Trade talks have been intensifying between the Vegas Golden Knights and Buffalo Sabres over the past week. (Source: Daily Faceoff)
Fantasy Impact: Both the Sabres organization and Eichel's camp have been looking for a resolution to this scenario. Eichel is still injured, but coming off of IR on the Golden Knights offense would be a huge bump for his potential points the rest of the season.
The team announced the goalie plan for the match against the Devils in New Jersey on Tuesday. (Source: Penguins via Twitter )
Fantasy Impact: Murray allowed five goals in his last start on Sunday, a losing effort versus Washington. His record is 19-11-0-5, GAA 2.89, save pct .898. The Devils are a .500 team.
Per Coach Reirdon, the rookie netminder will get the start in New York. (Source: Tarik El-Bashir via Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Samsonov is looking for his first win since Jan 31 with four regulation losses. His stats are good, though, with GAA of 2.40 and save pct .917, reflecting his hot start to the season.
Craig Anderson has been activated off the injured reserve and will start against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. It will be Anderson's first appearance since November 25th. (Source: Hailey Salvian on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Anderson had been nursing a lower-body injury, but he'll return in the minimum amount of time in order to take the start on the second night of a back-to-back. Backup Anders Nilsson has struggled of late, so Anderson has the opportunity to seize some playing time. He will carry an underwhelming 4-8-0 record into the game, along with a 2.96 GAA and .904 SV%. On the bright side, Anderson had conceded two goals or less in three out of four starts prior to his injury.
Fri, Nov 29th 2:42pm EST
By Brendan Ballantyne
Anders Nilsson will receive the start in goal for Ottawa in Friday afternoon's clash against the Wild. (Source: Hailey Salvian on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Nilsson has produced a solid stretch of play recently and has also taken on the lion's share of starts with Craig Anderson on the shelf (lower body). He's posted a 6-2-0 record in his last eight games and has allowed two goals or less in six games across that same span. His ratios for the season are up to a solid 2.58 GAA and .927 SV%, alongside a 7-5-1 record. Nilsson is a worthy fantasy start against a Minnesota team that sits 22nd in goals per-game this season (2.76), on top of the fact that they're turning to rookie Kaapo Kahkonen to make his second career start in goal.
Michael Hutchinson will reportedly receive a start on the first half of the Maple Leafs' back-to-back on Friday afternoon in Buffalo. (Source: Kristen Shilton on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Hutchinson will make his first start in the NHL since Sheldon Keefe was named head coach of the Leafs. After struggling as the back-up to start the season, Hutchinson got his game together with the AHL Marlies in three starts (3-0-0, .942 SV%, 1.95 GAA). He's got another chance to prove himself as the man to back-up Freddie Andersen, so a motivated Hutchinson has spot-start appeal behind a scorching-hot Maple Leafs team while facing-off against a Sabres team that has lost five of their last six.
Kasimir Kaskisuo will make his first NHL start on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 26-year-old has a record of 6-1-1, along with a 2.13 GAA and .928 SV% with the AHL Toronto Marlies this season. (Source: Mark Masters on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: After the Maple Leafs took their fourth consecutive loss on Friday night to the Boston Bruins, Head Coach Mike Babcock confirmed the Leafs will turn to the rookie on the second half of a back-to-back. The Finnish goaltender is a risky fantasy start given Toronto's defensive woes, as they've surrendered four-plus goals in three straight contests.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is riding a four-game goal streak and five-game point streak entering Monday's game against the Hurricanes. The centerman is up to 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 16 games as a result of his recent success.
Fantasy Impact: Pageau's hot stretch has ran parallel to Ottawa's recent 4-2-0 run. His linemates Nick Paul and Connor Brown have been producing and it's starting to look like a palatable fantasy situation for the time being. Pageau hasn't ever been a major offensive contributor, but he's always been able to contribute in other areas, as he has this season with 40 shots, 25 hits, 18 blocks and 9 penalty minutes. However, the most impressive (and unexpected) figure is his NHL-leading +16 rating. Considering he plays for the Ottawa Senators, that's nothing short of remarkable. With Ottawa being one of just three teams with four games scheduled this week, Pageau could be worth an add in deeper leagues.
Nic Petan was loaned to the AHL's Toronto Marlies on Friday. He has appeared in just four games and recorded one assist so far this season. (Source: Leafs PR on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Petan has been a regular in the Maple Leafs' press-box all season long. You would think that the injury to John Tavares would help his case for playing time, but that has not been the case. Reports have circulated recently that Toronto may be seeking to deal Petan as a result of his inactivity, but that's likely hard to do since they haven't showcased him. However, if teams like what they see of Petan in the minors, don't be surprised if he's on his way out soon.
Jake Muzzin will reportedly miss Toronto's contest on the road against the Flyers on Saturday due to "personal" reasons. (Source: Kristen Shilton on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: This is a blow for the Leafs, but given that it's not being designated as an injury, Toronto shouldn't be without one of their top defensemen for long. This report is a tad peculiar though, as reports surfaced on Thursday that Muzzin had a "charley horse" and on Friday he skated in a red "injured players" sweater. So there seems to be some confusion. In any case, Muzzin is confirmed out against the Flyers. We'll have to take the Leafs at their word that it isn't due to health reasons. Muzzin has nine points (three goals, six assists) across 14 games.
