I’m sure no player has as much to prove this year as Philipp Grubauer. Seattle Kraken’s netminder comes from a nightmare campaign in which he posted a career-worst saving rate of .889.
At first glance, it would be easy to attribute Grubauer’s struggles to playing for an expansion team, but the Kraken have actually ranked strongly on a number of defensive metrics this past season. Seattle finished in the top 10 for shots allowed (5th), total scoring chances allowed (6th), and high-hazard chances allowed (7th). That said, there’s reason to believe that if Grubauer cleans up his game a bit, he’ll be a decent fantasy bounce back option.
He’ll play a ton and there were signs this preseason that he was about to turn things around. Grubauer didn’t allow a goal in his first two games and finished with a .939 save rate in three games. Now, that’s a small sample size and pre-season measures should be taken with a grain of salt, but you need to at least feel a little encouraged if Grubauer is on your roster.
In any case, Grubauer cannot get any worse than 2021/22.
1. If Miro Heiskanen doesn’t erupt this year, I’m not sure it ever will. Heiskanen is one of those “better in real life than in fantasy” players, having never surpassed 36 points in a season. With John Klingberg gone and Peter DeBoer coming behind the bench, Heiskanen should have his best opportunity of a big year yet. DeBoer has worked wonders for fellow defenders Brent Burns and Shea Theodore on earlier stops, so hopefully he’ll do the same for Heiskanen.
2. A few years ago at the 2020 draft, everyone was trying to figure out who the heck Yegor Chinakhov was when the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted him 21st overall. Now he just finished the preseason with six goals in six games. I’m not sure how much fantasy influence he’ll have this year, but I don’t think it will be too long before everyone knows Chinakhov’s name.
3. Has Kyle Connor scored 50 goals this season? I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets there. Nobody but Austin Matthews had more consistent power goals in 2021-22 and Connor always feels very underrated to me.
4. One player who could benefit from playing in the Jets top 6 with Connor is Cole Perfetti. The talented rookie has many advantages and could be a bargain in the lower leagues.
5. What a chance for Anton Forsberg. If Ottawa Senators make a big step forward this year, Forsberg will have a lot of value if he can take the job between the whistles early when Cam Talbot is sidelined. I would definitely give him a chance in the first two months of the season if you need a keeper’s help. He will play a lot.
6. If you can’t get Forsberg or aren’t happy with your goaltenders after your draft, don’t panic. Inevitably there will be someone who comes out of nowhere like Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic have done over the past two seasons. A candidate this year could be Pyotr Kochetkov of the Carolina Hurricanes. The chances of both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta staying healthy for most of the season seem slim so I’d bet Kochetkov will take a look at it at some point.
7. Brent Burns stayed with the Canes and looked really strong this preseason. In just two games, he recorded three goals, two assists and eight shots. Don’t be surprised if he hits the 65-70 mark again when playing with Jaccob Slavin, who is the perfect partner to let Burns roam free offensively.
8. Keep an eye out for Connor Brown taking advantage of Tom Wilson’s injury and playing alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. I could see Brown coming back easily to 20 goals this year.
9. If your league counts hits and blocks, check out Alexander Romanov. He finished in the top 20 in both categories a season ago and was paired with Noah Dobson for the New York Islanders throughout preseason. Romanov is in just 13% of Yahoo’s leagues.
10. I’m a little worried about the Bruins’ goalies this season. Boston has ranked in the top five in goals against average, including three first totals, in all of Bruce Cassidy’s five full seasons behind the bench, due in part to his strong defensive structure. That, plus the fact that Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy will be on hiatus for a few months, makes me worry that Jeremy Swayman is struggling a bit.
11. Rickard Rakell has been a trending pick this season because he’ll likely play with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, but I’m not sure you’ll get a huge return on that investment. Rakell has shot in the single digits for each of the past four years and has been goalless with 14 shots this preseason. He just can’t be a good finisher.
12. One who is living up to the hype so far is Andrei Kuzmenko of the Vancouver Canucks. Kuzmenko capitalized on an opportunity in the first power-play session with the injured Brock Boeser, scoring three goals and six points in the three preseason games. The question is, if Boeser is healthy, can Kuzmenko do enough to keep this place?
13. Phil Kessel spent some time with Jack Eichel in the Vegas top 6 this preseason. Not sure I would field Kessel now but if he stays with this group I think he can still be productive and could be worth adding. Kessel scored 52 points with a poor Arizona team last season, so with the right effort in Vegas, 60 points could be within reach.
14. It seems a foregone conclusion that Nick Robertson will reach the Toronto Maple Leafs this year after five points in four exhibition games. In the best-case scenario, he grabs the left wing seat on the second row if John Tavares is healthy. Add Robertson to your watchlist.
15. I could see a career year coming for Mikhail Sergachev in several categories. Someone has to replace Ryan McDonagh’s minutes, and Victor Hedman can only take so much ice time.
16. It’s amazing that Dougie Hamilton hasn’t scored more than 50 points in a previous season. The talent is certainly there and the New Jersey Devils look poised to be one of the highest scoring and most exciting teams this year with all their young talent. It wouldn’t surprise me if Hamilton has 60 points in him if he can stay healthy.
17. If you’re worried Patrick Kane won’t have anyone left to play with in Chicago, I wouldn’t be overly concerned. Kane has the ability to produce solid offensive numbers with just about anyone, and there could be some reward for taking him later in the season. It’s likely that Kane will be dealt to a competitor by deadline day, giving your team a huge boost just in time for the Fantasy Playoffs.
18. Nino Niederreiter has already scored three goals in two games for the Nashville Predators. Recall that a year ago Niederreiter scored 24 points while mostly being relegated to the third row in Carolina. He has a chance to reach a new career high in Group Two in Nashville.
19. Minnesota Wild rookie Marco Rossi seems ready for prime time, finishing with nine points in five preseason games. Rossi is my pick to win the Calder this season.
20. It’s never too early to look at the schedules when playing in a direct league. For example, the St. Louis Blues only play three times in the first two weeks, which isn’t ideal when you’re counting on the likes of Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou or Vladimir Tarasenko. These players cannot be dropped, but if you have other blues that aren’t as valuable, you might want to consider a waiver swap already. You don’t want to dig a hole this early in the season.
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