20 Fantasy Thoughts: What to do with a struggling Connor Bedard?

One step forward, two steps back for Connor Bedard.

After a recent surge of four points in three games, Bedard now has just one assist in his past three, as his sophomore slump rolls on. The Chicago Blackhawks phenom is on pace for 61 points, which isn’t a bad season all things considered, but probably nowhere close to expectations for year two. Bedard had 61 points last season in 68 games, so many were probably hoping he’d at least be around 80 this season. I had Bedard ranked at 43 in my preseason rankings and that’s roughly a fourth-round pick, so it doesn’t look like there’s any chance Bedard is going to give you a return on your investment if you took him around there.

Even with a roster as thin as Chicago’s, it’s still a disappointing output for the youngster. Bedard isn’t going to get more help overnight, but hopefully, the recent coaching change of Anders Sorensen replacing Luke Richardson gives the whole team a bump.

So, what should you do with him going forward? It’s an interesting situation, but first and foremost, if you’re in a keeper league, you absolutely stand pat. If you have to eat a couple of average years from Bedard in order to reap the benefits of a generational talent down the line, that’s a small price to pay. The Blackhawks should have a decent amount of cap space to spend next summer and they will probably be motivated to use it. There’s no way they can let another season go by without getting Bedard some more talent to work with. If they can’t land a significant free agent, expect them to maybe be active in the trade market.

Now if you’re in a one-year league that’s redrafting next season, it gets more interesting. There is an argument for trying to trade Bedard this season and you can’t keep him next year anyway. I don’t see any scenario where Chicago adds a piece in 2024-25 that’s really going to jumpstart Bedard’s game. He’s on his own this year and best-case scenario maybe he increases his point pace slightly. There’s probably someone in your league willing to bet on Bedard and might offer up a player that’s a little safer for this season.

One of the best things that could’ve happened to Bedard in my opinion was to be selected by Canada for the Four Nations Face-Off. It would’ve given him a chance to play with elite talent and a real opportunity to get his game going. The experience would’ve been invaluable. Based on the way this season has gone for Bedard, though, Canada was probably justified in not taking him. He’s going to have another year to prove he belongs on Canada’s roster for the 2026 Olympics.

There shouldn’t be any panic or concern about Bedard’s long-term fantasy value. He’s too talented and eventually the Blackhawks will add more talent to their roster as they come out of their rebuild to help Bedard. However, in the short-term, you can only be so patient. If moving on from Bedard now puts you in a better position to win your league this year, it isn’t crazy to consider it.

1. Is there a quieter superstar than Brayden Point? When he scored 51 goals a couple of years ago it felt like barely anyone noticed and now he’s already notched 16 in 2024-25. That’s a 66-goal pace and it seems like Point has been taken for granted when it comes to fantasy. He isn’t a flashy player and not someone people necessarily target at the very top of drafts, but Point is reliable in the best way possible. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward can be counted on for elite production and you never have to worry about any major slumps or cold streaks.

2. Tough timing for an injury to Will Smith, who was just starting to become fantasy-relevant. The San Jose Sharks rookie recently had three goals and seven points in a four-game stretch and looks a lot more comfortable out there all of a sudden. San Jose is also being cautious with Smith, using load management similar to the way Anaheim Ducks did with Leo Carlsson. That can make him a little challenging to roster, though if he keeps producing like this, Simth will be easy to hold.

3. Vince Dunn hit the ground running in his return from injury. The Seattle Kraken blueliner has five points in his past three contests and is quickly getting major ice time once again. This poses a problem if you have Brandon Montour. Dunn has supplanted Montour on power-play one and put a dent in Montour’s minutes in a couple of games during his return, too. The good news is, Montour still has points in three of his past four games and his overall ice time is still strong. It’s probably too early to panic where Montour is concerned, but expect his production to at least drop slightly now that Dunn is healthy.

4. I’ve been keeping a close eye on Connor Zary of late. He was recently promoted to the Calgary Flames top line and had a four-game point streak, but then was shut out in his next three contests. I think Zary is still more of a streamer than someone you roster full-time.

5. It’s been a tough stretch if you’ve been enjoying Dustin Wolf’s strong start. Wolf had back-to-back outings recently where he conceded four goals and the Calgary Flames then turned to Dan Vladar for three straight starts. Prior to that, Wolf and Vladar had essentially been rotating every other game, so hopefully Wolf gets back into a better rotation soon. It’s worth noting that the Flames have cooled significantly, losing five of their past six games. There may be a point where neither Wolf or Vladar will have much value in 2024-25, as Calgary has been playing way above expectations thus far.

6. Wyatt Johnston is officially back. Points in eight of nine games for Johnston is why you never give up on a player of his talents too early. It’s easy to get frustrated when you’ve invested a lot in a player that’s struggling, but unless there’s a very impactful replacement on waivers, which is rare, it’s always best to stay the course.

7. Add Jack Hughes’ name to the early Hart chatter. He’s now incredibly tallied six different three-point games over the last month, but Jesper Bratt has arguably been just as good or even better. Bratt was sitting in the top five in league scoring earlier in the week. The New Jersey Devils have them both signed for several years at around $8 million a piece per season. Incredible value.

8. Piggybacking off my point last week that the Columbus Blue Jackets are a very underrated offensive team, Kent Johnson is someone to watch as it relates to a breakout campaign. He’s averaging a point per game and even a recent cold stretch isn’t deterring me from Johnson. In his last game out, he played almost 22 minutes, a season-high. Johnson also just got LW/RW eligibility to go along with his centre distinction. He’s worth a look.

