Fantasy Hockey: Is it time to buy low on Trevor Zegras?
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, while others could be trade options.
A goaltender to consider leaving on the waiver wire permanently
John Gibson, G, ANA (39% rostered)
Through five games for Anaheim this season, Gibson and Lukas Dostal have basically alternated starts. Normally, that wouldn't be a major story, but Gibson normally is a workhorse between the pipes for the Ducks. Part of the reason for this is the back-to-back games this past Saturday and Sunday. That said, Dostal could be the future in net for the team while Gibson has struggled the past few seasons, and if he didn't have four years left on the eight-year, $51.2 million contract extension he signed with the Ducks in August of 2018, he would already be elsewhere. View Gibson as a third goalie at best in most leagues unless he lands on a squad with better team defense.
Others include Matty Beniers (slow start), Tyler Seguin, Yanni Gourde, Anthony Duclair, Bowen Byram, John Klingberg (producing offensively but defensive metrics are brutal), Darcy Kuemper and Jack Campbell.
Sell High
You may not want these players on your team, but their recent performance means you might be able to get something from them rather than outright cutting them.
Thomas Chabot, D, OTT (76%)
Chabot notched 55 points in his second full season in the NHL but has yet to hit that mark again. The COVID-shortened season of 2020-21 was his best chance to match that total, as he had 31 points in 49 games. Injuries have impacted Chabot's games played the last two seasons, though that isn't why he's a sell high.
With Jakob Chychrun in Ottawa and Jake Sanderson taking a major step forward, Chabot has been moved down to the second power-play unit, likely adversely impacting his production. Find someone who can be sold on big names and reap the benefits.
Training Room (Injuries)
These players won’t be seeing the ice for a while, but whether they’re bound for your IR slot or your waiver wire depends on your league settings.
Sam Bennett, LW, FLA (22%)
Bennett has yet to play this season as he remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. He was injured during the preseason, and the hope was that Bennett would miss just the first two weeks of the season and then return to action. That timeframe still remains in play, though we've yet to see any reports of him practicing or being close to active duty. The 27-year-old Bennett had 16 goals, 24 assists, 193 shots on net and 150 hits in 63 games last season, his second full year in Florida.
Others include: Connor McDavid (upper body, injured Saturday, out 1-2 weeks), Josh Norris (shoulder, returned to action with a pair of goals last Wednesday), Andre Burakovsky (upper body, likely collarbone, injured Saturday, will miss 6-8 weeks), Sebastian Aho (upper body, missed third straight game Saturday), Patrik Laine (upper body, injured Friday, placed on IR on Monday), Gabriel Vilardi (sprained MCL, out 4-6 weeks), Pavel Buchnevich (upper body, injured 10/14, could return Tuesday), Jamie Drysdale (lower body, missed last three games, moved to injured reserve Monday), Devon Levi (lower body, missed last two games, will miss at least one more) and Frederik Andersen (upper body, missed second straight game Saturday).
Buy Low
Your leaguemates might be thinking about cutting thIS player, but they shouldn’t be.
Trevor Zegras, C, ANA (65%)
It's highly doubtful that a manager in your league will deal Zegras at a discount, but the longer his slow start continues, the greater the possibility that occurs. Zegras was not in camp as he and the Ducks were in a contract stalemate. He inked a three-year, $17.25 million contract with Anaheim on Oct. 2, giving him minimal time to get in shape and re-establish chemistry with the team. Zegras had 61 and 65 points in his first two full seasons and should settle in that range, though he may scuffle a bit more until he settles in.
