Saturday Sit/Start/Stash/Stream Early Edition (Oct. 13)

It’s a big nine-game slate for the Eastern time zone, including the season opener for the Isles. Let’s go.

See? I told you the Flyers wouldn’t be so bad.

Bobby Brink looked a little tentative in his season debut and played just 13:16 (2 shots, 6 attempts) despite an excellent preseason, so we’ll hold off on adding him for now.

The player who should be rostered in all leagues is Sean Couturier (1 assist, 2 shots, 11 faceoff wins, plus-3). Just 13 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, you’re getting a bona fide No. 1 center who plays 20 minutes per night, takes and wins a lot of draws and in a good season has point-per-game potential. Add him now.

The Sens power play went 0-for-4 against the Canes and that’ll be something to watch. Jake Sanderson (2 shots, 2 blocks, 1 hit) trailed Thomas Chabot (2 shots, 2 blocks, 2 hits, minus-2) by just 26 seconds in total ice time (25:05 vs. 25:31), and if that power play can’t get going, Chabot can be easily replaced by Sanderson or Jakob Chychrun (1 shot, 5 blocks, 2 hits, minus-3). So far, Chabot still has the most fantasy upside as PP1 QB. All three are still worth starting until one of them really pulls ahead.

Strange that Vladimir Tarasenko (0 shots, 1 measly shot attempt) played only 13:12 when the Sens were a player short. He’s rostered in 63 percent of leagues but bench him for now, and if things don’t improve, consider dropping him. There’s a ton of mid-level scorers out there.

Joonas Korpisalo wasn’t that sharp. He’ll split with Anton Forsberg this weekend, and if Forsberg plays well, it’s going to spark a big goalie battle. It’s early enough in the season to recover from a bad start, and we don’t quite know what kind of goaltending we’re getting, so start either against the Flyers but bench both Sunday against the Lightning.

The Panthers were shut out by the Wild in their season opener, but a few things to note:

- Evan Rodrigues played 19:53 and finished with 4 shots on 7 attempts. It’s funny, but if you look at his career splits, he tends to play a ton of minutes early in the season but fade and drop lower in the depth chart over the course of the season. Stream or add Rodrigues (8% rostered) and then drop him whenever he’s moved off L1.

- Matthew Tkachuk had 10 shots on 15 attempts. Insane. Might he finish with 400 shots?!

- The ice time leader was Oliver Ekman-Larsson, including 4:36 of 5:51 total PP minutes. He’s no Montour or Ekblad, that’s for sure, but worth streaming or adding based on his current role.

The Jets scored three goals in their opener but that top line was seriously impressive. It was dominant; 16 shot attempts in 12:36 at 5-on-5 for an 84.21 CF%. Gabriel Vilardi (15% rostered) finished with 7 shots on 8 attempts and needed to be rostered yesterday. He’ll get his RW eligibility soon.

Nikolaj Ehlers finished with only 3 shots on 8 attempts and a minus-2 rating. He already plays limited minutes under Rick Bowness; this is just giving Bowness an excuse to keep limiting his minutes. Note Ehlers was hurt in the third period of the season opener and he’ll be a game-time decision. In almost all leagues, Ehlers is worth rostering, but know you’re not getting a first-rate fantasy player despite his first-rate skill.

I’ve been a big proponent of both Tommy Novak and Juuso Parssinen at various points and they’re looking good again. Novak sniped his first in the season opener and Parssinen has scored in two straight games. They’re on limited minutes with Novak as 3C, but Parssinen has further upside as the top RW. Both are stream-able and worth adding in deeper leagues.

I wouldn’t read too much into Tyson Barrie (89% rostered) sharing duties with Roman Josi on PP1. He’s an ineffective defender and, so far has registered only two shots on 11 attempts, including one attempt that almost took off Cody Glass’ head; Barrie has a habit of shooting wildly and often off-target, so this is normal. The hope is Barrie doesn’t drag Josi’s fantasy value down with him. Barrie is barely a streamer.

