DFO Fantasy Mailbag: Oct. 7

Remember the three-headed goalie monster on Long Island?

Well, Daily Faceoff is proud to unveil the fantasy hockey version.

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Got a fantasy hockey question? Fire away!

It's time for the inaugural mailbag for @DFOFantasy.@Brock_Seguin | @MLarkinHockey

— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) October 5, 2022

Every Friday during the regular-season, I’ll be teaming up with Brock Seguin and Matt Larkin to bring you a weekly mailbag to cater to all your fantasy needs. Everything will be sourced from questions via Twitter, so make sure to be on the lookout for a mid-week prompt.

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Let’s get the party started:

Thoughts on kuzmenko? And where he slots in on the canucks this year.

— shay henrique (@shenrique1418) October 5, 2022

NA: How do you say ‘real deal’ in Russian? From a preseason barometer, Kuzmenko has passed with flying colours. He’s no Vadim Shipachyov, that’s for sure. If the winger continues to play like he has, even when Brock Boeser is good to go, Bruce Boudreau will have no choice but to keep him in a prolific top-six role. Sadly, there’s no emoji to describe my excitement for this Andrei Kuzmenko.

BS: Kuzmenko is one of my favourite late round picks. He seems to be picking up steam and going earlier lately. He was second in KHL scoring last year and likely will start the season on PP1 as well as on a line with Elias Pettersson five-on-five. With Brock Boeser out, there’s a ton of upside and absolutely no risk at his current ADP. 

ML: People love to romanticize Artemi Panarin’s impact as a KHL signee. But for every Panarin, there are several Roman Cervenkas and Vadim Shipachyovs, so we have to treat Kuzmenko as a high-risk commodity. That’s why I wouldn’t use more than a late-round pick on him.

Long-term league: Raymond, Boldy, or Bratt?

— Jeremy Souza (@muffinman1216) October 5, 2022

NA: For me, it’s Raymond. Not only do I love his attachment to contract year Dylan Larkin, but I feel like Detroit’s going to fly completely under the radar this season. Without Kevin Fiala, I wonder how Boldy will fair in Minnesota. Meantime, for me, Bratt’s hit his fantasy peak. Personally, I think he’s a strong regression candidate.

BS: Raymond. I think Raymond will be drafted in the first three rounds of fantasy leagues, maybe as soon as next year. He’s the only one of the three I think has a chance to be elite. That said, Boldy is going to be very, very good. And I like Bratt as a consistent 60-to-70-point player. 

ML: I’m all-in on Lucas Raymond. I worked with him and the Red Wings coaching staff on a story last season, and a few things were very quickly apparent: (a) The staff believes he’s hyper-intelligent, (b) He’s a studious player who uses video to get better and (c) he’s an extremely confident lad. He just has that “it” factor. So, for me, Raymond has potential for a Henrik Zetterberg-like career as a consistent front-line scorer with good two-way sensibility.

Jack Quinn going to stick in Buffalo? Want to take him late strictly for name reasons 😂

— Quinn Mell-Cobb (@QuinnMellCobb) October 5, 2022

NA: Simply put, this kid is for real. In fact, I would even sprinkle a bit of coin on a Calder future. At this point, at the very least, he’s pretty much a lock to make the team. And on top of that, he’s been playing consistently in the top six as well as the second power play unit. Watch out!

BS: You should take him for more than name reasons. He’s legit. He was outstanding in the AHL last year, had a 50-plus goal OHL campaign, and looks like a lock to start the year in Buffalo’s top-6. He also has an avenue to PP1 usage. He’s my front-runner to lead rookies in goals and one of my favourite late-round draft picks. 

ML: Nothing is official yet, but Quinn has had an impressive preseason. He’s trending in the direction of making the club, which would be an actionable fantasy item. He brings first-round pedigree as a sniper, and frankly, made it look easy with AHL Rochester last season with 26 goals and 61 points in 45 games. I have to stop typing now, because I need to go check my league to see if he’s available. You should do the same. Go. Run!

Who runs PP1 for Wild?

— Have a Nice Day (@TonyZucarello) October 5, 2022

NA: Staying consistent with my offseason musings, I think it’s the youngster Calen Addison who ends up prevailing in the long run. I mean, how many looks are Jared Spurgeron and Matt Dumba going to get on PP1? It’s time to give Addison an extensive look, now that it looks like he’s finally solidified himself as a full-time NHLer.

BS: All signs are pointing to Calen Addison. He’s a great, high upside pick as your No.4 defenceman. While everyone else is taking Jaccob Slavin, surprise them with Addison. He won’t play a ton at 5v5, but he should be enough of a factor on the PP to make him a No.4 defenseman, at the very least. 

