Fantasy: 5 moves you need to make in Week 5
Every Monday, theScore offers a weekly fantasy hockey column detailing a handful of moves you should make. This week's edition focuses on Week 5. Ownership percentages and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.
Trade for Patrik Laine
Team: Jets
Position: LW/RW
Ownership: 99%
With 14 points in 13 games, Laine is off to the best start of his career - but it could be a whole lot better. Although the prolific sniper has scored just three times, he's added 11 assists. If this pace continues, it would be the first time Laine tallies more assists than goals in a season.
Laine has been more engaged this year and more responsible defensively. As a result, head coach Paul Maurice has shown more trust in the 21-year-old and has given him a career-high 19:18 of ice time per game - over two minutes more than he averaged last season.
Laine's owner may be reluctant to give him up, but a strong enough offer could persuade him/her. The Finn is bound to start finding twine, specifically on the power play, where he's been held without a goal after registering half his tallies on the man advantage a year ago. He could be in line for a 90-100 point season.
Add Alexandar Georgiev
Team: Rangers
Position: G
Ownership: 26%
It may be a passing of the torch in the Big Apple, as 23-year-old Georgiev has outplayed 37-year-old veteran Henrik Lundqvist through the Rangers' first 11 games:
| Stat | Georgiev | Lundqvist |
|---|---|---|
| Rec. | 3-2-1 | 2-3-0 |
| GAA | 2.27 | 3.58 |
| SV% | .933 | .906 |
Georgiev will start his third straight game on Monday with a cushy matchup against the Ottawa Senators after allowing just one goal apiece against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators last week.
Lundqvist will start on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings, but Georgiev is all but guaranteed a start against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, and possibly versus the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
Georgiev has both short- and long-term value and needs to be owned in all formats.
Add Ryan Strome
Team: Rangers
Position: C/RW
Ownership: 32%
Another Ranger worth owning is the eldest Strome brother. With Mika Zibanejad sidelined, the former No. 5 overall pick has taken an opportunity and run with it. He's centering the Rangers' first line between Artemi Panarin and Jesper Fast and has recorded four goals and five assists during his six-game point streak.
Zibanejad and Panarin weren't gelling in the games leading up to the former's injury, so it's possible Strome can hang around on the first line even when Zibanejad returns.
Sell/drop Victor Olofsson
Team: Sabres
Position: LW/RW
Ownership: 63%
Victor "Goalofsson" has not been living up to his name lately. After tallying six goals in his first seven games - all of which came on the power play - the Sabres rookie has failed to light the lamp in the eight contests since.
Buffalo's power play was due to come down to earth eventually, and it has. Considering Olofsson has not shown a propensity to score at even strength, he's no longer worth owning in fantasy.
In keeper/dynasty leagues, you may be able to get something in return for the Swede on the trade market. In redraft leagues, he's worth putting on the trade block, but if there are no takers, he can be dropped - especially considering Buffalo plays just two games this week, and both are against the Lightning.
Add Joel Farabee
Team: Flyers
Position: LW
Ownership: 1%
Farabee should be available in even the deepest of leagues. The Flyers rookie has mustered together just a goal and an assist through seven games, but he's had an additional two points revoked due to offside reviews.
The 19-year-old is skating on the club's first line with Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk and seeing time on the top power-play unit. Among skaters with 100 minutes played, he ranks seventh in the NHL with 6.15 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.
A proven offensive threat at every level of his career, it's just a matter of time before the 14th overall pick from the 2018 draft starts capitalizing on his chances.
Josh Wegman has been theScore's resident fantasy hockey expert since 2015. Find him on Twitter @JoshWegman_.