Fantasy hockey forecaster

There are countless sports fans who enjoy fantasy football and baseball, but there is no other sport that can be made more fun than hockey. It’s a fast paced game with high scoring potential, which means it lends itself to the perfect type of recreational competition. What I love most about playing in fantasy leagues is the number of different ways you can use your team as an investment piece for trade-ins or auction drafts at your discretion. These short articles will give some insight into how to play this year’s edition of HOCKEY FACTORY!

The “dobber” is a fantasy hockey forecaster that allows users to predict the outcome of games. It can be used for free on their website or downloaded for use on your desktop computer.

While most fantasy IR movements in the NHL of late have been of little concern since they are mostly COVID-related absences that we know would be brief, Max Pacioretty’s wrist surgery is a major setback for fantasy managers.

Pacioretty is far and by the most productive fantasy player in the NHL on a per-minute basis in his 16 games this season, which has already been limited by injury. While a few players are somewhat better than Pacioretty in terms of fantasy points per game, he leads Auston Matthews by a whole point in terms of fantasy points per 60 minutes (FPP60) – 10.37 to 9.35.

We don’t have any specifics on his wrist surgery, but it’s a very regular treatment in the NHL in general. After undergoing wrist surgery in August, Auston Matthews took around nine weeks to recover, while Sidney Crosby took seven and a half weeks to recover after having wrist surgery in September. So we’re looking at a two-month wait for Pacioretty to return to the game.

In head-to-head leagues, this gives a chance for the ultimate fantasy rope-a-dope.

I would only recommend such a strategy in head-to-head leagues because you need consistent rotisserie or overall point production, but there is a chance that the two most productive fantasy players for the last two months of the season will be on injured reserve and available at a discount in the future.

2 Related

I get that this puts a lot of pressure on Jack Eichel’s upcoming return to play, but we already have Pacioretty’s numbers to back up the Golden Knights’ top line. If Eichel is able to make his Golden Knights debut ahead of Pacioretty’s return, it will create a lethal duo at the top of the lineup, which will also feature Mark Stone.

Between now and then, getting both Eichel and Pacioretty on your roster is the cheapest option. Between now and mid-February, when Eichel is expected to be able to play again after surgery, Eichel’s value will gradually improve. Pacioretty’s worth is at its lowest just after surgery and without a rehabilitation timeline. In fact, Eichel is available in 60% of ESPN leagues, so you may be able to grab him for free.

Although burning two IR spots isn’t ideal, as we’ve seen this season and particularly in the last few weeks, the COVID protocol IR restrictions are quite useful for fantasy management. The potential payout from the Eichel-Pacioretty combo, though, is compelling enough to make it work.

In head-to-head competition, when you just need to be within spitting distance of the playoffs for the strategy to succeed, the cost to your roster between now and March is almost certainly worth it, depending on what type of value you have to give up.

Again, I wouldn’t go all-in on a project like this in terms of points or cost, but it’s something to think about. If you aren’t already in contention for your title, you’ll need to make some bold plays at this point.

From January 3 to January 9, the Fantasy Forecaster will be available.

Due to stadium capacity limitations in Canada, five games have been canceled, making this a very sluggish week. The Montreal Canadiens will not play at all this week, and the Toronto Maple Leafs would have been the lone four-game team if two of their games had been canceled.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets all had two games.

Everyone else is slated to play three games.

