{"id":120505,"date":"2021-10-29T11:00:02","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T15:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=120505"},"modified":"2021-10-29T11:15:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T15:15:59","slug":"struggling-top-nhl-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021\/10\/29\/struggling-top-nhl-players\/","title":{"rendered":"To Panic or Not to Panic: Slow Starts for Top NHL Players in Fantasy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fantasy hockey season is still very young. As of this writing, teams have only played between six and eight games. Do you really think that you should be making drastic changes to your roster based on one-tenth of the schedule? In most cases, the answer to that question should be \u201cNo\u201d. You don\u2019t want to be the guy that dropped Mika Zibanejad<\/a> last year. In other cases, however, there are<\/em> reasons for concern with top NHL players. Let\u2019s take a deeper look at the most owned fantasy players (80%+ ownership) who have struggled out of the gate and answer the question \u2013 is it time to panic?<\/p>\n

Top NHL Players Struggling in Fantasy<\/h2>\n

Marner, Matthews and Tavares<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> are off to a poor start and at the forefront of it is Mitch Marner<\/a>. He has just two assists in eight games to start the year. John Tavares<\/a> (four points in eight games) and Auston Matthews<\/a> (one goal and one assist in five games) haven\u2019t fared much better. So, what\u2019s up with these guys and why aren\u2019t they contributing to your fantasy teams? The answer is luck. The Maple Leafs are at the bottom of the league in team shooting percentage at 5.8%. They also lead the league in shot attempts, slot shots, cycle chances and rebound chances. The team and its top players are generating offense. Points will come in bunches soon. No time to panic here.<\/p>\n

Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Dallas Stars<\/a> don\u2019t have the same expectations that Vegas or Toronto have, so relatively speaking, their 3-3-1 start isn\u2019t surprising. What may be surprising owners right now is the production from Roope Hintz<\/a> (one assist in seven games) and Joe Pavelski<\/a> (two points in seven games). Is it time to panic here? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

Hintz broke out last year. Despite being in-and-out of the lineup with injuries, Hintz had an incredible 43 points in 41 games. Prior to last season, he was a 45-point player. He\u2019s only 25 years old and he obviously possesses incredible talent but expecting another point-per-game season from a player that\u2019s only done it once was always too much to ask.<\/p>\n

At 37-years-old, Pavelski\u2019s regression was always a season away. This could be that season. He had 25 goals last year thanks to an inflated shooting percentage. Through seven games, he\u2019s averaging less shots (1.42 vs 2.85 career) and averaging four fever minutes of ice time. Owners can give him a week to see if the return of Jason Robertson<\/a> sparks him, but it\u2019s likely time to move on.<\/p>\n

Nick Suzuki and Jeff Petry<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Montreal Canadiens<\/a> have scored only 11 goals in eight games. They rank at the very bottom of the league with 1.57 goals for per game. By comparison, the Anaheim Ducks finished last in the league with 2.21 goals for per game last season. Point is, Montreal is going to snap out of this. Their top-nine is too talented not to. Nick Suzuki<\/a> (four assists in eight games) and Jeff Petry<\/a> (zero points in eight games) highlight this group of underperformers.<\/p>\n

Suzuki is coming off back-to-back 41-point seasons to start his career and was pegged (and paid) as the number one centre. Fantasy poolies bought into his hype as the go-to guy, drafting him in waves. But, he doesn\u2019t deserve his high ownership because he hasn\u2019t proved that he can score 60 points in the league. The Habs will start producing, but don\u2019t expect Suzuki to put up superstar numbers just yet.<\/p>\n

Petry on the other hand has a proven track record as a 40+ point defenceman. When he\u2019s not producing, he provides a great floor of peripheral stats that few offensive d-men can provide. The Canadiens also don\u2019t have other options to turn to as they do up front. No reason to panic on Petry.<\/p>\n

Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alex Pietrangelo<\/a> and the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> have already been faced with adversity. They lost their top two offensive players in Mark Stone<\/a> and Max Pacioretty<\/a> just two games into the season. Both injuries have caused a significant ripple effect throughout the lineup. An effect that defencemen Pietrangelo (zero points in seven games) and Shea Theodore<\/a> (three points in seven games) are feeling two-fold. First off, with Stone and Pacioretty leading the way, the Golden Knights have done a lot of their damage off the rush at even strength. Take your top rushing threats out of the lineup and that great first pass from your elite defenceman doesn\u2019t result in a goal, which doesn\u2019t result in an easy assist. Secondly, the Golden Knights are currently the only team in the National Hockey League that have yet to score on the power play. Every other team has scored at least twice. They will figure out their power play woes and their stars will return to action in the not-so-distant future. It’s not time to panic here.<\/p>\n

Jakob Chychrun<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jakob Chychrun<\/a> led all defencemen in goals last season with 18. A 10.2% shooting percentage fueled that output, but still, this guy can score goals. Fast forward to this season. The Arizona Coyotes<\/a> bring in Shayne Gostisbehere<\/a> and play him in Chychrun\u2019s spot on the power play. Through seven games, the Coyotes haven\u2019t won a game and yet, Gostisbehere continues to get more ice-time with the man-advantage. This is a headache you don\u2019t need to deal with. If you can trade him to someone that thinks they\u2019re buying low, pull the trigger and get what you can. It’s time to panic.<\/p>\n

Ivan Provorov<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ivan Provorov<\/a>\u2019s ownership is simply too high for a player that has been pushed down the lineup. The Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> have revamped their d-core, bringing in offensive pieces like Ryan Ellis<\/a> and Keith Yandle<\/a> making Provorov less relied on offensively. He\u2019s still an amazing player, but through six games, Provorov has only one assist and 21 blocked shots. That sounds like a player with a new role, doesn\u2019t it? He\u2019ll get you the banger stats, but don\u2019t expect him to hit 40 points again.<\/p>\n

Marc-Andre Fleury<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It goes without saying that the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> are a mess from top to bottom right now. The on-ice product is terrible, starting between the cage with Marc-Andre Fleury<\/a>. The fact is, the reigning Vezina trophy winner isn\u2019t this bad, and he\u2019s not going to be this bad for that much longer. He hasn\u2019t had a sub .900 save percentage since the 2005-2006 season in Pittsburgh and the good news is he can only go up from here. His value is too low to trade and he\u2019s too good to drop in deeper leagues. You\u2019re allowed to be concerned but let him work through it.<\/p>\n

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