BURSTZach Hyman is playing like he has something to prove.
A year ago, it would’ve been unfathomable to think Hyman wouldn’t have been included on Team Canada for the Four Nations Face-Off, but things have taken a sharp turn this season for the Edmonton Oilers forward. After scoring 54 goals in 2023-24, it took Hyman until Game 11 this year to notch his first goal. It was a dreadful start and an injury made things worse, ultimately causing Canada to pass on Hyman, even with his great chemistry with Connor McDavid.
Since Canada’s roster was revealed, though, Hyman has been a man on a mission. He has nine goals in his past eight games and looks much more like last year’s version of Hyman. The Oilers have won seven of those contests, proving that when Hyman is at his very best, he’s a huge asset that can help any team. From a fantasy perspective, Hyman was a major buy-low option, and those who made the move are probably very happy right now. There was no way Hyman was going to stay that cold for too long, and buying low or holding on was always the best course of action.
However, this isn’t the first time Hyman has played with a chip on his shoulder. A former fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft by Florida, Hyman never signed with the Panthers organization and was eventually sent packing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a minor trade. Hyman found a home in Toronto and proved he had the ability to play with great players. The 32-year-old thrived next to Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, becoming the engine on Toronto’s best line.
Even so, Toronto wasn’t comfortable giving Hyman a long-term deal at the price he wanted, so he headed West to prove he was worth Edmonton’s investment. He’s been a perfect fit next to McDavid and become one of the league’s most efficient goal-scorers. Now, Hyman is being doubted again, this time on the international stage.
Hyman was likely passed over for the tournament because of his slow start, which can be a risky move. It’s tough to predict who is going to be playing well in February when you have to name the roster two months in advance. However, with the way Hyman is playing right now, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve a spot.
It remains to be seen whether Canada will regret it.
1. Morgan Rielly’s ice time has dropped substantially this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs blue liner is still up over 21 minutes per night, though he skated almost 24 minutes a game in 2023-24. Rielly has also been bumped off the top power-play unit at times, and the addition of defenders like Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, along with the emergence of Jake McCabe, has eliminated the need to lean on Rielly too heavily. This has Rielly pacing for only 44 points right now, which would be a huge disappointment for a player you can usually easily count on for 50 and with the upside to hit 60.
2. There have been few players hotter than Drake Batherson over the past month or so. Batherson has 18 points since Nov. 19th and he’s up to 34 points on the year. The Ottawa Senators forward has the ability to be a perennial 30-goal scorer in this league but has yet to hit the mark. Unless something unforeseen happens, Batherson should easily reach 30 in 2024-25.
3. Troy Terry is becoming a hold, as he’s come alive of late with six points in his past six games. Terry’s shot volume is solid, too, and the Anaheim Ducks do play a lot of games on off nights, so there’s nothing wrong with giving him a look if he’s still available in your league. My general rule of thumb is that anyone pacing for 60 points or better should be a hold, while anything less than that is fair game to drop or stream. Terry is on pace for 66 right now after regressing a little last season. He had two 60-plus point campaigns in the two previous seasons before that, so we know he’s capable of posting solid offensive numbers.
4. I’m not sure how much fantasy value Kaapo Kakko will have in Seattle, but acquiring him is certainly a great bet for the Kraken. They didn’t give up all that much back to the New York Rangers, and Kakko was a second-overall pick not that long ago. Keep an eye on his deployment in Seattle and put him on your watch list. There’s lots of upside there.
5. Don’t look now, but Brandon Tanev already has seven goals this season and could hit a new career high when all is said and done. Anyone who contributes as many hits as Tanev does and flirts with 20 goals should have a place on any fantasy hockey roster in a multi-cat league.
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6. Joey Daccord is in the midst of a little slide. He hasn’t recorded a win in over two weeks and has had some tough outings against San Jose, Anaheim and Chicago over the past month. I’m not so much worried about Daccord as I am the Seattle Kraken themselves, as they’ve lost six of their last eight and the goal support is drying up. Daccord is still a decent option, but he becomes much better when Seattle plays well.
7. Part of the problem is Jared McCann isn’t scoring. He’s only tallied twice in the past 17 games despite averaging more than 30 goals in each of the past three seasons. McCann’s shot volume and deployment are still okay, so I wouldn’t panic and just stand pat for the time being.
8. The Rangers are a mess right now, having lost 11 of their past 15 games, including defeats against Nashville and Chicago. A more recent issue has become scoring, as New York has only scored more than two goals twice in their past six contests. If you have decisions to make regarding benching players, you might want to consider leaving some Rangers on the sidelines. Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox would be the exceptions, of course, but everyone else should be fair game until the team starts picking up its play.
