If you are a fantasy hockey manager, you know how crucial this time of year is with playoff spots on the line. If you are looking to find some help for the weekend slate of games, you can find some solid options to fill your needs with a few teams in back-to-back situations with players who could help your team on Saturday and Sunday.
Shallow Leagues
Cole Caufield – Montreal Canadiens – 57% Rostered
Caufield has been scorching hot for the Montreal Canadiens since Martin St. Louis took over behind the bench. St. Louis’ similar style of play to that of his young wingers seems to have unlocked the offensive ability that former coach Dominique Ducharme could not.
Caufield is now playing top-line minutes along with Nick Suzuki who is also showing a lot more offensive prowess under St. Louis’ new system. Caufield is up to 15 points in his last 12 appearances, which shows how much more comfortable he is on the ice. The Canadiens play twice this weekend against two teams that are not good defensively in the Seattle Kraken and Philadelphia Flyers. With how hot he is of late and the Canadiens’ back-to-back set this weekend, he is a prime streamer for the weekend if you need offensive production.
Tanner Jeannot – Nashville Predators – 49% Rostered
Although Jeannot is on the Predators’ third line, he is an effective player who can contribute offensively and also provide a boost if your league counts hits as a category. The rookie is two back of the rookie goal-scoring lead with 18 on the year and up to 33 points through 57 games played. He is not on a hot streak at the moment, but the Predators also have a two-game weekend so fantasy managers with limited adds remaining for the week trying to maximize games played or are in need of multiple category coverage should strongly consider picking him up.
Cam Fowler – Anaheim Ducks – 40% Rostered
With injuries to blueliners piling up, the need for a capable defenseman in fantasy who can produce offensively is high. If you’re a team that needs to add a blueliner, Fowler will be able to provide a solid option. He is Anaheim’s minute eater on the back end and will have lots of opportunities to put up points with the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders on the schedule for the weekend. He is on the second power-play unit and averaging over 23 minutes of ice time with six points in his last five games. If you’re a Miro Heiskanen owner looking for a short-term replacement, look no further.
Deep Leagues
Nino Niederreiter – Carolina Hurricanes – 20% Rostered
The winger is currently featured on the Hurricanes’ third line with Jesper Fast and Jordan Staal. Carolina is not afraid to roll their lines with how deep their forward group is, so his ice time is very consistent. He gets second-unit power-play time so he can be a contributor in power-play points, which is hard to find in a waiver-wire addition.
He has points in three straight games and 17 goals to go along with 14 assists on the year. With two games to play heading into the weekend including one against the Philadelphia Flyers, there is a good opportunity for Niederreiter to add to his totals and provide an offensive boost to your fantasy roster.
Max Comtois – Anaheim Ducks – 4% Rostered
After being a healthy scratch a few days ago, Comtois drew back into the lineup due to injuries to several Ducks forwards. He was the team’s leading scorer last season but is struggling this season with eight points in 34 games. it looks like he will have his chance back on the top line alongside Adam Henrique and the team’s leading scorer Troy Terry. He possesses the tools to be an effective contributor offensively and is essentially available in all leagues and worth the chance especially if he sticks on the top line.
Brandon Montour – Florida Panthers – 13% Rostered
Florida Panthers only have one game on the weekend, but if you need a defenseman in deeper leagues, Montour offers some all-around upside. Despite playing on the third defense pair, he has the ability to provide offense because of his role on the second-unit power play. He isn’t a defensive stalwart, but in deep leagues, he can contribute some blocked shots, shots on goals, and occasionally some hits. The Panthers will play the Los Angeles Kings who will be on their second game of a back-to-back and will be without Drew Doughty, Alex Edler, Sean Walker, and Mike Anderson, leaving a very inexperienced blue line, which could result in a lot of offense from the Panthers.
Roster percentages via Yahoo
