The Montreal Canadiens added two players to the NHL’s COVID protocol list this past week, which led to the first postponements of games in the North Division this season.

It was a not so subtle reminder of just how unique this season has been.

Montreal hasn’t played a game since March 20. They’ll need to be cleared by the league Monday before getting back in action Tuesday against the Oilers.

Montreal also made headlines last week by trading for veteran forward Eric Staal. Where he’ll fit into the lineup remains to be seen, but we should expect him to slide into a bottom-six roll once he clears quarantine, likely centering the third line behind Philip Danault and Nick Suzuki on the top two lines.

This will be an upgrade for Staal now that he’s out of Buffalo, but he should only be a speculative add in the deepest of leagues.

Elsewhere, Kirby Dach made a somewhat surprising return to the Blackhawks lineup on Saturday after breaking his wrist at the World Juniors back in December.

The 2019 third-overall pick almost scored a highlight-reel goal in his season debut, and finished with over 20 minutes of ice time.

Dach was already bumped up to the top line alongside Patrick Kane for Sunday’s game, although they failed to hit the scoresheet. He’s definitely worth an add in most leagues with the opportunity he’ll be given as the franchise’s future.

Week 11 Notes:

The Blues have by far the worst schedule this week with just two games on deck, both coming late in the week in a back-to-back against one of the league’s best teams in the Avalanche.

There’s a chance Jordan Binnington only gets one start this week, so plan accordingly if he’s your main source of starts, while most of the Blues fringe fantasy players can be dropped.

The Senators are the only other team with just two games this week, both coming against the Habs on Thursday and Saturday. That situation will need to be monitored as well.

On the positive side, more than half the league will play four games in Week 10, with a few teams standing out as streaming targets.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche will play all four games at home beginning with the Ducks on Monday. They’ll host the Coyotes on Wednesday, before a back-to-back against the Blues on Friday and Saturday.

The Ducks are allowing the fifth-most goals per game, the Blues are eighth in that category, while the Yotes sit at 13th. The Avs are in line to score some goals this week.

Joonas Donskoi is only 22 per cent rostered. He’s currently on fire with 10 points in his past eight games while shooting the puck a healthy amount. He’s reached five shots in three of his past four games.

Andre Burakovsky is available in over 60 per cent of leagues. He’s playing on the second line and second power-play unit. He’s putting together a respectable season with 20 points through 30 games.

Florida Panthers

Florida will also play all four games at home. They’ll face Detroit twice to start the week, before finishing it off with two games against the reeling Columbus Blue Jackets. Both teams rank in the bottom 10 in goals allowed per game.

Carter Verhaeghe is up to 63 per cent rostered, but that number should still be higher. Verhaeghe has 14 points in 15 games this month with a plus-11 rating. He’s on the top line which will only get better when Alex Barkov returns, and remains on the second power-play unit. He’s a must add in leagues where he’s available.

On the opposite wing on that top line, Anthony Duclair. He hasn’t had the most consistent season, with a few ugly stretches of pointless games, but he could get hot this week after scoring on Sunday. He’s available in over 75 per cent of leagues.

Risers

W, Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes (56 per cent rostered, up 13 per cent)

Martin Necas has been one of the more underrated fantasy players this season with 28 points in 30 games, but let’s focus in on March alone. Since March 1, Necas has 17 points in just 13 games, that’s 12th best in the NHL in that span and only five points back of Connor McDavid for the month. He’s shooting at 13 per cent this season after shooting at 18 per cent in his rookie year a season ago, so there’s nothing concerning there. He’s actually shaping up to be an elite sniper at that rate. Necas is playing on the top line and top power-play unit, and seeing more than 17:30 of ice time per game compared to his 14 minutes a season ago. He’s making the most of his opportunity, and solidifying himself as a must start fantasy option likely for years to come. Necas is coming off a four-point game on Saturday, so the window to pick him up is closing rapidly, but he’s on the waiver wire in 44 per cent of leagues. It’s time to shrink that number.

W, Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators (26 per cent rostered, up 21 per cent)

Eeli Tolvanen started slowly, with just one point in his first eight games. Since then he’s tallied 14 points in 18 games, and has recently been playing on the top line and top power-play unit. He’s actually a bit of a power-play specialist, with nine of those 14 points coming with the man advantage. His 8.79 power-play points per 60 minutes ranks 11th most among players with at least 50 minutes of power-play time this season. McDavid – leading the league with 23 power-play points – is 13th at 8.55. Obviously he’s not McDavid, but that success rate can’t be ignored, and neither should Tolvanen when it comes to your fantasy league. 

W, Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars (16 per cent rostered, up 10 per cent)

Another player on the top line and top power-play unit, Jason Robertson has had an incredible rookie season putting up 21 points in 27 games, yet he’s sitting on the waiver wire in most leagues. Only Kirill Kaprizov has more points among rookies. Robertson is no stranger to production. He put up 48 goals and a league leading 117 points over 62 games in his final year in the OHL, finishing top 3 in points on two separate teams due to a mid-season blockbuster trade, despite playing in half as many games as his teammates. It was more of the same in his first pro season in the AHL, putting up 25 goals and 47 points in 60 games. Robertson was always going to be a star; it just wasn’t expected to happen so soon.

Fallers

W, Mike Hoffman, St. Louis Blues (80 per cent rostered, down 3 per cent)

Mike Hoffman was one of the hottest players and better pickups earlier in the season. He fit in well with the Blues, recording 18 points in the first 23 games. Vladimir Tarasenko returned from injury on March 6, and since then Hoffman has just two points in 10 games. He was made a healthy scratch on Sunday with Sammy Blais taking his spot in the lineup. The return of Tarasenko was always going to be an issue for Hoffman considering the depth the Blues have at forward, but no one expected an eventual healthy scratch for the six-time 20 goal scorer. Hoffman is too good of a player and pure goal scorer for this to last. The Blues will find room for him, and he’ll get back to his scoring ways. Keep an eye on him if he’s been dropped in your league.