Nick Alberga: I wouldn’t, no. There’s plenty of hockey left. On top of that, Kuemper and the Capitals are starting to crumble and self-destruct. For now, I think the smartest play is to hold. There’s nothing wrong with handcuffing a tandem.
Brock Seguin: Fleury still has value, but if you need to clear a spot, Gustavsson is certainly the goalie to keep. However, there’s nothing wrong with carrying four quality goalies at this point in the season. Fleury is still going to get starts, and he’s still been solid. He’s got a .913 SV% in the last month.
Matt Larkin: I think you can do that specifically because you have Vitek Vanecek and Darcy Kuemper. Those two have been solid fantasy starters all year long and get good enough volume that you can use Filip Gustavsson to augment your rate stats, assuming your league counts any. Even if it’s a volume-only league, Gustavsson is playing roughly as much as Marc-Andre Fleury – and better.
Nick Alberga: It’s close but I’d probably lean slightly towards Boldy. I like what he brings to the table and I’m expecting a big-time finish. On top of that, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Wild acquire some help for their big boys up front, so look out for that as well. You can’t go wrong with either guy.
Brock Seguin: They are nearly identical in terms of usage, shot volume, and power-play production. I lean towards Boldy due to the dual-wing eligibility and the fact that the centre pool is very deep. In terms of rest of season projections:
Boldy – 7.9 G | 10.7A | 18.6 Pts | 75.0 SOG
Eriksson Ek – 7.7 G | 8.5 A | 16.2 Pts | 74.9 SOG
Matt Larkin: I like both. I lean toward Joel Eriksson Ek because he does pretty much everything well. He’s a plus contributor in goals, shots, hits and power play points. Even if your league counts points only, he’s been more consistent than Matt Boldy, who still carries great upside but has been snakebitten with his puck luck for much of the year.
Nick Alberga: Firstly, I would monitor Schmaltz very closely over the next week because it sounds like trade talk on him has been picking up. Regardless of whether he gets dealt or not, I do think he has plenty of value in fantasy hockey. He had 59 points in 63 games last year and has 37 points in 42 outings so far this season. Suffice it is to say, Schmaltz continues to fly under the radar, which could change if/when he’s traded. Keep him.
Brock Seguin: I’ve liked Schmaltz all season; I think he’s been under-owned all year. If you look at this season and last, he has 96 points (39G / 57A) in 105 games–that’s 30 goals and 45 assists (75 points) per 82 games, and he gets no respect. Even playing on a bad team, he doesn’t even crush your plus/minus (if your league counts that). There are also some rumours that he could get traded at the deadline. Depending on where he goes, it could be a good thing. The issue with him being traded is that he won’t be playing 19:45 ATOI anymore, which is where a lot of his value comes from. He’s easily one of the top waiver wire adds in standard-sized leagues.
Mattt Larkin: I think Schmaltz has settled in as one of the most underrated commodities in fantasy. The guy has 30 points in his past 30 games and is somehow only rostered in 35 percent of Yahoo leagues. The Arizona discount is real. He’s only a minus-1 this season to boot. If your (evidently very shallow) league has other point-per-game players who do more in the banger categories, you could drop Schmaltz for them, but otherwise let it ride.
Nick Alberga: Personally, I’d wait until the deadline until acting upon that just to see what happens. You never know with Doug Armstrong. That said, yes, I think it’s time to move on from Krug. Needless to say, he’s been a massive disappointment in St. Louis.
Brock Seguin: Difficult to answer without knowing the value of $6.5 million in your league but at 32 years old, on a declining team, he doesn’t seem like the best dynasty keeper. And as you pointed out, injuries have become an issue for Krug. Over the last five seasons, he’s missed 20 percent of the games.
Matt Larkin: Agreed. He just hasn’t been the same player since he left the fantasy-friendly Boston Bruins. The Blues are also trending downward, selling off their top forwards in trades, so even if Krug was at his best, his supporting cast is the weakest of his career. Then factoring in his nagging injuries, too. There are just too many reasons to cut him.
Nick Alberga: As things situate right now, the only guy I’d consider adding in favour of UPL is Korpisalo. He’s been awesome lately. Having said that, it’s still the Blue Jackets and they’ve been brutally inconsistent this season. Keep an eye out for a Korpisalo trade. It’s unlikely, but if that happens, he could end up being a steal for you. For now, though, hold on UPL.
Brock Seguin: I think Korpisalo is very interesting, he could be traded to a contender and he’s had a strong bounce-back season. Even if he doesn’t get dealt, he’s winning half of his starts with a .912 SV%. I’d rather have him than UPL, who has been a disaster lately. Ingram is on an incredible run and is good in points leagues, but hard to trust in category leagues, especially if the Coyotes start selling off pieces. Anderson just doesn’t play enough.
Matt Larkin: I know Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been a bit of a rollercoaster of late, but I still like his upside more than that of the players you named. One possible exception to keep an eye on: Joonas Korpisalo. If he’s traded between now and March 3, he could see a sudden surge in fantasy value if a contender acquires him to start. Picture him as an L.A. King, for instance. Suddenly he’s a top-15 goalie. So watch Korpisalo closely.
Nick Alberga: This is just speculation on my part, but I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest if either guy had no bearing on the fantasy hockey playoffs. As you know, Landeskog hasn’t played all season and Barzal is now week-to-week. Unsurprisingly, the Isles have been very quiet with that whole story. I’m fading on both fronts.
Brock Seguin: At this point, it seems like Landeskog may play before Barzal plays again. That said, the Avalanche aren’t even sure what his timeline is, so I’d be lying if I said I knew when he’s going to be back. I don’t think you can trust either of them to be very helpful down the stretch.
Matt Larkin: Very tough decision here because Mat Barzal’s injury is week to week. It’s not inconceivable that Gabriel Landeskog makes it back before him. But if I have to place a bet right now: I lean Barzal. The Isles have motivation to activate him as soon as he’s ready if they want any chance of making the playoffs. The Avs have indicated there’s still no timeline for Landeskog’s return and could keep him on LTIR until the playoffs. How they behave at the Trade Deadline should give us a major hint of their short-term plans for Landeskog’s cap hit.