With the playoffs rapidly approaching, now is the time when Fantasy transactions pick up. With most leagues having their trade deadline this week, now is your final chance to add a big name to your roster. Sit back and buckle up as we dive into the 2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Week 19 Unsustainable Players.
As there have not been very many games since the last Unsustainable article, this week's piece will be a little bit condensed!
If you are looking for further add/drop guidance, make sure to check out Kyle's stock watch or Michael's Weekly Planner from earlier this week.
And as always, if you have any players that you want me to cover in future weeks, be sure to leave a comment down below or reach out to me via Twitter - @jchengWPG.
Without further ado, let's jump into the 2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Week 19 Unsustainable Players!
2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Week 19 Unsustainable Players
Unsustainably High
Max Domi, C/LW/RW, Chicago Blackhawks (26% rostered)
With both the Fantasy and NHL trade deadlines fast approaching, reports of who-is-going-where are destined to flood the NHL news cycle. One player that is almost assuredly to be on the move is Max Domi.
Just a few short weeks ago I covered Domi as a Sustainably High player when he was on a 60-point pace. Since then, he has proven my point and more, scoring a goal and adding six assists through seven games. He has had good peripheral coverage during this stretch, adding three hits, three blocks, and 13 shots.
There are a number of factors that make me leery to add Max Domi at this point in the season.
Jaxson Stauber told me his assist on Max Domi's empty-netter got taken away, which would've been his first career NHL point.
Apparently it has to be more intentional for a goalie to be credited with an assist. Because his came off a save, it didn't count. Weird. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/5jvwvMCKkA
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 20, 2023
For starters, Domi is a prime candidate to be held out of upcoming games for "trade-related reasons", a new phrase coined by the Arizona Coyotes. I would not be surprised if the Blackhawks opted to protect one of their top trade chips ahead of the March 3 deadline.
Additionally, when Domi inevitably finds a home on a new team, it will likely be in a depth position. One of the teams rumored to be linked to Domi is the Carolina Hurricanes. If Domi returns to the Hurricanes, he would likely slot in on the third or fourth line. Those linemates will be far inferior to Patrick Kane.
When March 4 rolls around and Domi wakes up as part of a new team, Fantasy GMs still holding onto the journeyman winger will be burned.
Dillon Dube, LW/RW, Calgary Flames (29% rostered)
When Dillon Dube was drafted back in 2016, he was immediately one of Calgary's best prospects. How he ever fell to Calgary late in the second round will always be a mystery. While it has taken him a few years to get established, it looks like the 2022-23 season will be Dube's breakout year.
Over the past two weeks, Dube has been the driver of the bus that is the Calgary Flames. He has four goals and three assists for seven points in six games. This has been the latest exclamation point on the near-50-point pace that he has been on this season. He has added a block, six hits, and 19 shots during this span.
What a crazy sequence.
Rasmus Andersson clears the puck off his own goal line.
Then Dillon Dube gets a breakaway and misses the net. pic.twitter.com/ai4hlYaZPz
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) February 20, 2023
As good as Dube has been, I do not expect this to continue.
For starters, Dube is playing under 15 minutes per night. While just over two of these minutes are spent on the man advantage, Dube is still confined to the second powerplay unit under head coach Darryl Sutter. Unfortunately for Dube, this is not a recipe for success.
Dillon Dube is on 🔥
He scores his second goal of the game on a great re-direction.
3-1 Flames! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/taY9ePyJOa
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) February 14, 2023
Additionally, Dube's underlying stats paint a picture of unsustainable lucky bounces. Dube's shooting percentage is sitting at 21.0% over the past two weeks, compared to the 12.6% he has averaged over his career. Cut his shooting percentage in half, and Dube's numbers are not nearly as impressive. Further, his IPP and oiSH% are both exceedingly high at 77.8% and 14.8% respectively. Cut these by 30-40%, and Dube's numbers start to look like previous seasons.
Unsustainably Low
Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers (95% rostered)
Aaron Ekblad has been a monster on Florida's back end for a few years now. Fantasy GMs have not had the privilege of enjoying his production going into playoffs for a few years due to freak injuries that cut both of his past two seasons short. Many were hoping that this year would be different.
