Fantasy managers should be aggressive and unafraid to make changes to their roster early in the season. Sometimes the wait-and-see approach doesn't work, because the player you're hoping will play through their slump might end up underperforming all season. If you pull the trigger too early, no worries, because there's always plenty of options that pop up later in the season, and all it cost you was a roster spot that would've been in flux anyway.
Every Wednesday, we'll give you players to target — or get rid of — to kickstart your trade talks.
Tyler Toffoli, LW/RW, Flames (73% rostered)
Toffoli will start the season on Calgary's top line with Jonathan Huberdeau on the left wing and Elias Lindholm at center. Make no mistake, they won't be nearly as good as Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, but it is still unquestionably their best scoring line and the drop-off from the league's sixth-best offense won't be that steep. Toffoli has scored more than 30 goals and 50 points just once in his career, and this might be his best chance to do it again. Toffoli will be hard to acquire if the Flames' top line comes out firing in their season opener Thursday against Colorado.
Tyler Bertuzzi, LW/RW, Red Wings (64% rostered)
Canada has dropped its requirement for foreign travellers to be vaccinated, which has opened the door for Bertuzzi to play the 10 games the Red Wings have scheduled north of the border. Bertuzzi plays a
Fantasy managers should be aggressive and unafraid to make changes to their roster early in the season. Sometimes the wait-and-see approach doesn't work, because the player you're hoping will play through their slump might end up underperforming all season. If you pull the trigger too early, no worries, because there's always plenty of options that pop up later in the season, and all it cost you was a roster spot that would've been in flux anyway.
Every Wednesday, we'll give you players to target — or get rid of — to kickstart your trade talks.
Tyler Toffoli, LW/RW, Flames (73% rostered)
Toffoli will start the season on Calgary's top line with Jonathan Huberdeau on the left wing and Elias Lindholm at center. Make no mistake, they won't be nearly as good as Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, but it is still unquestionably their best scoring line and the drop-off from the league's sixth-best offense won't be that steep. Toffoli has scored more than 30 goals and 50 points just once in his career, and this might be his best chance to do it again. Toffoli will be hard to acquire if the Flames' top line comes out firing in their season opener Thursday against Colorado.
Tyler Bertuzzi, LW/RW, Red Wings (64% rostered)
Canada has dropped its requirement for foreign travellers to be vaccinated, which has opened the door for Bertuzzi to play the 10 games the Red Wings have scheduled north of the border. Bertuzzi plays a huge role as Detroit's top left winger on a line with captain Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. The Wings will look to continue where they left off, and Bertuzzi would've finished with 36 goals and 74 points last season had he played every game. The Wings made significant moves this summer looking to drastically improve, and if they make good on that promise, Bertuzzi's fantasy value will make a big jump.
Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild (51% rostered)
Ryan Hartman (64% rostered) retains his spot between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the top line, but don't get too down on Eriksson Ek. He's now finished top-10 in Selke voting for two straight seasons and found his offensive touch with 45 goals, and there are bigger things still to come. Eriksson Ek will start with Tyson Jost and Marcus Foligno on his wings, both of whom are below-average finishers, but he at least gets ice time with Kaprizov as the center on PP1. You're looking at 60-point potential with 200-plus shots and 600-plus faceoff wins, making Eriksson Ek particularly valuable in roto leagues.
Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Panthers (50% rostered)
It's okay, Verhaeghe's been in this position before. Written off and making the NHL only as a 24-year-old, Verhaeghe is a late bloomer who is proving all doubters wrong. He is rostered in only half of Yahoo leagues despite coming off a 55-point season and is slated to skate on the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart again. He's an overlooked point producer who will inevitably be rostered on more and more teams as the season progresses. Now's the time to jump the gun while Verhaeghe is widely available.
Matt Murray, G, Maple Leafs (62% rostered)
Murray is tabbed to start the season opener against the lowly Habs as the 1A after an excellent preseason. The Leafs will win a lot of games in spite of any concerns with their goaltending and, at full strength, their solid defense will only make Murray's job easier. There were times last season when Murray looked really good for the Sens — he had a .932 save percentage for two months — and if he could just be a little more consistent, he'll easily win 30 games. It's worth taking a shot at Murray now because the upside — the starter on a Cup contender — would potentially make him a top-10 goalie in the league, and his fantasy value may be at its lowest right now.
Linus Ullmark, G, Bruins (53% rostered)
Considering that Jeremy Swayman is rostered in 90 percent of leagues, Ullmark's fantasy value is being discounted far too much. Last season, Swayman and Ullmark appeared in 41 games each, and Swayman is coming off a very poor preseason and may not even start the season opener. This is shaping up to be yet another 50/50 timeshare. Go after Ullmark now if you need goaltending help, or just stash him on the bench to use as a future trade chip, especially to the manager who drafted Swayman to anchor their team's goaltending only to find they're getting half value for a full-time starter.