Bobby Ryan will be a healthy scratch for Ottawa's matchup against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night. Head Coach, D.J. Smith confirmed the news and stated "the hardest 20 workers are playing tonight" and that "Ryan's production hasn't been great."
Fantasy Impact: This is the first healthy scratch for Ryan since January of 2017. Obviously, this is pretty concerning for anyone with a fantasy stake in the 13-year veteran. However, it's not all that shocking considering he has only put up one assist and seven shots on goal in his last six games. Filip Chlapik draws into the lineup and will play on the fourth line.
Mike Hoffman was moved to Panther's top line during Tuesday's loss to the Hurricanes. Hoffman remained along side Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau in Thursday's practice. (Source: Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Fantasy Impact: Mike Hoffman is off to an excellent start to the 2019-20 season, 4 goals, and 6 points in 3 games. If Hoffman can remain with Barkov and Huberdeau, that can only improve his fantasy outlook this season. We will see if Joel Quenneville keeps the trio together, the Panthers take on the Sabers tonight.
Vladislav Namestnikov was traded from the Rangers to the Ottawa Senators on Monday night in exchange for Nick Ebert and a fourth round pick. The 26-year-old forward will have the first chance to play with his new team on Thursday against St. Louis. (Source: Darren Dreger on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Namestnikov was only averaging about 13 minutes of ice-time through two games with the Rangers before getting shipped out. The Russian adds depth to the Sens forward group and it allows for their young prospects to develop some more in the AHL. Namestnikov posted career highs of 22 goals and 48 points in 2017-18, but last season's 11 goals and 31 points are a more realistic expectation for this season, and that still might be generous.
Jason Spezza will be designated as a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs home opener against Ottawa on October 2. (Source: Mark Masters on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The veteran was an offseason addition for the Leafs, but apparently head coach Mike Babcock thinks Spezza needs some more work on his penalty killing before drawing into the lineup. However, it's been reported Spezza will play Friday against Columbus, as it appears there will be a rotation taking place between the Leafs depth forwards. Spezza will likely only see fourth-line minutes anyway, so this doesn't really change the fantasy landscape in Toronto.
Centreman Alexander Kerfoot was seen with the Maple Leafs second power-play unit during the morning skate prior to the home opener on October 2. (Source: Mark Masters on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Kerfoot was joined by a talented group including Tyson Barrie, William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen and Trevor Moore. This is certainly a bonus for the newcomer, who should be able to carve out a decent depth role for both the Leafs and fantasy managers this season. He's set to centre the Leafs third line between Moore and Ilya Mikheyev.
Andreas Johnsson found himself on the Maple Leafs top power-play unit during the morning skate prior to the season opener against Ottawa on October 2. (Source: Mark Masters on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: This is a huge boost to Johnsson's fantasy value, as he will reportedly be working alongside the highly skilled group of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly for prime PP minutes. Given that Johnsson is already set to play on the top line with Matthews and Williams Nylander, the 24-year-old is in line to best his 43 points from a season ago.
Sun, Sep 29th 12:13pm EDT
By Matthew Catalano
New York Rangers' goalie Alexandar Georgiev is expected to see an increased workload heading into the 2019-20 regular season. (Source: NY Post)
Fantasy Impact: With starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on the back-end of his career, there needs to be someone capable of holding down the fort. While Russian-born goalie Igor Shesterkin has been long thought of the successor to Lundqvist's throne, in all likelihood he will be getting a lot of playing time in the AHL. Georgiev started in 30 games last year and will likely see more starts coming his way in 2019 so as to not wear out Lundqvist. During those 30 starts, he maintained a 14-13-4 record, with a 2.91 GAA, and 0.914 SV%.
Sat, Sep 28th 11:39am EDT
By Brendan Ballantyne
In the Toronto Maple Leafs second last game of the preseason, Rasmus Sandin played a team-high 30:35 in a 4-3 win over Detroit. When asked about the 19-year-old defenceman's progression, Toronto's head coach Mike Babcock noted that "he seems to be ready." (Source: Kristen Shilton on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The Leafs clearly wanted another long look at their top prospect, and it seems like he passed that test. It remains to be seen whether the Leafs would prefer Sandin in a bigger role in the AHL, but after trimming down the roster to nine defenceman, Sandin certainly has a chance to earn a roster spot. Should Sandin make the club, it's unlikely he will have a fantasy relevant role barring an injury to Morgan Rielly and/or Tyson Barrie. Sandin has two assists in four preseason games.
Jaden Schwartz was a playoff hero last season with 12 goals and 20 points on the way to the Cup. The 20 points included two assists in Game 7 of the finals.
Fantasy Impact: Schwartz actually had a down regular season in 2017-18 with 36 points. He had topped 50 points in four of the previous five seasons. Schwartz is a solid option but not elite.
Alex Pietrangelo will return as the Blue's best fantasy option at defensemen. Barring injury, he will have a very long leash in terms of job security.
Fantasy Impact: Pietrangelo is a solid fantasy option although he has never been elite. He finished with 28 assists last season but has been over 30 in seven different seasons.