I’m pleasantly surprised by the Bruins’ depth at center, but most eye-catching to me was David Pastrnak’s 17:24 TOI. It doesn’t really matter since he scored two goals, but the ice time was really spread out.

Pavel Zacha (3 shots, 2 hits, 8 faceoff wins) and Charlie Coyle (1 shot, 1 hit, 8 faceoff wins) had similar stats, but Zacha took most of his draws in the offensive zone and Coyle in the defensive zone. Zacha (45% rostered) is worth adding based on L1 and PP1 usage.

Could rookie Matt Poitras (1 assist, 2 shots, 4 attempts, 5-for-7 faceoffs) be a fantasy asset this season? Doubtful, but I am intrigued by his performances and PP2 role. Let’s wait another week before deciding if he’s a streamer or not. Preds are a tough matchup with Juuse Saros.

The Rangers look good. Like, contender good. Seeing Alexis score, even if his linemates did all the work, is both exciting and a sigh of relief. He edged Kaapo Kakko in ice time (15:29 vs. 14:34) but I still like Kakko more, who finished with five shot attempts to Lafrenière’s three. They’re both good stashes, especially with Lafrenière in banger leagues.

Filip Chytil as the No. 2 center could’ve dampened Vincent Trocheck’s fantasy value, but that’s not going to be the case. Peter Laviolette likes his veterans, and Trocheck (72% rostered) played 18:32 and finished with 6 shot attempts, 1 hit and 12 faceoff wins. He’s still excellent in banger leagues.

K’Andre Miller led all Rangers ‘D’ in ice time, finishing with 1 (shorthanded) assist, 3 shots, 2 blocks, 1 hit and plus-2. He’s shaping up to be a banger league beast and rostered in only 69 percent of Yahoo leagues. Erik Gustafsson is a threat to steal PP2 time because he’s capable and he had a good season under Laviolette last season with the Caps, but watch him play defense and you wonder if he can stay in the lineup.

The Jackets will be tough to figure out beyond Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau. Laine, in particular, gets C/LW/RW eligibility and he’s healthy and playing well, though he’s going to get killed in the dot. There are a ton of moving parts in the lineup. To summarize following their 4-2 loss to the Flyers:

- Boone Jenner is on the top line with Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko, who had two assists – yes, assists, not goals for last year’s Cy Young winner – and four shot attempts. Jenner with C/LW eligibility in banger leagues is huge.

- That drops Laine down and moves Adam Fantilli to the left wing – LW eligibility incoming? That would be great because, historically, rookie centers are not good at winning draws. Obviously, Fantilli’s a stash regardless.

- Kent Johnson’s benching in the season opener was a wake-up call. He’s going to draw back in, but on a line with Cole Sillinger and Justin Danforth. Johnson’s not even a streamer at this point and definitely not a stash because he’s got a long ways to go.

- Zach Werenski’s injury – he can’t catch a break – necessitated a call-up for David Jiricek. However, Jiricek may not play; Adam Boqvist, who sat out the opener, will likely draw into the lineup and Ivan Provorov takes over as PP1 QB. Provorov (5% rostered) now becomes a good streaming option.

By the way, Elvis Merzlikins (22% rostered) was good – 33 saves on 35 shots – and this might be a turnaround season for him with a deeper defense in front of him after a very promising start to his career. They’ve got the Ducks on Oct. 24 and Habs on Oct. 26. You can stream Elvis then.

The Lightning’s 5-on-5 play is a littler concerning because they’re just not deep enough. Special teams will power them through the season, and that’s good for fantasy because power-play points tend to be worth more. Interesting that Victor Hedman was PP1 QB; he entered the season pretty much neck-and-neck with Mikhail Sergachev in fantasy value, but Hedman pulls ahead if he’s getting 80 percent share of the power play.

Tanner Jeannot played 11:48 and dished out just two hits. At this pace, he’s somewhere between a streamer or a stash, depending how your league values hits. Tyler Motte is out indefinitely, which opens up some minutes in the bottom six.

