Fantasy hockey managers should be cautious about defensemen with hot starts this season. Historically, the defensemen who maintained their value were those who logged more power-play time, not those who piled up hits and blocks. Power-play time separated the players who held their value from those who fell out, while hits and blocks did not.
New York Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov has five points, but none on the power play, and he ranks sixth among defenders with just 0:04 of power-play time per game. Columnist Sean Allen says to enjoy his blocks while they pay off, but not to count on him staying near the top. Other early leaders to watch include Mac Kenzie Weegar of the Utah Mammoth, Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers and Tyler Kleven of the Ottawa Senators, all with limited power-play roles.
Among forwards, stars such as Connor McDavid averaging 3:16 on the power play are safe to hold. Vasily Podkolzin, who ranks 11th largely by riding with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, is a passenger who could fade. Managers valuing early starts should consider trading them now.
In goal, Vegas Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill is 4-0-0 with good starts in three of four and is available in 83% of leagues, making him a cheap pickup. The San Jose Sharks' Alex Nedeljkovic took two of three starts last week and ranks 12th in FPP60.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing