2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Week 10 Primer and Pickups: Ross Colton Returns, Marco Rossi Rises

We are back to our regular programming with light schedules on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in week 10. There will be 15 games on Saturday, which is very busy as there are no days where all 32 teams are in action.

It should be relatively manageable, though, as only two teams – the Caps and the Stars – play just twice in Week 10. Back-to-backs are few and far between, with most taking place over the weekend.

However, I am wary of how fatigue and travel will impact this week. Many teams have one home game sandwiched between road games, which can make the homestand feel like a road trip. For example, the Blues visit Vancouver on Tuesday, host the Sharks on Thursday, then fly to Dallas for Saturday’s game and then return home to host the Rangers on Sunday. The Flyers play at Columbus on Tuesday, return home to host the Wings on Thursday and visit Minnesota on Saturday; Thursday’s home game essentially feels like a road game because they have to travel long distances for all three games.

The other story to look forward to is the return of several key players, including Canucks starting goalie Thatcher Demko, Avalanche forward Ross Colton, Habs sniper Patrik Laine, and injuries to key players including Wild top center Joel Eriksson Ek and Blackhawks starter Petr Mrazek.

Schedule

Choose players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. All advanced stats courtesy of naturalstatrick.com. All rankings and roster percentages are from Yahoo Fantasy. Point percentages apply from Saturday.

Seasonal additions

(< 50% scheduled on Yahoo)

Patrik Laine, LW, Canadiens (52% scheduled)

Laine is technically above the 50 percent rule, but he’s worth mentioning because he should be snatched in all competitions. The reason he is overlooked is because of his long injury history, but if you put that aside, he has been a very good scorer. He scored a PPG in consecutive games upon his return and is a key part of the Habs’ offense. If you’re looking for goals, especially on special teams, look no further.

Ross Colton, C/LW, Avalanche (49% scheduled)

Colton was reinserted into the lineup after a 17-game absence, playing with Casey Mittelstadt and Valeri Nichushkin, but Jared Bednar made a point of saying he wants Colton to play with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen at some point is going to play. That’s music to our ears, and Colton scored a goal in his second game back. Colton’s effort is very good and he should pile up the points as long as he is in the Avs’ vaunted top six.

Pavel Buchnevich, C/LW, Blues (43% scheduled)

I like Buchnevich’s prospects for the rest of the season with L1/PP1 commitment and his current five-game winning streak. He should also be eligible for RW soon, replacing Jordan Kyrou at that spot, who moves up to L2. With Kyrou off his leash, Buchnevich could get a little more opportunity, and Jim Montgomery hasn’t hesitated to give Buchnevich more than 20 minutes a night.

Marco Rossi, C, Wild (25% scheduled)

Eriksson Ek may be sidelined for a while, meaning Rossi will be in the middle for the Wild. Quietly, Rossi has amassed 23 points in 27 games, so it’s a bit baffling that a player on 70-point pace is so widely available. He has always had more attacking qualities than Eriksson Ek, even if he doesn’t have the same coverage in the category. While Rossi’s play has been inconsistent at times, the Wild don’t have a center better suited than Rossi to play with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

Medium term holds

(< 50% scheduled on Yahoo)

Matthew Knies, LW, Maple Leafs (45% scheduled)

The return of Auston Matthews increases Knies’ fantasy value as it will be much easier to score points. He scored four points in three games before a two-game drought in which he was minus-4. Knies scores in bunches, but can also provide hits in any case.

Anders Lee, LW, Islanders (42% scheduled)

As long as Lee plays L1 and PP1 with Bo Horvat, he will have value. After a slow start, the Isles captain now has 21 points in 28 games with good shot volume and plenty of hits. He can be very valuable in multi-category competitions.

Logan Stankoven, C/RW, Stars (35% scheduled)

Stankoven has taken over Tyler Seguin’s spot on the Stars’ top scoring line with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment. Stankoven’s production may be poor, but I think this will improve soon; he’s putting a decent amount of shots on net and shooting a sub-par 5.7 percent during Sunday’s games.

Kent Johnson, C/LW/RW, blue jackets (31% scheduled)

Johnson can’t stop scoring. He scored two more goals against the Jets on Sunday, giving him eight goals in thirteen games. With plenty of ice time and shots on goal, Johnson’s production is no fluke, even if his shooting percentage is a bit high. He’s worth adding in deep leagues.

Lane Hutson, D, Canadiens (35% scheduled)

I’ll buy Hutson all day long as long as Laine is in power. Hutson’s assist streak now stands at six games, and it’s a welcome addition, as he tends to skate a lot of minutes but not contribute a whole lot. There are the worst ones – like his minus-12 rating – but 18 points in 27 games while looking for his first goal – which is still to come – is pretty good production at the ‘D’ position.

