RADIO
Over the course of the 2018-2019 NHL season, RotoBaller will be breaking down our fantasy hockey players looking at the rest-of-season values for each player.
Below you will find our top 150 player rankings from this point (Week 8) going forward. This combines all positions into one combined list including centers, wingers, defensemen and goalies.
Note: Rankings are determined considering a standard Yahoo league format (goals, assists, plus-minus, power play points, shots on goal, and hits for skaters; wins, goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts for goalies).
Top 150 Players - Rest of Season Fantasy Rankings
| Rank | Player | Move |
| 1 | Connor McDavid (EDM - C) | - |
| 2 | Alex Ovechkin (WSH - LW) | - |
| 3 | Nathan MacKinnon (COL - C) | - |
| 4 | Nikita Kucherov (TBL - RW) | - |
| 5 | Evgeni Malkin (PIT - C) | - |
| 6 | David Pastrnak (BOS, RW) | - |
| 7 | Sidney Crosby (PIT - C)* | +1 |
| 8 | Tyler Seguin (DAL - C) | -1 |
| 9 | John Tavares (TOR - C) | - |
| 10 | Brad Marchand (BOS - LW) | - |
| 11 | Blake Wheeler (WPG - C, RW) | +2 |
| 12 | Jamie Benn (DAL - C, LW) | -1 |
| 13 | Auston Matthews (TOR - C)*INJ (IR) | - |
| 14 | Mikko Rantanen (COL - RW) | +4 |
| 15 | Patrick Kane (CHI - RW) | -1 |
| 16 | Patrik Laine (WPG - RW) | +3 |
| 17 | Claude Giroux (PHI - C, LW) | -2 |
| 18 | Mitch Marner (TOR - C, RW) | +9 |
| 19 | Steven Stamkos (TBL - C) | -2 |
| 20 | Brent Burns (SJS - D) | -4 |
| 21 | Pekka Rinne (NSH - G) | -1 |
| 22 | Johnny Gaudreau (CGY - LW) | -1 |
| 23 | Taylor Hall (NJD - LW) | -1 |
| 24 | Phil Kessel (PIT - RW) | - |
| 25 | Artemi Panarin (CLB - LW) | - |
| 26 | Sebastian Aho (CAR - C, LW) | - |
| 27 | Erik Karlsson (SJS - D) | +1 |
| 28 | Jack Eichel (BUF - C) | +3 |
| 29 | Mark Scheifele (WPG - C) | +3 |
| 30 | Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH - C)*INJ (DTD) | +3 |
| 31 | Frederik Andersen (TOR - G) | +4 |
| 32 | Filip Forsberg (NSH - LW) | -3 |
| 33 | Connor Hellebuyck (WPG - G) | -4 |
| 34 | Vladimir Tarasenko (STL - RW) | - |
| 35 | Victor Hedman (TBL - D) | +1 |
| 36 | Dustin Byfuglien (WPG - D) | +1 |
| 37 | Sergei Bobrovsky (CLB - G) | +1 |
| 38 | Leon Draisaitl (EDM - C, RW) | +6 |
| 39 | Alexander Radulov (DAL - RW) | +1 |
| 40 | Aleksander Barkov (FLA - C) | +2 |
| 41 | John Carlson (WAS - D) | +6 |
| 42 | Morgan Rielly (TOR - D) | +1 |
| 43 | Braden Holtby (WAS - G) | +2 |
| 44 | John Gibson (ANA - G) | -5 |
| 45 | Ryan Getzlaf (ANA - C) | +1 |
| 46 | Jeff Skinner (BUF - C, LW) | +15 |
| 47 | Nicklas Backstrom (WAS - C) | +2 |
| 48 | Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL - G)*INJ (IR) | -7 |
| 49 | Gabriel Landeskog (COL - LW) | +7 |
| 50 | Brayden Point (TB - C) | +12 |
| 51 | Roman Josi (NSH - D) | -1 |
| 52 | Joe Pavelski (SJS - C, RW) | -1 |
| 53 | P.K. Subban (NSH - D)*INJ (IR) | -1 |
| 54 | Jakub Voracek (PHI - RW) | -6 |
| 55 | Mathew Barzal (NYI - C) | -1 |
| 56 | Patrice Bergeron (BOS - C)*INJ (IR) | -33 |
