I'll open with a bit of non-hockey honesty this week: sometimes, writer's block is an all-too-real thing. I don't struggle to write often -- it's what I do, after all. It's more of a mindset thing.
When preparing Hutch's Hockey each week, I usually don't spend much time between Monday and Thursday thinking about who to highlight. If the words are flowing, a good idea will usually show up Friday and materialize with research (read: watching games) over the weekend.
Other times, I'm winging it. That's where we are this week, which leads me to take a microscope to the confusing case of the St. Louis Blues. This is a team that I think is underperforming. At 7-5-1, they're in a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, sitting fourth in their division. It just doesn't feel like a spot they've earned through their play.
From the fantasy angle, there's a lot of players to like on the Blues. Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk are both well-rounded options. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer have been a solid goaltending duo so far, albeit with some highs and lows rather than steady excellence. Kevin Hayes probably could be more than a third-line center, especially since Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou have underwhelmed so far.
The player that has my attention this week is Robert Thomas. The book on this 24-year-old center is high-end playmaker with little else in his arsenal. He's a capable top-six option and can facilitate on the power play. However, he's made a nice adjustment to his game this season: he's averaging over two shots per game for the first time in his career. Last year, he averaged only 1.45 shots per game.
Why does it matter? Well, for one, more shots means more opportunities to score. The more important reason is that he's growing into a true top-line center -- he's already at six goals through 13 contests, though that's come with a 20.7 shooting percentage. That's not a bright red flag, though. Thomas has a 20-goal season under his belt and has topped 17 percent efficiency in each of the last two years. More volume and continued high-level conversion puts him on a trajectory for a 30-goal season that could exceed a point-per-game. He's rostered in 31 percent of Yahoo formats as of Sunday night. Center is a deep position, but you can find room for anyone chugging along north of a point-per-game pace.
As mentioned above, Schenn is a well-rounded option who's been fantasy gold in recent years. He's played above a 55-point pace in eight straight seasons, and he's had no fewer than 111 hits or 33 PIM in any of those seasons. He's a power-play guy and a top-six forward that moves between center and wing based on need. Schenn started the year slow, but he's making up for it with eight points over his last four contests. Get on board. The Blues may be a bit Jekyll-and-Hyde, but there's plenty of talent on this roster.
For another veteran that took some time to pop this year, look at Matt Duchene. He started the year with four scoreless outings, then put up a five-game point streak. Now, he's getting into explosive territory with six points over three games since he missed one with an upper-body injury. I'll chalk up the slow start to getting used to new teammates. Duchene's looked good alongside Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment so far -- they're not a dominant trio, but they're effective as depth scorers.
I wouldn't sleep on John-Jason Peterka for much longer. The 21-year-old has four goals and four assists over his last eight games, and he's getting the job done at even strength -- he's got just one power-play point in that span. He's young, and the Sabres have stumbled out of the gate, but that's led to opportunity for the German. With 10 points through 15 contests, he's gotten occasional top-line looks, especially with Alex Tuch (upper body) missing the last two games. Peterka is already a top-six fixture, but playing with Tage Thompson carries a bit more weight.
If you've got Brenden Dillon on your radar, I can't blame you. Four goals and an assist over four games is solid work for anyone, let alone a stay-at-home defenseman. The 32-year-old pummels the opposition, having doled out 39 hits through 14 contests. If you need a boost in physicality, Dillon's your guy, especially while he's not hurting your offense. That said, he's never posted more than 23 points in a season -- the hot streak won't last long, though his playing style will always have a little value in the deepest formats.
Calle Jarnkrok is taking advantage of his time in Toronto this year. He saw a five-game point streak (three goals, three assists) come to an end Saturday versus the Canucks, but he's been a solid fit. The 32-year-old utility player has nine points through 15 outings, and his 15:48 of ice time per game is 1:25 more than he saw last season when he had a career-high 39 points in 73 outings. The Maple Leafs have a great offense, so mining their third line for offense isn't a bad idea.
A couple of times every year, Esa Lindell does just enough on offense to get my attention. Early November has been that time this year -- he's picked up four assists through seven games, which is all of his offense this season. The 29-year-old has added 33 blocked shots, 13 hits and a plus-3 rating through 14 appearances. With Nils Lundkvist getting a genuine run on the second power-play unit, Lindell's days of chipping in with the man advantage are over. He can still play for 20-25 points in a full season, even if it ends up being over a handful of bursts rather than steady offense throughout the campaign.
For all intents and purposes, Charlie Coyle is Boston's top center this year despite his second-line role. His hat trick (and assist) versus the Islanders on Thursday cemented that -- he has offense that Pavel Zacha simply doesn't. Coyle's up to 12 points through 14 contests, and he's done that with only two of his goals coming on the power play. He'll chip in solid hits and blocks, but as long as he can keep feeding Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, he'll be solid. Coyle is shooting 21.7 percent, but if the goal-scoring drops off, he's in a good spot to make up for it with playmaking.
As for Zacha, he's been solid with two goals and two assists over five games in November. The 26-year-old has received more of the first-line minutes, and that's fine -- there's still enough talent on the Bruins to make that a good gig. From a sustainability standpoint, I don't love Zacha's 17.9 shooting percentage, though he's averaged two shots per game. He had 57 points in 82 contests while shooting 16.0 percent last year, but his value comes from an increased power-play role this year.
For reinforcements in goal, I'm considering Scott Wedgewood. He's tough to roster in shallow formats -- playing maybe once a week doesn't carry a lot of value when you can find volume elsewhere. Wedgewood has a .917 save percentage while winning three of his four outings this season. With Jake Oettinger receiving a slightly lighter workload, Wedgewood shouldn't be going lengthy stretches without playing. He's among the best true backups in the NHL, though the value in that is likely for managers in formats with 12-plus teams or three-plus goalie slots.
I targeted Ilya Sorokin hard in fantasy drafts. He's been among the most reliable goalies in the NHL for years, but he's gotten off to an ugly start. Semyon Varlamov has managed two shutouts through five appearances, though he's lost every time he's been scored on in 2023-24. The 35-year-old is far from a long-term fix for a fantasy team in need of net stability, but his .940 save percentage means he'll continue to get looks until his play fades or Sorokin rights the ship.
As for writer's block, there's one part that's never easy: signing off. When I write, it's like a runaway train. I stop when I run out of fuel or get stuck on a metaphorical hill. That's something I attribute to genetics -- getting in cars and leaving is not a strong suit for anyone in my family. Saying goodbye is hard after all.
That's not always true in fantasy. If you need a boost, it's fine to punt someone out and replace him with a player that's producing more offense. I parted ways with Johnny Gaudreau, Pavel Buchnevich and Stuart Skinner in some leagues this week. If they turn things around, it's not a goodbye; it's a see-you-later. With that, I'll be back next week for more free-agent plays.
