Editor’s Note: This feature, which recaps the past week in fantasy hockey, will run every Sunday on NESN.com throughout the regular season.
The first week-and-a-half of the 2014-15 NHL season is in the books, and there have been plenty of surprises for fantasy hockey owners.
Teams such as the New York Islanders are exceeding expectations, which is forcing owners to rush to the waiver wire to pick up players such as Brock Nelson, Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. Other clubs, including the Colorado Avalanche, have struggled to score to begin the campaign. This had made owners of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene a little nervous.
Let’s recap the best and worst of the last week in fantasy hockey.
Three Stars of the Week
Sidney Crosby, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins
The reigning Hart Trophy winner is tied with John Tavares for the league lead in scoring with nine points in just four games. Crosby has scored four goals with five assists, including six power-play points (three goals, three assists). His 45.3 percent faceoff percentage is a bit of a concern for fantasy owners in leagues that use draws as a scoring category, but Crosby’s offensive production makes him the top fantasy forward available.
Victor Hedman, Defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Hedman is tied for the scoring lead among defensemen with seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games. He’s also rewarding fantasy owners with his power-play production — two goals and three assists. He plays on one of the league’s most talented offensive teams and has an elite skill set that allows him to rack up points at even strength and with the man advantage.
Don’t sell high on Hedman. He’s not going to be a point-per-game scorer, but 60 to 70 points is well within reach if he avoids injury.
Frederik Andersen, Goaltender, Anaheim Ducks
After talented rookie John Gibson struggled in a season-opening 6-4 loss to the Penguins, Andersen stepped in and has won all four of his starts, posting an impressive 1.71 goals against average and a .932 save percentage entering Sunday. His strong start shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone because the 25-year-old went 20-5 as a rookie last season.
The Ducks are among the NHL’s highest-scoring teams, which doesn’t put a ton of pressure on Andersen to be elite every night. This also makes him a strong option in fantasy leagues that reward points for goalie wins.
Andersen is a legitimate No. 1 goalie for fantasy owners, and as long as he continues to play well and gives Anaheim a chance to win games, don’t be concerned about Gibson taking starts from him.
Three Duds of the Week
Gabriel Landeskog, Winger, Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche as a team have disappointed offensively, and one player who has failed to live up to expectations is the captain. Landeskog has one point (a power-play goal) in six games with a minus-3 rating, eight PIM and just 1.5 shots on goal per game. Colorado still should finish among the league leaders in scoring, but the lack of production from its top-six forwards is a concern for fantasy owners early in the season.
Ryan McDonagh, Defenseman, New York Rangers
The new Rangers captain has failed to tally a point through his first five games despite averaging a team-high 25:22 of ice time per game, and his minus-2 rating also doesn’t help fantasy owners. McDonagh posted a career-high 43 points in 2013-14 and was expected to produce at, or above that pace this season. He has been a disappointment so far, but there’s no reason to trade him yet.
Henrik Lundqvist, Goaltender, New York Rangers
Lundqvist usually starts slow and returns to an elite level by midseason, but that’s not what fantasy owners who drafted him in the first two rounds want to hear. King Henrik is 2-2-0 with an awful 4.09 GAA and a .858 save percentage in four starts. This isn’t the type of production expected of a top-five fantasy goaltender, but don’t overreact to Lundqvist’s poor start.
Waiver Wire Pickups
Brock Nelson, Center, New York Islanders
Nelson is tied for second in scoring with eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games. Six of his points came in the first two games of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes, who are one of the league’s three-worst teams. In his last three games against quality opponents in the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, Nelson has tallied a goal and an assist with only one shot on goal.
Nelson definitely is worth a pickup as one of the better performers on a much-improved Islanders team, but don’t expect him to maintain this scoring pace for the entire campaign.
Carl Soderberg, Center, Boston Bruins
Soderberg is tied for the Bruins’ lead in scoring with five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games. He has emerged into one of the best third-line centers in the league, and unlike many players in that role, Soderberg has quality teammates around him. Linemates Loui Eriksson (a four-time 25-goal scorer) and Chris Kelly (whose five points is tied for the team lead) will help the Swedish center enjoy a breakout campaign in 2014-15, which also is a contract year for the 29-year-old.
Soderberg should be owned in all fantasy leagues and is a great replacement for owners with injured forwards.
T.J. Brodie, Defenseman, Calgary Flames
Brodie is quietly becoming one of the league’s better defensemen, and he should be owned in all types of fantasy leagues, especially keeper/dynasty leagues. Brodie has tallied six points (two goals, four assists) in six games, along with four PIM, three power-play points and a plus-4 rating. He should continue to perform at a top-four level with his 24:39 of ice time per game.