| 57 | Kris Letang (PIT - D) | +1 |
| 58 | Matthew Tkachuk (CGY - LW) | +18 |
| 59 | Sean Monahan (CGY - C) | - |
| 60 | Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK - G) | +6 |
| 61 | Seth Jones (CBJ -D) | -1 |
| 62 | William Karlsson (VGK - C, LW) | -7 |
| 63 | Devan Dubnyk (MIN - G) | -6 |
| 64 | Jonathan Marchessault (VGK - C, LW) | +4 |
| 65 | Drew Doughty (LAK - D) | -1 |
| 66 | Rickard Rakell (ANA - C,LW,RW) | -1 |
| 67 | Elias Pettersson (VAN - C) | +2 |
| 68 | Anze Kopitar (LAK - C) | -5 |
| 69 | Tuukka Rask (BOS - G) | +2 |
| 70 | Mark Stone (OTT - RW) | - |
| 71 | Mike Hoffman (FLA - LW, RW) | +9 |
| 72 | Ben Bishop (DAL - G)*INJ (IR) | -5 |
| 73 | Torey Krug (BOS - D) | +2 |
| 74 | Logan Couture (SJS - C, LW) | +3 |
| 75 | Evander Kane (SJS - LW) | -2 |
| 76 | Kyle Connor (WPG - LW) | +7 |
| 77 | Antii Raanta (ARI - G) | +7 |
| 78 | Tyson Barrie (COL - D) | +9 |
| 79 | Martin Jones (SJS - G) | -5 |
| 80 | Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA - LW) | +2 |
| 81 | Cam Atkinson (CBJ - RW) | +11 |
| 82 | Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI - D) | -4 |
| 83 | John Klingberg (DAL - D)*INJ (IR) | -4 |
| 84 | Brock Boeser (VAN - RW)*INJ (IR) | +1 |
| 85 | Corey Crawford (CHI - G) | +3 |
| 86 | Brayden Schenn (STL - C) | - |
| 87 | Thomas Chabot (OTT - D) | +12 |
| 88 | Mikael Granlund (MIN - C, RW) | +3 |
| 89 | Carey Price (MTL - G) | -17 |
| 90 | Ryan Johansen (NSH - C) | +3 |
| 91 | Evgenii Dadonov (FLA - LW, RW) | +4 |
| 92 | Sean Couturier (PHI - C) | +5 |
| 93 | Keith Yandle (FLA -D) | +12 |
| 94 | Jake Guentzel (PIT - LW) | +4 |
| 95 | Anders Lee (NYI - LW) | -1 |
| 96 | Wayne Simmonds (PHI - RW) | -7 |
| 97 | Clayton Keller (ARI - C, LW, RW) | -7 |
| 98 | Timo Meier (SJS - LW, RW) | +18 |
| 99 | Kyle Palmieri (NJD - RW) | -3 |
| 100 | Mark Giordano (CGY - D) | +3 |
| 101 | Ryan O'Reilly (STL - C) | +6 |
| 102 | Henrik Lundqvist (NYR - G) | +4 |
| 103 | Patric Hornqvist (PIT - RW)*INJ (DTD) | -1 |
| 104 | Elias Lindholm (CGY - C, RW) | +11 |
| 105 | Semyon Varlamov (COL - G) | +18 |
| 106 | Carter Hutton (BUF - G) | +19 |
| 107 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI - D) | -3 |
| 108 | Max Pacioretty (VGK - LW) | +13 |
| 109 | Jonathan Toews (CHI - C) | +4 |
| 110 | Zach Werenski (CBJ - D) | - |
| 111 | Matt Dumba (MIN - D) | +16 |
| 112 | Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ - C, LW) | NEW |
| 113 | Alex DeBrincat (CHI - LW,RW) | -12 |
| 114 | J.T. Miller (TBL - C,LW,RW) | +3 |
| 115 | Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG - LW, RW) | -15 |
| 116 | Dougie Hamilton (CAR - D) | -8 |
| 117 | Max Domi (MTL - C,LW) | +9 |
| 118 | Dylan Larkin (DET - C) | +2 |
| 119 | Jonathan Quick (LAK - G)*INJ (IR) | -8 |
| 120 | Eric Staal (MIN - C) | +2 |
| 121 | William Nylander (TOR - C, RW)*RFA | -3 |
| 122 | Ilya Kovalchuk (LA - LW, RW) | -13 |
| 123 | Matt Duchene (OTT - C) | +13 |
