Let’s start this week by exploring the concept of streaming in fantasy hockey. This should be familiar to those who play fantasy football or baseball, and the concept in hockey is similar – looking at weekly schedules and matchups to find players likely to exceed their average production. This is most frequently done with goalies, as it’s the position with the highest upside for single-game scoring. In most leagues, you’d be hard pressed to find a regular starting option in the free agent pool, so the best streaming options are backup goalies who can pick up a win. My favorite goalie streamer this week is Jonathan Quick (3% rostered). As of now, Quick is alternating starts for the Los Angeles Kings with Cal Peterson. I expect Peterson to take over more of a full-time starter role over the course of the season, but both goalies should have value this week. The Kings play back-to-back home games against Montreal and Buffalo, two of the league’s weaker offenses. LA should be favored in both contests, and Quick will almost certainly get one of the starts. Peterson, meanwhile, is only 25% rosterted, so I’d be picking him up immediately if I was looking for goalie help, as his value should continue to increase throughout the season. If you still need to throw a Hail Mary on a goalie, Antti Raanta (3% rostered) is another option this week. The backup on a strong Carolina team, Raanta should get a home start against either Boston or Chicago (the ladder certainly more advantageous for fantasy).
Ottawa’s Anton Forsberg is another goalie that’s likely available (5% rostered) who could offer some longer-term help. Forsberg was expected to come into the season as Matt Murray’s backup. However, Murray missed the season opener due to an illness, and Forsberg looked superb in his place, making 46 saves in a victory over Toronto. This performance earned Forsberg a start in Ottawa’s next game (also against Toronto), though he did not look nearly as sharp. Murray was granted the next three starts but was knocked out of the game Sunday due to a head injury. If he’s forced to miss extended time, Forsberg would take on a starting workload for a Senators team that I expect to win more games this season. Even if Murray is only out short-term, Forsberg should still see a fair number of starts. That said, while improved as a team, Ottawa’s defense is still going to let up a fair amount of scoring opportunities, and I wouldn’t want to rely on either of these goalies to make 46 saves on a regular basis. Keep an eye on matchups here, as Forsberg could be an effective option if deployed properly.
Streaming skaters can be effective as well. However, this early in the season, I wouldn’t want to use roster space on players who only offer short term value. Rather, I focus on teams that may offer an extended opportunity to lesser-rostered players, with the ability to maximize these chances. Throughout the season, teams are hardly ever static in their top lines and power-play units, either due to injuries or coaching decisions. This gives us a chance to find some lesser-rostered players likely to see an uptick in scoring opportunities.
An early-season example of this was the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh has had a surprisingly strong offensive production so far, despite injuries to both Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Danton Heinen, Drew O’Connor, and Evan Rodrigues have all stepped up with five points apiece (all with three goals and two assists in five games). Rodrigues (less than 3% rostered) was typically seen as a solid bottom-six option coming into the season. However, he’s stepped up as the top-line center on Pittsburgh’s depleted depth chart. At least for the time being, Rodrigues will receive significant minutes with strong offensive players in Jake Guentzel and Kasperi Kapanen. Meanwhile, Heinen (15% rostership) and O’Connor (less than 2% rostered) have both been receiving power-play time, despite coming into the season on Pittsburgh’s third line. The duo has shown solid chemistry, and a knack for creating scoring opportunities.
Staying with Pittsburgh, John Marino (14% rostered) has been a solid producer on the defensive end, with a goal and three assists in five games. Marino showed flashes of offensive potential as a rookie in 2019, with 26 points in 56 games. However, he took a step back last year, causing him to fall off many draft radars coming into 2020. He’ll try to continue to prove that his rookie year wasn’t a fluke and should see even more opportunity with Kris Letang out due to Covid protocol. Marino’s already provided great value for those that drafted him, and he’s someone I’d be picking up, if still a free agent.
With some of Pittsburgh’s top options returning from injury soon, the value of some of their depth players are likely to be capped. The key to finding success in fantasy hockey is looking at players likely to receive similar opportunities moving forward. One team I’m keeping an eye on is Tampa Bay, following another long-term injury to Nikita Kucherov. Two players who could see an uptick in playing time for the back-to-back champs are Ross Colton and Alex Barré-Boulet. Colton had a solid rookie year in a depth role in 2020, scoring 12 points in 30 games. Barré-Boulet has had a shakier start to his NHL career. Waived by Tampa prior to the season, he was claimed by Seattle and released after only playing two games, before being claimed again by Tampa. These are two different types of hockey players. Colton has a decently high floor as a power-forward, who will record a good number of hits, while also capable of creating scoring chances. Barré-Boulet is more of a pure goal scorer, which can be a double-edged sword for a young player, especially on a good team. He won’t offer the same floor as a more-physical player like Colton, which means if he isn’t scoring, he could lose playing time and practically all of his fantasy value. However, Barré-Boulet is an incredibly skilled goal scorer, which he’s demonstrated both in the QMJHL and AHL. Despite the inauspicious start to his season, he should now have another opportunity to prove he can translate his past success in the NHL. In deeper leagues, Barré-Boulet offers the type of upside that can transform your season.
One last player I have to mention here is Edmonton defensemen Evan Bouchard, because I doubt he’ll be a free agent in many leagues a week from now. The Oilers have the league’s best offense, so I’m buying into anyone who’s playing significant minutes here. Bouchard is the type of player who can excel as a complementary piece on the defensive end. He’s a balanced player, who’s been promoted to the Edmonton top-pairing thanks to his defensive awareness and ability to shut down opposing offenses. However, he possesses some offensive skills in his own right, that will continue to shine while playing with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He already has three points in his first five games, earning power-play time over veterans like Duncan Keith. Bouchard is only 11% rostered right now, so pick him up while you still can. He has the potential to be top defensive option, and I’d only expect his role to increase for a team that’s been looking for stability at the position.