Jacob Trouba, D, Ducks (36% scheduled)

Trouba is now listed in less than 40 percent of Yahoo leagues, most likely because fantasy managers believe he will lose value if he goes from the Rangers to the Ducks. I guess I’ll have to disagree, though, because he’ll get a chance to re-establish himself on the Ducks blue line, which means more minutes.

The Ducks are terrible defensively, but even that bodes well for Trouba’s fantasy value, which consists mostly of hits and blocked shots. Don’t expect Trouba to score points or play on the power play with the Ducks. That’s not where he’s needed and the Ducks have plenty of younger, more talented defensemen to play that role.

Scott Wedgewood, G, Avalanche (27% scheduled)

Wedgewood is quickly gaining popularity because no one (except maybe Jared Bednar) trusts Alexandar Georgiev. He was fantastic in his Avs debut as Georgiev’s successor, stopping all 22 shots he faced to earn his first win, was mediocre in his second game, allowing four goals on 34 shots (.882 SP) and then closed out the Devils off. in his second start.

I think the Avs still prefer Georgiev, but Wedgewood has undoubtedly taken a bite out of Georgiev’s playing time and fantasy value, and Wedgewood is worth a speculative addition in case the Avs decide to give him a shot at the starting job win. The Avs offense is very good, so even a bad start gives Wedgewood a chance to win games.

Karel Vejmelka, G, Utah (23% scheduled)

Connor Ingram is not believed to be close to returning to the lineup, meaning Vejmelka will continue to get the bulk of the starts as they don’t seem to have much faith in third string Jaxson Stauber. To Vejmelka’s credit, he was very good and deserved the starts. I think Utah is a very inconsistent team, but if you need saves and want a goalie who can steal the occasional game, Vejmelka is a viable option.

Tristan Jarry, G, Penguins (15% scheduled)

Admittedly, I’m quite surprised by the Pens’ recent turnaround. They have won five of their last six, with Jarry winning four of those games, including three straight games in which he had a save percentage of .902 or better. That’s a huge improvement; I still think Pens’ defense is awful, but at least Jarry isn’t a complete liability in fantasy. We’re at the point where Jarry can be picked up and put away, and maybe used for the occasional match.

Short term streamers

(< 50% scheduled on Yahoo)

Dylan Holloway, C/LW, Blues (19% scheduled)

I don’t think the stakes are very good with L3 and PP2, but Holloway is getting about 16 minutes per game and is riding a hot streak with a point in six straight games. He also provides a good number of shots and hits.

Max Pacioretty, LW, Maple Leafs (3% scheduled)

In the right situation, I think Pacioretty can be a good play. He is always an injury risk, but he also shoots a lot on goal and is used in scoring situations. I’m looking at possible matchups on December 12th against the Ducks and December 14th against the Wings.

Fedor Svechkov, C, Predators (0% scheduled)

Looking for a small offense in deep leagues? Despite being known more for his two-way play, and with Tommy Novak underwhelming so far this season, Svechkov is now the Preds’ No. 2 at both even strength and on the power play. I think the upside is minimal because the Preds have so much trouble scoring, but I like Svechkov’s ability to contribute in multiple categories.

Ville Husso, G, Red Wings (4% scheduled)

It’s not Husso’s fault the Wings can’t score. Despite limiting opponents to three goals or fewer in four straight outings and posting a .909 SP, Husso has yet to win his first game in five starts. I’m still cautious, but we’re at the point where we could seriously consider Husso as a streaming option depending on the matchup.

Arvid Soderblom, G, Blackhawks (2% scheduled)

Petr Mrazek is injured, but is not expected to be out for more than a few weeks. That puts the spotlight on Soderblom, who is now becoming a streaming option due to his workload. Third-string Drew Commesso will see limited playing time, if at all, as the Hawks don’t play back-to-back until this weekend and we’ve seen the same goalie start on consecutive nights several times this season. Soderblom is very matchup dependent. I see December 12th against the low-scoring Isles as a potential start.

Honorable mention:

Sean Monahan, C, blue jackets (43% scheduled)
Gabriel Vilardi, C/RW, Jets (40% scheduled)
Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins (32% scheduled)
Rickard Rakell, C/RW, Penguins (26% scheduled)
Pierre-Luc Dubois, C/LW, Capitals (18% scheduled)
Pavel Zacha, C/LW, Bruins (13% scheduled)
Shane Wright, C/RW, Kraken (6% scheduled)

Philip Broberg, D, Blues (19% scheduled)
Matt Roy, D, Capitals (9% scheduled)
Alex Vlasic, D, Blackhawks (7% scheduled)

Elvis Merzlikins, G, blue jackets (23% scheduled)

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