While Ekblad has managed to stay relatively healthy this season, he has not exactly enjoyed the same level of production as in seasons past. Over the past two weeks, his struggles have been magnified by him managing to net just one goal and two assists in eight games. This has been part of Florida's struggles this season that find them outside of the playoff picture as of today.
AARON. EKBLAD. 💥 pic.twitter.com/GpWMuXp8XJ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 12, 2023
Despite the poor showings as of late, I believe this will turn around soon.
Ekblad has averaged four shots per game during this dry spell. This puts him on pace for north of 300 shots on the season, which would be a new career high. If he shoots at the 8.3% shooting percentage he finished with last season, I would expect another 9-10 goals before the season's end.
Add on a handful of additional assists when his IPP and oiSH% return closer to the 45.6% and 12.9% he finished with last season (compared to 23.1% and 9.0% over the past two weeks), and Ekblad will return to being a 60+ point defenseman.
If you are looking to make a push in your Fantasy leagues, this is exactly the type of player that you want to target for maximum value.
Sustainably High
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche (100% rostered)
Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon. These three are often talked about in the same breath as being three generational centermen that have turned the tide for their respective franchises. Two of them have brought the Stanley Cup home to their city. All three have wowed casual and mega-fans alike with their skill, speed, strength, and hockey acumen.
Since returning from injury, Nathan MacKinnon has been sensational. In the height of his prime years, MacKinnon has 16 goals and 42 assists in 40 games - on pace for 120 points on the season. Over the past two weeks, he has been even more impressive, scoring six goals and adding seven assists in just seven games.
For Nathan Mackinnon to past Conner McDavid, the fastest player in the league is insane. pic.twitter.com/THtBrg4t3d
— Daniel Killian (@DanielKillian19) February 20, 2023
I do not have much to add other than to state that I think MacKinnon is legit. He has 44 shots in his past seven games, putting him on pace for a whopping 515 shots on the season. He currently leads the league in shots/game but has yet to eclipse the 20-goal mark due to sporting just a 7.8% shooting percentage on the season. When he eventually starts to get a bounce or two his way, his goal totals will climb.
Additionally, teammate Gabriel Landeskog was skating again this week in a regular jersey. This is good news for MacKinnon who has been one-third of one of the league's most electric lines in recent memory. The Landeskog-MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen three-headed monster is set to terrorize the league soon.
I recently sent a king's ransom of futures to acquire Nathan Mackinnon for this year's Fantasy playoffs. If you are looking to make an impactful move to push you over the edge, MacKinnon is exactly the kind of player you should target.
Sustainably Low
Jeff Carter, C, Pittsburgh Penguins (4% rostered)
For some reason unbeknownst to me, Jeff Carter has seen his ownership climb over the past week. Perhaps it was the one goal he scored back on February 10, but that seems like a stretch. I felt the need nonetheless to address Carter to prevent heartbreak and disappointment come Fantasy Playoffs.
Cale Makar will now miss at least 2-weeks with a head injury after this Jeff Carter hit to the head.
Refs said it wasn’t a penalty
— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) February 9, 2023
Last year, Carter had a successful year as the Penguins' 3C. Last season, he finished inside the top 175 Fantasy players, making him relevant in some deeper leagues. This season, age is beginning to show in the play of the 38-year-old sniper. He has just eight goals and 12 assists through 52 games. This 32-point pace would be the lowest of his career and may signal the beginning of the end.
Over the past two weeks, the story has not been any different. Carter has one goal in six games while averaging just under 13 minutes per game. He has just eight shots over that span, putting him on the lowest shooting pace of his career.
I am not sure what the driver is behind Carter's recent rise in ownership. Whatever it is, it needs to stop.
Closing
And with that, we wrap up our coverage of the 2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Week 19 Unsustainable Players.
Every Tuesday throughout this season we will be looking at the hottest and coldest players in the league. If you have any players that you want me to cover, be sure to leave a comment down below or reach out to me via Twitter @jchengWPG.
Advanced stats and analytics are taken from Natural Stat Trick.
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1 comment
Always appreciate these articles, thanks for writing.