| 124 | Rasmus Ristolainen (BUF - D) | - |
| 125 | Jimmy Howard (DET - G) | NEW |
| 126 | Rasmus Dahlin (BUF - D) | NEW |
| 127 | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM - C, LW) | +1 |
| 128 | T.J. Oshie (WSH - RW)*INJ (DTD) | -14 |
| 129 | Chris Kreider (NYR - LW) | +14 |
| 130 | Zach Parise (MIN - LW) | +11 |
| 131 | Ryan Suter (MIN - D) | +2 |
| 132 | Yanni Gourde (TBL - C,LW,RW) | +3 |
| 133 | Tom Wilson (WAS - RW) | +16 |
| 134 | Charlie McAvoy (BOS - D)*INJ (IR) | -5 |
| 135 | Brendan Gallagher (MTL - RW) | +2 |
| 136 | Ivan Provorov (PHI - D) | -4 |
| 137 | Michael Ferland (CAR - LW, RW) | +3 |
| 138 | Jake Gardiner (TOR - D) | -4 |
| 139 | Viktor Arvidsson (NSH - LW,RW)*INJ (IR) -20 | |
| 140 | Miro Heiskanen (DAL - D) | +7 |
| 141 | Teuvo Teravainen (CAR - LW, RW) | +1 |
| 142 | Jason Zucker (MIN - LW, RW) | -3 |
| 143 | Tomas Hertl (SJS - C,LW,RW) | +1 |
| 144 | James Van Riemsdyk (PHI - LW) | +1 |
| 145 | Ryan Ellis (NSH - D) | +1 |
| 146 | Roberto Luongo (FLA - G)*INJ (DTD) | -16 |
| 147 | Bo Horvat (VAN - C) | NEW |
| 148 | Shea Weber (MTL - D)*INJ (IR) | NEW |
| 149 | Brady Tkachuk (OTT - LW) | +1 |
| 150 | Josh Bailey (NYI - RW) | NEW |
The Spotlight
Fantasy Hockey Risers
16) Patrik Laine (WPG - RW) +3
It's amazing what an 11-goal week can do for the perceived value of a player. After posting just five points (three goals) in his first 12 games of the season, Laine has exploded for 16 goals in his past 10 games (including a five-goal outing last Saturday). It was only a matter of time for the 20-year-old to get going, but all of the sudden he's sitting at a point-per-game pace (22 points in 22 games). Laine isn't a high-volume puck distributor by any means, but his exposure to top scorers such as Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor signifies his current 0.13 assist-per-game rate will certainly rise. He's the NHL's second-leading goal-scorer (behind Alex Ovechkin) since he entered the league two seasons ago and now sits atop of the leaderboard with 19 thus far. Seems fairly likely we see his first 50+ goal campaign in 2018-2019.
46) Jeff Skinner (BUF - C,LW) +15
A change of scenery truly can make all of the difference, can't it? After battling inconsistency in Carolina, Jeff Skinner is proving that he is once again of the more dangerous scorers this league has to offer. With 18 goals through his first 24 games as a Buffalo Sabre, Skinner has found instant chemistry with blossoming superstar Jack Eichel. The pair has formed into perhaps the most prolific scoring duo in the Eastern conference this season. The 26-year-old is firing the puck at his standard high rate (3.33 shots-per-game), and while his 22.5% shooting percentage will regress (career 11.2% shooter), he'll continue to generate high-quality scoring opportunities playing next to Eichel. Skinner is undoubtedly a top-50 asset at this point and looks primed to continue climbing the rankings as the season progresses.
108) Max Pacioretty (VGK - LW) +13
One of our favorite bounce-back candidates from the summer, Max Pacioretty sputtered out of the gates with just two points in his first 14 games as a Golden Knight. As a result, it looked like Pacioretty's disappointing 37-point campaign last year might be the new norm and not the outlier. That has quickly changed. After losing linemates Paul Stastny and Erik Haula to long-term injuries, the former Canadiens captain looks like his old self with nine points (six goals, three assists) in his last seven games. The Knights' newly-formed second line (with Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch) is one of the hottest trios in hockey over the past few weeks and Pacioretty has been at the forefront of their success. The 30-year-old might not be a lock to eclipse the 30-goal plateau as he once but hitting the mark sure seems a lot more possible after his big week.
Fantasy Hockey Fallers
89) Carey Price (MTL - G) -17
After nearly a full year of starts to analyze (65 starts since the beginning of 2017-2018), Carey Price's glory days appear to have come to a close. After four straight seasons (2013-2017) of a .923 save percentage or better, Price is now just trying to hover above the .900 SV% mark (currently .897). The team in front of him is trying to rebuild on-the-go and, at 31-years-old, Price doesn't seem capable of stealing wins as he once was. The 2014-2015 MVP still deserves to be owned in all but the shallowest of leagues but has dropped to more of a top-20 netminder at this point.
116) Dougie Hamilton (CAR - D) -8
Almost at the two-month mark of the 2018-2019 campaign, Dougie Hamilton has had trouble adjusting to his new home in Carolina. The 25-year-old has just eight points through his first 23 games and has failed to generate the production expected from a top-90 fantasy pick (ADP of 87.8 in Yahoo Leagues). Expected to rejuvenate a power-play that finished 22nd in the NHL last season, Hamilton hasn't been unable to unseat Justin Faulk on the top unit (despite Faulk having just two power-play points on the season). He does rank second at his position in shots on goal (84) and provides value in hits leagues (39), but until we see an uptick in scoring, it's hard to keep the Toronto native from continually falling down the weekly rankings.
122) Ilya Kovalchuk (LAK - LW, RW) -13
After a five-year hiatus in the KHL, there were legitimate concerns that Ilya Kovalchuk's return to the NHL wouldn't be as smooth as expected. The game has only gotten younger and faster and at 35-year-old, it wasn't known whether or not Kovalchuk could keep up like he once did. Twenty-three games into his debut season in L.A., Kovalchuk has just 14 points, currently resides on the Kings' fourth line and is in the midst of a nine-game pointless drought. The Kings sit toward the basement of the league and Kovalchuk's lack of scoring greatly contributes to that. He still possesses his patented release on his shot, but with decreased usage and the continued team struggles in Los Angeles, there might be more intriguing scoring option on your waiver wire.
Odds and Ends
Arrivals: Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ - C, LW), Jimmy Howard (DET - G), Rasmus Dahlin (BUF - D), Josh Bailey (NYI - RW), Shea Weber (MTL - D)*INJ (IR), Bo Horvat (VAN - C)
Departures: Vincent Trocheck (FLA - C)*INJ (IR), Matt Murray (PIT - G)*INJ (IR), Jaden Schwartz (STL - LW)*INJ (IR), Jeff Carter (LAK - C), Cam Talbot (EDM - G), Justin Faulk (CAR - D)
Key Injuries: Auston Matthews (TOR - C), Evgeny Kuznetsov (WAS - C), Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL - G),Patrice Bergeron (BOS - C), P.K. Subban (NSH - D), Ben Bishop (DAL - G), John Klingberg (DAL - D), Brock Boeser (VAN - RW), Patric Hornqvist (PIT - RW), Jonathan Quick (LAK - G), T.J. Oshie (WAS - RW), Viktor Arvidsson (NSH - LW,RW), Charlie McAvoy (BOS - D), Jaden Schwartz (STL - LW), Tomas Hertl (SJS - C,LW,RW)
Unsigned: William Nylander (TOR - C, RW)
