09/28/2022
It’s Crouse Time! A story of an undervalued fantasy hockey player.
Attention fantasy hockey bargain shoppers: Lawson Crouse definitely deserves some fantasy hockey love in 2022-23. A hand injury in 2021-22 ended what was a career year to that point (20 goals and 34 points in 65 games). However, the big guy is about more than just goals, PIMs and hits. And with Phil Kessel sadly - or, not so sadly - taking his act elsewhere to Vegas, Mr. Crouse looks poised to benefit.
A closer look at Crouse’s advanced stats indicates he averaged 1:55 of power play time per game last season – and this was more than a minute and-a-half increase from the season before. Granted – although Arizona had the league’s third worst PP last season, it is still safe to bet that Crouse will improve on his 7 power play points from last season. Especially if he fills the void left by Kessel on one of the PP units.
What makes Crouse even more intriguing from a fantasy perspective is despite his increased PP time last season (and increased minutes overall), he was still called upon to kill penalties and averaged a healthy 1:45 of penalty kill time per game last season. Crouse has only gone one full NHL season without a short- handed point, so one can only assume he will continue to contribute a SHP or two each season in fantasy leagues that reward this category.
Any downside here? For those critics who point to Crouse’s career high 15.3% shooting percentage last season, well, his career average shooting percentage of 10.4% would still have yielded the big guy 14 goals last season. He would have no doubt still set a career high in goals even with a 10.4% shooting percentage had he played the full season. This is precisely what makes Lawson Crouse such an interesting fantasy player this season. Despite being armed with a new 5-year, $21.5 million contract, we will likely still see a best behavior scenario as he grows in both confidence and in his role on the team. This will undoubtedly mean he will be shooting more in an effort to become a brand name power forward in the NHL. Of course, having good linemates such as Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz passing him the puck can only help ...... but I have a hunch that Crouse will be productive regardless of who he plays with. Big forwards like Crouse that bang bodies and create space for linemates will eventually show up on the score sheet.
So for those fantasy hockey gurus out there, remember this: it is not the players you draft in the first 4 or 5 rounds that win you a fantasy league – it’s the guys you draft in the mid to late rounds that will ultimately separate you from the pack. Everyone is expected to draft their share of stars in the early rounds, and these stars will carry your team on most nights. However, think about last season. Chris Kreider and Nazem Kadri were mid-round picks (and, in Kadri’s case, a later round pick) but these guys picked up 52 goals and 87 points respectively. Who saw that coming? The lucky fantasy GMs who stole these two and held on to them looked like geniuses! So, remember Lawson Crouse when it comes to the closing rounds of your fantasy drafts! When you need some grinders with offensive upside to get you the grunt stats likes hits and PIMs, skip over the studs of yesteryear such as Milan Lucic and Wayne Simmonds and give Lawson Crouse some love! He just may be the Tanner Jeannot of 2022-23.
Thanks for reading, and good luck in your fantasy drafts!
fhs