Team	Gms	Ratings	Mon 1/3	Tue 1/4	Wed 1/5	Thu 1/6	Fri 1/7	Sat 1/8	Sun 1/9
	3	7 7	OFF	PHI 10 5	OFF	DET 7 7	OFF	NYR 5 6	OFF
	3	3 1	OFF	WPG 3 1	OFF	CHI 4 2	OFF	NSH 1 1	OFF
	3	3 8	OFF	NJ 3 7	OFF	MIN 3 6	OFF	@TB 1 8	OFF
	1	2 3	OFF	OFF	OFF	SJ 4 5	OFF	OFF	OFF
	3	2 8	OFF	@FLA 3 7	OFF	@TB 1 10	@CAR 1 5	OFF	OFF
	2	6 7	OFF	OFF	OFF	OFF	CGY 7 10	FLA 10 8	OFF
	3	7 4	OFF	COL 4 1	OFF	@ARI 10 7	OFF	@VGS 5 2	OFF
	3	10 4	OFF	@CHI 10 7	OFF	WPG 10 3	OFF	TOR 8 1	OFF
	3	4 8	OFF	TB 3 7	OFF	@NJ 4 7	OFF	NJ 4 7	OFF
	3	6 6	OFF	OFF	OFF	FLA 8 4	OFF	PIT 3 7	@STL 5 4
	3	6 6	OFF	SJ 6 6	OFF	@ANA 4 4	OFF	@LA 5 7	OFF
	3	5 4	@NYR 4 4	OFF	@TOR 5 1	OFF	OFF	NYI 5 5	OFF
	3	5 5	OFF	CGY 5 7	OFF	@DAL 7 4	OFF	@CAR 3 2	OFF
	2	2 4	OFF	OFF	OFF	NSH 1 6	OFF	DET 3 6	OFF
	3	6 7	@OTT 8 6	OFF	OFF	@BOS 5 7	OFF	WSH 3 7	OFF
	0	1 1	OFF	OFF	OFF	OFF	OFF	OFF	OFF
	3	8 10	OFF	@VGS 7 7	OFF	@LA 5 9	OFF	@ARI 10 10	OFF
	3	4 8	OFF	@BOS 4 7	OFF	CLS 4 7	OFF	@CLS 4 7	OFF
	3	6 8	OFF	@SEA 7 7	@VAN 4 7	OFF	OFF	@EDM 6 6	OFF
	3	6 7	EDM 7 7	OFF	OFF	@VGS 7 6	OFF	@ANA 4 6	OFF
	3	7 5	MIN 6 4	OFF	OFF	@SEA 9 5	OFF	@VAN 6 5	OFF
	3	5 4	OFF	@ANA 6 2	OFF	PIT 2 4	OFF	SJ 8 4	OFF
	3	5 9	OFF	OFF	STL 1 7	@PHI 7 9	OFF	@DAL 4 7	OFF
	3	6 9	OFF	OFF	@PIT 4 9	OFF	WSH 6 9	OFF	DAL 8 6
	3	6 6	OFF	@DET 5 5	OFF	@BUF 5 7	OFF	@PHI 7 4	OFF
	2	4 3	OFF	NYI 3 5	OFF	OTT 7 3	OFF	OFF	OFF
	3	4 10	OFF	@CLS 4 8	OFF	CGY 2 9	OFF	BOS 4 8	OFF
	2	8 4	OFF	OFF	EDM 10 6	OFF	OFF	@COL 10 4	OFF
	2	4 4	OFF	OFF	NYI 3 6	OFF	OFF	OTT 6 4	OFF
	3	6 5	OFF	NSH 4 5	OFF	NYR 4 4	OFF	CHI 9 6	OFF
	2	3 5	OFF	OFF	OFF	OFF	@STL 1 6	@MIN 4 8	OFF
	2	8 3	OFF	@ARI 10 7	OFF	@COL 8 1	OFF	OFF	OFF

Notes from the group

Buffalo Sabres: It wasn’t a complete lineup, but Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs made their NHL debuts this week for the Sabres. Both have access to significant catalysts in the lineup, both on and off the power play, so the Sabres seem to be eager to show off their new acquisitions. To completely establish the concept, we’ll need to see a game with Jeff Skinner back in the lineup, but it seems like Tuch will work with Skinner and Tage Thompson at even strength, while Krebs worked with Victor Olofsson and Kyle Okposo. Yes, this is for deeper leagues, and no, this is not the week to try them out (one game).

Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche seem to be close to full strength when they return to play this weekend, putting them in a good position to be one of the better alternatives next week. They have three games, two of which are rated a ten on offense by the forecaster. Valeri Nichushkin did not practice on Friday, but he remains a peripheral possibility with the top line intact. Check on the power play deployment of Nazem Kadri vs J.T. Compher, as we’ve been waiting to see what the club does now that all of the major forwards are healthy. Bowen Byram might return to the Avs’ lineup shortly. His numbers were impressive earlier this season, but a lot of them came when Devon Toews was out, so he may not be as tempting now.

Nashville Predators: The Predators are also one of the top offensive options for next week, with the majority of their players returning. Roman Josi is still a question mark, although he will have been under COVID protocol for a week on Monday. He’s worth the risk, especially with the Predators’ first game on Tuesday. Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, and Mikael Granlund may be available in lesser leagues and are worth employing here.

Notes from the players

New Jersey Devils’ Jack Hughes has a 51 percent roster in ESPN.com leagues: In a victory against the Edmonton Oilers on December 31, the Devils forward had his second multi-goal game of the season. Despite their inconsistency, the Devils have scored 10 goals since returning from the break, with Hughes at the heart of it all.

Mattias Janmark is a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. 3 percent rostered: Since the Golden Knights returned to play, Janmark has increased his scoring total, scoring in three straight games. In deeper leagues, keep an eye on him as he fills in for Mark Stone.

24.1 percent rostered Adam Larsson, Seattle Kraken: Perhaps now is a good time to purchase cheap. Before the stoppage, the Seattle defender averaged 2.7 points per game in eight December games, but has only managed two total points in the two games afterwards. As previously stated, the Kraken will only play one game next week, but four the following week.

Related Tags

• nhl games tomorrow
• nhl divisions 2021
• nhl point system