John’s List

If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you’re undoubtedly familiar with “John’s List” – John’s shit list of players past and present. We throw in the occasional Commissioner, GM, Coach, or newsworthy topic from around the hockey world. 

Goaltending – Andrei Vasilevskiy, Sergei Bobrovsky, Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger, Jack Campbell, Antti Raanta…

Fantasy Lock Of The Week

Week 10 | Dec. 11 – 17, 2023

🔥Noah Dobson, D, NYI 97% Rostered (Yahoo), 100% Rostered (Fantrax)

Dobson has been on fire so far this season on an okay Islander team. This past week as an example, in 4 games played Dobson put up 8 assists, one of those coming on the powerplay. On the season dobson has played 30 games so far and has 32 points (5G, 27A) that is an 87 point pace by the way. Averaging 25:33 TOI a night with 2:52 PPTOI for those of us that got him at his average ADP of 112 or later a very solid pick!

Honorable Mention this week is: Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, 7 points (1G, 6A) including 3 power play points in 4 games played. 

Edge Work | NHL Schedule – Week 11

The segment where we put in the work to give you the EDGE in your fantasy hockey leagues! Each week the Hacks will cover the NHL Schedule and Waiver Wire Targets to guide you to victory. 

Need To Know: 

It’s week 11 of the NHL regular season! Week 11 takes us back to the more familiar format. 3 full days and 4 light days (50% or fewer NHL teams in action). There are a total of 49 games on the schedule this week, With Tuesday(11), Thursday(12) and Saturday(14) being the full days on the schedule. The remaining light days of the week feature 8 or fewer games. Sunday being the most notable as it is Christmas Eve and there are no games scheduled – so optimizing for games played will present a challenge throughout the week.  

In terms of attempting to optimize the schedule for games played, there are a total of 2 teams (MIN, DET) next week that do provide an advantage with 4 games played. Of those teams only DET play three of their four games on “off-nights” 

No teams play less than 3 games this week 

• Monday – 5 Games
• Tuesday – 11 Games
• Wednesday – 3 Games
• Thursday – 12 Games
• Friday – 4 Games
• Saturday – 14 Games
• Sunday – 0 Games

Teams With 4 Games: DET, MIN, 

Teams With 3 Games: ANA, ARI, BOS, BUF, CAR, CBJ, CHI, CGY, COL, DAL, EDM, FLA, LAK, MTL, NAS, NJ, NYR, NYI, OTT, PHI, PIT, SJ, SEA, STL, TBL, TOR, VAN, VGK, WPG

Teams With 2 Games:  None

Edge Work | NHL Waiver Wire Targets For Week 11

Waiver wire targets will be focused on players that are rostered in ~50% or less of Yahoo (or Fantrax) leagues. When considering players to target, we review recent performance, player deployment, upcoming schedule and more.  

Forwards

🎯 Gabriel Vilardi (C/RW), WPG

Rostered: 14% Yahoo (53% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.MTL, Vs.DET, Vs.BOS) | Line: 2 (w/ Mark Scheifele & Nikolaj Ehlers, PP1) 

We were quite bullish on Gabriel Vilardi this Summer when discussing our projections for the former King, estimating 67 points and 26 goals. With 2 goals against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, and 7 points (4 goals) in his last 4 games, Vilardi is on-pace for exactly 67 points and 30 goals! The absence of Kyle Connor in the lineup has really given the 24-year old a boost; and with a lengthy stint on the top line and top power play, we may actually see the Jets winger top 70 points.📈

🎯 Anthony Cirelli (C/RW), TB

Rostered: 6% Yahoo (24% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.STL, Vs.VGK, @WSH) | Line: 2 (w/ Tanner Jeannot & Brandon Hagel) 

Anthony Cirelli is not typically known for his offense, but has sure looked good recently with 8 points (6 goals) in his last 10 games played. Cirelli’s individual shooting percentage (iSH%) is a bit inflated relative to his career average (14.8 vs. 13.1), but everything else looks sustainable, and the secondary assist rate suggests further production. 

🎯 Nazem Kadri (C/RW), CGY

Rostered: 54% Yahoo (73% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.FLA, @ANA, @LAK) | Line: 3 (w/ Connor Zary & Martin Pospisil) 

Nazem Kadri looks great so far for the Calgary Flames with 22 points (8 goals) in 30 games to date this season; his best showing since his breakout year with the Avs in 2021-2022. Kadri has typically been a reliable source of shots, hits, and goals/assists, and this campaign appears promising. No concerns regarding underlying numbers or sustained production. 

🎯 Blake Coleman (C/RW), CGY

Rostered: 37% Yahoo (37% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.FLA, @ANA, @LAK) | Line: 3 (w/ Mikael Backlund & Jonathan Huberdeau) 

Blake Coleman has been hot of late with 8 points (3 goals) in his last 9 games; and that is in spite of the fact that Coleman gets little or no time on the Flames power play. Playing alongside Mikael Backlund and Jonathan Huberdeau is an excellent place to find offense, and other than an inflated shooting percentage, there are no significant red flags for the 32-year old. 

