Injuries are starting to pile up everywhere, while some guys are returning from injuries. There are also a lot of lineup combinations that are changing, and that has brought value to guys who had none previously. Here are some guys to look at, by position, as well as their ownership rates.
Tomas Jurco (Detroit – RW) – Yahoo 1% owned, ESPN 0.2% owned
There is a low ownership rate here, but that’s sure to climb soon.
The Detroit offense has seen a lot of shuffling. Tomas Tatar was moved to the the second and Jurco is fixed on the third line. Whether that’s where he stays, we’ll see. I’m hopeful that he gets moved up a line in the near future.
Beyond the move while even strength, Jurco has been moved on to the top power play unit in Detroit. That’s an extremely valuable spot to be, with Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Niklas Kronwall on the unit with him.
Jurco won’t stuff the peripheral stats like penalty minutes and shots on goal, but his power play point production should increase, and secondary matchups would point to a good plus/minus rating.
Jori Lehtera (St. Louis – C) – Yahoo 5% owned, ESPN 3.5% owned
I’ve written about him before, but consider this the last call.
There is what’s being described as a “bacterial ailment” going around the Blues dressing room, and the rest of the October schedule for St. Louis is tough – their three games to finish the month are vs. Chicago, at Dallas, and vs. Anaheim. Their November schedule, though, is a joke – Colorado, New Jersey twice, Buffalo, Ottawa twice, Winnipeg, and Edmonton are on the docket (with a few tough games in between). So while Lehtera might not be a great option for the next week, he’ll be a very good option afterwards, and hopefully that ailment is gone at that point.
Lehtera is centering the second line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Alex Steen, while getting second power play duties. He should be owned in any league 12-teams or bigger.
Andre Burakovsky (Washington – C/LW) – Yahoo 16% owned, 29.2% ESPN
Speaking of guys that should be owned, add Andre Burakovsky to that list.
If he’s not a name that’s familiar, Burakovsky was the Washington first round pick from 2013. He played one season of junior hockey, and put up 87 points (41 goals) in 57 games. Considering his age, that’s a very good total, and an indication of his talent. Speaking of which, there’s some good analysis here from Hockey’s Future with regards to Burakovsky. Essentially, he’s a good puck-mover who knows how to finish (as evidenced in junior last year). That’s a good combination considering the team he’s on.
Burakovsky didn’t get a lot of fanfare coming into this year because he was over-shadowed by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Well, it’s Burakovsky who is centering the second line in Washington now, with Marcus Johansson and Troy Brouwer as his wingers. He’s currently second on the Capitals in CorsiFor-percentage, and gets very few defensive zone starts (less than 25-percent of his total zone starts). Add in the second unit power play time, and this is a good all-around option for those fantasy hockey owners that are short on left wingers.
Alec Martinez (Los Angeles – D) – Yahoo 9% owned, ESPN 17.8% owned
It’s no secret that Kings defenseman Slava Voynov is going through legal trouble right now. He’s been indefinitely suspended by the league while he awaits further investigation for allegations of domestic abuse.
Without Voynov, Martinez hasn’t seen a massive increase in overall ice time. What he has seen is an uptick in power play time – in their most recent game in Buffalo, he led all Kings players in power play ice time. More than Drew Doughty or Jake Muzzin. He’s still being used on the second unit, but an uptick in power play time is valuable for any defenseman.
Martinez is also shooting a lot more than he normally has – he’s at 2.43 shots/game so far this year, with his previous career-high being 1.53. Nearly an extra shot on goal per game is a big increase. He’ll continue to get secondary matchups, so he avoids the big lines of other teams like Getzlaf/Perry, the Sedins, the Seguin/Benn/Spezza line, and so on. A good plus/minus, a beavy of shots, and more power play time are all good things for a waiver wire defenseman.
Niklas Svedberg (Boston – G) – Yahoo 9% owned, ESPN 20.4% owned
It’s no secret I have an affinity for backup goalies. Guys like Alex Stalock and Martin Jones play for elite teams, and that gives them a lot of value in both roto leagues and head to head leagues as third or fourth goalies. Another name to add to that list is Niklas Svedberg.
Boston has not hidden Svedberg, as he’s already made three starts for them this year. It’s kind of bad timing that they just lost Zdeno Chara for at least a month, but if there’s a team that can sustain a loss to an elite player and still succeed, it’s Boston.
Don’t drop (most) starting goalies for Svedberg, but I’d find a way to get him on the team. If he does get 25+ start for Boston this year, he has a shot to be a top-25 goalie on the season, and that’s extremely valuable for a waiver wire addition. For reference, even with just three starts and one win, Svedberg is currently a top-10 goalie on ESPN’s player rater.
*As always, thanks to Hockey Reference, Hockey Analysis, NHL.com, and War On Ice.
