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This week’s fantasy hockey article includes a veteran center still on a roll in Music City, a Hollywood winger thriving, two experienced blueliners back on the beam, a possible new No. 1 goalie for the Buds, ADA out for a month and a scuffling winger on the Island.
First Liners (Risers)
Calle Jarnkrok C, SEA
Jarnkrok is an option to consider in deep leagues. He’s not a big-time scorer, but Jarnkrok has mildly increased his scoring recently, posting three goals and four assists in his last eight games. With 22 points in 43 games, Jarnkrok could surpass the career-high 35 points he posted in 2017-18 with the Predators. In Seattle, Jarnkrok normally centers the second line and moves to the top line while Jared McCann is out. But be warned: He could be traded, which likely would move him to a third-line spot, limiting his value.
Matt Duchene, C, NAS
Duchene’s magical rebound season has shown no signs of abating. With points in eight of his last 10 games, Duchene is up to 23 goals and as many assists in 49 games. That output is his highest since 2018-19 and keeps him on pace to potentially surpass the 70 points he posted in 2103-14 and 2018-19. Check your league eligibility rules as Duchene is playing right wing next to Mikael Granlund.
Jakub Voracek, RW, CLM
Voracek has adapted more than nicely to his new surroundings, posting 37 points in 50 games with Columbus. The only negative is that Voracek has just two goals, but that has been offset by his 36 helpers. Voracek, firmly entrenched on the top even-strength line and power-play unit, saw his four-game point streak end Friday but has hit the score sheet in seven of his last 10 games, posting a goal and 10 helpers in that stretch.
Adrian Kempe, RW, LA
Kempe has taken a major step forward in his fifth full season. His two goals Friday were the third time in the last month the winger scored multiple goals. Kempe tallied seven goals and two assists in eight games in February. Kempe has 36 points (10 on the power play), 152 shots on net, 62 hits, 30 PIM and a plus-2 rating in 51 games, thriving while to the right of Anze Kopitar. He’s one point shy of his career-high set in 2017-18.
Tyson Barrie, D, EDM
Barrie’s production has left a lot to be desired, especially after he scored 48 points last season, his first year in Edmonton, parlaying that season into a three-year, $13.5 million contract with the Oilers last July. Lately, though, he seems to finally be rounding into shape and hitting the scoresheet with the regularity expected of him. Barrie has notched five assists in his last six games, with three of those helpers coming on the power play. His defense will never be elite, but as long as he gets the PP TOI, he should continue to remain productive.
Brent Burns D, SJ
Avert your eyes from Burns’ plus-minus, which is in the red for the fourth time in five years. Focus more on the recent and overall production, which is an improvement after he crashed to earth last season. Burns has points in four straight and eight of his last 11 games, racking up a goal and nine assists to give the veteran blueliner five goals and 21 helpers this season. He no longer is a threat to go coast to coast or rack up a ton of goals, but as long as he puts up assists, he has value as a second D-man in most formats.
Petr Mrazek, G, TOR
Mrazek missed large periods with injury but is making up for lost time. Jack Campbell has scuffled big time his last 12 games, opening the door for Mrazek, who has stepped into the breach since returning. Mrazek has been up-and-down a bit, but he is 7-2-0 with a 2.84 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in his last nine games since Jan. 22. A changing of the guard has yet to occur, but if Campbell continues to be a sieve — as he was Saturday again — and Mrazek is solid enough, Mrazek could take over a lion’s share of the action between the pipes.
Laurent Brossoit, G, LV
Robin Lehner‘s shoulder injury, rumored to be to his labrum, finally landed him on injured reserve this last week. Stepping in to fill the breach between the pipes has been Brossoit and Logan Thompson. Las Vegas is rumored to rightly be exploring the trade market to acquire a netminder, but in the meantime, the two aforementioned goalies are holding down the fort. If targeting one, Brossoit appears to be the current starter, but nothing is set in stone, especially as his performance has been uneven, meaning that Thompson should see significant action for the Knights.
In addition, Lehner is due back this week and if healthy, he should see most of the action in net for Las Vegas.
