Fantasy Hockey – Mike Condon and Other Week 8 Transaction Trends
Gallery
Fantasy Hockey – Mike Condon and Other Week 8 Transaction Trends

Fantasy Hockey

Fantasy Hockey – Mike Condon and Other Week 8 Transaction Trends

The Montreal Canadiens were dealt a big blow when they announced that Carey Price would be out for a minimum of six weeks. Chances are, if you’re a Price owner – your fantasy team is looking a little troublesome between the pipes. If you missed out on the Mike Condon train in fantasy hockey week 8 transaction trends, there are other goal tending options you can pick up.

Mike Condon – G – Montreal Canadiens
65% Owned

Let’s start with the man of the hour. Condon has filled in admirably for the all-star, Price. He’s 10-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA to go along with a .934 SV% as CP31’s replacement. Price is slated to miss the next 18 games (Estimated return Jan 14 vs Chicago) and those games are against some tough company. 15 of the next 18 games are against teams above .500 (Including two against Boston and two against the Capitals). Condon has shown that he’s more than capable to fill-in while Price is out but if he falters at all – the door is wide open for Zachary Fucale. If you have an empty roster spot – it might be a good idea to handcuff Condon with Fucale (1% owned).

Thomas Greiss – G – New York Islanders
20% Owned

Greiss and his counter-part Jaroslav Halak are fighting for first-string status. They have very similar stats (Halak: 2.02 GAA, .921 SV% | Greiss: 2.30 GAA, .925 SV%) and it seems like head coach Jack Capuano is not opposed to riding the hot hand. This week? It’s Thomas Greiss. The 29 year old has won his last two starts and looks to be the go-to guy for now. The Islanders have three games left this week so Greiss could bring you some short term value or a handcuff if you’re a Halak owner.

John Gibson – G – Anaheim Ducks
18% Owned

John Gibson just might be the best goaltender in the Ducks organization. He only has a four game sample size this year (2W, 1.82 GAA, .936 SV%, 1 SO) but he’s been pretty damn good. Frederik Andersen has been very average on the season but horrible over his last three games (.817 SV%). If Gibson and the Ducks keep rolling there’s no guarantee that Andersen gets his job back. If Gibson is available in your league – pick him up.

Leo Komarov – C/LW – Toronto Maple Leafs
16% Owned

Leo Komarov used to be an add strictly used if you were desperate for hits. He’s doing that (2nd among eligible forwards with 114 hits) and more. With 10 goals on the season, he’s already eclipsed his previous career best of 8 NHL goals. Komarov has found a home on the top line with Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk while manning the middle on the top power play unit. Leo is on a hot streak (4G last 3GP) and the Leafs have three games left this week. Strike while the iron’s hot.

Frans Nielsen – C – New York Islanders
34% Owned

At age 31, Frans Nielsen is having the most productive season of his career. He’s shooting the puck way more (69 SOG) and it’s leading to points. Nielsen is currently on pace for 61 points which would be a new career high. He can thank life on the top power play unit with John Tavares for that.

Michael Stone – D – Arizona Coyotes
9% Owned

More ice time = more production in most cases. Michael Stone is no exception. Playing 22+ minutes per game over his last three contests – Stone has produced. One goal and two assists while firing seven shots on goal provides not only season long value but great DFS value. He’s paired up with Arizonas best player in Oliver Ekman-Larsson while seeing time on the second power play unit. Arizona has three more games this week including matchups against Buffalo and Carolina. Value. Value. Value.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions regarding season long leagues or DFS, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@BESTofMATT)

* All percentage owned and position eligibility based on Yahoo!

Fantasy Hockey Transaction Trends – November 24

Tough break, literally, for Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher. Gallagher was well on his way to setting new career highs in virtually every category until he suffered two broken fingers while blocking a shot against the Islanders. What do you do with the winger? Drop him? No. Pick him up? Yes. Stash him on the IR? Yes. Read on for that and more fantasy hockey transaction trends.

Pick Ups

Brendan Gallagher – RW – Montreal Canadiens
77% Owned*

This is more of a “if anyone dropped Gallagher, immediately go and pick him up” kind of circumstance. Anyways, Gallagher has been the grittiest player for the Canadiens this season. Second on the team among forwards for blocked shots and that’s exactly the reason why he’s sidelined for at least the next six weeks (Gallagher Out). Up until his injury, Gallagher had 9 goals and 10 assists for a total of 19 points – good for second on the team. Gallagher is an important cog in the Canadiens offence and shouldn’t be dropped. If you have an IR roster spot in your league and number 11 is out there, go ahead and pick him up.

Boone Jenner – C/RW – Columbus Blue Jackets
49% Owned*

In his third season in the NHL, Jenner seems to have found his stride. He’s found a home on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Brandon Saad as well as spending some time on the first power play unit. Jenner is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals (11) and is on track to surpass his career high (16g in 72 games – 2013/14). Jenner has made a lasting impression on John Tortorella and everyone knows it’s important to stay on his good side. (Skip to 14 seconds and enjoy. NSFW (Language): Classic Torts)

Karri Ramo – G – Calgary Flames
23% Owned*

Ramo is clear number one goaltender out in Calgary. He’s won three of his last four outings while sporting a 2.00 GAA. Those matches have been against tough company for the most part (two games against Chicago, one against Washington). Ramo opened the season as the number one option, got sent to the minors, then had a “heart-to-heart” with head coach Bob Hartley. Whatever was said during that heart to heart has been working wonders for the 29 year old Fin. Jump on Ramo while he’s hot.

