Time really does fly when you’re having fun. We’re into the third week of the 2024-25 National Hockey League fantasy season, and we’re starting to get some really good information streaming in. In the spirit of the upcoming Election Day in the United States, the exit poll data is coming in, and the outlook is good for some players, while others are definitely not trending in the right direction. As far as the election commercials, I’ve been done with them for several months, and I am sure most of you can approve of that message.
We have a couple of players who have not been polling well at the most important booth, the opposing team’s net. In fact, the Boston Bruins are off to a poor start, and Elias Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy are partially to blame. However, they could make for some really, really good buy-low candidates, as they’ll get on the ball soon enough.
NHL Fantasy Hockey Trade Advice (Week 3)
Buy
The Swedish pivot inked a seven-year, $54.25 million contract with the Bruins, as the team’s management felt he was the closest thing to a two-way beast like former Bruins player Patrice Bergeron. In his first three games, Lindholm looked like a great investment, going for two goals and seven points, including a power-play goal and a plus-3 rating on just four shots on net. But, he heads into Thursday’s game at Carolina, the final one of the first month, on a seven-game scoreless skid with a minus-6 rating. As such, head coach Jim Montgomery shuffled the lines ahead of Thursday’s outing against the Hurricanes, and Lindholm will now have new linemates in Mark Kastelic and Brad Marchand. Perhaps pairing with Marchand will get Lindholm going again. The time is now to pounce, though, as Lindholm is going to score in bunches. It’s what he does. While we saw some struggles last season, with him going for just 15 goals and 44 points across 75 games with the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, he is also just a couple of seasons removed from a 42-goal, 82-point effort in 82 games with the Flames in 2021-22. Lindholm seems like he has been around forever, but he is just 29 years old. He has plenty left in the tank, especially with those gifted, silky Swedish mitts.
The 26-year-old rearguard is off to a wretched start, going for just two goals and three points in 10 games with a minus-2 rating. And, two of his points, including one goal, have come on the power play. So, he has just a single 5-on-5 point through 10 outings. Is it time to panic? Certainly not. It is time to be a buyer if you have a fantasy manager in your league with an itchy mouse button finger and a lack of patience. McAvoy has averaged 9.7 goals and 42.0 assists per game across the past three seasons, so he is going to get his. It’s just a matter of time. He also has seven power-play goals and 46 apples on the man advantage in that three-game stretch. He helps fantasy managers immensely, and you know any struggles by the Bruins will be rectified immediately, and they’ll have long stretches of success. When they do, Lindholm and McAvoy will be front and center. If you can pry McAvoy from an unsuspecting fantasy manager due to the cold start, do it as soon as possible, because these ground-floor prices won’t last for long.
Sell
Earlier this week, Connor had a goal and three points against the Detroit Red Wings on the road. It was likely extra special for the 27-year-old Clinton, Michigan native, even if he was saying all of the right things about not thinking about milestones, that it was just another game, etc. He reached 500 points for his career against his hometown team, so it had to feel good. He has fired out of the gate for the white-hot Jets, rolling up nine goals with 17 points and a plus-5 rating through just 10 games, and he has four of those goals and five points on the man advantage. Connor has already notched three game-winning goals, too. This easily puts him on track for his first-career 50-goal, 100-point performance, but it’s obviously very early in the season still. He fell just short of those marks with 47 goals and 93 points in the 2021-22 season. Last season, in 65 games, he managed 34 goals and 61 points with a minus-6 rating. Connor has always been a sniper, netting 26 or more goals in each of his first seven full NHL seasons. However, he isn’t going to perform at this kind of feverish pace for the entire season, and you could really fetch quite a return while his fantasy appeal is at its pinnacle. If you need to fill a hole or two, packing Connor right now is the time.
The Sharks have suddenly figured out how to score some goals, winning an impressive back-to-back earlier this week against the Utah Hockey Club on the road, and then against the Los Angeles Kings at home. While that’s all well and good, any short-term success for the Sharks is just that, and the fantasy value is fleeting. It isn’t just two wins where Granlund has been red-hot, either. He has managed five goals and 13 points across his 11 games, with a majority of that damage coming in a seven-game point streak from Oct. 17-28. He lit the lamp twice in a game in Los Angeles, and he had a goal and three points in the 5-4 OTW in Utah. During his seven-game point streak, he recorded at least two points in four of those games. The 32-year-old Finn is having a bit of a rebirth, but it’s the perfect time to send him to another team in a trade. The pivot did net 12 goals with 60 points last season, including a goal and 23 points on the power play. However, he also had a career-worst minus-23 rating, and he already has a minus-5 this season. Remember, those power-play points don’t fetch a plus rating, but plenty of even-strength goals against get those minuses.
