We’re in for a brief halt in the fantasy hockey season this week as the Christmas break is about to hit. Perhaps we can use the brief pause to our advantage and gauge the trade block to improve our chances moving toward the New Year.
Here are some names worth buying and selling to give yourself the best chance at success this season.
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NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 11 Buy/Sell Advice
Buy
At 92% rostership in ESPN leagues, Nugent-Hopkins still isn’t getting the love he deserves.
I mean, there is just a wealth of players sporting higher rostership with far inferior production. Nugent-Hopkins is up to 38 points in 33 games on the season, but he’s also a member of perhaps the most lethal power play in the business. As a result, he’s collected a hefty 21 power-play points on the season, tying him with David Pastrnak for fourth in the league in that department. The top two power-play scorers also wear Oilers colors in the form of Connor McDavid (34) and Leon Draisaitl (26).
Full disclosure: I personally picked Nugent-Hopkins up on the waiver wire early in the season. I did so based on the fact he was skating to the left of McDavid on the Oilers’ top line along with that first-unit power-play spot. While some of us got him for nothing, that doesn’t mean he’s not worthy of an asset going the other way.
Regardless of how their season goes, the Oilers’ power play will remain elite. Anyone on that man advantage is worth rostering, and Nugent-Hopkins is no different. At 1.15 points per game, this one is a no-brainer.
It’s worth throwing out some feelers on a player that isn’t being truly respected in the fantasy world.
Valeri Nichushkin (LW/RW – COL)
He’s missed significant time due to injury this season, but Valeri Nichushkin is a player worth looking into given his production this season on the heels of a breakout 2021-22 campaign.
Nichushkin was a player that had appeared to fall out of favor in the NHL after the 2013 10th overall pick failed to score a single goal in the 2018-19 season. That was when the Avalanche pounced and signed him as a free agent and he finally broke out with 25 goals and 52 points across 62 games last season.
The good news for Avalanche fans and fantasy hockey managers is that production has continued in earnest this season. The Russian forward has collected seven goals and 16 points in 13 games on the season along with 43 shots on goal, or 3.31 shots per game. Due to injuries up front on this Avalanche team, Nichushkin is logging a career-high 21:18 of ice time per game.
Like with Nugent-Hopkins, Nichushkin isn’t getting the love he deserves. He’s rostered in less than 89% of ESPN leagues but is producing at an elite pace of 1.23 points per game. Where he falls in the Avs’ pecking order upon the returns of Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog is a conversation for another day as Nichushkin is going to see plenty of top-six minutes and first-unit power-play time to be sure.
The big Russian is a worthy acquisition for the second half of the fantasy hockey season.
Sell
As I always say in the pieces, sometimes you have to give up very good hockey players to get what you want. That’s obviously the case with all-world pivot Sasha Barkov during a turbulent season with the Florida Panthers.
Florida has struggled in the standings this season and their No. 1 center isn’t producing as we would expect. After a 39-goal, 88-point season in just 67 games last year, Barkov has only six goals and 22 points in 25 games. His 7.3% shooting rate should positively regress toward his 13.9% career mark, but it just doesn’t seem to be his season, nor that of his team.
My personal opinion is that the off-season trade of Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames hurt both Barkov and Huberdeau’s fantasy outlook. Few one-two punches had more chemistry than Barkov and Huberdeau last season and both have underwhelmed following the trade. Obviously, Matthew Tkachuk is an elite player, but he brings a very different skill set than the play-making of Huberdeau.
He’s putting plenty of pucks on goal with 82 shots on the season and has notched 10 power-play points, but he’s just not excelling in any particular area. He’s also dealt with an illness and is now out with a lower-body injury as part of his down 2022-23 campaign.
I’d take him on my team any day of the week, but if you’re looking to make a sizeable move he’s a player — at 99.4% rostered at ESPN — that can help you net something far more productive at this stage.
Couture is enjoying a fine season with 28 points in 34 games as part of a weak San Jose Sharks club, but his ceiling is capped by the fact his team is so offensively challenged.
In an effort to spread out the offense, Couture isn’t even skating on a line with Timo Meier. Rather, he’s skating between Matt Nieto and Alexander Barabanov, a spot that leaves plenty to be desired. If he were with Meier it obviously enhances his chances to produce at a higher level despite skating with him on the Sharks’ top power-play unit.
The points are more or less acceptable, but he’s also a brutal minus-13 with just 76 shots or 2.24 per game. His 87% rostership is only slightly below that of Nugent-Hopkins and his production is miles below the Oilers’ center across the board.
Couture is a decent piece on a fantasy roster but could be used in a package to acquire a more impactful player down the stretch.
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