring an impressive 3.5 goals per game as they are in the midst of an ultra-competitive race for a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Now might be the best time to get maximum value for your Canucks players in a trade.
If you can get equal value in a trade for a player like Quinn Hughes (98%), J.T. Miller (98%), or Elias Pettersson (90%) and can gain upwards of four games played in your playoffs, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Thatcher Demko (91%) has been a workhorse all season and playing phenomenally of late, with a 4-0-0 record and .934 SV%. With the aforementioned intense playoff race, coupled with the terrible play of backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak (6%), it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Demko continues to produce good numbers while playing the majority, if not all, of the games during their light schedule.
Teams to target
St. Louis Blues
The Blues rank fifth in goals scored this year and have some of the best offensive depth in the league. Despite not having any players with more than 50 points, they have eight players with 30 or more and plenty of options that can help bolster your roster for the fantasy hockey playoffs. Robert Thomas (27%) remains available in the majority of the leagues and despite only really producing assists, can still be a great addition in almost all formats. Thomas has been consistently producing all season and is near a point-per-game pace in his last 35 games with 33 points (6G / 27A). With top powerplay deployment and playing almost 19 minutes per night, it’s hard to understand why Thomas’ ownership has remained so low all season.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild have struggled mightily as of late, 2-7-0 in their last nine, but have a roster filled with players capable of scoring consistently. If you can trade for a player like Kirill Kaprizov (99%), Kevin Fiala (79%), or Mats Zuccarello (75%) with a player that has a light schedule, do so immediately. For those of you that have trouble pulling off a blockbuster for one of the three aforementioned players, look no further because Minnesota has a couple of valuable players available in even the deepest of leagues.
Matt Boldy (32%) continues to impress in his rookie season and now has 20 points (9G / 11A) in his first 22 career games. He has been producing on the powerplay and also at even strength, playing primarily with Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau (4%). Gaudreau is available in virtually all leagues and has been playing extremely well on the second line and occasionally the top powerplay unit in Minnesota. The skepticism is justifiable as Gaudreau has never produced at this kind of rate, but with 11 points (5G / 6A) in his last 13 games, he is at least worth closely monitoring. The playoffs are still far enough away that Gaudreau doesn’t need to be pounced on immediately but if he remains on the second line, he could be worth an add in deeper leagues.
Takeaway
The St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild are just two of many teams that can help you by maximizing your games played in the playoffs. Whether it’s the Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs or any other team shaded in blue above, there are a host of options to choose from. If you own Elias Pettersson, consider trading him for someone like Mats Zuccarello. Zuccarello has clearly had the better season but Pettersson has high ownership, more name-value, and is arguably more reliable. That being said, they have near-identical production in their last 14 games, with 16 points for Pettersson (7G / 9A) and 18 points for Zuccarello (6G / 12A).
Play around with some offers and see what is available to you. Just make sure not to get stuck with a player that is barely filling out your schedule. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but at least by maximizing your games played, you know you did everything you could to give yourself a fighting chance.