The NHL is in full swing and just rounding the corner into the true winter months. There are definitely some underachieving franchises through the first 10 weeks of action while others that were written off before the season had even begun are making analysts and critics alike do a double take. There are some interesting situations between the pipes that we’ll take a look at, which may result in finding very viable third (and possibly second) string goalies to add to your team. Away we go.
Buy
Adin Hill (G – ARI)
Antti Raanta started the season as the Coyotes number one goalie, but was sidelined last week due to a lower-body injury. He did return to practice this Monday, but has already been ruled out in favor of Hill. So far he has minded the net very well to the tune of a 3-0-0 record, 0.38 goals against average and a ruthless .983 save percentage.
The numbers will obviously be high due to the sample size. He’s actually played in four games, but only faced a shot against Calgary and wasn’t counted. Those numbers are very encouraging to say the least.
With the exception of playing the lowly Kings, the schedule squares them off against Washington and San Jose at home, then traveling to Boston and Buffalo. All of those are matchups that will test Hill, and if he holds up against that, then he can find himself atop the goalie depth chart in Arizona. Jump on him now to beat the potential rush.
Eeli Tolvanen (RW – NSH)
The Predators have been dished a bout of bad luck over the last couple of weeks. They’ve lost star players P.K. Subban and Filip Forsberg to the IR and have needed to make some adjustments. This is where Tolvanen enters the scene. The rookie winger was called up December 1 to play against the Blackhawks and had an immediate impact by registering two points (it’s worth noting one was on the PP). Forsberg is going to be sidelined for four to six weeks, so this presents an ample opportunity for Tolvanen to become a mainstay in a very potent offense.
Max Pacioretty (LW – VGK)
The Canadiens dished “Wolverine” to Vegas in the offseason for Tomas Tatar and prospect Nick Suzuki plus a second-round pick in 2019. He was immediately signed to a four-year deal, and that goes to show the trust the Golden Knights have in him. He is getting close to his 30th birthday, and that is usually something to be wary of as the body can only take so much punishment in the NHL. Aside from him being a recent scratch due to illness, he’s racked up 11 points since November 18 and appears to be finding his rhythm on his new team after a pretty dreadful start to the season.
Sell
Corey Crawford (G – CHI)
If you’ve been following hockey for the last 10 years, you would know what kind of quality goaltending Crawford has provided the Blackhawks. From 2013 to 2017, he registered no less than 30 wins and was working well above 3,000 minutes of TOI per season. Last year, he saw half the minutes and half the wins, and has been hampered by concussion issues.
Now, he’s currently sitting with a 5-11-1 record, .903 save percentage and 3.17 goals against average. Those numbers alone are concerning, not to mention he’s losing starts to Cam Ward and the Blackhawks aren’t as stalwart as they used to be on defense with Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith hitting their twilight. You might be able to get something for him based on his name, but unless you’re in a very, very deep league, he’s worthy of the waiver wire at this point and is hurting your team more than he’s helping.
James Van Riemsdyk (LW – PHI)
JVR started his career as a Flyer. He was the second overall pick for them and was an immediate impact player on the wing. He provided 99 points in his first three years only to see himself get shipped to Toronto and racked up 294 points in six years there. Based on the way he looks now, it’s safe to say his best years were north of the border. He’s played in nine games this season and accumulated one goal and three assists.
The Flyers have lost six of their last eight, and this was reason enough for both him and aging Wayne Simmonds to be demoted to the second line, centered by sophomore Nolan Patrick. Perhaps they find some magic, but not playing with stud Claude Giroux is a major fantasy hit, not to mention that Simmonds is not looking good either. He’s 59% rostered in Yahoo! leagues, and that’s 39% too much. You can do better on the wing. Andreas Athanasiou and Blake Coleman have dual C and LW eligibility, and you can probably get them for free as a functional replacement.
Jeremy Farr is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jeremy, check out his archive.