Drop Offs

Nikolaj Ehlers – LW/RW – Winnipeg Jets
26% Owned*

After picking up 7 points in his first 10 games, Ehlers has been extremely ineffective since. He has no goals since October 27th and has only notched two assists in his last nine matches. He was previously playing on the second line while getting steady powerplay time. He’s been dropped to the third line and has only been on the ice for an average of 12:35. While it may be tempting to hold onto a rookie with so much promise – it’s time to cut ties with Ehlers.

Nail Yakupov – LW/RW – Edmonton Oilers
49% Owned*

Things looked so good for Yakupov earlier this season. So. Good. He was finally looking like he was worthy of the Oilers first overall pick in 2012. When Connor McDavid went down, so did Nail Yakupov (metaphorically speaking). Yakupov has only recorded a single assist in the 8 games since McDavid was injured. His ice time has gone down significantly while also being bumped all the way down to the third line. Yakupov can easily be your next dropped player for someone off the wire.

Keep An Eye Open For…

Nazem Kadri – C – Toronto Maple Leafs
24% Owned*

Nazem Kadri has the worst puck luck in the NHL. He’s fifth in shots (87) but he’s just not finding the back of the net. With only two goals and six assists on the year, he doesn’t really warrant an add… yet. The opportunity is there for Kadri. Steady ice time on the first line while playing valuable powerplay minutes usually adds up to a valuable fantasy asset. Kadri has seen his face-off percentage go up as well (2015/16 – 50.7% | 2014/15 – 46.2%). If he can start lighting the lamp, he’ll be well worth the add.

Thanks for reading! If you have any fantasy questions feel free to reach out to me (@BESTofMATT).

*Percentage owned & position eligibility based off of Yahoo! Fantasy.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire – Thursday November 19th

About a quarter way into the NHL season, injuries are ravaging rosters, players are starting to settle into their roles and chemistry is building among line mates. Now’s the time to jump on the waiver wire and grab these players.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire – Thursday November 19th

Artem Anisimov – C/LW – Chicago Blackhawks
30% Owned*

Did you have cold feet at your draft and didn’t want to take Patrick Kane? Did you miss out on rookie phenom Artemi Panarin? Well, remove the “i” in Artemi and you can have Artem Anisimov. Anisimov is in a comfortable situation in Chicago. He’s slotted on the second line between Kane and Panarin while anchoring the top power play unit. Anisimov has picked up six points in his last five games while winning 127 draws. If he’s out there, go pick him up.

Leon Draisaitl – C/RW – Edmonton Oilers
42% Owned*

There’s probably one person who deep down didn’t mind Connor McDavid going down with an injury. Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers top pick in the 2014 draft has been on fire since McDavid went down. The 20 year old German has been one of the few bright spots for the 6-12-1 Oilers. Draisaitl is only one of six plus players on Edmonton’s roster (7). He’s third in team scoring with 14 points in nine games, tied with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (who has played 9 more games) and seven points back of Taylor Hall who leads the team. Draisaitl is making the most of his shots (31.60 shooting %) and making the most of his opportunity.

Shayne Gostisbehere – D – Philadelphia Flyers
4% Owned*

After you go through the trouble of phonetically saying his name out loud, you can go ahead and snag Gostisbehere off the waiver wire. Nicknamed “Ghost”, he’s been exactly what the Flyers were hoping he would be after being called up from Leigh Valley. Ghost has picked up points in each of his last two games (1G, 1A) while seeing his ice time climb as high as 19:40. Gostisbehere isn’t afraid to put the puck on net, averaging 3 SOG/g. He’s found a home on the top powerplay unit and should find a home on your team.

Melker Karlsson – C/RW – San Jose Sharks
2% Owned*

Karlsson has been loving life with Joe squared on the top line (Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton). The 25 year old Swede has tickled the twine twice in his four games played this season while adding an assist. Karlsson is getting his shots (9) and hits (9) making him a valuable asset on your fantasy team.

James Reimer – G – Toronto Maple Leafs
42% Owned*

Don’t look now. The Leafs are winning. Leaf fans can go ahead and thank James Reimer now. The 27 year old has established him self as head coach Mike Babcock’s go-to option between the pipes. Can you blame him? Reimer has been unbelievable. Since November 2nd (a span of seven games started), Reimer has only had one game with a GAA above 2.00. He’s faced an average of 39 shots per game (10 above the league average of 29 shots per game). The saves are great for you fantasy-wise & the added bonus of wins on a losing team (4 wins in his last 4 games started) is just the cherry on top.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions regarding season long fantasy or DFS across all leagues – feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@BESTofMATT).

* All ownership and position eligibility based off of Yahoo Fantasy