Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

Keeper fantasy leagues are a variation of traditional fantasy sports leagues where participants are allowed to keep a certain number of players from their previous season's roster onto their team for the upcoming season. The number of players that can be kept, as well as the specific rules regarding keeping players, vary from league to league and are typically determined by the league commissioner or by a set of agreed-upon rules among league members. In a keeper league, the kept players usually come with a cost, such as forfeiting a specific draft pick in the upcoming draft or having to pay a predetermined fee. This adds a strategic element to the game, as managers must decide which players to keep based on their performance, potential, and value relative to the cost of keeping them. Keeper leagues often provide a deeper level of engagement and strategy compared to standard fantasy leagues because managers need to consider long-term player development and roster management beyond ...

Injuries are starting to really pile up, so here are some tips on who you should consider picking up to replace some of those players out long term. Nick Bonino Nathan MacKinnon was injured in Monday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers and is expected to miss some time. It is nearly impossible to replace a player of MacKinnon's caliber, so you will have to get a player who can fill up some other categories. Nick Bonino is a good player to have in a league with Faceoff wins and Blocks, and will occasionally chip in some points. Noah Cates Tyler Bertuzzi had surgery on Friday and is expected to miss 6 weeks, this marks the second time this season he has missed extended time this year. Noah Cates is playing on the Flyers 1st line and 1st PP unit and is listed as both a center and Left Winger. Cates is only owned in 1% of Fantasy Leagues and is a player who can stuff the stat sheet and get a little bit of everything. Dillon Dube Jakub Voracek will likely miss the rest of the sea...

Here are some players you should Trade Away: Brock Nelson Brock Nelson has a track record of having hot starts to the season and then cooling off in the second half of the season. Nelson already has 11 goals, 22 points, and 6 PPP so far this season, but his best scoring season was last year when he had 37 goals and 59 points. It's already established what type of player Brock Nelson is, he is a player who excels in the first half of the season but cools off in the second half. For this reason, it would be best to trade away Brock Nelson.  Dominik Kubalik Dominik Kubalik is arguably the biggest steal in fantasy hockey this season, as he wasn't drafted in many leagues, however, his hot start has him rostered in 81% of Fantasy leagues. Kubalik has 9 goals, 13 assists, 10 PPP, and is a +4 so far this season, playing on a line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond and Detroit's 1st PP unit. It would be a good idea to trade Kubalik now while his value is sky-high. Martin Necas Mart...

 Here are some players you should consider picking up for Fantasy Hockey: David Krejci David Krejci is back and it seems like he never left; Krejci centers  "The Czech Line", which features David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. The line has gotten off to a terrific start and he has done a great job filling in for Brad Marchand on the Powerplay as well. Krejci has 1 goal, 3 assists, and 1 PPP, along with 15 FW so far this season.  Nic Dowd Nic Dowd is not a player who should be owned in standard leagues, but if you are in a CAT league, which includes FW and Hits, he should definitely be rostered. Dowd is top 50 in FW amongst centers so far this season and he leads Centers in hits. Down has 1 goal, 1 assist, 23 FW, 19 hits, and 3 blocks, which makes for a very good fantasy stat line. Jaden Schwartz Jaden Schwartz has gotten off to a terrific start to the season, putting up 2 goals, 1 assist and 2 PPP along with 13 SOG, and 8 hits. When healthy Schwartz is a very productive player...

 Here are some Overrated Players and players to avoid in Fantasy Hockey this season. Overrated Players Jack Eichel On paper, Jack Eichel is set up to put up some great numbers playing on a line with Mark Stone and Phil Kessel, but he hasn't played in 80 games since his rookie season in Buffalo. You would expect Eichel to put up better numbers playing with more talent in Vegas than he did in Buffalo, but he had some trouble finding chemistry with his linemates last season. Vegas hopes Eichel is fully healthy this season and forms a dynamic duo along with Mark Stone, but it might be wishful thinking because Eichel has lost a step since returning from his neck injury. It is not worth picking him in the 4th round when you can get players such as Elias Lindholm, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Elias Pettersson, John Tavares, and Claude Giroux. Chris Kreider Chris Kreider is overrated in Fantasy hockey because of his production from last season, in which he put up some unreal stats: 52 goals, 35 PPP, ...

 Here is my list of Breakout players and Sleepers this year in Fantasy Hockey. Breakout Players Tim Stutzle Tim Stutzle is my big Breakout candidate this year because he will be playing on a line with Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. He put up 52 points last year playing with different linemates every other game, so you can expect a 70+ point season playing with these two star players. Tim Stutzle is finally surrounded by great offensive talent that can feed off his, so be ready for a great campaign from the German pivot. Matt Boldy Matt Boldy burst onto the NHL scene putting up 15 goals, 39 points, and 10 PP in 47 games last year with the Minnesota Wild. Boldy is projected to play on Minnesota's 3rd line alongside Sam Steel and Fredrick Gaudreau, and it's 2nd PP unit; however, I can see Marco Rossi overtaking Steel in the lineup eventually. It is not out of the possibility for Boldy to score 60+ points, and 15+ PP this season, considering how productive he was in the second h...