NHL Fantasy on Ice

Pete and Rob are joined by guest “Waiver Wire” James Harding to talk about all the best pickups at each position to help win your fantasy semifinal and championship matchups. They discuss some favorable schedules, teams to tap into and how to handle the Avalanche’s situation with uncertainty surrounding elite players Philipp Grubauer and Mikko Rantanen and the day-to-day injury for Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals. Players covered on this episode include Jakub Vrana, Nick Foligno, Sam Bennett, Cody Ceci, Andre Burakovsky, Alex Nedeljkovic, Braden Holtby, Anthony Duclair, Jeremy Swayman, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Casey Mittelstadt, Yegor Sharangovich, Anthony Stolarz, Kasperi Kapanen, Jared McCann, Jeff Carter, Oliver Bjorkstrand and more, plus a couple of sledgehammer picks for the Monday slate.

Pete and Rob are joined by guest Michael Leboff from the Action Network to discuss all the biggest NHL betting trends down the stretch of the season. The guys run through various division title races, most notably the four-team race atop the MassMutual East, the hot Calder Trophy debate of Kirill Kaprizov of the Wild vs. Jason Robertson of the Stars and potential spoiler teams in the final weeks of the season. The guys react to Nick Foligno’s debut for the Maple Leafs, Kasperi Kapanen’s return for the Penguins and the Avalanche’s return from NHL COVID-19 protocol. Other topics discussed are the chances of the Maple Leafs and/or Panthers to end their long playoff series win droughts, the hosts' consensus pick for coach of the year, Vegas or Colorado being built for a deeper playoff run and the Predators-Stars and Blues-Coyotes debates for the fourth spot in their respective divisions. 

Pete and Rob are joined by guest Chris Wassel to discuss all the biggest storylines in the fantasy playoffs and betting landscape down the stretch of the season. The guys react to Spencer Knight winning his NHL debut and debate how quickly he can find fantasy relevance as the third goalie in Florida behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger. Other players mentioned include Mike Reilly of the Bruins, Nick Foligno ahead of his upcoming debut with the Maple Leafs, Alex Tuch, Braden Holtby, Tanner Pearson, Nils Hoglander, Alex Goligoski, Matt Duchene and more. Chris also discusses the chances of Boston winning the MassMutual East Division.

Pete and Rob are joined by guest "Waiver Wire" James Harding to identify the best pickups for what is the first week of the fantasy hockey playoffs in many leagues. The guys touch on the Canucks' return to the ice after a long break because of COVID-19 protocol and whether they can rally around the situation and make a Stanley Cup Playoff push. The hosts also discuss ways to tap into the Stars, who still have games in hand, are playing well and have four upcoming games against the Red Wings, and also the Panthers, who are rolling three strong lines after some sneaky moves and have players worth adding at every position. In addition to the Monday slate, players and topics covered in this show include Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair, Brandon Montour, Denis Gurianov, Chandler Stephenson, Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall, Anthony Mantha, Esa Lindell, Cole Caufield, Anton Khudobin vs. Jack Campbell, Braden Holtby, the Avalanche's COVID-19 protocol situation and the competition for the Calder Trophy.

Pete and Rob are joined by NHL.com’s David Satriano to cover all the fantasy and sports betting trends after the NHL Trade Deadline. The guys react to the debuts of Anthony Mantha with the Capitals, Taylor Hall with the Bruins, Jakub Vrana with the Red Wings, Devan Dubnyk with the Avalanche, Nikita Gusev and Brandon Montour with the Panthers and more. The guys also discuss the long-term absences of Steven Stamkos (injury) and Philipp Grubauer (COVID-19 protocol) and weigh the upside of Cole Caufield with the Canadiens and some potential drop candidates for the forward prospect. Other players discussed include Anthony Duclair, Jonas Johansson, Jacob Markstrom, Colin Blackwell, Alexander Volkov, Andrei Svechnikov, Adam Erne, Alex Killorn, Nazem Kadri and strategies for rostering Canucks players during their pause in their season and the fantasy playoffs. The show concludes with a preview of the Friday slate, a golf clap to producer Bob Bender for his Hideki Matsuyama pick at the Masters and where everyone’s baseball allegiances lie. 

Pete and Rob react to all the biggest NHL Trade Deadline moves, including fantasy stock in standard and keeper leagues, teammates impacted, potential lineup placement of players involved and Stanley Cup futures discussion. The guys give the fantasy spin on Taylor Hall being acquired by the Bruins, the surprising swap of Anthony Mantha for Jakub Vrana by the Red Wings and Capitals and some sneaky moves by the Maple Leafs (Nick Foligno, David Rittich), Avalanche (Devan Dubnyk, Carl Soderberg) and Panthers (Nikita Gusev, Brandon Montour, Sam Bennett). Other topics covered were the Blues, Coyotes and Oilers standing pat and the long-term direction of the Sabres after making a bunch of trades but keeping most of their core players.

Pete and Rob are joined by guest Nick Alberga of Sportsnet to discuss all angles of the Islanders trading for forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac and what it means for his fantasy value and that of his new teammates. The guys continue to preview the NHL Trade Deadline with potential destinations for Sabres wing Taylor Hall and other teams that may be buyers, including the Wild and Panthers. The hosts react to young goalie Jeremy Swayman taking advantage of an opportunity for the Bruins and news that the Stars could get star players Alexander Radulov, Tyler Seguin and/or Ben Bishop back in the near future. Other players covered in this episode include Vincent Trocheck, Viktor Arvidsson, Jared Spurgeon, Florida goalie prospect Spencer Knight, hidden gems Colin Blackwell, Ross Colton, Radim Zohorna, and why Pavel Zacha is a potential beneficiary of the Devils-Islanders trade.

Pete and Rob are back to preview the NHL Trade Deadline, which is less than one week away (Monday, April 12 at 3 p.m. ET). The guys discuss players to consider targeting in fantasy before potential moves (Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Patrik Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, James Reimer, etc.) and which teams are likely to be buyers. The guys break down the impact of the Montreal Canadiens injuries (Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher) with some in-house and outside replacement options and how the sneaky Coyotes have created some separation in the standings despite their top two goalies being out. The guys also touch on Eric Staal's debut for Montreal and the possibility of seeing top prospect Cole Caufield sooner now that Gallagher is out indefinitely. The guys run through the Wednesday slate and discuss players including Michael Bunting, Linus Ullmark, Jared Spurgeon, Colton Parayko, Samuel Girard, Andre Burakovsky, Frank Vatrano, Alex Galchenyuk and more. 

Pete and Rob are joined by guest "Waiver Wire" James Harding to discuss the best pickups for the stretch run before the fantasy playoffs. The guys discuss the Sharks' strong play of late and how Martin Jones and their young players (Rudolfs Balcers, Mario Ferraro, Nikolai Knyzhov) are making noise in fantasy. The guys banter about the Bruins' recent line changes, what they mean for the fantasy appeal of David Krejci and Craig Smith, the Calder Trophy race and some secondary players to consider from the Panthers like defenseman Gustav Forsling (filling in for injured Aaron Ekblad) and center Alex Wennberg. The guys preview the Monday slate, including a hockey/college hoops parlay idea, get some golf insight from James and cover other NHL players including Petr Mrazek, Kevin Fiala, Jason Robertson, Luke Kunin, Casey Mittelstadt, Nick Schmaltz, Jonas Johansson and more.

Pete and Rob are joined by “Goalie Master” David Satriano of NHL.com to discuss the fantasy landscape at the position. Goalies covered include Petr Mrazek, who has been recalled by the Hurricanes from his AHL conditioning stint, Casey DeSmith, Igor Shesterkin, Kaapo Kahkonen, Cam Talbot, Ilya Samsonov, Adin Hill, Linus Ullmark, Martin Jones, James Reimer, Jonathan Bernier and what the Avalanche should do before the trade deadline. The guys also give their best bets for Friday, schedule notes for the rest of the season and “hidden gem” fantasy waiver wire pickups, including Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Martin Jones, Esa Lindell, Valeri Nichushkin and more.