Justin Rosser February 22, 2021
This article will be based off of standard fantasy scoring systems as I look at some potential flower buds ready to blossom that are less than 60% owned in Fantasy Hockey leagues. Remember, these aren’t guarantees, just potential diamonds in the rough.
Trevor Zegras (C) ANH: 21% Rostered
This is a bit of a shot in the dark, as we have never seen him play at the NHL level before. The Anaheim Ducks called up their high end prospect, who has been seen practicing on line 2 with Sam Steel and Jakob Silfverberg and projected on Anaheim’s Power Play 2.
2021 USA IIHF World Junior MVP & Champion gold medalist has looked great in his short stint in the AHL with 4 goals and 5 assists in eight games. This is a bit of a gamble as we have seen some extremely high prospects struggle, see Alexis Lafreniere. That being said, this could prove to be a great gamble play in which you hope he can continue his great play at the NHL level.
Kyle Palmieri (RW) NJ: 55% Rostered
After so many missed games, a lot of owners dropped Palmieri and now the Devils should have a more condensed schedule to catch up on all the missed games, which makes this add even better. Sitting at 3 goals and 6 assists with a +6 rating, Palmieri’s stats are deceiving.
He has been on fire since the team has resumed playing, with 3 goals and 3 assists in his last 4 games and playing on what I believe to be the Devils best line (labeled as line 2) with standout Jack Hughes and Andreas Johnsson, plus on their power play 1 line. A great add that will bank you consistent goals and assists, especially on the power play.
Kevin Fiala (LW, RW) MIN: 61% Rostered
When I decided to write about Fiala, he was 56% owned. Minnesota has recently missed 5 games(postponed) and Fiala had a 3 game suspension just before these postponements. He was a bit dry before the time off, but leading the league in SOG at the time when is suspension occurred. Since they have resumed playing, he is on a heater, scoring 3 goals and 1 assist in 3 games (2 GAME WINNING GOALS).
This guy is gonna get you tons of goals + SOG, which in turn results in game winners. Fiala is on their top line with Jordan Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek and on the top power play line. Fiala was great at the end of last year and it seems he might have finally picked up where he left off. Fiala could be a great trade target for cheap if someone held onto him or just picked him up as his rank is 193 and tons of owners base their value on players rankings. I don’t think he will be on the waiver wire very much longer, so make your move.
Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) STL: 63% Rostered <—– <—–
I should just change my article name to 65 and under, HA. Tarasenko is a MUST ADD, as a super elite talent in the NHL, a lot of owners put him in the back of their minds. This is a great opportunity to beat them to the punch and snipe him. Reports are that he is practicing with the team and that he is still about 1-2 weeks from returning. If you have an IR or IR+ spot in your league settings, he is probably the best stash you can grab right now.
This move is a league winning play, he will immediately be one of your best players once he is back to 100%, I promise, you won’t regret it.
Dustin Brown (RW) LAK: 59% Rostered
Talk about under the radar, but man has Brown been lighting it up. Ranked 75th overall, Brown has 8 goals and 6 assists with a +6 rating on the year. He gets a fair amount of shots (33) and is not a one trick pony as he still contributes in hits with 32. In his last 9 games he has 6 goals and 4 assists and he is +6 over that span.
On the top line with Anze Kopitar and Alex Iafallo and the top PP unit, Brown is a fantastic add. You have probably seen him on your FA list for most of the year, but like Sensei says from the great Netflix show (Cobra Kai) “STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD… NO MERCY” and ADD Brown!
Another player to take a look at adding is his linemate Alex Iafallo(15% Rostered) as he is doing great as well lately.
Brock McGinn (LW, RW) CAR: 17% Rostered
McGinn is not someone I had my eyes on early in the season, but he has my attention now. Playing on Carolina’s top line with Sebastian Aho and either Andrei Svechnikov/Tuevo Teravainen(minor injury), he is in a position to succeed… and he is!
Ranking 149th, McGinn is on absolute fire. In his last 11 games, McGinn has 7 goals and 4 assists with a +6 rating. As long as he is on that top line, he is worth an add.
One negative thing is that he is not on a power play unit, which ultimately is huge, taking away a bunch of scoring opportunities and the PPP section of your stats. There is always the chance for them to add him to the Power Play, it would be something to monitor.
Calvin Peterson (G) LAK: 22% Rostered
Cal Peterson is an interesting find, he snuck up on previous starter Jonathan so “Quickly” it caught a lot of people off guard. With a 2.43 GAA and .926 Save percentage he has been impressive. Cal has started 7 of the last 10 games and looks to have earned the #1 goalie spot in LA.
I normally would not want a goalie from LA, as I had them projected to be a punching bag this year, but they have impressed me immensely on the ice and changed my mind about their squad. Ranking 129th in a Pandemic year where goalie starts are hard to come by, Cal Peterson could be a really good add to your team, especially if you need a spot start.
Thank you to everyone who supports us at the Fantasy Marksmen, we appreciate it and if you ever have any questions, you can send us a DM on twitter @fantasymarksmen or email us at Fantasymarksmen@gmail.com, also you can DM me on my twitter account @justinrosser10 and I will get back to your questions as soon as possible.
Justin Rosser February 22, 2021
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