We’ve reached the quarter mark of the 2021–22 season, and American Thanksgiving has officially passed (I’m allowed to say that because I live in Calgary). At this point in the season, we can be fairly confident in what we’ve seen from each team and can make decent predictions on how things will shake out in the remaining three quarters. Unfortunately, for those players who have gotten off to slow starts, or whose teams are really struggling, it’s time to start making the tough decision to cut bait.
Here are the top-10 players who you may have drafted that it’s now time to drop from your fantasy team, as hard as it may be.
1. Cole Caufield
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | 673 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
This season has not gone the way many expected it to for Cole Caufield. Not only has he failed to live up to be the goal scoring machine he was in college, he was even demoted to the AHL for a stretch of games. The Montreal Canadiens are a tire fire, and Caufield’s one goal in 13 games is not helping their cause. He’s also averaging only two shots per game, and isn’t providing any other peripheral category coverage. Caufield isn’t fantasy relevant right now. Maybe next year.
2. Blake Wheeler
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104 | 463 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 17 | 4 |
Analytics experts were breathing down Blake Wheeler‘s neck last year, and it’s just more of the same this year. Wheeler has had an absolutely horrible start to the year, and even though other Jets are also having slow starts like Mark Scheifele, Wheeler is the player to cut. With just over two shorts and one hit per game, Wheeler is just not worth rostering right now.
3. Alexis Lafreniere
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134 | 430 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 31 | 7 |
Wasn’t Alexis Lafreniere supposed to be a generational talent? So far, he hasn’t even come close to that level, and is barely fantasy relevant right now. The name value is there so he might be someone who could be traded in fantasy hockey, but at the end of the day, it’s time to cut Lafreniere.
4. Jeff Petry
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 136 | 357 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 42 | 24 |
I am guilty of expecting a big year from Jeff Petry. With Shea Weber not playing hockey this year, Petry was the easy choice to assume top power play duties and build upon several strong seasons in Montreal. Just like the team, Petry’s season has not gone the way he has wanted. He has just two assists all year and no power play points. His peripheral category coverage is still solid, but that’s about it. If you spent a high draft pick on Petry like I did, it might be time to cut your losses and either trade or drop him.
5. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140 | 476 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 33 | 6 |
I really wanted to put Mathew Barzal on this list, but it would be foolish to drop a player with the skillset of Barzal. Instead, there are a number of other Islanders to choose from, but the top candidate is Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Ranked 140th heading into the season, Pageau has really started slow. He has just four points this season, averaging fewer than two shots per game, and has no points on special teams. Pageau was always a good fantasy option to cover power play and shorthanded points, but that hasn’t been the case this season so far.
6. Sean Monahan
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 164 | 247 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 25 | 13 | 10 |
Coming off offseason hip surgery, Sean Monahan was looking to return to being a top-tier goal scorer for the Calgary Flames this season. Unfortunately, Monahan hasn’t been able to stick in Calgary’s top-six and has even spent significant time centring the fourth line. Monahan’s only value right now is on the power play; he’s done next to nothing at 5v5 and he doesn’t even cover peripherals very well. His rank of 247 is only as high as it is because of the power play points, but it’s only a matter of time before Andrew Mangiapane takes his role on PP1. Drop him.
7. Jonathan Toews
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | 384 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 6 | 5 |
After missing all of last season, many expected Jonathan Toews to come back with a vengeance. Unfortunately for him, that has not been the case. He has no goals this season and just eight assists in 19 games. His peripheral category coverage is poor and he’s only centre eligible. It’s time to cut ties with Toews.
8. Mattias Ekholm
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | G | A | P | PPP | SHP | SOG | HIT | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 207 | 482 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 9 | 21 |
Ranked 207th prior to the season, Mattias Ekholm was likely drafted as a depth defenceman. Unfortunately, he hasn’t even done a good job of that in fantasy this year. He has just three points on the season, no power play points, and mediocre peripherals. The Predators are a decent team, but Ekholm just isn’t as fantasy relevant as he has been in previous years.
9. Phillipp Grubauer
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | W | GAA | SV | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 477 | 16 | 6 | 3.03 | 365 | 0.890 | 0 |
Unless your league values saves as a statistic, Philipp Grubauer is not fantasy relevant. It’s extremely surprising to see and considering he was the 70th ranked player before the season, it was near impossible to see this coming. The Seattle Kraken have one of the best defence corps in the league, but Grubauer just isn’t stopping pucks. His statistics are horrid and there are no signs that this will turn around. If you can trade Grubauer that would be the play, but if not, don’t feel bad cutting him from your team.
10. Jake Allen
| Pre-draft Rank | Current Rank | GP | W | GAA | SV | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96 | 359 | 15 | 4 | 3.02 | 369 | 0.898 | 2 |
Wrapping up this list is a third Canadien, current starting goalie Jake Allen. He does have experience as a starter back with the St. Louis Blues, but Allen is playing behind a horrible Montreal team that is doing him no favours. Other than his two shutouts on the year which is actually pretty impressive, Allen is not a goalie you should be starting on a nightly basis. Carey Price is returning to the team soon and Allen’s value will drop anyway, just drop him.
Still lots of season left to play
Yes, there are still lots of games left on the schedule, but in fantasy hockey you have to be able to roll with the punches. Did we miss anybody from this list? Let us know in the comments or on social media @wincolumnCGY.