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Others include Tage Thompson, Mika Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele, Clayton Keller, Jack Hughes, Bo Horvat, Dylan Larkin, Brayden Point, Aleksander Barkov, Evgeni Malkin, Gabriel Landeskog, Troy Terry, Patrik Laine, Gabriel Landeskog, Kevin Fiala, Jake DeBrusk, Michael Bunting, Jordan Kyrou, Kyle Connor, Mikko Rantanen, Brandon Hagel, Oskar Lindblom, Robby Fabbri, Viktor Arvidsson, Sam Reinhart, Alexander Barabanov, Yegor Sharangovich, Moritz Seider, Quinn Hughes, Roman Josi, Devon Toews, Charlie McAvoy, Noah Dobson, Igor Shesterkin, Pavel Francouz, Frederik Andersen, Jake Oettinger, Andrew Hammond and Thatcher Demko.
Player to Add
Zach Parise, LW, NYI
Moved to the top line on the Island, Parise has started to thrive. In the five games he has played with Mathew Barzal, Parise potted three goals and added three assists. Amazing what happens sometimes when you play with talented players. The seven goals and 14 helpers Parise has in 49 games are eerily similar to the seven and 11 he posted last season in 45 games with Minnesota. The difference this season is that Parise now has a chance to remain hot if he stays on the top line on Barzal’s wing.
Training Room (Injuries)
Tony DeAngelo, D, CAR
DeAngelo suffered an abdominal injury last Monday that will sideline him for a month or so. In his first year with the Hurricanes, DeAngelo has been a huge source of offense from the blue line this season, racking up nine goals and 40 points while posting a plus-19 rating through 43 games. With DeAngelo, who is on a one-year, $1 million contract with Carolina, sidelined, Jaccob Slavin is being tasked with taking on an increased role with the man advantage.
Others include players still on the COVID-19 protocol list, as well as Josh Norris (shoulder, out since Jan. 29, started skating in a non-contact jersey in practice Tuesday), T.J. Oshie (upper body, returned Thursday after missing a month), Joel Farabee (upper body, returned to action Saturday after missing 11 games with the injury), Jakub Vrana (shoulder, taking contact in practice, no timetable for his return), Erik Karlsson (forearm, out at least two more weeks), Zach Werenski (upper body, missed games Thursday and Friday), Oscar Klefbom (shoulder, missed 2020-21, has a “very slim chance” at playing this season) and Robin Lehner (upper body, rumored to be shoulder, landed on injured reserve this last week but will be activated and play Tuesday).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
Jack Roslovic, C, CLM
Roslovic came into 2021-22 looking to build off the career-high 34 points he tallied with Columbus after arriving in a trade from Winnipeg last season. The best-laid plans of mice and men have gone awry, as Roslovic is suffering through a difficult season. He has managed only three goals and five assists in the last 17 games, though four of those points have come in the last three games. Roslovic has nine goals and 24 points in 52 games and remains stuck in a bottom-six role for the Blue Jackets.
Josh Bailey, LW, NYI
This season has gone from bad to worse for Bailey. His overall production has left a lot to be desired with just three goals and 19 assists in 40 games, but that only tells part of the story. Bailey hasn’t scored in the last 13 games and has only lit the lamp three times this season. That material decline resulted in Bailey landing in the press box in back-to-back games Thursday and Saturday before playing, though not scoring again, on Sunday. To pile on even more, Bailey has two years remaining after this season on the six-year, $30 million contract extension he signed with the Islanders in February 2018.
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John Gibson, G, ANA
Gibson is clearly in the middle of a major rough patch. Gibson was pulled late in the second period Friday after another outing — his fifth consecutive — with four or more goals allowed. This skid has brought his season record down to 16-14-8 with a 2.84 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 38 games. Anthony Stolarz is making an increasingly strong case for more playing time, driven by his strong play coupled with Gibson’s struggles.
Others include Filip Chytil, John Tavares (no goals last nine games), Owen Tippett, Denis Gurianov, Evgenii Dadonov, Jack Campbell and Connor Hellebuyck.
Trade Away
John Klingberg, D, DAL
Klingberg’s season has been a roller coaster — ups-and-downs, high-highs and low-lows. He now is in a major low period. After notching nine points in his eight games, Klingberg missed Dallas’ Feb. 13 game. Since then, Klingberg has been scoreless in his last six games. The Stars are in the playoff hunt, which might reduce the likelihood they deal Klingberg. A trade might be the best for both sides, however, but for now, bench Klingberg if you don’t want to deal him and hope his game picks back up soon.