Yahoo Fantasy Hockey: Last-minute tinkering to get off to a good start

(Ed. Note: We’re once again pleased to partner with Dobber Hockey to provide fantasy hockey insight throughout the NHL season. Please welcome Steve Laidlaw, the Managing Editor of DobberHockey, as your new fantasy hockey smarty-pants!)

BY STEVE LAIDLAW

It’s opening day, which means you must have drafted by now. Your team is set but you simply cannot help yourself. It’s time to tinker. One of the best ways to tinker with your roster is to game the system. Find the players who can get you the most games played in the shortest amount of time and try to use sheer volume to overcome the ups and downs of the 82-game schedule.

Six teams can provide you with three games played between now and Sunday, which would offer you the chance to jump out to a hot start early. Chicago, Calgary, Edmonton, St. Louis, Anaheim and the New York Islanders are those six teams with bulky schedules. On the flip side, there are two clubs; Colorado and Arizona, who play just one game over the next five days.

You may have a hunch that one of the Coyotes’ youngsters like Jakub Chychrun, Dylan Strome or Christian Dvorak (to name a few) will have a great season but this week, they’ll only have one shot to shine for you, whereas the rookie brigade in Brooklyn (Anthony Beauvillier and Mathew Barzal) will have three such chances.

[Sign up to play Yahoo Fantasy Hockey for free | Mock Draft | Latest news]

Early manipulations of the schedule can gain you a real advantage. Here are some sparsely owned (in the Yahoo! database) options off those bulk teams listed who could help you get off to a scorching start:

Brian Campbell – D – Chicago – 34 per cent owned: Duncan Keith should be ready to go on opening night but any sort of limitations on his minutes will be a boon to Campbell’s stock. The proven veteran puck-mover figures to be heavily involved as a secondary option.

Artem Anisimov – C – Chicago – 15 per cent owned: Center is deep, I get it. You probably don’t have room for Anisimov, considering he tops out at around 40 points. He’s also going to give you three games skating between the dynamic duo of Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin. That many chances to mooch points gives you a great chance at a hot start.

Jakob Silfverberg – RW – Anaheim – 49 per cent owned: Silfverberg has been skating minutes on the Ducks’ top power play unit with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, which is the kind of golden opportunity that could see him burst out of the gate on a hot streak.

Oscar Klefbom – D – Edmonton – 16 per cent owned: Someone has to play the point on the Oilers’ top power play unit and through the pre-season it has been Klefbom who appears woefully under-owned as the top defenseman on a team boasting Connor McDavid.

David Perron – LW/RW – St. Louis – 14 per cent owned: The dual position threat has spent a good chunk of the pre-season skating opposite Vladimir Tarasenko. That kind of superstar exposure makes Perron a good option when you can get a high volume of games played.

Ryan Strome – RW – NY Islanders – 5 per cent owned: He disappointed last year so it’s understandable that folks would be shy to give him a chance. He will be skating on the Islanders’ top power play unit, however, so the Islanders are willing to give him another shot. Consider this three-game week a trial period and if he flops you can at least say you tried.

Troy Brouwer – RW – Calgary – 17 per cent owned: Now that we know Johnny Gaudreau will be available for opening night, Brouwer makes a much safer bet. He appears set to be the net-front presence on the Flames’ top power play unit and should be able to mooch a fair bit of goals.

The above additions could be especially effective for someone looking to fill the gap for an injured player like Jaden Schwartz, Jonathan Huberdeau or Sidney Crosby. These guys may not be long term solutions but they could certainly help in the short term.

***

There’s a decent chance that a few of you absolutely hate your goaltending situation. No promises but there are a couple of under-the-radar options available to help you fix things:

Connor Hellebuyck – G – Winnipeg – 33 per cent owned: The Jets’ new starter is owned in just a third of leagues but he is a potential cure-all for your goaltending illness. Remember our Goalie Tiers piece from a few weeks back? We had Hellebuyck way down the list in the fifth tier because of the potential for Ondrej Pavelec to muddy the waters. Now that Pavelec has been waived Hellebuyck is clear to take the reigns for one of the league’s youngest and most exciting teams. This may be bold but with Pavelec out of the way he pushes all the way into the second tier, right around other young starters like John Gibson and Jake Allen. His superstar potential must be recognized. Hellebuyck should be owned in all formats.

Eddie Lack – G – Carolina – 5 per cent owned: Can’t get Hellebuyck? Lack boasts some potential. He was once highly touted coming up in the Vancouver system but after a miserable 2015-16 season in which he boasted a losing record with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage, while splitting time with the unremarkable Cam Ward, Lack may as well have cooties. However, beggars can’t be choosers, and in most formats he’ll come free. The Hurricanes have a sleeper-ish feel to them and Lack could be the guy to lead them to greater heights. Remember, Lack is just a season removed from boasting a 0.921 save percentage across 41 games for the Canucks. There is potential here.

Steve Laidlaw is the Managing Editor of DobberHockey. Follow him on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.