Monday Morning Ramblings: Bobrovsky's Surge, Samsonov's Confidence, Binnington's Back and More.

Good morning everyone and welcome to another edition of the Monday Morning Ramblings. This week we’ll take a look at a few netminders that have been able to “turn things around” if you will. These masked men have certainly endured their struggles, however, all are enjoying a bit of a resurgence and are a big reason for their respective teams success. Let’s get to it!

Bobrovsky! You’re Back On The Case!

Beginning with last year’s playoff run, this is most definitely the best stretch of play that we have seen out of Sergei Bobrovsky in a Florida Panthers uniform. Bobrovsky is thriving behind the league’s second best defensive team and has the fanbase envisioning another long playoff run this spring.

We have not seen this type of play out of Bobrovsky since his Columbus Blue Jacket days and not a moment too soon seeing as the organization invested so heavily in him when they signed him as a free agent on July 1, 2019 to a 7-year, $70M deal. His play this year is finally living up to expectations as he has fashioned a phenomenal 28-11-2 record accompanied by a 2.36 goals against and a .916 save percentage in 42 games played.

That being said, Vezina Bob has been even better the last two months putting together a stellar 14-2-1 record with a 2.11 goals against and a .925 save percentage over his last 18 games played (he was pulled vs. MIN Jan. 19th). Bobrovsky’s play has the Panthers flirting with top spot in the Eastern Conference standings and looking like a very tough out come playoff time with such a balanced lineup..

From a fantasy perspective, it’s plug and play when it comes to Bobrovsky as he, along with Connor Hellebuyck, have been the most consistent fantasy options this year with each offering full value in relation to their average draft position (ADP). Fantasy managers should continue to start Bobrovsky with confidence and enjoy the ride.

Samsonov Rebuilding His Confidence

To say that this year has been a roller coaster ride for Ilya Samsonov would be an understatement. From signing a 1-year deal at $3.55M in the off season, to being sent down to the American Hockey League for a “mental reset”, Samsonov has gone through a gamut of emotions to this point in the season.

Since his return from the AHL, Samsonov has amassed a record of 9-2-0 with a 2.50 goals against and .911 save percentage. Those are numbers that the Toronto Maple Leafs vaunted offence can work with provided that Samsonov can continue his strong run of play as we march towards the NHL playoffs.

We all know it’s never easy playing in the city of Toronto with the endless media attention paid to the organization but it certainly seems like this team has rallied behind both Samsonov as well as newly-minted tough guy Morgan Reilly. Perhaps this is exactly what the Leafs needed to galvanize this group as they attempt to change the narrative surrounding its playoff disappointments.

Looking at things from a fantasy perspective, Samsonov has earned the right to be the teams starting goaltender with his recent play but do be cautious of Joseph Woll’s return as the team may opt for more of a timeshare over the last couple months of the season.

Binnington’s Bounce Back

Jordan Binnington is enjoying somewhat of a resurgence this year and it has the St. Louis Blues just outside a wild card spot in the Western Conference standings. Something that would have been hard to believe at the start of this current season.

Since going on that unbelievable run to the Stanley Cup in 2019, there has been a steady decline in play for the Blues starting netminder. It culminated last year where Binnigton finished the season with a 27-27-6 record, a bloated 3.31 goals against accompanied by a measly .894 save percentage, all while pulling in six million dollars a year!

With all that being said, Binnington is playing the best hockey he’s played in the last four years and is giving the Blues a chance to win on most nights with his solid, if unspectacular play. He is sporting a 20-15-2 record to go along with a 2.85 goals against and .911 save percentage which isn’t world beating by any means, however, Binnington’s play has been even better of late as he has gone 6-3 with a 2.11 goals against and .933 save percentage in his last nine games before being pulled this past Saturday against Detroit.

So Mike, what does this mean from a fantasy perspective? Well, if you were one of those managers who put stock into a Zero G strategy then you may be reaping the benefits of Binnington’s production based on his average draft position (ADP) and have been enjoying the added value he’s brought you so far this season. In addition, with youngster Joel Hofer still getting his feet wet in the National Hockey League, I would venture to say that the Blues will continue to rely heavily on Binnington as they try to get a hold of that wild card spot over the stretch run and second half of the season.

Can Filip Gustavsson Flip The Script?

After Gustavsson’s phenomenal start to his time with the Minnesota Wild last year where the 25-year old amassed a 22-9-7 record with a sparkling 2.10 goals against and .931 save percentage, many fantasy managers have been let down, to say the least, with his lack of production so far this year.

However things look to be turning a corner for the young netminder as he has put together his best stretch of the season the last few weeks. Over the course of his last 10 games played, Gustavsson has a record of 6-2-1 with a 2.80 goals against and .903 save percentage (He was pulled Feb. 19 vs. VAN). Now, the peripheral numbers don’t jump off the page but compared to his season totals (16-13-3 record with a 3.23 goals against and .896 save percentage) one can see the slight improvement in play to begin the second half of the year.

If the Wild have any chance of competing in this year's postseason they will need Gustavsson to continue his improved play. With the team finding itself four points out of a playoff spot, plus rumours of the organization moving on from veteran backup Marc-Andre Fleury before this year's trade deadline it would place the onus squarely on Gustavsson's shoulders.

When looking at it from a fantasy perspective, it would be in Gustavsson’s best interest, as well as the Wild, for him to return to last year's level of play with the team being committed to him for another two years at the conclusion of the current season. Let’s face it, for the reasons mentioned above, Gustavsson is going to play the bulk of Minnesota’s remaining games which will help fantasy managers in both volume of starts as well as potential win totals.

Filip Gustavsson could very well be a sneaky play the rest of the season.

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Thanks for reading and feel free to follow me on X @mikeouellet9

See you all again next Monday!