2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Week 11 Primer And Pickups: Flames' Kadri Burns Bright; Habs' Hutson Finally Scores

Week 11's schedule will be quite spread out and even. Monday will be the slowest with just three games, but for the rest week, no fewer than five games will be featured on any other day. The six-game slate on Sunday will also provide a lot of opportunity for managers to make a last-ditch effort to win their matchup.

There are eight teams that will play four games and only two - Knights and Islanders - that will play only twice, so be sure to avoid those two teams. If you have the likes of Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, you can afford to be patient because they can score as many points in two games and other players who play three or four games, but it's certainly a risk.

Goaltending has been a big topic again recently. The Avs acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood last Monday, turning over their entire tandem after acquiring Scott Wedgewood less than two weeks earlier.

The Sabres called up Devon Levi on Sunday to provide a spark, but instead they lost their 10th in a row. Anthony Stolarz was injured, leaving Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby for the Leafs, and Linus Ullmark was forced to play two nights in a row after Anton Forsberg was injured during a pre-game skate.

With 14 back-to-backs in Week 11, remember to check the goalie matchups daily.

Note, too, that the NHL holiday roster freeze takes effect into Dec. 20 and ends Dec. 27, so there might be a trade or two that teams will try to sneak in before the deadline.

Schedule

Pick 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 naturalstatrick.com. All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy. Points percentages are as of Saturday.

Season-long adds

(< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Conor Garland, RW, VAN (50% rostered)

The Canucks lineup is in flux right now coming off a 5-1 loss, but whether Garland is playing L1 with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser - as he is now - or L3 with Dakota Joshua and Pius Suter, Garland is going to get his minutes. Garland's scoring pace has dropped a little bit, but he should finish with somewhere close to 70 points. That's worth rostering in leagues with at least 12 teams.

Nazem Kadri, C, CGY (50% rostered)

After a slow start, Kadri has been a tear with a four-game points streak and eight points in his past eight games. Some of the stuff has been highlight-reel worthy, and with over three shots per game and plenty of faceoffs, Kadri is fantastic in multi-category leagues. If you've been patient, it's now paying off. If he's been dropped, take advantage of other people's impatience.

Pavel Buchnevich, C/LW, STL (50% rostered)

Buchnevich's goal Sunday against the Rangers extends his points streak to nine games, discounting his two-game absence due to injury. With a top line assignment and Jordan Kyrou playing on a different line, it's given Buchnevich a bit more offensive responsibility, not to mention he's far more effective playing left wing.

Rickard Rakell, C/LW/RW, PIT (35% rostered)
Bryan Rust, RW, PIT (35% rostered)

The Pens are going to be streaky and inconsistent all year, but if we're mining for some offense, it's hard to go wrong with Rust and Rakell. They're flanking Sidney Crosby on the Pens' top line, and I think Rust has more upside due to a higher volume of shots.

Marco Rossi, C, MIN (33% rostered)

The deployment is excellent for Rossi, who's serving as the Wild's No. 1 center though his production remains quite a bit to be desired. No matter; there aren't many 1C's available on the wire, and more often than not, Rossi will score a point. He scored 25 points in 30 games entering Sunday's contest against Vegas.

Mid-term holds

(< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Ross Colton, C/LW, COL (40% rostered)

I'm not sure I can trust Jared Bednar again after he promised us Colton would find his way onto Nathan MacKinnon's line soon. This personal transgression against my fantasy team aside, Colton still has two goals in five games with PP1 deployment (for now).

Gabriel Vilardi, C/RW, WPG (37% rostered)

Vilardi's getting on a hot streak again and it's best to roster him while he's hot, because when Vilardi goes cold, he goes really ice cold. A two-point effort against the Habs gives Vilardi seven points in his past six games.

Lane Hutson, D, MTL (42% rostered)

Have we seen Hutson turn a corner? He finally scored his long-awaited first NHL goal Saturday against the Jets, and I'm sure there will be an onslaught of goals coming sooner or later. His seven-game assist streak was snapped but he continues to play a lot of minutes.

