2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Week 24 Primer and Pickups: Championship Week

Welcome to championship week!

For most fantasy leagues, this is the final week of the fantasy season, running from March 31 to April 6. There are, of course, NHL games left in the regular season until April 17, but for various reasons – mainly because teams may rest their top players once their playoff berths are clinched – the fantasy season usually ends the week prior.

In the West, the surging Blues seem to have clinched the last playoff spot. The Canucks and Flames basically have to win out and hope their opponents lose for them to have a chance. What's left to be determined will be playoff seeding. The Knights, in particular, with a nine-point lead in the Pacific, may rest their top players down the stretch.

The only team in the East that may rest their top players are the top three teams in the Metro. (Don't expect Alex Ovechkin to sit until he breaks Gretzky's record, though). Their seeding has pretty much been decided, while the Atlantic Division and wild card races still continue to be super tight.

For the teams in the hunt, this is do-or-die desperation time. We might see teams shorten their benches or ride the hot goalie; momentum is huge, so be sure to roster players whose teams are on a roll. It’s more likely they’re scoring goals and, in turn, getting chances to earn points.

One thing to pay attention to this week: the influx of top-tier prospects signing following the conclusion of their NCAA seasons. Minnesota, for example, lost in heart-breaking fashion in the opening round of the tournament and four players – forwards Oliver Moore (Chicago), Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis) and Matthew Wood (Nashville), and defensemen Sam Rinzel (Chicago) – signed their entry-level contracts right away.

Moore, in particular, is worth keeping an eye on; he played 15:03 on Sunday in his NHL debut and finished with two shots while Rinzel finished second in ice time to Artyom Levshunov among Hawks defensemen.

There are 12 teams that play four games in Week 24. The best schedule is the Wild’s; they play all their games on off-days, just like the Canucks did last week (and Pius Suter came up huge), and the word is that Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov may return soon.

The Leafs, Devils, Flyers and Rangers play just twice. If you have Leafs or Rangers  players and they're non-keepers, this is the time to drop them so you can fit in a few extra games. Players such as Bobby McMann, Matthew Knies or Will Cuylle are the ones whomay be worth dropping.

A new episode of the Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast will be published Monday at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET and cover more injuries and news items in depth.

Schedule

Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. All advanced stats courtesy naturalstatrick.com. All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy. Points percentages are as of the conclusion of Saturday’s games.

Season-long adds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

JJ Peterka, LW/RW, BUF (49% rostered)

Peterka’s two assists Sunday against the Caps in a wild 8-5 win was his eighth point in seven games, and he remains an excellent source of points playing on the Sabres’ top line. If you can afford to skip Tuesday’s game in Ottawa, pick up Peterka for the weekend back-to-back at home, where the Sabres have zero problems scoring. Realistically, though, Peterka should be rostered in nearly all leagues for the rest of the season.

Sean Monahan, C, CBJ (47% rostered)
Boone Jenner, C/LW, CBJ (26% rostered)

Monahan returned to his 1C spot and didn’t look too shabby, notching three assists with 31 (!) faceoff wins in his first two games. It’s desperation time for the Jackets and Monahan is their top center ahead of Adam Fantilli.

Jenner’s also been fantastic since returning, and even more so in banger leagues. On a line with Fantilli, Jenner still takes his fair share of the faceoffs and provides goals, shots and hits. The Jackets have four games this week with an easy matchup Tuesday against the Preds.

Matvei Michkov, RW, PHI (47% rostered)

New coach bump? Michkov’s points streak started before John Tortorella was fired, but Brad Shaw seems to have turned the Flyers offense loose with 13 goals in two games, both of which were wins. The Flyers have an awful schedule with only two games and a four-day break in between. Michkov, however, could be worth a hold until the rest of his season due to his keeper value. Otherwise, you either drop him after Monday’s game or stream him for Saturday’s in Montreal.

Mid-term holds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Anders Lee, LW, NYI (47% rostered)

Not a great schedule but if you can pick up Lee on Friday, he plays two games over the final three days of the week. He’ll get tons of minutes as the Isles fight for their playoff lives and he’s a great high-volume shooter.

Ryan Donato, C/LW/RW, CHI (43% rostered)

Triple-position eligibility and a hot streak with six goals and eight points in four games. You don’t have to pick him up until Wednesday against the Avs, and Sunday’s matchup against the Pens might be bountiful.

Taylor Hall, LW, CAR (28% rostered)

It looks like Hall’s found a great home in Carolina, and being a complementary player is the perfect role for him. He’s scored five goals and six points in his past four games, including four on the power play. The Canes can be difficult to predict in fantasy but the Friday-Saturday back-to-back against Detroit and Boston look particularly enticing.

Karel Vejmelka, G, UTA (43% rostered)

Tough week for Vejmelka, who allowed eight goals on 24 shots against the Wings and Lightning, but he remains Utah’s undisputed starter and a great source of saves if you’re looking for quantity. Yes, there will be the odd game where he gets lit up – the workload is intense and he’s not an elite goalie to begin with – but don’t be surprised if he finishes top-10 in starts.

Calvin Pickard, G, EDM (16% rostered)

If Stuart Skinner is out for a week, look for Pickard to potentially start all three of the Oilers’ games. Leon Draisaitl is back and single-handedly beat the Flames, and Connor McDavid should return soon. At full strength, Pickard is worth rostering because he should get plenty of goal support though two of the three matchups – Vegas and L.A. – will be difficult.

Short-term streamers (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Pius Suter, C/LW, VAN (21% rostered)

Suter was fantastic last week and likely will continue to be so if Elias Pettersson is out. The Canucks return home from their road trip and play just once between Monday to Friday. If Pettersson returns for the weekend, Suter’s fantasy value drops dramatically. If he doesn’t, look for Suter to keep getting top-line and PP1 minutes.

Oliver Moore, C or LW (?), CHI (0% rostered)

Despite making his NHL debut on Sunday, Moore was not in Yahoo’s system as of Sunday evening. The 19th overall pick in 2023, Moore is a very speedy offensive forward with great playmaking ability. We shall see if he can play center in the NHL, but he lined up as a left winger on the third line with Nick Foligno. I suspect he’ll get either LW or C eligibility.

Matthew Wood, RW (?), NSH (0% rostered)

One of four Golden Gophers to sign, Wood is expected to join the Preds on Monday. (He’s also yet to be added to Yahoo’s system). Wood was the second-highest scorer and one of the youngest players on the Gophers. Drafted 15th overall in 2023, Wood didn’t miss a beat after transferring from UConn; he led the Huskies in scoring in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He is a big power right winger who doesn’t always play a power game, but possesses good goal-scoring ability. With the Preds eliminated from the playoffs, they might give Wood a lot of minutes. It’s what makes him a better option than Jimmy Snuggerud, who was the Gophers’ leading scorer but might have trouble getting minutes on the Blues, a deeper team and a playoff contender.

Ryan Leonard, RW (?), WSH (0% rostered)

Leonard has yet to sign but his Boston College Eagles were eliminated Sunday evening by Denver in the NCAA tournament. Leonard is considered one of the world's top prospects and expected to turn pro after leading the team in scoring. He's an incredibly gifted scorer drafted eighth overall in 2023. Even with the Caps settled in, look for Leonard to make his debut soon (when he signs) and play significant minutes, possibly on the power play, right away. 

Cam Talbot, G, DET (37% rostered)

No return date set for Petr Mrazek, who’s out with a head injury. That leaves Talbot in the starter’s crease with Alex Lyon backing him up. Talbot allowed just one goal on 21 shots against the Bruins but it’s a tough schedule ahead with the Blues, Canes and Panthers. Start him with caution, but at least you know he’s getting the starts.

Tristan Jarry, G, PIT (22% rostered)

Tough to gauge Jarry because he can be wildly unpredictable. He won four games in a row but last week gave up eight goals on 19 shots, and then somehow managed to shut out the Sens on Sunday. I’m eyeing Sunday’s potential start against the Hawks if I need a goalie later in the week.