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Tuesday, July 14
The NHL Schedule, Dallas Stars and more ...
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While the National Hockey League schedule doesn't have the impact on fantasy as it does in the National Football League, it shouldn't be an afterthought, either.
NHL.com fantasy analyst Matt Sitkoff tweeted out a table of the schedule with the games broken down by day of the week for each team.
In weekly head-to-head leagues, the schedule's fantasy impact is the biggest.
For example, if your roster is comprised of players from teams who play the majority of their games Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights, you could be consistently benching players in action. Losing man games is especially hindering to your counting stats.
Additionally, with Sunday being the clinching day, having a stud or two with plenty of tilts on Sunday could help win a few categories a season.
Still …
During the course of the season, you should view your waiver wire as an extension of your bench and consistently be adding a four-game player or two from your wire weekly. So really, this isn't a huge consideration.
At the same time, though, in competitive leagues, you should be after every advantage you can find. There are a lot of funky leagues out there, too, with transaction limits and all kinds of other unique settings.
So queue up, Ding … ding … cling … The More You Know.
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Here are my initial takes.
Anaheim Ducks
They always play all kinds of Sunday games, and they always play the off days. Does it add value to Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry?
No.
It could make a difference in targeting a secondary option in the late rounds, though. It isn't out of the question to slide Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen up a rank or two, either. In the majority of formats, they're defensemen worth holding all season.
Chicago Blackhawks
They play the most Sunday games by lot (16) and 22 other games on Wednesdays and Fridays. It is a nice boost for their secondary scorers, and considering they're consistently a plus-rated team, there are sneaky points to be made up there.
The schedule could be the difference in Trevor Daley or Artem Anisimov being a late-round flier.
Nashville Predators
Yuck.
There is no reason to carry their fringe fantasy forwards. You'll be sitting them during those three busiest nights most times, and unless things change considerably, it is their defensemen who are the biggest fantasy targets, anyway.
Dallas Stars
While they have the fewest games on off nights, it isn't a huge deal. You're going to be starting their stars regardless, and they'll likely be a two-line offense. Their secondary scorers aren't really on the fantasy radar.
Goaltending
This is where the schedule could have the most significant impact. There aren't an endless amount of options. There are two starting in each game.
Just two.
Theoretically, you can have three or four goalies on your roster and only land five starts in a week. You can also consistently start the wrong goalies.
Again, the schedule shouldn't be a deciding factor, but it can help with close decisions, especially in goal. It isn't necessarily a difference maker for Frederik Andersen and Corey Crawford, but their backups hold additional value, as they'll grab a few of those off-night starts. It is worth reaching for Andersen's and Crawford's backups a round earlier, as handcuffs, too.
There is all kinds of value in owning both and exposing yourself to every start from a high-end team.
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All said the schedule matters far less leading into the season than during the season. In competitive leagues, you'll need to make weekly adjustments to maximize your games played and stay ahead of your competitors.
Outside of the core of your team, you should be aiming to ride the hot hands and four-game players with at least one of your roster spots.
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Micheal Ferland had charges against him dropped Monday. The case was three years old, and the plaintiff only pushed the issue after he found out Ferland was a hockey prospect. It isn't earth shattering news in the fantasy community, but it is an opportunity to talk up Ferland again.
This guy is an excellent endgame target in formats featuring penalty minutes and hits. He had 67 hits over 26 games during the regular season, and he only played 10:31 minutes per game. Plus, Ferland looked better in the playoffs with five points -- three goals -- over nine games with a plus-3 rating and 23 penalty minutes.
Most importantly, though, his ice time jumped to 12:34 minutes per game in the second season.
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The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline posited Cam Atkinson would be the most surprising player for the Columbus Blue Jackets next season. He suggested playing with Ryan Johansen and Brandon Saad, and that Atkinson suffered from tough "puck luck" last season.
For sure, if playing with Johansen and Saad, Atkinson should have his first 25-goal season and potentially a career year. Second place in that top-six group isn't much of a loss, though, so all signs point to Atkinson taking that step.
However, the puck luck is something I'm not sure of. Perhaps, and without looking, Portzline was referring to something other than shooting percentage because Atkinson improved in that area last season (10.4 percent) compared to the 2013-14 season (9.4 percent).
Regardless, Columbus looks ready to take that step next season, especially offensively. I've said this here before, I believe, but Columbus was the third-ranked offense from February 1 through the end of the season.
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Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill was on Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown Monday. A number of interesting things jumped out.
First, when asked about Patrick Sharp fitting with the team, Nill lead off by saying Sharp would be a great fit with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. He did double back, and say there isn't a bad fit for Sharp, and playing with Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky is also an option.
Those who listened know that isn't a direct quote, but it was certainly interesting that Seguin and Benn flew out first and without any hesitation. And with head coach Lindy Ruff's willingness to load up Benn-Spezza-Seguin last season, why wouldn't he be equally likely to try Sharp with Benn and Seguin on the No. 1 line.
We won't know until training camp, but Ruff also could turn to the trio in game, too. He was notorious for running lines in practice and then rolling with something completely different in game last season.
Just because we all assume Sharp fits well with Spezza on the second line doesn't mean it will happen. You can mark my words on this one, though, and hold me accountable, too, but barring injury, Valeri Nichushkin will be the biggest fantasy value from Dallas next season.
As in, Nichushkin will return the most compared to where he is drafted.
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Two other interesting points Nill made, which were in reply to Bobcat questioning their potential defensive shortcomings, concerned Patrik Nemeth and Stephen Johns.
Johns was a must-have inclusion in the Sharp deal, and Nill couldn't say enough positive things about Nemeth.
While I'm skepitcal, I'm also willing to give someone, or in this case a team, the benefit of doubt. As Nill said, he trusts his scouting staff, and this time last year no one knew who John Klingberg was.
Let's call it a wait-and-see situation for now.
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Here is a little more detail from Nill via The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy.
The biggest takeaway is the acknowledgement that Dallas has the cap space to add a veteran rearguard, if needed.
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Johnny Oduya "should be close to a decision by tomorrow," according to his agent Don Meehan
Wait for it …
Doesn't Dallas seem like the perfect fit?
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So the parting shot is …
That's a new kind of stupid. https://t.co/RicYjB7ZlC
— Dobber (@DobberHockey) July 14, 2015
I'll leave this to the masses. Until it turns into a suspension and games lost, this is a fantasy non-factor. I assume it isn't going to ever become that type of situation, though. Still, something to keep an eye on.
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I will address the Ryan O'Reilly topic on this level, though.
Things happen, and sometimes guys make the wrong decisions. However, why don't professional teams make a larger effort to protect their investments and eliminate the chances for these things to happen?
For example, 24-hour limousine hook ups might help out. I realize at the end of the day it is an individual's choice to utilize such a service, but if something like that is readily available, it might be easier to make the right decision.
Who knows, but after signing up to pay someone $70 million, it doesn't seem out of the question to pay someone else a nice wage to make sure things like this don't happen.
It worked with Josh Hamilton for a long time, and for all intents and purposes, it is working again. Looking at it from another angle, call it a hedged bet.
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