As fans and fantasy managers, we all have certain expectations of the level of play that is sustainable for any given player. When we watch games, we notice certain players that stand out more, be it for spectacular offense or steady defense. Every now and then, a player begins to surprise us by going on a hot streak we thought was simply too much for them to sustain. In fantasy, it's important to identify not just those players, but the circumstances that have led to them finding extra success.
This week, the spotlight goes to Rasmus Asplund, who ends the week on a six-game point streak. The 23-year-old has three goals and five assists in that span, and the absence of Victor Olofsson (soft tissue injury) has allowed Asplund to play in a top-line role. It's an impressive run for a player who had all of 14 points in his first 57 contests across two seasons. A second-round pick from 2016, it's not all too surprising to see Asplund take a step forward, but his 10 points in 11 games is likely more than he can sustain all season. That said, the Sabres are not brimming with top-six talent, so he should stay high up the lineup even when Olofsson returns.
Another player who has benefited from a move up the lineup is Flames blueliner Oliver Kylington. Full disclosure: the Flames are my team, and if I was behind the bench, I'm not sure I would have trusted
As fans and fantasy managers, we all have certain expectations of the level of play that is sustainable for any given player. When we watch games, we notice certain players that stand out more, be it for spectacular offense or steady defense. Every now and then, a player begins to surprise us by going on a hot streak we thought was simply too much for them to sustain. In fantasy, it's important to identify not just those players, but the circumstances that have led to them finding extra success.
This week, the spotlight goes to Rasmus Asplund, who ends the week on a six-game point streak. The 23-year-old has three goals and five assists in that span, and the absence of Victor Olofsson (soft tissue injury) has allowed Asplund to play in a top-line role. It's an impressive run for a player who had all of 14 points in his first 57 contests across two seasons. A second-round pick from 2016, it's not all too surprising to see Asplund take a step forward, but his 10 points in 11 games is likely more than he can sustain all season. That said, the Sabres are not brimming with top-six talent, so he should stay high up the lineup even when Olofsson returns.
Another player who has benefited from a move up the lineup is Flames blueliner Oliver Kylington. Full disclosure: the Flames are my team, and if I was behind the bench, I'm not sure I would have trusted Kylington to play in a top-four role. Luckily, Darryl Sutter gets paid to make those decisions instead of me. Kylington has thrived since he was paired with the rock-solid Chris Tanev, leading the former to picking up a goal and six helpers in the last six games. About the only concern here is a lack of power-play time, but it looks like it'll be a long time before Kylington sits as a healthy scratch again.
Sticking with the Swedish theme to begin this week's highlights, I'd recommend Jesper Fast as a wing option in deeper formats. The 29-year-old has done nothing particularly noteworthy in his eight previous seasons -- his career-best point total is 33 from 71 games with the Rangers in 2017-18. What stands out for me so far is he's scored five goals with an assist and 20 hits in 10 contests. Yes, he's stick in a third-line role since the Hurricanes are deep, but he's still playing with Jordan Staal regularly. The Hurricanes' offense has quality throughout, and Fast has been one of the better members of the supporting cast to begin the year.
If you score four goals in a game, you're going to turn some heads. There's virtually no fantasy league where you can add Patrice Bergeron (although definitely look at buying low before he bounces back to his established standard), but Brock Nelson deserves a little attention. With his goal explosion Thursday in Montreal and another tally against the Jets on Saturday, Nelson is up to seven goals and two assists in 10 games this year. The Islanders still have three more road games before opening up their new arena, and that means he should see a few more favorable matchups in the home-heavy slate after that. At his best, Nelson's a 25-goal, 50-point guy with a strong shot volume but also a sustainably high shooting percentage throughout his career. That plays well all around.
If it seems like it's one of those times where Anthony Duclair just utterly dominates for a few weeks, that's because it is. He's racked up five goals and four assists during a six-game point streak, which has seen him ascend to top-line duties. The 26-year-old is notoriously streaky, but he's only been held off the scoresheet in two of the Panthers' 11 games so far. He hasn't seen much power-play time, but he played 3:18 with the man advantage in Saturday's impressive 5-2 win over the Hurricanes, and Aleksander Barkov (lower body) wasn't even setting him up for the four-point effort he produced. Duclair needs no introduction in fantasy -- just be ready to cut the cord when he goes cold.
Ryan Graves typically won't win people over with his offense -- it's his unrelenting physical play that sets him apart. Now with the Devils after beginning his career with the Avalanche, Graves has logged five points, 19 hits, 21 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating in 10 contests. He's seen more opportunity with Dougie Hamilton (lower body) out lately, and Graves has always been good for a boost in plus-minus and the defensive categories. He's safe in a top-four role if you need more well-rounded production rather than just pure offense from the blue line.
If it felt like it took a while to get the Kings' second line going, it did. In the last five games, however, here's how they're doing. Adrian Kempe has three goals and two assists, Alex Iafallo's picked up three tallies and three helpers and even Phillip Danault has four apples in that span. The team has scored 16 goals in that span, but these three forwards are going to play a big part in determining if the Kings are on the playoff bubble or spending another year in shop class on the rebuild.
Someone needs to go get Cole Sillinger a real estate agent -- he's probably going to need to plant roots in Columbus for a bit. The 12th overall pick from 2021 had a three-point game in his ninth contest of the year, which is the cutoff mark for burning a year off his entry-level contract. He suited up a 10th time Saturday against the Avalanche and scored again, giving him four goals and two helpers this season. He's added 32 shots on net, which is fantastic shot volume for a rookie center. He'll be 18 years old for the whole regular season, and he's thriving for his hometown team. Whether that makes him a Calder Trophy contender is yet to be seen, but it's tough to see Jack Roslovic bumping him off the second line.
The Golden Knights' injury woes are well-documented at this point, but the team has needed someone to step on offense. Enter Nicolas Roy, who has a goal and four assists in his last three games since William Karlsson (foot) exited the lineup. The good news for Roy is that Karlsson's expected to be out six weeks. This is Roy's first chance to play his natural center position in a top-six role -- he's been flanked by Golden Knights originals Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith lately. Roy's also a tough customer, adding 11 hits and 21 PIM to his eight points and 22 shots on net through 10 contests.
Four of Rudolfs Balcers' five points this season have come in the last three games. Coincidentally, the Sharks have dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak through the last four contests -- Balcers has been called upon to fill the void with Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc unavailable. While both of those wingers seem likely to retake top-six jobs when they clear the protocols, that doesn't necessarily mean the end of Balcers' time on a scoring line. The Sharks' (somewhat questionable) decision to send William Eklund back to Sweden for the rest of the year means Balcers could continue to work alongside Tomas Hertl. The Sharks still aren't very good, but a top-six job can be the difference between the fantasy fringe and a bench role on virtual squads.
Speaking of the Sharks, I like what I'm seeing out of James Reimer so far. He entered the year as backup to Adin Hill, but just under a month in, Reimer looks like the better goalie. It's fair to say that outside of the Jets, Reimer hasn't drawn a tough start, though he did make 20 saves in a relief appearance against the Bruins. It shakes out to a 3-1-1 record, a 1.60 GAA and a .946 save percentage in six outings. Hill's got a 3.15 GAA and an .886 save percentage -- I know which one's getting the look when I need to replace a goalie.
The theme this week is that opportunity means everything. It feels like there's been significantly more injuries than normal early in the season, but every player that goes down opens the door for another one to step up. Other guys make their own chances by playing too well to be ignored. In any case, there's few things more valuable in fantasy than a player who has something to prove. Like them, don't hesitate to capitalize when the moment presents itself in the week ahead.