9. It’s been a very good December for Jacob Markstrom. The New Jersey Devils goaltender is 6-0-0 this month, allowing two goals or less in every appearance and posting a .942 save percentage. After two very average months to start the season, Markstrom is showing signs of what made him such an attractive commodity during the draft season. A workhorse starter on a very good team like the Devils will always have major value.
10. Tristan Jarry is slowly working his way back to fantasy relevance. His numbers haven’t been jaw-dropping or anything, but he does have quality starts in six of his past eight games, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing much better of late overall. I’m still not convinced Jarry is worth rostering full-time, though you should be a bit more comfortable using him as a spot starter if necessary.
11. Sidney Crosby continues to impress with his offensive abilities at 37 years old, but his prowess in the faceoff circle is incredible. Crosby is winning draws at almost 58 per cent and has won the second most faceoffs overall this year, next to Nico Hischier. In fact, Crosby had a game earlier this month versus the Avalanche where he won 27 draws, and he’s only had a few contests this year where he didn’t win at least 10 draws.
12. It goes without saying at this point, but if Patrik Laine is still available in your league, don’t hesitate to grab him. Laine has eight goals in nine games, all on the power play. What’s most interesting about Laine’s production to me is how it’s going to impact Cole Caufield. Laine is setting up from Caufield’s usual spot on the man advantage on his off-wing as the Montreal Canadiens try to find the best fit for both players. So far it hasn’t hurt Caufield’s production, but he’s been providing mainly assists lately. He’s scored just one goal in nine games.
13. The rumoured rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller appeared to spill over onto the ice earlier this week when both players were rotating in and out of PP1 instead of playing on the unit together. Maybe there was a different tactical reason for head coach Rick Tocchet employing that strategy. Still, it’s curious why two of Vancouver’s best players weren’t on the top man-advantage together. That’s far from ideal for each of their fantasy values.
14. Karel Vejmelka continues to provide great value for Utah and fantasy squads. He’s up to a .919 save percentage this month and has five wins in his past six starts. There are also a couple of signs that this could be somewhat sustainable for Vejmelka. It doesn’t sound like Connor Ingram is anywhere close to returning, and Utah has actually done a great job of helping Vejmelka out. Utah has allowed the fifth-fewest high-danger chances against this season.
15. It took some time for Jake Guentzel to get acclimated to his new surroundings, but he suddenly looks very comfortable. Guentzel has exploded recently, scoring nine goals in his past eight outings. Even when you get to play with talents like Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, chemistry doesn’t happen overnight.
16. You got a huge boost in the shot column this week if you roster Jack Hughes. The New Jersey Devils forward posted a whopping 13 shots Thursday and likely swung that category for you in your league. Only a handful of players in the league can turn in a game with double-digit shots every so often, and Hughes is one of them.
17. Some positive signs from Steven Stamkos lately. He recently had a five-game point streak and has been shifted to centre on the top line between Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault, giving him value for faceoff wins. Many people were trying to move Stamkos earlier this year when he was struggling, so now there is an opportunity to sell high potentially. That said, if Stamkos stays in this current deployment, he’s probably worth keeping.
18. So far so good for Mackenzie Blackwood with the Colorado Avalanche, with three quality starts and a pair of wins. Based on this, I’d guess Blackwood gets some runway to take over the net, and Scott Wedgewood will likely transition into a more traditional backup role. The Avs have been searching for goaltending like this all year, and as long as Blackwood continues to provide it, he’s going to keep playing.
19. Next week’s schedule is challenging to navigate with three days of no games for the holiday break. If your team is looking for some offence, though, take a look at a newly formed Maple Leafs third line. Max Domi, Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson have been filling the scoresheet of late, and any of them could be a good streamer for next week. Domi and McMann probably have the most staying power.
Rickard Rakell is also worth a look. He has four multi-point games in his past seven outings and triple-position eligibility. Playing with Crosby doesn’t hurt either.
As far as drops go, it could be time to move on from Matty Beniers in one-year leagues. Beniers hasn’t scored in 18 games and has a very inconsistent shot volume. The Kraken also only have one game next week, so it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Beniers could really help you.
20. Somehow, some way, Ilya Mikheyev has five goals in four games. Mikheyev has never been able to stay fantasy-relevant for more than a handful of short stretches, so this likely won’t last. Still, the Blackhawks play three games in next week’s thin schedule, and Mikheyev could be an attractive option for this unique situation. If he can keep this going for another few games, it would really be a Christmas miracle.
