Week 3 of the NHL fantasy hockey season is in full swing, and it’s time for our weekly buy-and-sell advice.
Let’s see who’s worth a trade offer while also looking at some players you should consider putting on the block with both a short and long-term focus at heart.
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Buy
Boldy is rostered in just over 81% of leagues, as per ESPN, but that number should and will be much higher moving forward.
The price tag has certainly increased since the beginning of the season, but fantasy managers should simply pay for what he’s worth: A future dynasty superstar across the board.
The Wild are off to a tough start, but Boldy has been a major bright spot. He’s notched three goals and six points in as many games with a hefty 22 shots on goal in that time, or 3.67 shots per game. Three of his six points have come on the power play, and he’s managed to post a solid plus-two rating, tied for second-best on the Wild. For comparison, superstar Kirill Kaprizov is a minus-six.
Getting first-unit power play minutes alongside Kaprizov doesn’t hurt, either. I’d be more than willing to pony up for the 2019 12th overall pick, given his 45 points through the first 53 games of his promising NHL career.
Laine returned early from an elbow injury, and while he was held off the scoresheet in his return to action Wednesday, the indicators were encouraging.
Laine skated a whopping 24:31 in the contest, firing five shorts on goal while picking up a pair of penalty minutes. He also stayed even in the plus-minus column despite the Blue Jackets dropping that one 6-3 to the lowly Arizona Coyotes.
Laine hasn’t been fortunate enough to skate with elite offensive players in his time with the Blue Jackets, but that’s changed with the arrival of Johnny Gaudreau. The duo is set to produce plenty of offense on the top line and a top power-play unit, as the Fin should be able to return to prominence as one of the top pure goal-scorers in the game.
Remember, he did score 26 goals and 56 points in as many games last season — a year after John Tortorella was fired — so it’s time to start treating Laine like we did in the early stages of his career.
Many see the shine coming off Tavares both in the real and fantasy worlds, but that’s exactly why he could come at a cheaper cost than many other stars around the league.
I mean, there’s not much to complain about his play this season, as he’s tallied three goals and eight points in seven games while averaging nearly four shots a night. This comes on the heels of a 27-goal, 76 points campaign across 79 games a season ago. He also recorded 10 goals and 26 points on the power play last season, with three goals and five points on a lethal Toronto man advantage this time around.
Seems to me like there’s plenty to work with there. He’s not likely to challenge for any scoring titles, and at 32 years old, he may not be the best dynasty option, but Tavares has plenty left in the tank, and I suggest taking advantage of someone who may believe otherwise.
Sell
Claude Giroux (LW, C, RW – OTT)
Giroux remains a productive player in his first year with the Ottawa Senators, but I’d get out before the name value completely disappears.
Giroux has notched two goals and four points in six games with the Sens, but the 34-year-old also has just 14 shots, two penalty minutes, one power-play point, four hits, and four blocks. In other words, not only is he not standing out in any particular category, he’s below average in many.
Playing with Alex DeBrincat at even strength helps, but Giroux skates on the Senators’ second power play unit, lowering his ceiling across the board.
He may work best in a package deal, but Giroux isn’t going to steer you to any fantasy championships these days.
Toews exploded last season while turning himself into a bonafide fantasy stud, but this season has been tough both from a production and health standpoint.
He’s back from missing a couple of games with an undisclosed injury, and he skated a whopping 26:26 in his return to action. While his three assists in five games aren’t shabby for a blueliner, he’s also put 10 shots on goal while posting an even plus-minus on an elite Colorado team. Six of those 10 shots came Wednesday, so he had just four shots in four games to open the season.
Could this theoretically make him a buy-low candidate? Perhaps, but on a crowded Colorado blueline that also features Cale Makar, Bowen Byram, and Samuel Girard, Toews could fall down in the pecking order if he doesn’t get back into last season’s form when he posted 13 goals and 57 points in 66 games. Remember, he doesn’t touch the first power-play unit so long as Makar is healthy.
I’d take my chances on the trade market even with a player as talented as Toews.
Duchene was another player who exploded for career-highs last season, posting 43 goals and 86 points across 78 games with 228 shots on goal. For context, his previous career highs in goals, shots, and points were 31, 70, and 217, respectively.
He also posted a career-high in another category: shooting percentage. While it was nice to see him shoot the puck more, Duchene’s ridiculous 18.9% shooting rate has nowhere to go but down. He does sport an elevated 13.2% career mark, but puck luck played a big factor in his career year a season ago.
He’s off to a decent start this season with two goals and four points in seven games with 21 shots on goal. He also has just one power-play point, one hit, and a minus-three rating. If other words, if he isn’t producing above-average offensively, he’s not doing much for your lineup.
Try and shake loose of Duchene while some sort of glow from last season remains.
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