ML: I’d say Kaprizov, but also Addison, who is my favorite early-season waiver add of any defenseman for deep formats. He’s available in 91 percent of Yahoo leagues as I type these words.

Will Pionk have any value?

— Johnny Mac (@johnnyjmac) October 5, 2022

NA: In short, not unless he’s running the first power play unit again. But don’t forget, lines change on the regular in the NHL world. So, I would just be patient with Pionk. He’ll get another shot to flourish.

BS: I think he can have value as a No.4 defenseman, but I’m fine if he starts the year on the waiver wire. If he replaces Josh Morrissey on the top PP unit, he instantly becomes fantasy-relevant again, but it looks like new head coach Rick Bowness is starting with Morrissey on PP1. 

ML: In banger leagues, at the very least, he will. You can still count on Pionk for more than two hits per game and about 30 points, give or take, so he’s worth rostering in most leagues. The upside is gone, though. Josh Morrissey is the lone Jets blueliner getting PP1 work, while Pionk is currently ticketed for PP2 and the third pairing duties. So, he’s more of a floor player than a ceiling player at this point, a safe and boring vet.

Thoughts about Goodrow, Ullmark and Wright in a deep league?

— He shoots – he scores! 🇺🇦 🇫🇮 (@ByHockeymaniac) October 5, 2022

NA: For now, pass on Goodrow; it looks like he’ll start the season on the fourth line. Meantime, even though Boston is severely banged up right now, I’m behind a bounce-back season for Ullmark, so I’m definitely open to rostering him. As for Wright, he’s worth a flier. Only time will tell if he spends the entire season in Seattle, though.

BS: If we’re talking about Barclay Goodrow, and not Johnny Gaudreau, then I have no interest in Goodrow. Ullmark is going later than he should for someone who could start 50 percent of the games on a Bruins team that will be very good when they’re fully healthy. And Shane Wright is fine to take a flier on, but it’s uncertain how valuable his role will be.

ML: Barclay Goodrow? Meh. He’s a depth piece in deep banger formats, nothing more. Ullmark is a decent fantasy goaltender in leagues that skew more toward rate stats than volume stats. As for Shane Wright: based on what the Kraken brass have said this week, he’s a lock to make the team and a strong bet to stay there all season in a top-nine role. I could see him being mildly overrated for fantasy purposes as a rookie, though.

Can you see Simon Edvinsson staying in the NHL? Looks like a bangers league dream.

— Mohamed Hameer (@mhdwhizkid) October 5, 2022

NA: From my vantage point, at the very least, Edvinsson will start the season in the NHL. With you know who at the helm, it’s pretty simple: If Edvinsson doesn’t look out of place, he’ll stick. If he needs more seasoning, they’ll send him down to the AHL. For what it’s worth, my gut says he’s a Red Wing for the season. I like him long-term, just don’t think he has much fantasy appeal right now.

BS: As Daily Faceoff’s Red Wings fan, yes, I think Edvinsson will be in the NHL for most, if not all of 2022-23. However, I find it difficult to find him meaningful enough minutes to make a significant fantasy impact. I love the investment in dynasty/deep keeper leagues, but in re-draft, he has little value heading into the season. 

ML: This one is going to come down to the wire. Edvinsson’s potential is undoubtedly enormous, and I’ve even heard scouts compare him to Victor Hedman before. But Hedman took many years before he was ‘VICTOR HEDMAN,’ remember. Edvinsson’s pre-season has been mixed. He’s shown outstanding potential, but made mistakes, too. So, whether he makes the team or gets sent to Grand Rapids might not be known until next week. I like him as a final-round pick in banger leagues because of his upside.

In positional leagues, how much stock do you put into multi position eligibility? Lets say in round 1, 1st overall, do you take Mcdavid (C) or Draisaitl (C/LW)?

— Rantanen Ravin' (@huckeyislyfe) October 5, 2022

NA: I understand your question, but if you have the first overall pick, you take Connor McDavid. That said, unequivocally, multi-position eligibility should be something you target more frequently as your draft progresses. The more versatile your roster is, the easier it will be to maximize games played.

BS: This year, I put more stock into it than ever because of the ADPs of some of the centres (look at Mark Scheifele and Roope Hintz). They are going so late that you can load up on wingers, defencemen and goalies and grab point-per-game centres late. I’d still take McDavid No.1, but it should be a tiebreaker in the following rounds. 

ML: Early in drafts, I don’t care about position eligibility at all. Go best available. I mainly just use position eligibility as a tiebreaker. If you’re torn between too similarly valued players, the flexibility can be a deciding factor. Otherwise, it’s not something I worry about.