20 Fantasy Thoughts: Lightning’s Stamkos proving he has plenty left in the tank

The Arizona Coyotes are on the move.

I think most people thought this would be a possibility at some point, but the sudden news that the Coyotes are heading to Utah next season caught a number of folks off guard. I’m sure that included the players, as reports suggest they’re none too pleased with the way it was handled.

So, how could this have a fantasy impact? Well, for starters, perhaps a player or two will be so unhappy they might request a trade. Someone may prefer living in Arizona over Utah and could ultimately ask to be dealt. What if someone like Clayton Keller decides he’d like to move on and his fantasy value changes drastically?

There’s also the possibility that when the Coyotes move, new owner Ryan Smith would be more active and willing to spend in free agency, making someone like Keller more valuable if he stays. I’m not saying either scenario is going to happen, but it would be a bit hasty to lock in someone like Keller or any other Coyote as a keeper until we see how all this plays out.

1. There’s never a good time for an injury, especially to a superstar, but Mikko Rantanen couldn’t have been sidelined at a worse time. Missing some time during championship weeks was a huge blow and there’s really no way to replace him. Rantanen returned Saturday, although he was held off the scoresheet and missed Colorado’s previous two games. That may have been enough to cost a few teams a shot at a title.

2. It’s really tough to trust Alexandar Georgiev at the moment. He’s allowed at least four goals in five of his past seven starts and the Colorado Avalanche can’t be too confident going into the post-season with him as their starter. I wonder if Justus Annunen is going to get an opportunity at some point in the playoffs.

3. It took some time, but Jonathan Drouin ultimately delivered on the deep sleeper potential I mentioned last summer. He’s been a very consistent scorer in the second half of the season and was able to grab onto that coveted spot next to Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon and hold it. There’s a good chance Drouin is going to convert this production into a decent contract this summer with someone other than the Colorado Avalanche due to cap constraints. Be careful of over-drafting Drouin next season if he leaves the Avs and doesn’t land in a spot that’s as friendly fantasy wise.

4. Even with a good outing Saturday, Casey DeSmith has been underwhelming to say the least filling in for Thatcher Demko. DeSmith has been well below .900 in five of his 10 starts with Demko out and simply hasn’t been the gem people thought he would be off waivers.

5. Steven Stamkos still has a lot left in the tank. A recent run of 10 goals in six games is proof of that. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward’s strong finish is going to make for a very interesting offseason, as Stamkos will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Tampa went with a wait-and-see approach with contract negotiations for their captain, which has somewhat backfired. Stamkos has five more goals than he scored in 2022-23 and should finish with almost as many points. If there are signs of regression coming from Stamkos, they aren’t obvious at this point.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Stamkos feasted on the league’s best power play, scoring more than half his points this year with the man advantage. Getting a chance to play with Hart Trophy contender Nikita Kucherov on the power play certainly has its benefits and Stamkos has taken full advantage.

6. Only three goals for Matt Duchene in 24 games after he got off to that torrid start to the season. His overall numbers look great, though his streakiness at times always makes me a tad cautious about rostering him. Duchene’s ice time has declined as well, as he averaged 17:35 per game in December compared to just 15:33 in April. The emergence of the likes of Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven has certainly contributed to that.

7. Can’t say I’m surprised Jack Hughes was shut down for the season. He didn’t look like himself when he returned from his most recent injury. It comes with the territory when you’re rostering players on teams that fall out of the playoff race, as sometimes they will play it safe with guys who have a nagging ailment and unfortunately, a lot of times those decisions come in championship week. The good news is Hughes should be ready to go for next season, which will hopefully be an injury-free one for the New Jersey Devils superstar.

8. Very quietly, Zach Werenski has put together a strong season. He’s up to 53 points in 69 games, which equates to a 63-point pace. That’s very impressive when you consider the state of the Columbus Blue Jackets this season. Werenski’s issue has never been production, it’s always injuries. He hasn’t played anywhere close to a full season since 2018-19 and typically Werenski falls in drafts because of it. The Blue Jackets defender will be a major high-reward pick next year if he gets anywhere close to 82 games in.

9. William Eklund is going to be a great player someday and he’s already proving his value down the stretch. The San Jose Sharks forward has 14 points in his past 12 games and is averaging more than 20 minutes a night this month. I’ve mentioned in the past about looking for players on weak teams that are getting a push to close out the season and Eklund is definitely taking advantage of his opportunity.

10. The St. Louis Blues are going to miss the playoffs, but Jordan Binnington has been a major bright spot. Binnington is having his best campaign since the 2019-20 season, with 28 wins and a .911 save percentage. That’s a good sign heading into next year, where Binnington could climb up draft boards. There are plenty of goalies that have similar or better numbers than Binnington, but not many that play almost 60 games.

11. The schedule is winding down and if you’re still going it’s probably in a roto league. Edmonton has the most games next week with three, with a couple of great matchups against San Jose and Arizona. Stock up on Oilers if you need some extra games to close out your fantasy season

12. We’ve had some nightmare goalie starts here in the fantasy playoffs, but what the Chicago Blackhawks tandem did this week might take the cake. Petr Mrazek allowed three goals on the first three shots he faced against the St. Louis Blues, before being pulled for Arvid Soderblom. Then Arvid Soderblom allowed a goal on the first shot he faced. Not sure I’ve ever seen anything like that before.

13. It may be as soon as next season that Dylan Guenther is going to be a must-roster player. The Arizona Coyotes forward had an impressive four-point night against the Vancouver Canucks this week, giving him 31 points in 43 games this year. When the Coyotes do end up relocating, Utah is going to inherit a really promising team on the ice with a lot of young talent.

14. If you’re worried about keeping Ilya Sorokin because he’s lost the net of late to Semyon Varlamov, I wouldn’t be overly concerned. I think this is just a case of Patrick Roy riding the hot hand and Sorokin is going to get the bulk of the starts in 2024-25. The Isles have invested so much in Sorokin and he’s one of the best in the business.

15. One of the reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins have clawed their way back into the playoff race is the play of Michael Bunting. He has nine points in his past six games and even though he’s not playing with Sidney Crosby at the moment, I’m curious what the Pens do with their lines next year. Bunting seems like a perfect fit to play with Crosby, as he’s played and been productive with elite talent before.

16. Things aren’t going as well for Alex Nedeljkovic, though. He’s now allowed 15 goals in his past four games and looks like he could use a night off. I wonder if we see Tristan Jarry get the next start.

17. For all the attention newcomers Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane have gotten this year, Lucas Raymond’s breakout season is flying a little under the radar in Detroit. Raymond is likely going to finish with around 30 goals and over 70 points, easily setting new career marks in both categories. I know some were frustrated with Raymond at times over the past two seasons but it’s a good lesson in not giving up on good young players, especially in a keeper league.

18. Laurent Brossoit has been as solid as it gets for the Winnipeg Jets this season, allowing more than three goals just twice and only once since mid-October. There’s no backup goaltender I would trust more in a spot start scenario than Brossoit.

19. It’s officially the time of year when teams are resting players. With only a couple of playoff spots still up for grabs a lot of teams have the luxury of resting guys and that could be an issue if you still have meaningful games left in your fantasy league. Be sure to double check your lineups prior to puck drop and have a contingency plan in case of any scratches.

20. Evgeny Kuznetsov has quickly fallen out of favour on the Carolina Hurricanes depth chart. He’s now on the fourth line and has recorded just two points in 11 games. Kuznetsov also barely played 11 minutes on Friday night, as his fantasy relevance appears to have come and gone.

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