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Fantasy Hockey Mailbag — Patterns Taking Shape?

The season is a little over a month old and some patterns may be starting to emerge that could somewhat aid fantasy hockey fans. We have a couple questions from social media and Twitter. If you have any questions, tweet them out to @ChrisWasselTHWThere is also a special daily question to take a look at as well.

Questions become harder and answers start to become more difficult and that is the best part of the mailbag. I am thankful for the increase in difficulty always. Are you ready? Let's get this started ladies and gentlemen? The first one is a multiple part question.

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I’m wondering what we can expect from Maroon now that he’s back and on the Getzlaf line.  If I’m reading stats correctly he was on top PP unit both before and after his injury, and was just under a point a game with the big guys.  Do we have reason to believe he’s a fixture there, what kind of player his he, and what’s his upside?  Is this a 60-plus point Kunitz kind of guy?  Good shot?  Any skills?  Or just a big guy to bang and get garbage goals? I’m weighing him against free agents in my non-keeper points league such as Scheifele and Atkinson.

Okay, there is a lot to digest here. The biggest problem to ascertain Patrick Maroon's potential in the very short term is simply waiting for Corey Perry to return from his bout with the flu. It typically takes a few games for a player to get back to 100%. Maroon and Ryan Getzlaf do click very well but right now they have Devante Smith-Pelly on the first line with them. They have looked rather good but Smith-Pelly is not the player Perry is, yet. 

The best thing for the two younger players is to get a big game feel and the game last night in Vancouver was just that. With Corey Perry likely in for the rivalry game against Los Angeles on Wednesday, that will bump Smith-Pelly down with Maroon remaining on the top line. Perry is being slowly nursed along with the expectation of being shot out of a cannon for the middle of the week (that is the earliest Perry can be activated from the IR). 

At the moment, Maroon is believed to be a fixture for now. The Dany Heatley experiment was a huge disaster almost as expected. Matt Beleskey was nice and all but he did not have the skills that the first line needs as a complement. Patrick Maroon has those compliments and can create space. Space is so important in this league along with possession obviously. He also has a little more skill that most give him credit for. The left winger has slightly above average hands and skates with presence. That is what gives him more first line upside right now. Chemistry can never be underestimated.

If you are trying to weigh Maroon's upside against Mark Scheifele and Cam Atkinson, then that is like comparing apples to strawberries to oranges. Maroon is not like the other two players. His upside, however, could be 50-60 points if he stays healthy. Anaheim has had some issues with that lately and obviously Columbus has too. As for Scheifele, I do think he will get better as the season goes on but if he gets over 40 points this year, I would be surprised. Now Cam Atkinson has more upside but with all those injuries in Columbus, 60+ points is not as likely as 50-60. So the upside is not that much higher than Maroon's. It may almost be equal.

The key is finding what you want. Do you need the bigger power forward first liner or the slightly more skilled first liner who plays with a power pivot in say Ryan Johansen. My money still prefers Patrick Maroon in the short term because of the power play point potential with Getzlaf and Perry. It is a fun yet challenging problem to have. 

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Can Filip Forsberg and Tyler Johnson keep on continuing their amazing seasons? 

Tyler Johnson is far from a fluke. He had a 50 point season last year and nearly won the Calder TrophyFilip Forsberg could be on his way to a Calder Trophy nomination this year. The funny thing is Johnson is doing this almost exclusively without Steven Stamkos. The 18 points on the season (5 G 13 A) is a bit of a surprise but the bigger surprise is Forsberg. 

The winger has 15 points in 14 games for Nashville and is a whopping +15. Yes it is early and some regression is quite likely but the 20 year old is putting it all together with a high volume shooter in James Neal. As long as Forsberg just feeds the puck well, he should have very nice upside throughout the year. Even Johnson will slide back a little but it may not be much, especially when Victor Hedman returns. Tampa Bay is going to be incredibly balanced offensively. 

However, Nashville is too and looks poised to blow through Bovada's ghastly 76.5 point prediction. Forsberg is a huge reason why along with the Vezina form of Pekka Rinne. So to answer the question again. Can these two continue on with their fantasy impacts? Yes they can! Just do not expect a 90-100 points pace. Would you be happy with 60-70 for Forsberg and 75-85 for Johnson as upsides? I think you would.