This article is part of our Frozen Fantasy series.
There are two things no fantasy manager wants to hear – LTIR and first-round pick.
Yes, Nikita Kucherov. I'm talking about you.
Kucherov left last Saturday's game with groin pain. I'm worried – deep groin pain is a symptom of a labrum tear. Yes, that's what Kucherov had repaired last year.
It could be just a muscle imbalance injury. So for now, we know he's out for at least 10 games and 24 days. Maybe more. I really hope it's the minimum.
So, is the season already lost for Kucherov's managers?
It's hard to claw back from an early season deficit. But it's also too soon to panic.
Some guys start slowly. That includes first-round picks on your competitors' rosters. Talking about you, Mitch Marner. And others. So, all is not lost.
But you need to be aggressive – and ruthless – on the wire to stay in touch with the leaders. Short term, you might be able to capture 60-75 percent of a first rounder's production if you roll the hottest on and off your roster.
And medium-term, you might need to trade an early-round pick off to a hot start in order to stabilize your roster. What's better? Keeping a possible Norris Trophy winner and working the wire every week? Or trading that guy to get an above-average forward and a 45-point defender - especially one off to a slow start?
Your risk tolerance will dictate that. So will the length of the injury absence. But
There are two things no fantasy manager wants to hear – LTIR and first-round pick.
Yes, Nikita Kucherov. I'm talking about you.
Kucherov left last Saturday's game with groin pain. I'm worried – deep groin pain is a symptom of a labrum tear. Yes, that's what Kucherov had repaired last year.
It could be just a muscle imbalance injury. So for now, we know he's out for at least 10 games and 24 days. Maybe more. I really hope it's the minimum.
So, is the season already lost for Kucherov's managers?
It's hard to claw back from an early season deficit. But it's also too soon to panic.
Some guys start slowly. That includes first-round picks on your competitors' rosters. Talking about you, Mitch Marner. And others. So, all is not lost.
But you need to be aggressive – and ruthless – on the wire to stay in touch with the leaders. Short term, you might be able to capture 60-75 percent of a first rounder's production if you roll the hottest on and off your roster.
And medium-term, you might need to trade an early-round pick off to a hot start in order to stabilize your roster. What's better? Keeping a possible Norris Trophy winner and working the wire every week? Or trading that guy to get an above-average forward and a 45-point defender - especially one off to a slow start?
Your risk tolerance will dictate that. So will the length of the injury absence. But don't dismiss one option too quickly.
Sometimes being uncomfortable is the best way to learn.
Now let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.
Hot lines/pairs
Cam Atkinson, RW, Derick Brassard, LW/C and Joel Farabee, LW/RW, Philadelphia (57/7/66 percent Yahoo! respectively) – I'm not sure the Flyers thought Brassard and Farabee would be the perfect fit for new arrival Atkinson, but they like what they see right now. The FAB line has 7 goals and 15 points combined in the first three games. Brassard, who played with Atkinson in Columbus, looks inspired beside his old mate. Inspired to the tune of a goal and four assists in his last two games. Farabee has a goal and assist in each of his first three. And Atkinson has three goals and one assist. Invest.
Logan Couture, C, Jonathan Dahlen, LW/C and Timo Meier, LW/RW, San Jose (51/5/60 percent Yahoo! respectively) – Shark Week continued Friday with an impressive win over the Leafs, led by these three guys. Sus? Maybe. The team isn't good enough to keep this up, but they're showing well with Evander Kane out. Couture is red hot – two goals and an assist Friday give him seven points in four contests. Dahlen offers multi-position eligibility and three goals in four. Meier's game has exploded this season and has produced two goals and five assists in four. He seems bent on making a difference every time his blades touch ice. Check your wire to see who might be there. Meier is the best of the lot, but don't walk on the other two if he's not there.
Josh Morrissey and Nate Schmidt, D, Winnipeg (33 and 5 percent Yahoo! respectively) – Morrissey seems to have put last season's struggles behind him, in part because of the stability that comes with skating beside Schmidt. The former picked up another goal Friday night and has three points - including two goals - in four games. Schmidt had been good - not great - so far, but two helpers Friday and some smart plays make him a great value pickup. Together, these two could become one of the stronger pairs in the Central.
Everybody else
Jonathan Bernier, G, New Jersey (13 percent Yahoo!) – I'm sold on the Devils. And while I want to be sold on Mackenzie Blackwood, I'm not sure I am. That means I need a piece of Bernier to protect my interests in at least one league. Last season, his .914 save percentage was hidden under a 9-11-1 record in Detroit. And my gut says Lindy Ruff won't tolerate too many scuffles from the young starter once he's back from injury. Bernier is an insurance policy and maybe more. He has a minor LBI right now, but I'm stashing him where I have room.
Radek Faksa, C, Dallas (11 percent Yahoo!) – Is this for real? Faksa is playing with the confidence of a first-line guy and has the production to show for it. He, Joe Pavelski and Michael Raffl have been the Stars' best line so far this season. And Faksa had a goal and three helpers in five games heading into Friday night. Lines will be juggled continuously to try to ignite the rest of the team and that could muffle Faksa's hot start. Or this could be interestingly real. He delivers a bit of everything, including hits, FW and points. He may help short term.
Travis Konecny, RW (58 percent Yahoo!) – Get him. Now. Konecny's struggles from last year look long gone. He already has a goal in each of his first three games and four points overall. Konecny came close to a point-per-game pace two seasons ago, and that was his third consecutive 24-goal campaign. 2021-22 could finally be the great leap forward. Neither one of us should miss out on that.
Mikko Koskinen, G, Edmonton (46 percent Yahoo!) – I know, I know – Koskinen? Yes, that smells bad. But Mike Smith is 39-freaking-years-old and in his 17th season. And his 21-6-2 record, 2.31 GAA and .923 save percentage swan song last year was his best season in a decade. Koskinen won three straight this week and the Oil should score enough to offset any goalie wobbles. A starter on a good squad should be rostered more than 46 percent, even if he's prone to pirouettes at the wrong time.
Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Anaheim (50 percent Yahoo!) – Act fast. Shattenkirk is the kind of underrated pickup who can stabilize your roster. He's coming off knee surgery and has something to prove. And he's playing on the left coast, so fewer people notice his play. Shattenkirk has points in all five of the Ducks contests and a total of six points, including three goals. Half of those have come on the power play. And he's willing to block a few shots. Don't sleep on him.
Back to being aggressive.
Roster management is an art. Too passive and you're forever chasing. Too aggressive and you risk mistakes that are hard to overcome.
But still – you need to be the hare, not the tortoise.
Slow and steady can win some races. But the hare is more likely to eliminate its competition – we all know a lot of fantasy managers down the standings lose interest when they slip. And then spring training starts and they're gone.
Force people to catch you. It makes the end of the season tough as you pray to hold on. But like I said, it's the best way to learn.
Even for writers like me.
Until next week.
