Fantasy trends and hidden gems: Add Barrett Hayton, Mikko Rantanen trade fallout and more

The NHL s 4 Nations Face-Off puts a wrinkle in the fantasy hockey schedule, so lets do some housekeeping first.

Week 19 technically spans from Feb.

10 to March 2, but there is no action between the 10th and 22nd, so there will not be a Fantasy Trends next week.

However, we will return on Feb.

14 to discuss the trade deadline and player movement.

Then, it will be business as usual on the 21st before the return to play.

Advertisement With the trade deadline on Friday, March 7, we will make one more scheduling adjustment.

The following Monday, this column will discuss the aftermath from a fantasy perspective.

Sticking with the theme of looking ahead, here is a look at the weekly slates in the four (!) remaining weeks of the fantasy regular season.

Click to expand Week 19 is funky, with some teams having hefty six-game slates.

But there are a few standout teams with favorable schedules ahead.

Tampa Bay has a busy stretch, with a four-game slate in Weeks 18 and 20 before a three-game slate in Week 21.

The Ducks schedule ramps up after the upcoming Week 18.

The Rangers will also be pretty busy with consecutive four-game streamers in March.

But before we get too ahead of ourselves, lets get into the nitty gritty of this upcoming matchup in Week 18.

Four-Game Streamers With a four-game slate that includes two back-to-backs, expect to see Dobes get two starts next week.

Ahead of his appearance on Thursday against Minnesota , he earned a .933 save percentage and saved about seven goals above expected through his first six starts.

Raddyshs fantasy value has been on the rise over the past month, and his role on the top power-play unit has a lot to do with it.

Prime minutes with Nikita Kucherov , Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel will help most players production.

But that role has also opened up another element of his game: his shot volume.

Linus Ullmark was not ready to back up Forsberg on Thursday night, so keep an eye on the formers status in the coming days.

The starting net belongs to Ullmark when he is ready for it.

But even if he returns next week, he may only split the four-game slate with Forsberg, who has stepped it up over the past couple of games against the Bruins , Maple Leafs and Senators .

Ottawa could use more offensive support, but its defense is putting its netminders in a position to succeed.

Advertisement Claude Giroux is another Senators option.

The veteran forward is on a top line that has been controlling play, and now that Brady Tkachuk has ended his goalless streak, the trio could have more shooting luck.

There have been a lot of players to highlight in Utah lately.

Logan Cooley continues to progress as a difference-maker, and Nick Schmaltz is still hot on that top line.

But this weeks pick, Hayton, is in anticipation of Dylan Guenther s return.

Per Tourigny, #UtahHC Sean Durzi will practice with the team until 4 Nations Face-Off break, will be reevaluated after that.

He also said Dylan Guenther is now day to day and practicing (non-contact jersey).

Belle Fraser (@bellefraser1) January 29, 2025 Hayton and Josh Doan have had some success together on that line, but Guenthers shooting ability and budding star power should help take Hayton to the next level.

Mikey Anderson left Thursdays game against the Lightning with an injury.

While there is no news on his status as of this writing, its something to track.

If Anderson is sidelined for a few games, it will open a spot up for Clarke, who has to prove that he should be a part of the starting six when the team is fully healthy.

The Cuylle- Mika Zibanejad Reilly Smith line cant shoot less than 4 percent forever at least in theory.

Generally, what goes down must come up, and vice versa.

So their putrid shooting percent should regress closer to average, leading to more results considering what they are creating below the surface.

Cuylles production has slowed since moving to Zibanejads wing, but he has upped his shot volume and quality.

The Predators are taking a top-heavy approach with their top line, which hurts the fantasy potential of the lines below them.

But LHeureux has been chipping in offensively lately from the third line, which could make him a depth add worth considering.

Advertisement Connor Brown , RW, EDM | 1% Yahoo Brown got the boost to Connor McDavid s right on Thursday night.

Thats it; that is why he is on our radar.

His fantasy value essentially disappears if he moves back to the bottom six.

Sticking with Edmonton for a second, John Klingberg debuted on Thursday night.

If the defender can find the puck-moving strengths that highlighted his Dallas days, he could become the player to watch.

Odds and Ends With Miro Heiskanen sidelined for some time, Harley will take over PP1 duties in Dallas.

Heiskanen is a stabilizing force on both ends of the ice for the Stars , so his absence is concerning.

But Harley had to step up in his place before last year when he had his breakout moment.

He has maintained a top-four role since.

The Golden Knights power play has been lights out in January.

With their next slate of opponents, they should be able to keep up momentum in February.

The Rangers and Islanders rely on perfect goaltending to compensate for their defensive lapses while short-handed.

And the Devils are without their starting goalie, with Jacob Markstrom sidelined.

Dorofeyev ranks fifth in the league in shot volume on the power play, with almost 36 attempts per 60.

His goal-scoring rate moves him up to third, which is a key reason his fantasy value has trended up so much over the past month.

For a full update on the player projects and rest-of-season rankings, click here .

Ive suggested Romanov in the past based on the Islanders scheduling anytime a frequent shooting or hard-hitting team is on the docket, the defender can do the most damage.

But he has elevated his game lately, regardless of opponent, and despite some key injuries on the backend.

He is playing big minutes for the Islanders, and the results are starting to add up.

The Ducks scoring has been on the rise lately, and McTavish has played a key role.

The play below the surface is a little more suspect, but the team is doing a great job of converting on their chances, which is the polar opposite of the first half of the season.

Maybe this is the shooting percentage regression the Ducks have been waiting for.

Advertisement In case you missed it, there was a massive blockbuster trade on Friday night.

Mikko Rantanen is the star of the deal, but dont overlook Hall either.

Yes, his production was down in Chicago this season, but look at his surroundings there.

His game against the Rangers on Tuesday was a nice preview of the puck-moving play he can bring to the Hurricanes.

That should benefit Andrei Svechnikov , who hasnt always lived up to the hype for managers who bet on him early in the draft.

I will discuss the Hurricanes in more depth when their schedule is more favorable, but about that guy Rantanen ...

he has the star power to transform Carolina s top line.

Right now, Blake completes the top line with Sebastian Aho and Rantanen, making him all the more valuable.

Keep an eye on who ends up being the long-term fit there, though.

Jack Roslovic could get a look there with his transition game in mind.

But until changes are made, Blake is the player to watch.

Martin Necas , C/RW, CAR | 94% Yahoo On the other side of that trade, Necas was sent to the Avalanche .

While his fantasy value dipped over the past month of action, no one should be concerned about him now.

Necas is playing prime minutes with Nathan MacKinnon .

While there are some challenges with adjusting to a new system on the fly, the two already look dangerous together.

Necas has the speed to keep up with MacKinnon and adds another threat in transition to that top line.

Artturi Lehkonen , who is rounding out the top line, also seems to benefit from this new-look dynamic duo.

Data via Evolving-Hockey , HockeyViz , HockeyStatCards , AllThreeZones , and NaturalStatTrick .

This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer on these numbers.

(Photo of Barrett Hayton: Ethan Miller / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.