Patrick Kane is turning back the clock.
In addition to his heroics in his return to Chicago, Kane has had an incredible comeback this season and you could even argue he’s playing some of the best hockey of his career. Kane is scoring at an 85-point pace, which is being powered by a just concluded 10-game point streak where he notched 15 points. It’s easily the best Kane has looked in the past few seasons.
Kane is also turning into one of the best stashes in fantasy that we’ve had in recent memory. It’s always a gamble stashing a player coming off a major offseason surgery, especially if the surgery involves the hips of a 35-year-old. Many times a player struggles to return to form or they can’t even make it back full-time from a significant injury later in their career. Nicklas Backstrom and Tuukka Rask are a couple of examples of veteran players where it didn’t work out and Max Pacioretty is still trying to find his way, though his production simply isn’t what it was.
When it comes to Kane, though, he looks like a completely different player and has been a valuable addition to any fantasy squad that took the chance on stashing him. There’s a good chance the Detroit Red Wings are headed to the playoffs and a big reason is the fact that Kane put them over the top.
Stashing players is risky because any way you slice it, the player you’re holding is occupying a roster spot on your team, whether that’s on IR or not. But there was good reason to take a chance on Kane. His skillset and vision make him a good candidate to continue to produce while he ages, he has a huge sample size of proven production, and you knew he was going to play in a loaded top six with the likes of Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat. The potential reward for the risk was too good to pass up and stashing Kane could be the move that leads a number of fantasy teams to a title.
1. Another tough break for Josh Norris and the Ottawa Senators, as word is he’ll miss significant time with another injury. Norris wasn’t that heavily rostered before the ailment, but he was still very effective in leagues that count faceoff wins and hits. Perhaps Morgan Geekie could be a good replacement on waivers. Their numbers are very comparable and Geekie has right wing eligibility, too.
2. Here comes Kevin Fiala. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago not to get discouraged by a slump of no points in five straight games and he’s got goals in five of his past six now, as well as four helpers. Fiala is notorious for second-half runs and he’s playing on the top Los Angeles Kings power play unit.
3. It’s definitely panic time when it comes to Joey Daccord. He’s had back-to-back tough outings and it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see the struggles continue. Daccord had 19 career games under his belt coming into the season and has already appeared in 39 in 2023-24. He was definitely playing at an unsustainable pace and a level that felt like it was destined to regress. Philipp Grubauer is also now healthy and has taken over the net with some excellent play, so we’ll likely see Daccord’s starts dialed back. We’ve seen other Zero G goalies like Cam Talbot completely fall apart for a while, so hopefully Daccord can at least maintain some value through the fantasy playoffs
4. Jordan Eberle remains just 35% rostered despite scoring five times in his past seven games. Eberle’s name has been out there in trade talks for a while now, so he could be worth a shot as a streamer in case he lands in a top-six with more talent. The Edmonton Oilers would be a perfect fit, though that may just be wishful thinking from a guy pondering with his fantasy hockey hat on. Either way, an Eberle add right now comes with some upside.
5. Something that caught my eye last week was Gus Nyquist scoring three goals, all empty netters. He’s also added five more points this week. The Nashville Predators forward seems to have a knack for padding his stats with the goalie pulled, which is always a nice bonus in fantasy.
6. The Florida Panthers are playing some very good defensive hockey at the moment. It’s now been 15 of their past 16 games that the Panthers have allowed two goals or less. If you’re debating who to bench on a busy night and someone in consideration is playing Florida, that’s probably the player who should sit out.
7. Valeri Nichushkin has resumed practicing with the Colorado Avalanche and could be back soon. This would obviously complicate the Avs top six and first power play unit, as someone like Artturi Lehkonen or Jonathan Drouin’s value could take a hit. I think Lehkonen has more staying power than Drouin and Colorado probably trusts him more, so he would be the one I’d hold between the two
8. It sounds like Marc-Andre Fleury won’t be going anywhere. The Minnesota Wild plan to keep Fleury, which isn’t an ideal scenario. Fleury would’ve had much more value if he landed in Colorado or Los Angeles, let’s say. Minnesota has been inconsistent all year and I’m not sure Fleury will play enough to justify rostering. The Wild also have a bad schedule during one playoff week with only two games.
9. Count me as one who wasn’t a fan of the Vancouver Canucks trying to balance out their two power-play units. The Canucks went with Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller on one group and Elias Pettersson, Elias Lindholm and Quinn Hughes on the other. I know Vancouver’s man advantage was sputtering of late, but in fantasy, it’s always ideal for a player you’re rostering to play on a loaded unit. Even with the struggles, Vancouver still has a top-10 power play and the aforementioned players are all going to take a bit of a hit in value if this happens again.
10. If your roster has been plagued by injuries, Tyson Foerster might be worth a look. He has six goals in his past five games and is getting solid minutes on the top line with Travis Konecny out. He also has dual eligibility. Maybe the most important thing is John Tortorella seems to trust him.
11. Logan Stankoven has taken advantage of an injury to Tyler Seguin and has three goals since being called up. He was having a huge season in the AHL and has picked up right where he left off since joining the Dallas Stars, and looks really good with Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn. He’s also getting some second power play time as well. Stankoven is playing so well, he might force the Stars hand to keep him around even when Seguin returns. I’d grab him if you still can.
12. The door is open for Pavel Mintyukov to see some big minutes down the stretch. With Ilya Lyubushkin being dealt he should play more at 5-on-5 and Cam Fowler’s injury means Mintyukov should get some time on power play one. Mintyukov was having a strong season before he got hurt, so it’s a good idea to see if he’s available in your league. In general, watch for players who are filling voids at this time of year due to injuries and players getting dealt around the deadline. There will be some guys on teams that are sellers that will get an increased opportunity.
13. Will he stay or will he go? It remains to be seen if Jacob Markstrom gets traded, but it does at least seem possible that the Calgary Flames keep him. Markstrom has had an excellent season, but playing behind a blue line that’s now without Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev and likely Noah Hanafin post-deadline won’t be ideal at all. You’ll have to hope Markstrom can hold it together through the fantasy playoffs if he remains a Flame.
14. Something to monitor is Hendrix Lapierre getting a look with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson on the Washington Capitals top line. Lapierre has five points in his past three games, but unfortunately, the Caps play just twice next week. Keep Lapierre on your watch list.
15. Jack Hughes has a whopping 20 shots in just two games so far this week. He’s actually on pace for more than 400 shots this season over 82 games. If the Devils miss the playoffs, it won’t be for a lack of trying from Hughes.
16. You might remember Nick Schmaltz finished last season with 30 points in his final 26 games and he’s at it again. Despite the struggles for the Arizona Coyotes lately, Schmaltz has five points in his past four and is widely available. Investing in players who have a tendency for strong finishes is a strategy that can give you an extra boost in the playoffs
17. Anaheim has a great Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday schedule next week, so the aforementioned Mintyukov should be a good addition. Max Jones might be an okay short-term option, too. He notched a multi-game the other night after being promoted to the top line and is great for hits. The Nashville Predators have a four-game week and I’d consider Nyquist, Cody Glass or Tommy Novak. All three have been hot lately.
As far as drops go, the New York Rangers only play twice, which might make it tough to hang onto Jonathan Quick. There’s no guarantee he gets in there next week and one of the games is a tough matchup against the Panthers. Quick is starting to play less and less and his past two outings haven’t been great.
18. Josh Morrissey deserves full credit for putting together another strong campaign. The Winnipeg Jets defender was tabbed by quite a few to go through a major regression this year and while his numbers may not equal those from 2022-23, he’s still on pace for 65 points and should easily set a new career high for shots on goal. He also has three different three-point games in his past seven and 14 total points over that span. There should be no concern about drafting him as a top-tier defenceman next season.
19. Nice to see Dylan Cozens recapture some of the magic he had last year after a very mediocre first half of the season. He’s tallied 16 points in his past 16 games. Playing a bunch with JJ Peterka, who’s had a bit of a breakout campaign, has helped Cozens right the ship
20. Only one goal in 11 games for Brad Marchand. It’s a brutal time for a slump for the Boston Bruins forward, especially for those squads rostering him trying to make a playoff push. Marchand is still putting together a strong year, though he and the Bruins have faded a little in the past month. He’ll be 36 in a couple of months and so far, Marchand really hasn’t shown any significant signs of slowing down, but it’s going to happen sooner or later. Hopefully, for those still invested substantially in Marchand, it’s later.