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Fantasy hockey rankings Week 4 update: Right time to drop slumping starters?
We have a larger-than-usual batch of new faces to the rankings this week, with 22 players shuffled in and 22 shuffled out. Why? With close to a quarter of the season on the books, it feels like a good chance to do some “spring cleaning” of the ranks. There are more than a few dust […]
Continue readingUpdated fantasy hockey rankings: What’s changed from last season?
We last checked in with a rankings update in June, when the NHL was very much in limbo. Since then, we’ve had an extended playoffs, a draft, a long delay, and the start of a very different NHL season. Since then, we’ve revamped the default scoring to better reflect positional value and diverse skill sets […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey rankings: How to handle late season injuries
Steven Stamkos is definitely out for the remainder of the regular season, while Mark Stone and Chris Kreider sound like they’ll miss a good chunk of what’s left. These are all massive impacts to fantasy, as all three players have been top-50 fantasy assets thus far. While the replacements on their respective NHL clubs won’t […]
Continue readingRanking the coolest NHL goals ever: Our top 10 and what creative move we might see next
Of course, it wasn’t the only wow-inducing move we’ve seen this season. But it made us pause and take stock of scoring innovation. How does the move commonly known as “The Michigan” rank among the coolest goals ever scored in the NHL? We turned to a panel of 13 NHL writers, analysts and editors and […]
Continue readingNHL Power Rankings: 1-31 poll, plus every team’s best decision this season
The 2019-20 NHL season will take a pause this week as the league descends upon St. Louis for All-Star Weekend, a celebration of the league’s best. For this week’s edition of the Power Rankings, we identified the best decision each team has made since the end of the 2018-19 season. Note: Standings point pace is […]
Continue readingThe NHL’s Analytics Awards at midseason
But rather than running down the current leaders for individual awards, heralding players who will be recognized for their work in St. Louis this weekend or in Las Vegas at the NHL Awards this summer, let’s have some fun with it by creating new categories of our own. Here are your Analytics All-Stars for the […]
Continue readingNHL Power Rankings: 1-31 poll, plus one stunning stat for every team
How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1-31, and those results are tabulated to the list featured here. Teams are rated through Tuesday night’s games, taking into account overall record, recent success and other factors such as injuries. The previous ranking for each team is its spot in our final […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey: Power play sleepers to pick up now
Team power play success rate since Dec. 1: 26.8% Ilya Kovalchuk, LW/RW, Montreal Canadiens (rostered in 19.2% of ESPN.com leagues): The inspiration for this week’s column, Kovalchuk is off to a quick start in wooing those supporting the blue, blanc et rouge with three assists in two games, including one with the extra skater. While […]
Continue readingBold second-half predictions for all 31 NHL teams
Seriously, how can any prognostication made at the midpoint of the NHL regular season compare to “a team in last place with an interim coach and a rookie goalie is going to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history?” Nevertheless, we’re tasked with making 31 declarative statements about NHL teams in the second half […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey: Twelve bold predictions for the new year
Nikita Gusev soars What a difference a few weeks and a key lineup move makes. Finding his NHL footing and flourishing on a second line with Travis Zajac and Blake Coleman, the former KHLer has 12 points in 14 December matches, and two goals and seven assists in his past seven games (plus an astounding […]
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