Weekend Outlook: Demko watch and Wedgewood's opportunity

Happy Friday everyone! There’s going to be people leaving the office today confused by the early lock in the Colorado/Columbus game but hey, fantasy hockey is 24/7. We got a great weekend slate upcoming, let’s dive in!

Arvid Soderblom, Chicago Blackhawks (Rostered in 1% of ESPN leagues, 10% Fantrax, 2% Yahoo) 2 starts, 1 win, 1 OTL, 3.61 GA/G, .935SV%, 0 SO

With Petr Mrazek still sidelined with a groin injury it will be Soderblom’s net for the time being, and although Mrazek skated with the club last Sunday, it’s likely that he'll still be the primary starter for the Hawks for the time being.

For those unfamiliar with the name, the Hawks are hopeful that someday Soderblom can be a long-term option in net for the club and with good reason, at 6’3 he has a good frame in net and has good positional play. He earned his first NHL win yesterday in an OT victory versus the Kings and didn’t look overwhelmed, even when facing 33 shots on goal with five of them being high danger. The Hawks travel to Winnipeg tomorrow, and I think it’s safe to assume Soderblom will be first off in the morning skate. He can be a good option moving forward until Mrazek’s eventual return.

Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks (Rostered in 67% of ESPN leagues, 94% Fantrax, 91% Yahoo) 8 starts, 1 win, 1 OTL, 4.06 GA/G, .876SV%, 0 SO

Those out there who roster Thatcher Demko, I stand with you and am growing increasingly worried about future starts as well. Demko has been shelved in two of Vancouver's past three games for Spencer Martin, and those with Demko on their rosters have taken notice. His roster numbers this week have gone down 14% on ESPN, 2% on Fantrax, close to 11 over on Yahoo%.

There’s a multitude of things that haven’t gone great for the Canucks out of the gate and even with the win last night, the underlying stats aren’t encouraging, and for Demko so far it’s bottom of the barrel. He’s second worst by goals saved above average (-6.5), dead last in goals saved above expected (-8.45), and the team in front of him hasn’t been particularly sound defensively so far, giving up the fourth most shot attempts on the season.

The Canucks will play tomorrow versus Nashville and it will be interesting to see who goes in net for Vancouver. Any morning skate news or if anything is announced ahead of time will be posted here, but keeping in mind that tomorrow’s lock will be at 11 EST. With tomorrow being a loaded 14 game (you read that right) slate, it’s likely you’ll have someone else on your bench to start in his place. If you have a safe bet, I’d recommend taking it over Demko until we know if starts will be frequent moving forward or not.

Scott Wedgewood, Dallas Stars (Rostered in 4% of ESPN leagues, 57% Fantrax, 17% Yahoo) 4 starts, 2 wins, 1 OTL, 3.29 GA/G, .903SV%, 0 SO

First off, I’m pretty sure I’ve played at a golf course called Wedgewood and secondly on Monday we learned that Oettinger’s lower body injury will keep him out at least a week. This in mind, it’s safe to assume that Wedgewood will get the start tomorrow on the road versus Edmonton.

Dallas brought up Anton Khudobin from the AHL to backup Wedgewood but my guess here is that Wedgewood will get the nod tomorrow when Dallas plays the Oilers on the road. He might not be a name that jumps off of the waiver wire, but small sample Wedgewood has been good the last two games, earning wins in each and only allowing two goals in both contests. The Stars in front of him have also done their fair share to help, primarily on the power play. In the last week Dallas is third in scoring on the man advantage and just off eye test, have looked good even strength and power play. It definitely helps having Miro Heiskanen healthy. If Wedgewood is available in your league I think that he could be a good option not only for this weekend, but into the future if Jake Oettinger is to miss any more time.

For continued fantasy news and notes throughout the season, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz