Five days to go, folks! Which means in redraft playoff competition it’s time to ditch certain long-term relationships – regardless of how fruitful they’ve been to date – for the cream of the what-are-you-doing-for-me-now crop. You can select Alex Ovechkin, who’s listed day-to-day with an upper-body injury, again next fall. Right now, the 50-goal scorer […]
Continue readingTippett had missed the game due to what Edmonton initially called precautionary reasons. His absence was one of several for an Oilers team that has now lost six straight. Ryan McLeod went into the COVID-19 protocol earlier Tuesday. Mike Smith (lower body), Slater Koekkoek (lower body) and Kris Russell (upper body) all were absent vs. […]
Continue readingFox is pacing at 7.11 fantasy points per 60 minutes (FPP60), while Makar is right there at 7.10. That pace of fantasy points for a skill defenseman is not something we usually see. You have to go back to 2016-17 for the last time a defenseman that primarily puts up points through offense led the […]
Continue readingNot all coaching changes are created equal. When Andrew Brunette took over the Florida Panthers, for example, he has stepping in to take the reins of an already-successful team and wasn’t going to tinker much. We had Mike Yeo step in as new coach of the Philadelphia Flyers this week, but he doesn’t have a […]
Continue readingThis is about low rostership and relative production from blueliners that aren’t always top of mind for NHL coverage. But the stats say they are putting in the work and deserving of a role on your fantasy team. Zach Whitecloud, D, Vegas Golden Knights: It’s only 10 games, which is the absolute minimum I include […]
Continue readingThe Seattle Kraken are joining the NHL for the 2021-22 season and will play in the Pacific Division. The front office and coaching staff have taken shape, and Climate Pledge Arena is on track to be ready, but the team needs players. The Kraken will select one player each from 30 NHL teams, as the […]
Continue readingFor this week’s NHL Power Rankings, we identified the biggest surprise for each team. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1 to 31 — taking into account past results and offseason additions — and those results are tabulated in the list featured here. Note: Previous ranking for each team […]
Continue readingThe word that typically defines free agency in the NHL is “uncertainty.” Players with expiring contracts enter a marketplace unsure of what their next deals will look like or where they’ll next call home. But in the 2020 free-agent frenzy, that uncertainty has reached previously unseen levels for players and teams. There’s a flat salary […]
Continue readingUnlike the traditional playoff format, the league is running a 24-team tournament, with 12 teams from each conference playing in fan-less arenas in Toronto (for the East) and Edmonton, Alberta (for the West). The top four teams in each conference are in the round of 16, and seeds 5 through 12 will square off to […]
Continue readingNow that the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend is in the rearview mirror, the league’s trade season is underway in earnest. The next several games for each team will be pivotal, as general managers decide whether their teams should be buyers, improving their chances for the Stanley Cup playoffs, or sellers, perhaps accelerating rebuilds. Get caught […]
Continue reading