The 2021 fantasy hockey season is concluding as the final week of the playoffs is upon us. Remember that no player at this point is ineligible to be dropped. Maximizing the volume of games played on your roster is paramount. Outside of elite producing players, I would be quick to drop any player that gets injured or is facing suspension. There is simply no time to wait. As other teams face the tough roster choices that come with a tight playoff matchup, the waiver wire is likely bolstered with talent at this point anyways.
Get the lowdown on how the Expert Consensus values every player going forward 
Buy
Dylan Cozens (C/RW – BUF)
Laugh all you want about the Buffalo Sabres, as they’ve certainly taken their licks this season. The fact is, this looks like a completely different team under Don Granato. Even with Jack Eichel out of the lineup, the Sabres young core have taken major steps forward since the coaching change. Casey Mittelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin, and Dylan Cozens are all prime examples. Cozens was the 7th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. He starred last year at the World Junior Championships. Since returning from injury, Cozens has five points in his last five games. The Sabres play four games in the next six nights. I like Cozens as a high upside volume add for the next six nights at least.
Connor Brown (LW/RW – OTT)
When will this guy stop scoring? I was reluctant to put him in the column last week, and then he piled on three more goals. Like Buffalo, those pesky Sens have put forth a formidable effort down the stretch. You can tell that things are heading in the right direction in Ottawa. As for Connor Brown, he is simply on fire. After scoring in eight straight games, Brown seemed to cool off with two consecutive goose eggs. He then went on to net two more on Monday to make it ten goals in eleven games. This kind of hot streak is rather unheard of. At this point, I’d like to jump on for the ride. The Senators will play every other night until April 28th. I am looking to ride this streak through that period. The volume of starts is strong, and if he goes cold, he can be dropped at any time.
Sell
Steven Stamkos (C,LW,RW – TB)
This should go without saying, but I am trying to make a point. It doesn’t matter how good Steven Stamkos is. The reports on his injury have him skating again by this upcoming weekend. I don’t care. His status for next week is doubtful, and I can’t hold a roster spot for him while I wait. Cut bait now. The same goes for any player on injured reserve whose return is not imminent. I would go as far as to say: even if you have one IR spot to utilize, I would still cut Stamkos in favor of someone more likely to return in time for next week. If your league permits, you can add a player off waivers directly onto IR. If your league limits the number of adds in a week, you can stash a player onto IR now and use them as a free add next week. Some players that come to mind include Eeli Tolvanen, Jakub Vrana, or Pavel Zacha. In the unlikely scenario that Stamkos does return next week, you will only be competing for him with one other manager. I’ll take my chances.
Sergei Bobrovsky (G – FLA)
This must be the third time I’ve suggested dropping Sergei Bobrovsky this season. The 10 million dollar man has had a shaky start since joining the Florida Panthers. Backup Chris Driedger has pushed for more starts all year, and now the Florida Panthers have called up their prized goalie prospect Spencer Knight. Per Joel Quenneville, it sounds likely that Knight will see his first action on Tuesday night. There are too many cooks in the kitchen in Florida. Bobrovsky is 81% owned, and you can’t project if or when his next start will come. Florida plays four games next week, and he’s bound to get one or two of those starts. Regardless, I don’t want to roster him during this pivotal period when I could be adding offense off waivers every night instead. Quenneville generally tips off the media as to who is starting the next day. Rather than allowing goalies to clog up roster space, just add them when you know you can use them.
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Chris Genova is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyOneTimer.
