With no games slated for Friday -- sad face -- I thought this would be a good time to open up my fantasy notebook and share some stats and musings. They range from potentially significant, such as Shea Theodore losing his spot on Vegas PP1, to maybe a nothingburger, such as Brady Martin opening the season as the Preds 1C.
I've divided the fantasy notebook by position, so be sure to check out the forwards, defencemen and goalies.
Elias Lindholm, C, BOS (28% rostered)
Lindholm has the L1/PP1 on lockdown in Boston, and that alone has plenty of fantasy value because he’ll always be playing with David Pastrnak. He’s already one of the league’s best at winning face-offs, so adding points, especially on the power play, with shots (8 so far) and hits (7), makes him worth rostering in every league.
Marco Rossi, C, MIN (27% rostered)
Rossi delivered two points in the season opener skating with Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov on his wings. I noted previously we should discount his playoff benching and admit he’s the Wild’s best playmaking center, and he made good in a 5-0 win. At this rate, he’s worth rostering in every league and should easily build on last season’s 60 points.
Evgeni Malkin, C/LW, PIT (25% rostered)
It’s been vintage Malkin with five points in his first two games and playing very much like he’s still got plenty of gas left in the tank. That bank pass to Justin Brazeau was a thing of beauty. He really played himself off the fantasy radar last season, scoring just 16 goals with a minus-24 rating and saw his shot totals and ice times drop.
I’m not sure if Malkin can sustain even a point-per-game pace – to do so, he needs Justin Brazeau to keep scoring, which will be hard – but this is a really great sign for Malkin’s fantasy value. That Mantha-Malkin-Brazeau line, by the way, has been one of the best in the league in possession metrics. Roster Malkin if you need points but know this might just be temporary.
Marco Kasper, C/LW, DET (21% rostered)
Emmitt Finnie, C/LW, DET (1% rostered)
Finnie played 12:22, finishing with one shot and one hit, and Kasper played 14:41 with a minus-2 rating while registering five hits, a shot and a block. The lack of ice time is deceiving; the Wings got four power plays and the PP TOI was basically the difference between Finnie and his L1 mates (Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond), and also Kasper with his L2 mates (Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat). In a game with fewer penalties, I think both Finnie and Kasper would’ve received more TOI. They’ve at least earned another game in their current spots – my opinion – which means Finnie retains some intrigue while Kasper remains poised for a breakout season.
Frank Nazar, C, CHI (20% rostered)
I think we’ve seen enough. Nazar and Connor Bedard are the only two Blackhawks forwards to play over 20 minutes in both of their road games, and Nazar finished with a goal, two assists, two hits, two blocks, five shots and 12 face-off wins. It’s a great start and maybe the Hawks saw this coming – that’s why they stayed pretty quiet during the summer. Nazar is absolutely worth an add right now and hopefully he can keep this up for the rest of the season.
Brady Martin, C, NSH (2% rostered)
Not often do players just months after getting drafted become a No. 1 center, especially one with so many veterans. I wasn’t sure if this was Andrew Brunette just giving their potential franchise center a longer look or if there really was something here – Martin had a pretty good camp – but in their season opener it certainly looked like the former.
Martin opened on the top line and played 5:27 and seven shifts in the first period, only to skate seven more shifts for the rest of the game and played just 2:26 in the third period – at one point replaced by Steven Stamkos – in a tight game.
There’s no spot for Martin if Brunette doesn’t trust him in close games, much less as their top center in the third period while protecting a lead. Martin finished with just one shot and only Joakim Kemell and recent waiver claim Tyson Jost played fewer minutes among Preds forwards. I think it’s probably in everyone’s best interest Martin returns to major junior sooner than later.
Jack Roslovic, C/RW, EDM (2% rostered)
Connor McDavid signed his two-year bargain deal, and then proceeded to watch Stuart Skinner blow a 3-0 lead and the Oilers sign a defensively-questionable scoring winger. Is this really what the Oilers needed?
Nevertheless, the Oilers depth on the wings just got a little more crowded. When Zach Hyman returns and the Oilers re-unite their usual top line with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, it’ll leave one – maybe two – spots open in the top six depending on Vasily Podkolzin’s status as Leon Draisaitl’s left winger. Is Roslovic the other guy? Is it Matthew Savoie? Andrew Mangiapane or Isaac Howard? David Tomasek, who played some PP1 and set up Draisaitl’s 400th career goal?
This is a fantasy manager’s worst nightmare, where a prime lineup spot for a potential streamer or value play is like playing musical chairs. It’s anyone’s guess who their sixth top-six forward will be in game 82 of the regular season. Even if it’s Roslovic, he can score 20-plus goals but adds little else and only modest shot volume. There are plenty of fantasy options that offer the same, and I don’t think Roslovic will offer much more. We could get our first look at him tomorrow.
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