Welcome to the 2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Week 22 Stock Watch.
Below I'll take a look at some players who are doing various things. And I'll tell you why I think those things have made said players more or less valuable.
Don’t forget to check out the other great Fantasy Hockey content at Fantasy Six Pack.
All statistics from DobberHockey unless otherwise stated. Wednesday's games are not included as part of the analysis below.
2022-23 Fantasy Hockey Week 22 Stock Watch 
Stock Up
Evan Rodrigues, LW, Colorado Avalanche (26% rostered)
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Fantasy playoffs start for most people next week on March 20th. If you have the playoffs locked up, now is a good time to make a few adds that will bolster your roster for the first round.
Only two teams do not play on Saturday night next week, Colorado and Arizona. Both those clubs just so happen to play four games on off-nights as well. If you can swap out a few waiver-worthy players who will be riding the bench on an overloaded Saturday for players who can play on slower off-nights, I suggest you do it.
I mentioned J.T. Compher last week, and another great Colorado forward to add is Evan Rodrigues. He is currently playing on the first line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen and the second-unit powerplay. Rodrigues has four points and 17 shots over his last six games.
Evan Rodrigues with the redirect to cut the Kings lead in half. 👀 pic.twitter.com/7Z2kZNqIB1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 10, 2023
With a recent injury to Artturi Lehkonen, Rodrigues has played over 17 minutes in each of his last two games. Lehkonen is expected to be out four to six weeks, meaning Rodrigues could be seeing his sweet deployment until fantasy playoffs are over.
Grab him if he's available.
Barret Hayton, C, Arizona Coyotes (20% rostered)
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Another player with a great round 1 playoff schedule for fantasy managers is Barret Hayton. As I mentioned earlier, the Coyotes play four games, mostly on slower nights in the NHL. Combine that fact with Hayton's recent production and he becomes a must-add for playoff-bound fantasy managers.
Hayton has ten points, four penalty minutes, 15 shots, and a handful of hits over his last five games. He is centering the Coyotes' top line next to Clayton Keller and Brett Ritchie. Ritchie is filling in for the injured Nick Schmaltz, who is currently listed as day-to-day. Hayton is also on Arizona's top powerplay unit.
BARRETT. HAYTON. pic.twitter.com/q8MeQhniIm
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 13, 2023
Hayton has played over 17 minutes a night in four of his last five games. He eclipsed the twenty-minute mark on Sunday night against Minnesota. The 2018 fifth-overall pick is offensively gifted but also brings a physical aspect to his game that provides some pretty healthy broad-category coverage. Take a look on your waiver wire for him, his contributions could be invaluable come playoff time.
Dylan Strome, C, Washington Capitals (32% rostered)
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You ever wonder where guys like Marc-Antoine Pouliot or Dylan Strome would have been drafted if they didn't have the best player in the world as their linemate in junior? Pouliot was Sidney Crosby's linemate with Rimouski in 2003-04, and was selected by the Oilers 22nd overall. Dylan Strome was Connor McDavid's linemate in Erie and was taken third overall.
Pouliot played in parts of six NHL seasons but never established himself as an everyday player. He currently plays in Switzerland. Strome has shown that he belongs in the NHL, but probably in a middle or bottom-six role. Sometimes, though, his skill shows up in big ways and he goes on a heater. Like right now, for example.
He is currently playing on the third line and second powerplay unit for the Washington Capitals. That probably doesn't get anyone excited about his fantasy potential. But his production probably should.
Strome has 11 points over his last eight contests. In that span, he has been held pointless in only one game, on March 1st against Anaheim. While his deployment doesn't scream sustainability, Strome and his linemates T.J. Oshie and Sonny Milano are clicking at the moment.
If you are in a battle for a playoff spot and need an offensive boost this week, take a peek for Strome (or Oshie) on your waiver wire.
Stock Down
Matt Murray, G, Toronto Maple Leafs (53% rostered)
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In each of the last two seasons the Toronto Maple Leafs have seen late-season collapses from their goaltenders. In 2020-21 it was Frederick Andersen, and in 2021-22 it was Jack Campbell.
As a result. the Leafs'Â let Campbell walk and brought in Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray this past off-season. And don't look now, but it seems to be working. But it has nothing to do with Matt Murray.
Ilya Samsonov has four wins and four quality starts in his last five games played. He has 23 wins in 34 games, and a .916 save percentage on the season. His quality start percentage of 61.8 ranks ninth in the league among goalies who have played at least ten games.
Murray on the other hand has missed a significant amount of time due to injury. And when he is in the net, the results haven't been great, particularly as of late. He has one win and no quality starts in his last five games. In all five games, he has a negative goals saved above average.
Murray was pulled after allowing four goals on eight shots against the Florida Panthers on January 17th. The lone victory came in a wild game where the Leafs' scored seven goals. Murray still allowed four goals. He hasn't posted a save percentage above .882 since January 11th.
Simply put, he is not a great option for any fantasy team at the moment. I would maybe stream Murray if he plays in upcoming games against the Blue Jackets or Canadiens. But otherwise, avoid him. Even if you are able to get a win, he might hurt your ratio categories like save percentage. Look elsewhere for goaltending help.
Thomas Chabot, D, Ottawa Senators (80% rostered)
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With the addition of Jakob Chychrun, there are a lot of offensively talented defensemen in Ottawa right now. Even before the trade deadline Ottawa had Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot. Both are young and both have a history of putting up points throughout their respective careers.
Entering the season Chabot was the undisputed top powerplay quarterback. But Sanderson's impressive rookie season has seen him eat into the top unit for several stretches. Now with Chychrun in town, there isn't enough powerplay time to go around to keep all three defensemen fantasy relevant.
As recently as last week, Chabot owners could head over to Dobber's Frozen Tools site and see that, even with Chychrun in town, Chabot was getting over 50 percent of the powerplay time on a nightly basis. They could then nestle themselves in bed at night and sleep soundly. Thomas is there for me, they'd say. He always will be.
But then on March 12th in Calgary Chabot blocked a shot and left the game due to a lower-body injury. He also missed Tuesday's tilt against the Edmonton Oilers. Chychrun assumed the top powerplay role with Erik Brannstrom running the second unit.
It sounds like Chabot's injury isn't severe and he could be back sooner than later. But even before missing time, Chabot had been outscored by Chychrun and Sanderson over the course of his last six games. All three defensemen are left-shot, offensively-minded, and young. The game for powerplay time is afoot in Ottawa.
From a real-life perspective, it's a wonderful problem to have for a Senators' team on the rise. Their left side on the back end looks pretty good, now and into the future. But from a fantasy perspective, having another mouth to feed on the powerplay is bad news for Chabot owners. Greater competition and fewer guaranteed minutes on the powerplay hurt his value. Throw in an injury, and his stock is firmly on the decline.
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