The Athletic’s staffers are not exactly fans of the Detroit Red Wings’ potential for an upward trajectory this upcoming season, so perhaps it’s not surprising to read the following takes on a pair of Red Wings players as potential fantasy hockey targets.
Scott Cullen suggests that Robby Fabbri may be a solid late-round fantasy hockey pick, assuming that he stays healthy…
Robby Fabbri, C/LW, Detroit
Yahoo: 367
The frequently injured Red Wings forward has been very productive since arriving in the Motor City, putting up 49 points (24 G, 25 A) in 82 games for the Red Wings. Sure, it’s impossible to trust that he will stay healthy for any length of time, but there is enough production to make him a viable consideration.
And Shayna Goldman believes that Alex Nedeljkovic will make a difference on fantasy hockey teams…Just not the kind of difference that involves winning games:
4. Alex Nedeljkovic, DET: The Red Wings probably are going to be among the worst teams in the league this season, and that’s going to be quite the adjustment for Nedeljovkic who is coming from one of the stronger squads in the league.
Given how many ‘quality starts’ and ‘saves’ he had last year, as he saved 13.5 more goals than expected and earned a .932 save percentage, there’s reason to be confident in him providing some stability in net for Detroit. But managers have to be realistic too because both his lack of experience and the quality of the team playing in front of him. He probably won’t be the answer for your team alone, unlike the second half of last year. But with a high shot rate against, he’ll probably help bolster some categories (outside of wins).
I’m not exactly expecting anybody from The Athletic to say, “Shucks howdy, the Red Wings are going to improve this season!” but the kind of disdain with which some of their correspondents discuss the team and anybody on it can be off-putting.
I’m in four fantasy hockey leagues and in two of them, I’ve got Seider, Raymond in one and Nedeljovkic in at least one. Also have Larkin in at least two, maybe three. I draft my players by what I know about them, both ability-wise and character-wise. I’ve done reasonably well over the 9 years I’ve been playing, mostly in multiple leagues each year.
Looking forward to a promising season from this year’s Wings.