🎯 Tomas Hertl (C/RW), SJS

Rostered: 52% Yahoo (80% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.LAK, Vs.ARI, @VAN) | Line: 1 (w/ William Eklund & Alexander Barabanov) 

Tomas Hertl and the San Jose Sharks have been surprisingly valuable in terms of fantasy production so far this season. For Hertl personally, he is off to his best start since 2020-2021 with 24 points (9 goals) in 29 games – a 68-point pace over a full season. With very limited options in San Jose, Hertl is playing massive minutes as well – 21:17 ATOI and 74% PP Share. For leagues that count face-off wins, Hertl is currently winning 57% of his draws and could seriously contribute in that category. 8 points (5 goals) in his last 8 games played. 

🎯 Chandler Stephenson (C/RW), VGK

Rostered: 33% Yahoo (67% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (@CAR, @TB, @FLA) | Line: 2 (w/ Jonathan Marchessault & Brett Howden, PP2) 

Chandler Stephenson’s availability is dwindling as he continues to be productive with 6 points (3 goals) in his last 5 games played. Averaging 18:09 time on ice and 52% PP Share offers fantasy managers some assurance of continued productivity. Stephenson’s 7 tEVSH% also suggests some puck luck may be on the way for the Vegas Golden Knight. The one big concern with Stephenson is the lack of shot volume at just 1.3 SOG/GM. 

Defensemen

🎯 Brock Faber (D), MIN

Rostered: 5% Yahoo (44% Fantrax) | GP: 4 (@PIT, @BOS, Vs.MTL, Vs.BOS) | Line: 1 (w/ Jacob Middleton, PP1) 

Brock Faber has struggled a bit to produce consistent offense, with just 12 points in 28 games. However, the Wild rookie is still playing at a 35-point pace and is playing insane minutes, averaging 24 minutes a night through 28 games, but played over 30 minutes in each of the team’s last two contests with 62-70% PP Share! Faber has also provided a hit in each of the past 4 games, while also chipping in 3 Blks/GM over the past 3 games. 

🎯 Oliver Ekman-Larsson (D), FLA

Rostered: 37% Yahoo (68% Fantrax) | GP: X (@CGY, Vs.STL, Vs.VGK) | Line: 2 (w/ Gustav Forsling, PP1) 

Aaron Ekblad is again dealing with an injury and Brandon Montour continues to struggle offensively. Oliver Ekman-Larsson though has been producing with 5 points (2 goals) in his last 8 games; and also providing some category coverage in terms of hits, blocks, and PIMS. OEL was given the keys to the Ferrari on the 14th against Vancouver, playing 4:42 PPTOI (78% PP Share). 

🎯 Jake McCabe (D), TOR

Rostered: 12% Yahoo (14% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.NYR, @BUF, @CBJ) | Line: 2 (w/ William Lagesson) 

Jake McCabe is on a bit of a heater right now  with 6 points (1 goal) in his last 6 games played. The shot volume is less than ideal, but over that same stretch McCabe offered nearly 2 PIMs per game, 2 Hits per game, 7 blocks, a +6 rating, and almost 21:00 time on ice. This one is more of a deep-league option, but the category coverage is appealing as a short-term option.  

Goaltenders

🎯 Devon Levi (G), BUF

Rostered: 53% Yahoo (76% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.CBJ, TOR, @NYR) | Role: Tandem

Devon Levi has been outstanding of late, winning 3 of his past 4 outings; the only defeat coming in OT to Montreal. In those 4 games, Levi has allowed just 2 goals or fewer with a 3-0-1 record, a 1.71 GAA and .941 SV%! It appears that Levi has taken the crease in Buffalo and the rookie is still available in more than 45% of Yahoo leagues.  

🎯 Pyotr Kochetkov (G), CAR

Rostered: 39% Yahoo (49% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (Vs.VGK, @PIT, Vs.NYI) | Role: Starter

With the news of Antti Raanta being placed on waivers, it certainly appears that Pyotr Kochetkov is in line for a serious share of the crease in Carolina. In his last two starts, Kochetkov is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .966 SV%. Aside from a matchup with Vegas, Carolina has a fairly goalie-friendly schedule against Pittsburgh and the Islanders. 

🎯 Ivan Prosvetov (G), COL

Rostered: 14% Yahoo (21% Fantrax) | GP: 3 (@CHI, Vs.OTT, Vs.ARI) | Role: Tandem

Ivan Prosvetov has started the last 3 contests for the Avs as Alexander Georgiev struggles to find his game this season. In his last 5 appearances, Prosvetov has posted a 3-1-1 record with a 2.27 GAA and .930 SV%. Conversely, Georgiev has given up 8 goals in his last two starts and is sporting a 2.96 GAA and .897 SV%. At this point, starts in the Avs crease are up for grabs and Prosvetov may just be the man to roster… UPDATE: It was a rough outing against the Jets on Saturday, 5.33 GAA, .792 SV%

ALSO: Scott Wedgewood (G), DAL | 5% Yahoo, 15% Fantrax. Jake Oettinger left Friday’s game with a lower-body injury, and the extent of the injury is unknown at the time of writing. The Stars starting netminder has struggled this season, and now an injury really opens up an opportunity for Wedgewood; who has a 5-1-1 record and essentially the same stats (3.35 GAA, .901 SV%) as Oettinger.