RADIO
We’re out of the All-Star break, marching toward the trade deadline and the postseason. It’s February and that means we’re hitting the stretch for keeper leagues too. Daily games will start to get more and more sleeper candidates for those paying close attention.
In this column, we’ll be looking at fantasy hockey trends and tandems across the NHL for goaltenders. So it’s only natural that I break the tandem conceit in the first column and look at players who started the season outside their team’s tandem, but have taken the helm.
Check back each week for the latest news and analysis on NHL goalie sleepers, the best waiver wire pickups and daily fantasy hockey sleepers.
1. Columbus Blue Jackets & Joonas Korpisalo
Sergei Bobrovsky is out again. His injury has been called a “small strain”, but it’s his third groin injury of the season, making it a concern if you’re rostering Bob.
It’s to the point where you might consider casting him aside. If you do that, no judgement here. He hasn’t been outstanding when he’s been in, is playing behind one of the league’s worst teams and each return is marked by another injury.
Yet, there isn’t much to be taken away in terms of finding some hidden gold here. Bobrovsky will get the net back when he’s healthy. It’s a lost season and the team is tethered to him.
When there’s almost nothing a backup could do to take the job away, it’s not a great spot to find a steal. Add in that backup Curtis McElhinney is injured as well and that third string rookie Joonas Korpisalo isn’t making a case to steal the job, and it’s messy.
Korpisalo has been decent though, posting a .915 save percentage in 12 games. But that .915 is a bit of a Jeckyll and Hyde show, making it tough to know what you’re getting on any given night.
In the right matchup, he can be a useful cheap play for daily games, but his keeper value remains marginal until he earns a roster spot out of camp.
2. Winnipeg Jets & Connor Hellebuyck
There’s a similar situation in Winnipeg.
Ondrej Pavelec has been out for a while and the initial timeline had him back at the end of January. We’re beyond that now, but not far off a return, if his recovery is anywhere near the initial timeline.
Since Pavelec went out, rookie Connor Hellebuyck has played very well, stealing the starting gig from back-up Michael Hutchinson, who himself had stolen a gig from Pavelec at one point last season.
With a .927 save percentage, Hellebuyck is likely to keep the gig when Pavelec is healthy. The 22-year-old has long been considered the future of the franchise net and Pavelec’s injury may have expedited Hellebuyck’s arrival. But there are some questions about the situation. Winnipeg is outside the playoffs and will look to put together a strong stretch and push their way back into contention. Hellebuyck is their best shot, but doesn’t require waivers to go back to the AHL. Hutchinson would require waivers. Being in the final year of his contract and having RFA status over the summer would make him an alluring waiver wire grab.
That puts general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff in an awkward position. Risk losing Hutchinson for nothing, trade him or carry three goaltenders. It’s hard to imagine that Hellebuyck loses the gig, but it’s a difficult situation. Nonetheless, he’s worth picking up and hanging onto.
3. Arizona Coyotes & Louis Domingue
Continuing with the theme, Louis Domingue has put on a show in the absence of Mike Smith. It’s been enough of a show to earn him Rookie of the Month honors for January, when he kept the Coyotes in their unlikely playoff contention.
But Smith has been solid in a bounce back performance this season. With three years left on his deal carrying an AAV of $5.66 million, he’s nearly unmovable via trade. So Arizona is stuck with Smith, making it not entirely certain that Domingue maintains his current position.
Adding to the murk is that the team has back-up Anders Lindback healthy and with the team deep in the playoff hunt, it’s hard to carry three goaltenders. Lindback won’t be an alluring trade pick-up for another team and only Domingue doesn’t have to pass through waivers.
Domingue is a sneaky pick-up right now, being a little-known goaltender who jumped onto the scene midseason and is playing for a team that most are still waiting to crash back to earth. It’s even possible that he keeps getting consistent starts when Smith returns with how he’s playing right now.
4. Mike Condon & Montreal’s Downfall
Montreal is a disaster. Since Carey Price went out of the lineup the second time they have the worst record in the NHL. On December 2 they had a 21-point lead on the Carolina Hurricanes. Now they’re two points back on the ‘Canes and out of playoff position.
There just aren’t any good options in Montreal for fantasy any more. The Habs keep losing and Mike Condon’s hot start to his rookie season is long gone. His save percentage has tumbled to a .904.
The team decided that maybe getting Ben Scrivens back in the NHL and dumping Dustin Tokarski could be the path forward. Scrivens hasn’t delivered during his second chance. Through four games he has a .873 save percentage.
With no timeline on a return for Price — he skated again on Monday, but without equipment — he’s becoming increasingly frustrating to hang onto in keeper formats. Meanwhile Condon and Scrivens aren’t doing anything worth rostering. Things are bleak for Habs fans and there isn’t much to salvage here for fantasy purposes.
