Some stand-out performances have created some 2024 early season sell high players in fantasy hockey. This list isn’t about players like Nathan MacKinnon or Kirill Kaprizov, who are superstar players doing incredible things. These sell-high candidates are producing at unsustainable levels for a full NHL season. Let’s take a look at some of the best 2024 early season sell high players that you should consider trading in fantasy hockey.
Martin Necas is on a Heater
Necas is arguably the biggest sell-high player in the league right now. He has been red-hot through his first 13 games, tallying eight goals and 23 points. This 145-point pace is not sustainable through a full 82-game season, which makes him one of the clear early season sell high players.
In banger leagues, Necas does not offer much in the way of hits or blocks, relying solely on points and shots for his value. He is shooting 27% currently, which is over 15% higher than his career average, with a lower SOG/60 than he has had in the last two seasons.
These signs point to Necas regressing throughout the season, and a good sell high option right now in fantasy hockey.
Two things can be simultaneously true:
Martin Necas is crushing it currently for #CauseChaos, and he’s also the biggest sell-high in fantasy right now
80% IPP, 26% S%, 18% oiSH% and under 18 min ATOI this year#fantasyhockey #HockeyTwitter
— Apples & Ginos Fantasy Hockey (@ApplesGinos) November 6, 2024
Mark Stone Injury Should Alarm Managers
Mark Stone has had an incredible start to the season, before being sidelined due to injury. Injuries have plagued Stone throughout his career, and this most recent injury is a reminder of why he is a sell high player currently.
The 32-year-old has six goals and 21 points through 13 games this season. He is currently shooting 23.1% but is a 15.5% shooter in his career. Stone is currently on pace to exceed his career-high point totals, but fantasy managers should expect him to regress to his career pace at just under a point per game.
Stone’s start to the season has positioned him as a fantasy player that can be dealt for value. Try to find someone with a better track record of staying healthy that you can rely on more before the fantasy hockey playoffs begin.
Vegas’ Rising Tides Lifted Ivan Barbashev‘s Boat
The line of Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Ivan Barbashev has been on fire. The trio has combined for 17 goals on the season so far. Barbashev himself is up to seven goals and 16 points, playing well above his career pace. Of his nine assists, five of them have been secondary assists. This should concern current Barbashev owners.
In 11 games played in October, Barbashev was shooting 30.4%. As a career 17% shooter, his conversion rate should regress going forward.
His PTS/60 is at a career high 4.1, while his previous career high was 2.7. Barbashev has been doing all of this at even strength, and does not have a place on the top power play unit. If he continues his hot play, a spot may open up for him. However, all signs point to his production being unsustainable and someone you should sell high on.
Neal Pionk is a Sell High Defencemen
The Winnipeg Jets have had a historic start to their season, winning 14 of their first 15 games. A key contributor to the team’s success has been defencemen Neal Pionk. Through 15 games, Pionk has 3 goals and 14 points, including 4 power play points. His PTS/60 is 2.7, which is over a point higher than his career best coming into the season.
If Pionk continued his current pace through the season, he would finish with around 76 points. Pionk has been healthy over the last two seasons, playing in all 164 games in that span. In each of those seasons, Pionk put up 33 points, meaning his current 76 point pace would surpass his total from the last two seasons combined. It would also pass his career high of 45 points which he set in 2019/20.
His TOI at over 20 minutes a game is stable, but he will not get top power play deployment unless there is an injury. As a defencemen, Pionk has some extra value attached to him right now. Selling high can bring a more consistent player to your fantasy roster that will pay dividends throughout the season.
Main photo by: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
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