Tom Wilson is a good fantasy start vs Wild

Tonight the Washington Capitals take on the Minnesota Wild. If you play fantasy hockey and have Tom Wilson on your roster, hopefully you already have him in your lineup.

Victoria Matiash of ESPN.com said this on Wilson:

Four games into his healthy return, and tucked on a line with Nicklas Backstrom, Wilson scored his first goal of 2022-23 against the Islanders Monday (assisted by Backstrom). First of many, to be sure. He also rifled seven shots on net and threw seven hits, in rounding off a 3.4 point outing in ESPN.com standard league. There’s the feisty fantasy asset we all know and love.

Wilson not only scored his first goal of the season last night but he also led the Capitals with seven shots on goal. Since making his season debut on Jan. 8 vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets, Wilson leads the Caps in hits with 21.

Wilson ranks sixth in the NHL in hits with 1,963 since 2013-14, his first NHL season. He missed the Caps first 42 games of the season after he got injured in Game 1 of the Capitals’ 2022 First Round playoff series against the Florida Panthers.

Last season, Wilson set career highs in goals with 24, assists with 28, points with 52, and power play points with 10 in 78 games played. He was ranked tied for second on the Capitals in goals and fourth in assists and points.

Having Wilson back has been valuable but the Caps have still been up and down. Part of it is a chemistry adjustment. It’s not a bad thing. In fact Wilson is far from a locker room cancer as every team wishes they had him.

What it comes down to is finding the right line combinations. Sadly some people would have to sit out and we could be seeing a trade on the horizon. But who cares about all that noise? We have a hockey game tonight.