Jonas Johansson got the win in the opener and he was… sufficient. As the Lightning’s starter, the job is simple: Don’t screw up. Johansson didn’t, but he looked awfully shaky for stretches. He’s still worth starting for the wins but that save percentage (.903) is never going to be good.

I am very curious to see if Matt Tomkins gets a start with their weekend back-to-back. Tomkins is 29 years old but has not played a second in the NHL. Sometimes, though, teams clamp down on defense if they know an inexperienced goalie (or EBUG) is in net. If Johansson goes back-to-back, it’s a signal his workload is going to be massive, which ups his fantasy value.

Guess who’s out again for the Wings? Yup, Robby Fabbri’s not expected to play today, and with no extra forward on the roster, they’ll take a page from the Lightning’s book and go 11-7. The ever-versatile J.T. Compher (1 assist, 2 shots, 1 block, 12 faceoff wins) led all forwards in ice time (19:56) despite jokes being an overpaid third liner; he’s rostered in only 25 percent of leagues and will gain C/LW/RW eligibility soon, so he’s worth starting in deep leagues that count faceoffs.

Lucas Raymond (1 shot, 1 hit) is shaping up to be a perpetual disappointment in fantasy. He’s back on a line with Dylan Larkin but not expected to play PP1 because David Perron (72% rostered) is so much more reliable and, honestly, a much better fantasy player, too. Raymond is, at best, a streaming option for a scorer who doesn’t score and does little else.

Daniel Sprong (1 goal, 2 shots, 6 attempts) is intriguing; my early hot take is Sprong ends up with more points than Raymond. At least give Sprong a streaming chance.

Connor Bedard’s usage is through the roof. Do you know how many rookie forwards have averaged over 20 minutes per game in the cap era? Four: Bedard, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Anze Kopitar. If we use Crosby and Ovechkin as the baseline, we’re looking at around 100 points, 40-plus power-play points and likely 300 shots from Bedard this season. Bedard’s value in redraft leagues is skyrocketing. In a five-year keeper league, would you pick Bedard or Connor McDavid? Debate amongst yourselves.

I’ve been banging the drum but Ryan Donato (5% rostered) is a great streaming option playing with Bedard, and he will get RW eligibility soon. Donato has scored two points in two games along with seven shots, a block and two hits. He’s taking draws because Bedard keeps getting cleaned, though Donato isn’t faring much better (4-of-11).

Worth noting Taylor Raddysh has moved up with Taylor Hall injured, and so has Andreas Athanasiou. Raddysh might be a streamer in that role, but stick to Donato. Lukas Reichel (0 points, 4 shots, minus-2, 3-for-10 faceoffs) has been underwhelming and clearly not ready to be a No. 2 center. I’m going to walk back on my belief that this is Reichel’s breakout season.

That Alex Newhook-Kirby Dach-Juraj Slafkovsky line looks nice. They combined for five points in their season debut. I get the feeling the Habs offense will run hot-and-cold all season, but at least all three are on the fantasy radar now as streamers. Slafkovsky is increasing his stash value in keeper banger leagues. The Habs lineup doesn’t boast anyone elite; the difference is that their floor is much higher now.

Their fourth line was productive and they have a ton of depth on the blueline. Arber Xhekaj is a great streaming option for banger leagues despite limited minutes, and Mike Matheson is still criminally under-rostered at 33 percent. Roster and start Matheson now.

It was a rather underwhelming debut for Matt Coronato (13:31 TOI, 3 shots, minus-2), who tore up the preseason and earned a spot on the second line and PP1. I still stand by my take that he’ll score more points than Yegor Sharangovich, who’s now on the fourth line. Be patient with Coronato; he’s still flying under the radar enough (6% rostered) that you don’t need to stash him right now.

It was a great sign Jonathan Huberdeau scored two points. He’s on pace for 164 points now to spite everyone. Linemate Andrew Mangiapane (31% rostered) scored three points and he’s on the path for a bounce-back season as well. 30-goal, 200-shot potential and a modest amount of hits would make him worth adding, but let’s wait and see.