9. Mathieu Olivier is becoming a very intriguing fantasy option. Typically known for his physical play, Olivier already has eight goals, smashing his previous career high in just 26 games this season. The Blue Jackets forward is still very effective for hits and penalty minutes, so Olivier is worth a short-term look in multi-cat leagues while the offensive production continues.

10. Anders Lee just won’t slow down. He has seven points in his past five games and goals in three of those contests. Lee is also filling the shots and hits categories as well. The New York Islanders veteran is still widely available in all leagues and is a must-add or hold until he cools off.

11. There was a pretty big opportunity in front of Spencer Knight this week and he couldn’t make the most of it. With Sergei Bobrovsky awaiting the birth of his child, Knight was gifted a string of starts and gave up 10 goals over two games. The Florida Panthers had really picked it up of late and Knight was excellent in November with a .922 save percentage, so it was disappointing he couldn’t take advantage. Still, Knight is young and I’d bet we’ll see him more as the season goes on, when you consider Bobrovsky’s age and the fact he is coming off a pair of deep playoff runs. The Panthers won’t want to overwork him, so look for Knight to have some value the rest of the way.

12. Speaking of opportunities in goal, Scott Wedgewood has one in Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev continues to be inconsistent and Wedgewood’s debut for the Avs was sparkling, stopping 22 shots in relief to propel Colorado to a comeback win. That earned him the next start and even though Wedgewood is a career backup, he’s still worth keeping an eye on for short-term value if he gets a handful of starts over the next few weeks.

13. The coaching change in St. Louis seems to have done wonders for Dylan Holloway’s game. Holloway has five goals and nine points in six games since Jim Montgomery took over, to go along with 15 shots. He also appears to have cemented a spot in the Blues top six and has C/LW eligibility. Holloway is an intriguing add with the Blues playing four times next week.

14. The more I watch Adin Hill, the more I wonder if he should be starting for Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off. Hill recently was under siege for long stretches in games against the high-powered Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers, and didn’t flinch. He gave up three goals total in the three games. The Vegas Golden Knights netminder seems cool under pressure in difficult situations, which definitely helps in fantasy, too. Hill could have easily given up four or five goals in both those games, but came away with quality starts despite being in a less-than-ideal situation. That’s all you can ask from a goalie.

15. At the same time Fraser Minten is turning into a more important player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s also becoming more fantasy-relevant. Minten has four points in eight games since being called up, but his peripherals are what makes him an asset. He’s averaged four hits in the past five games and had five shots in a game earlier this week. As Minten starts to earn more of Craig Berube’s trust, he should earn more ice time as well. The Leafs play a lot of hockey over the next month, so give Minten a look if he sticks with the big club.

16. I always say a motivated player is good in fantasy hockey and Zach Hyman looked like he was trying to prove a point in his first game back from injury. Hyman was left off Canada’s roster for the Four Nations Face-Off and promptly scored two goals and five shots after being passed over. He followed that up with another goal Saturday. The Edmonton Oilers forward had a dreadful start to the season offensively, but you knew he wasn’t going to stay cold forever. I think Hyman is going to end up being really productive down the stretch and you’re going to be thankful if you bought low on him.

17. What has happened to the Nashville Predators? They’re dead last in goals for and haven’t scored more than two in eight of their last nine games. What’s most amazing is they added a pair of 40-goal scorers to their lineup this season and the offense has cratered. If you have a goalie playing the Preds he’s a must start and look for streaming options that are playing Nashville going forward.

18. If Marco Rossi is still available in your league, next week might be the time to add him. The Minnesota Wild play four times and Rossi has taken advantage of a promotion with Joel Eriksson Ek sidelined, notching six points in his past five games. He’s still only rostered in 27 per cent of leagues.

Jonathan Quick could be another savvy add. The New York Rangers play Sunday/Monday, so Quick could end up getting a great matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks early next week. They also have a back-to-back next weekend, where Quick should give you another game. There’s a great chance Quick, who’s had a great start to the year, will give you a couple of starts next week. I’d be especially interested in Quick if I was rostering Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren, as the Washington Capitals only have two games.

Keep an eye on Rickard Rakell, too. He’s getting big minutes on Sidney Crosby’s wing and has four goals and six points in his past six outings.

I’ve had a couple of questions recently about whether Thomas Harley could be a drop. He’s strictly a points-only player because he doesn’t hit, and the other issue is that he’s blocked by Miro Heiskanen for top power play time. Still, Harley’s shot volume is decent, he gets big minutes and he’s on pace for about 40 points. That’s not a bad option in deep leagues. Next week would be the time to do it if you’re ready, though, since the Dallas Stars have a light week with only two games.

19. Nick Schmaltz hadn’t scored in his first 23 games and now has four goals in his past three outings. I’m always surprised Schmaltz isn’t rostered more heavily, especially in points leagues. He’s a 60-point player all day and always seems to be sitting on the waiver wire.

20. Even though the move isn’t super fantasy-relevant, the Jacob Trouba trade got a huge reaction on social media Friday and the Anaheim Ducks now have two of the biggest hitters on their blue line. Trouba and Radko Gudas have been filling the hits and blocks categories for years and opposing teams will now have to be extra careful when carrying the puck into the offensive zone. I wondered if Trouba’s value for blocks may increase because the Ducks are last in the leagues regarding shots allowed, but the New York Rangers aren’t much better, sitting at 30^th. This should be a lateral move for Trouba’s value because even if the Ducks aren’t anywhere near as talented as the Rangers, you aren’t rostering Trouba for his offence anyway.

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