RADIO
There is no more football to distract fantasy hockey owners.
There are two months for fantasy owners to either turn their seasons around or take their contending teams and put them over the top. Both things can be done via one or two trades. If your fantasy team has some deficiencies at certain positions, there is only so much that can be fixed by picking up players on the waiver wire. To acquire superstars that will transform your fantasy squad into a championship team, you have to make a blockbuster trade. Below are some players you can buy and sell for the perfect prices.
Here are this week’s buy-low and sell-high candidates:
Week 19 Fantasy Hockey Buy-Low Players
Jordan Eberle - RW, EDM
Eberle is one of most talented forwards in the NHL. He has recorded three 60-plus point seasons over his first five years in the league, and his quick feet and soft hands help him generate more scoring chances than Ryan Reynolds generates when he walks into a bar. But this season has been rough for Eberle and his fantasy owners. While Taylor Hall has clicked well with Leon Draisaitl on the top line, Eberle has been unlucky with his linemates on the No. 2 line, particularly his centers. Eberle never got the chance to play with rookie phenom Connor McDavid during the first half of the season as he missed the first month of action while McDavid was healthy, and then McDavid fractured his clavicle three days before Eberle got back on the ice. And Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did not bring back memories of Brett Hull and Adam Oates with their lackluster play when they were placed together on the second scoring unit.
Now that McDavid has come back from his three-month hiatus, Eberle finally has his ultra-skilled centerman to set him up. McDavid’s return has paid immediate fantasy dividends for Eberle. Eberle has scored three goals and added two assists in his first three contests since reuniting with McDavid. Just pray it is not too late to get Eberle for a reasonable price since he is on fire. And pray harder that Eberle keeps scoring because he does not offer much to fantasy owners when it comes to plus-minus or penalty minutes.
Ben Scrivens - G, MON
Scrivens was acquired via a trade more than a month ago, but only now is he getting the chance to start some games for the hapless Habs. It was not like Scrivens had a track record that should have forced Montreal to immediately install him as the starting netminder after he arrived. His career 2.90 goals against average and .905 save percentage make him look like a human sieve compared to most goalies these days, and other than a nice 19-game stretch with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2013-14 campaign, Scrivens has never done a favor for a fantasy owner.
But Scrivens won back-to-back games over last weekend and only allowed one goal in each contest. Granted, the wins came at home against the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes, so we should not begin using Scrivens’ name in the same breath as Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden. But these wins will allow Scrivens more starts in the upcoming weeks since rookie Mike Condon has been erratic and subpar. And with it being unknown when or if team backbone Carey Price will step between the pipes again, Scrivens could hold Montreal’s starting goalie job for the rest of the season if he plays decently.
Week 19 Fantasy Hockey Sell-High Players
Kyle Palmieri - RW, NJD
The former first-rounder has finally showed why he was just drafted in the first round back in 2009. After five years of playing like nothing more than a third-liner with the Anaheim Ducks, Palmieri has had a career resurgence with New Jersey. He has surpassed his career-highs in goals, assists, points and power-play goals already with more than one-third of the season yet to go, so he will probably obliterate his previous personal bests by the time the last regular-season game is played. For fantasy owners who drafted him in the late rounds or picked him up on the waiver wire, Palmieri has been a fantasy godsend.
Palmieri has slowed slightly, going pointless over his last five games. Does this mean he is finally crashing to earth? Or is this just a short scoring slump? My money is on the former as Palmieri has skated into unchartered fantasy waters with how much he has scored this season compared to his previous five. Complicating things for Palmieri has been the absence of New Jersey’s leading scorer, Mike Cammalleri, who is injured again. Because of New Jersey’s lack of skilled forwards, defenses can focus in on Palmieri and render him useless when Cammalleri does not suit up. Trade Palmieri for a defenseman, goalie or a more dependable forward.
Patrick Sharp - LW, DAL
Sharp has been one of the luckiest players during his NHL career in terms of teammates and linemates. After years of playing with the likes of Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane during his Chicago Blackhawks years, Sharp is now playing with Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza in Dallas. The Stars change their line combinations around as often as Beyonce changes costumes during a concert, but Sharp normally gets to play with Spezza at even strength and on the top power-play unit.
Spezza is now out with an upper-body injury that has landed him on the injured reserve. There is no timetable for his return, so Sharp is going to be without his prime playmaker for at least a week and possibly much longer. You know how hockey injuries are. Fantasy owners can get more information from the FBI than they can NHL teams. So Sharp’s point production on the power play and at even strength could take a hit over the next several weeks if Spezza’s injury is on the serious side. Trading Sharp now before starts to slide is something to consider.