Jacob Markstrom wasn’t outstanding but he did the job fine. As long as he can keep doing this, he’s well on his way to a 30-win season. I do not believe for a second that he will split starts with Dan Vladar and his career .898 SP.

Tristan Jarry got the shutout last night which means it’s time to see what Alex Nedeljkovic has got. I would not stream Nedeljkovic in this situation against an improved Flames squad and playing the second half on a back-to-back with travel. The Pens are old.

Erik Karlsson scored an assist but no one should be impressed. He’s throwing things off rhythm and he clearly hasn’t gelled with his new teammates yet. He’s too talented to bench, but I also don’t think we’re going to see much from him production wise for a little while, making him a frustrating fantasy player at this point.

The problem with tandems is that you’re obligated to start the other guy even if one of them is coming off a record-breaking 41-save shutout in the season opener. Filip Gustavsson is quickly approaching top-tier status, making Marc-André Fleury strictly a backup, and that should’ve been the case last playoffs. Hot take overreaction time: Gustavsson is a top-five fantasy goalie at the end of the season.

Brock Faber (1 goal, 1 shot, 1 block, 1 hit) led all Wild defensemen in ice time playing on the top pair with Jonas Brodin. That’s definitely going to catch eyes, but Faber’s game is also more likely to be appreciated in real life than in fantasy. No need to roster any Wild ‘D’, actually, except maybe stash Calen Addison (7% rostered), who is their PP1 QB.

Let’s start with goaltending again because this is where the Leafs’ biggest concern is. Ilya Samsonov was not sharp in the opener, though he was hung out to dry a few times. He will certainly be much better in this game and ride it out and keep starting him. My prediction that he enters the elite tier with 50-plus starts is not looking good.

Also, not good games for Matthew Knies (1 shot attempt, minus-1, 12:57 TOI) or Max Domi (2 shots, minus-2, 1 hit, 1 block, 11:39 TOI). This is a top-heavy team, and Knies’ fantasy value plummets if he’s not in the top six. Domi is an empty calory scorer, but he’ll get no chance to pad stats if he doesn’t get the ice time. I would still stash Knies and bench or drop Domi – never been a fan – especially since the Wild are stingy.

The Sabres still don’t look good on defense. No word on who their starter will be as of Friday night, but it would be a little surprising to see them go back to Devon Levi after allowing four goals on 30 shots and two other goalies to rotate through. They’ve got to pace themselves though, admittedly, the Isles are a juicy matchup because of their below-average offense. I’d start either Levi or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen against the Isles, but not Eric Comrie, who I think has the lowest upside.

Zach Benson (2 shots, 1 block, 14:27 TOI) was just alright, and not good or bad enough either way to determine if he’s going past the nine-game mark. Benson can return to major junior at any time; the nine-game mark only matters regarding burning the first year of his ELC.

Not sure what to make of the Isles offense yet, other than they still have trouble finishing and that top line doesn’t really look like a top line. Simon Holmstrom will be the top right winger, and in that role he’s worth streaming despite scoring just six goals in 50 games last season averaging 11:05 TOI.

There’s some talk about Mathew Barzal playing left wing, swapping wings with Holmstrom so both are on their off-side, and you hope it happens because not only does Barzal think they’ll be better offensively, Barzal will also gain C/LW/RW eligibility.

Oliver Wahlstrom, a preseason breakout pick, is projected to sit as a healthy scratch. He had taken shifts on the top line before, but the 11th overall pick from 2018 is not showing enough top-six chops. Wahlstrom and Holmstrom are the most recent forwards drafted in the first round by the Isles, who are not known for being particularly good at developing players.

Kyle Palmieri (1% rostered) is one player I suspect will slowly gain popularity in fantasy over the course of the season. He’ll play on the second line with the ever-consistent Brock Nelson, and also projects to play on PP1. Anders Lee will play L3 and PP2 in an effort to balance out their lineup.