Fantasy Spin: Best bets to replace Avs' MacKinnon

Friday, 03.06.2015 / 4:18 PM

By Pete Jensen - NHL.com Fantasy Insider / Fantasy Spin Blog

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Fantasy Spin: Best bets to replace Avs' MacKinnon

Just when Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon was beginning to turn the corner, it all came crashing down.

The Avs announced Friday that MacKinnon will miss 6-8 weeks because of a fractured foot, likely ending what has been one of the most disappointing seasons League-wide based on fantasy expectations. The dual-eligible (C/RW) forward won the Calder Trophy in 2013-14 with 63 points in 82 games and was drafted on average this season with the 36th pick in Yahoo leagues. But he took a sizable step back this season with 38 points in 64 games (82-game pace: 47).

Between MacKinnon's unlucky 7.3 shooting percentage (14 goals on 192 shots on goal), Paul Stastny's departure last summer and the Avalanche's poor possession numbers (43.54 shot-attempts percentage close, 29th in NHL), the dreaded sophomore slump caught up to him. He scored five goals during his past five games only to have this injury news dampen his chances of finishing strong.

His stock certainly is down at the moment, but fantasy owners in keeper leagues should jump all over any opportunity to acquire his services before your league's trade deadline. The default Yahoo deadline was Thursday, March 5, but many leagues follow different formats, so the window of opportunity still may be open. MacKinnon, 19, will be a bounce-back candidate and could return to form as early as next season if the Avs address their deficiencies this offseason. So he's worth retaining in many keeper formats.

But if you're in a one-year league and need to replace MacKinnon, there are some solid options out there:

In shallow leagues, Craig Smith (44 percent owned, C/RW) of the Nashville Predators has been red-hot since Valentine's Day with seven goals and four assists in his past 11 games. He has the same eligibility as MacKinnon and is in a great spot alongside Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro. If Smith isn't available, two other options in small leagues are the Florida Panthers' Jonathan Huberdeau (39 percent, LW/C), who has had steady production since Jaromir Jagr's arrival, and Mike Hoffman (39 percent, LW/C) of the Ottawa Senators, who leads rookies in goals (23) with some of the best even-strength numbers in the game this season.

If you're in a much deeper format, don't fret. Alex Killorn (8 percent, LW/C) of the Tampa Bay Lightning has been stationed next to Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan of late and has points in seven of his past 10 games. If he's off the board there's Mark Stone (13 percent, RW) of the Ottawa Senators, who has been close to a point per game since a coaching change in December, and Curtis Glencross (13 percent, LW), who scored his first goal since being traded to the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

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