Fantasy Hockey: 5 players to consider moving on from
By Jan Levine, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
This article is adapted from the NHL Barometer, available at RotoWire
All these players are trending downwards, and most of them make good cuts in most leagues, though they may merely be bench players or lineup deadwood in deeper leagues. This week's list consists of a hot Cane, a Winged Wheel winger down a line and a pair of netminders in LA.
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
These players have seen their fantasy value dip recently to the point that they may not need to be on your team anymore.
David Perron, LW, DET (63% rostered)
Perron has been Mr. Consistency in his career, especially recently. In his last four seasons — three with St. Louis and one in Detroit — Perron has posted 60, 58, 57 and 56 points. He's been deployed either on the first or second line but has been seeing top-line duty for the Red Wings. Perron was replaced by Lucas Raymond on the top line on Saturday with Raymond tallying his first goal of the year. With the Winged Wheel winning each of their last two contests, look for this change to stick for now, resulting in a likely decline in production for Perron but not enough to warrant a move off your roster just yet in shallower leagues.
Neal Pionk, D, WPG (32%)
Pionk posted 45 points his first year in Winnipeg and looked like a power-play stalwart, notching 25 of those points on the man advantage. Since then, he has tallied between 32 and 34 points each of the past three seasons, maxing out at 12 on the power play in 2021-22. Pionk retains value in leagues that use blocked shots and hits, notching at least 129 of each last season, but if your league only counts points and plays with three or four blueliners, look elsewhere for production.
Cam Talbot (47%) / Pheonix Copley (24%), G, LA
This is a joint effort, as neither goalie looked particularly good in their first start. Talbot allowed four goals and Copley five as LA started the season 0-1-1. Both goalies will likely split starts in the early going, and that could last all season if neither pulls ahead of the other. Based on what we saw in their first outings, if either goalie looks even remotely solid between the pipes, they could take the job. The other should be left on your waiver wire or placed back there soon.
Others include Shane Pinto (still unsigned), Eeli Tolvanen, Dominik Kubalik, Jeff Petry and Marc-Andre Fleury.
Sell High
You may not want these players on your team, but their recent performance means you might be able to get something in a trade for them rather than cutting them.
Teuvo Teravainen, C, CAR (52%)
Teravainen has taken advantage of Andrei Svechnikov's absence to fill his spot on the second line and on the score sheet. He's lit the lamp in each of Carolina's three games this season, potting four goals already. Teravainen is already one-third of the way to his total of 12 markers from last season when he saw his streak of finishing with at least 60 points in a full season end at four. Usually a model of consistency, Teravainen cratered last year but is getting an early chance at redemption. Enjoy the ride for now but be prepared to jump when Svechnikov returns.
