CHICAGO FIRE
The Sharks aren’t the only team that fired out of the gate this season. In fact, they’re not even technically the top team in the league/Western Conference because another squad - the Chicago Blackhawks - have played an extra game.
Unfortunately, for fantasy owners, there’s not much sense in jumping on the Blackhawks bandwagon because the usual suspects (i.e. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa) are driving it. The most interesting case is Corey Crawford. He could very well get a bucket of extra wins, but if you’re the wheel-and-dealing type, this also might be a time to sell high.
BLUES B-SIDES
The other top team is the St. Louis Blues, whose depth makes them intriguing if maybe not as high-end. Still, they present some interesting finds.
Corey Abbott discusses Andy McDonald and last week, I tabbed Chris Stewart (who inexplicably is still at just 45 percent ownership). Stewart’s PIM potential and goal-scoring history make him an awfully appealing target. In fact, I can’t see why he wouldn’t fit in with any team.
Two more interesting guys are Patrik Berglund - who had a lot of success overseas - and reclamation project Wade Redden. In both cases, I’d recommend discretion, yet both have their strengths. Beyond Redden’s two-game goal streak, the newly signed blueliner received 21:11 of ice time in Sunday’s OT win against the Minnesota Wild. That doesn’t make him an immediate addition, but it makes him an intriguing watch list guy.
ICEBREAKERS
Not every streak-related moment was about perpetuating hot ones. Some of the biggest moments came when franchises and/or players finally were able to let out a sigh of relief.
- The Los Angeles Kings finally won their first game of the 2013 season, and better yet, Anze Kopitar scored goals No. 1 and 2 on Saturday. It almost seemed to start a “finally” trend.
- The Washington Capitals won their first game by topping the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Sunday, with Alex Ovechkin’s first 2013 tally being the game-winner. Sure, he could have had another one on an empty-netter that he narrowly missed, but still.
- In less spectacular fashion, the Calgary Flames also won their first game.
- John Tavares found the net for the first time on Sunday, although the New York Islanders didn’t win that specific contest.
INJURY NOTES (full list) and QUICK HITS
The Dallas Stars are bruised and battered, with both goalies Kari Lehtonen and Cristopher Nilstorp dealing with tweaks, opening the door at least a bit for Richard Bachman. Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy missed time. Jamie Benn isn’t a guarantee for Monday because of visa issues. Even Ray Whitney fought off a sore foot … Max Pacioretty is out three to five weeks after an emergency appendectomy … Patric Hornqvist could miss a week or two with a lower-body ailment … Patrik Elias hit the 900-point mark for his impressive career on Sunday … Cam Atkinson was placed on the IR with a lower-body injury … Darren Helm (back) missed Sunday’s game after coming back Friday … Stephen Weiss has a lower-body issue of his own while Kris Versteeg remains on the shelf for the Florida Panthers … Lubomir Visnovsky’s agent claims he’ll join the New York Islanders no later than Feb. 11. We’ll see … Chris Kreider is dealing with a bone chip in his ankle … Daniel Alfredsson sat out Sunday, but it seems to only be an illness … Michael Leighton got shelled in his first game in years on Sunday.
Just about every year, a player - or in this case, a line - comes along and dominates enough that everyone knew they shoulda picked those guys. Through the first week of the 2013 NHL season, there’s no doubt that trio is the San Jose Sharks’ No. 1 line of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.
(With all due respect to honorable mentions, such as the Minnesota Wild top guns Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley.)
[By the way, it’s not too late to sign up for a league with Yahoo. If you opt to do that, make sure to check out the Rotoworld Draft Guide.]
In case you ignored this weekend’s proceedings, the Sharks continued to roll over opponents thanks almost entirely to those three. Marleau’s goal-scoring exploits grabbed the headlines since they were of the record-breaking variety; he’s the first guy to score at least two goals in the first four games of the season in 95 years and almost kept it going with another goal in Game 5 on Sunday. That’s fair even in fantasy terms because goals are the more sought-after stat than assists.
Still, though, Joe Thornton should not be shortchanged for his hot start either; especially since, historically speaking, he’s probably more likely to finish this abbreviated campaign among the NHL’s top scorers.
Actually, that might be the most important question of this column: how valuable will these guys be going forward? This isn’t the most scientific process, but let’s say the three follow last season’s trajectory pace-wise in the last 43 games of the season after these hot starts.
AFTER FIVE GAMES
Marleau: nine goals, four assists for 13 points
Thornton: three goals, 10 assists for 13 points
Pavelski: two goals, eight assists for 10 points
IF THEY FINISH THIS SEASON AT 2011-12’S PACE*
Marleau: 47 points (added: 16 goals, 18 assists, 34 points)
Thornton: 54 points (added: 10 goals, 31 assists, 41 points)
Pavelski: 42 points (added: 16 goals, 16 assists, 32 points)
Naturally, there’s no guarantee they won’t finish the last 43 games at a higher or slower pace. Injuries could really curtail their production, too.
Still, those numbers are displayed to start people thinking: if you want to be bold and trade (or trade for) one of those big three, how much can you reasonably expect? As you can see, all three would still be valuable overall, even just looking at pure points. Pavelski and Marleau have dual-position eligibility in many leagues, too.
The advice is the same with any high-end draft pick, then. Keep an eye on what kind of stats you expect that player to produce going forward. Don’t outsmart yourself and just trade for a guy who entered the season with a higher ranking. Don’t turn down a trade that’s a no-brainer. But ultimately, keep in mind that you’ve been handed a low-level Lottery ticket. Even if you keep them around, they out-performed their expectations for one spectacular week and should produce nicely the rest of the way.
But hey, there’s nothing wrong with waving that shining object and seeing what you can get for it, either.
* - Numbers rounded up if appropriate.
After the jump: more from a jam-packed weekend.
CHICAGO FIRE
The Sharks aren’t the only team that fired out of the gate this season. In fact, they’re not even technically the top team in the league/Western Conference because another squad - the Chicago Blackhawks - have played an extra game.
Unfortunately, for fantasy owners, there’s not much sense in jumping on the Blackhawks bandwagon because the usual suspects (i.e. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa) are driving it. The most interesting case is Corey Crawford. He could very well get a bucket of extra wins, but if you’re the wheel-and-dealing type, this also might be a time to sell high.
BLUES B-SIDES
The other top team is the St. Louis Blues, whose depth makes them intriguing if maybe not as high-end. Still, they present some interesting finds.
Corey Abbott discusses Andy McDonald and last week, I tabbed Chris Stewart (who inexplicably is still at just 45 percent ownership). Stewart’s PIM potential and goal-scoring history make him an awfully appealing target. In fact, I can’t see why he wouldn’t fit in with any team.
Two more interesting guys are Patrik Berglund - who had a lot of success overseas - and reclamation project Wade Redden. In both cases, I’d recommend discretion, yet both have their strengths. Beyond Redden’s two-game goal streak, the newly signed blueliner received 21:11 of ice time in Sunday’s OT win against the Minnesota Wild. That doesn’t make him an immediate addition, but it makes him an intriguing watch list guy.
ICEBREAKERS
Not every streak-related moment was about perpetuating hot ones. Some of the biggest moments came when franchises and/or players finally were able to let out a sigh of relief.
- The Los Angeles Kings finally won their first game of the 2013 season, and better yet, Anze Kopitar scored goals No. 1 and 2 on Saturday. It almost seemed to start a “finally” trend.
- The Washington Capitals won their first game by topping the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Sunday, with Alex Ovechkin’s first 2013 tally being the game-winner. Sure, he could have had another one on an empty-netter that he narrowly missed, but still.
- In less spectacular fashion, the Calgary Flames also won their first game.
- John Tavares found the net for the first time on Sunday, although the New York Islanders didn’t win that specific contest.
INJURY NOTES (full list) and QUICK HITS
The Dallas Stars are bruised and battered, with both goalies Kari Lehtonen and Cristopher Nilstorp dealing with tweaks, opening the door at least a bit for Richard Bachman. Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy missed time. Jamie Benn isn’t a guarantee for Monday because of visa issues. Even Ray Whitney fought off a sore foot … Max Pacioretty is out three to five weeks after an emergency appendectomy … Patric Hornqvist could miss a week or two with a lower-body ailment … Patrik Elias hit the 900-point mark for his impressive career on Sunday … Cam Atkinson was placed on the IR with a lower-body injury … Darren Helm (back) missed Sunday’s game after coming back Friday … Stephen Weiss has a lower-body issue of his own while Kris Versteeg remains on the shelf for the Florida Panthers … Lubomir Visnovsky’s agent claims he’ll join the New York Islanders no later than Feb. 11. We’ll see … Chris Kreider is dealing with a bone chip in his ankle … Daniel Alfredsson sat out Sunday, but it seems to only be an illness … Michael Leighton got shelled in his first game in years on Sunday.