Owen Power, D, BUF (39% rostered)

Not sure when Rasmus Dahlin will return, but Power has been the Sabres' preferred PP QB in his absence. The issue with Power as a fantasy asset is that he doesn't get a lot of peripherals; it's points or nothing for the Sabres, who now have lost 10 straight.

Karel Vejmelka, G, UTA (26% rostered)

Vejmelka's been a big reason for Utah's resurgence, accounting for three of their past four wins. The upcoming schedule looks attractive; they host the Canucks on Wednesday and the Ducks on Sunday, and with Andre Tourigny reluctant to use Jaxson Stauber, Vejmelka should get a lot of starts. He can rack up the saves and steal the occasional win.

Tristan Jarry, G, PIT (21% rostered)

I'm talking myself into rostering Jarry a lot more lately, which is both a good and bad sign. The good news is Jarry and the Pens look vastly improved; they're not allowing as many shots as they once did and Jarry's play has indeed been better.

The bad sign is the Pens are still a very borderline playoff team, prone to poor games every now and then. I think Jarry's more than just a streamer now with some quality starts and a starter's workload, but I still think he's very matchup dependent.

John Gibson, G, ANA (18% rostered)

Saves, saves, saves. That's what Gibson can get you, and there's a chance Gibson gets traded this season if he continues to play well. The upcoming schedule is tough - Jets, Avs, Utah - but I'm willing to bet that Gibson will put in a quality start in at least one of those games. For saves and save percentage, Gibson might be worth rostering in leagues where goalies are not widely available.

Short-term streamers

(< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Jonathan Huberdeau, C/LW, CGY (24% rostered)

Like Kadri above, who's far more valuable in fantasy, Huberdeau is catching fire. He's scored nine of his 21 points on the season in his past seven games. The only time to roster Huberdeau is when he's playing like this, so take advantage before he inevitably runs cold.

Pavel Zacha, C/LW, BOS (11% rostered)

I'm continually intrigued by Zacha, because once in a while he's capable of a big game, such as his three-point effort Saturday against the Canucks. He still scores too little to be rostered, but as a streaming play, along with his faceoff wins and hits, he can provided some value added even when he doesn't score.

Alex Vlasic, D, CHI (16% rostered)

Vlasic's two assists Sunday against the Isles gives him six points in his past six games, and he really deserves another look in deep leagues. In more shallow leagues, Vlasic is a top-tier streaming option because he can contribute in multiple categories. The points and PP upside is a huge bonus right now.

Darren Raddysh, D, TB (0% rostered)

Raddysh has taken over the Lightning PP with Victor Hedman and J.J. Moser, and scored an assist in consecutive games while averaging 21 minutes per game. As long as Hedman and Moser are out, Raddysh is worth streaming due to his deployment.

Scott Wedgewood, G, COL (33% rostered)

The Avs indicated that Mackenzie Blackwood is likely their 1A option, but that still means Wedgewood has plenty of value. There's a back-to-back coming up Dec. 19-20 against the Sharks and Ducks. Wedgewood is 3-2-0 with a .931 SP and 1.92 GAA with the Avs.

Arvid Soderblom, G, CHI (8% rostered)

With Connor Bedard playing a lot better and Frank Nazar (hopefully) adding a second layer of offense, the Blackhawks might be a good streaming option. Soderblom will be the starter as long as Petr Mrazek is out, and a Dec. 19 date against the Kraken might be worth looking into.

Ville Husso, G, DET (4% rostered)

I still don't trust the Red Wings because they're too prone to bad stretches of play, but I do like their upcoming schedule with the Flyers and then a home-and-home series against the Habs. Husso just earned his first win in his seventh start, and also posted a .914 SP or better in four of his past five games.

Honorable mention:

Anthony Cirelli, C, TB (48% rostered)
Will Cuylle, LW, NYR (44% rostered)
Anders Lee, LW, NYI (50% rostered)
Logan Cooley, C, UTA (38% rostered)
Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, SEA (19% rostered)
Pierre-Luc Dubois, C/LW, WSH (19% rostered)
Shane Wright, C/RW, SEA (10% rostered)

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