Did you take in any NHL action on Tuesday night? If so, chances are that you saw an injury or two.
Last night was a tough night for injuries in the NHL. At least nine players left with injuries and did not return.
– Monahan (CBJ)
– Chytil (NYR)
– Lyubushkin (DAL)
– Lyon (DET)
– Faber (MIN)
– Morrissey (WPG)
– Stamkos (NSH)
– Evangelista (NSH)
– Zary (CGY)— Daily Faceoff – Fantasy (@DFOFantasy) January 8, 2025
Injuries are mounting in the NHL, so we will be weaving in replacement picks around the usual business. Let’s get to it.
Four Game Streamers
Jamie Benn, C/LW, DAL | 63% Yahoo
We’ve talked about Benn a lot over the last few weeks, so let’s keep this short-and-sweet: He’s stepped it up in a second-line role with Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment out. His shot volume, hitting, and role on PP1 contribute to his rising value.
Alexis Lafrenière, LW/RW, NYR | 60% Yahoo
Will Cuylle is on Mika Zibanejad’s left wing at even strength with Chris Kreider on injured reserve. Filip Chytil missed Thursday night’s game, which opened up a forward slot for Arthur Kaliyev. The shoot-first winger was claimed off waivers earlier this week, and while he did not play a ton in his first game, he could provide some secondary scoring when he gets more up to speed.
But there’s one other injury replacement to consider in New York: Lafrenière, who is on the top power-play unit in New York while Kreider is out. PP1 time is the element that has been missing from his game through much of his NHL career, making this a real opportunity for him. Managers are probably hesitant to bet on him right now — those who didn’t already drop Lafrenière after his recent struggles are likely either benching him on most busy nights or contemplating selling low. But the winger finally broke through an almost month-long goal drought on Tuesday and now should settle into PP1. With a four-game slate ahead, he could finally get back on track.
Simon Edvinsson, D, DET | 4% Yahoo
If you’re looking for some offense from Detroit, someone on that top power-play unit should be on your radar. PP1 consists of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider, and Patrick Kane — the latter being the most attainable. But if you want a defender to shore up some of the secondary categories, then Edvinsson could be for you.
Along with Seider at even strength, Edvinsson is tasked with matching up to opponents’ best offensive talents. That means there will be a lot of shot-blocking opportunities, especially when Detroit matches up with some playoff-caliber teams like the Panthers, Lightning and Stars next week.
Kirby Dach, C/RW, MTL | 3% Yahoo
Did you pick up Patrik Laine for his power-play expertise? Maybe Dach can be a temporary replacement since he’s jumped up to the top unit in Laine’s absence. He has had two power-play points since joining the top unit and has been trending in the right direction at five-on-five lately.
Connor Brown, RW, EDM | 1% Yahoo
The Oilers broke up the combinations that started Thursday night’s game to load up their top line. If Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman stick together for a few games moving forward, everyone below them in Edmonton just got a lot less valuable. But if they go to the combinations they were rolling with before everything went south in Pittsburgh, keep an eye on Brown, who started the game with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the top line.
Eetu Luostarinen, C/LW, FLA | 1% Yahoo
Luostarinen is skating on a line with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett in Florida. The combo hasn’t excelled on the scoresheet but not for a lack of trying. The trio is creating quality offense, but the team is shooting less than 4 percent in their minutes. If that shooting luck can change, Luostarinen should see a production boost. Evan Rodrigues was also bumped up to the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, increasing his scoring potential.
Matt Coronato, RW, CGY | 2% Yahoo
The Flames’ second line is putting up quality offense in their minutes and matching that with solid results. There are two picks to choose from. Blake Coleman is a little less available for good reason. He puts up a lot of shots and is eligible at all three forward positions. Coronato is a better deep-league pick and has the added benefit of a role on PP1.
Honorable mentions: Jonathan Huberdeau, Anton Lundell
Light Night performers
Ilya Samsonov, G, VGK | 61% Yahoo
Samsonov’s deployment is worth tracking in Vegas. He’s the backup to Adin Hill, but the Golden Knights have gone with a more even rotation over the last couple of games, perhaps thanks to Samsonov’s last stretch of play. Not only did he put up six straight quality starts, but his outings against the Flames and Flyers were particularly impressive. Managers may not want to wait until next week to add him — the Golden Knights have a back-to-back this weekend and again next Friday and Saturday.
Jake Middleton, D, MIN | 43% Yahoo
Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon are all out right now. That’s half of the Wild’s stout top four. Middleton relies on having a strong partner to balance out his game. Just take last year: He was over-leveraged when his mainstay partner, Spurgeon, was out for much of the season. But he bounced back this year with the support of Faber on the top pair.
Middleton-Bogosian
Merrill-Chisholm
Dermott-JiricekVs MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar 😬 https://t.co/Yy2AsqylfD
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 9, 2025
Middleton will be exposed as long as Faber and Brodin are out. So if your league counts plus-minus, maybe look elsewhere as long as the Wild’s blue line is this short-handed. If not, expect some help in the secondary categories with hits, blocks and shots from the defender.
Michael Bunting, LW, PIT | 16% Yahoo
Rickard Rakell should be the primary target in Pittsburgh. He’s scoring alongside Sidney Crosby and is eligible to play all three forward positions. However, his roster percentage is trending up daily, making him less attainable. Instead, Bunting is a more realistic option for managers wanting to benefit from the Penguins’ upcoming schedule. From a fantasy context, the real highlight is his power-play production. A shift to the top unit has boosted his scoring; he now has six power-play points in his last eight games.
Jordan Staal, C, CAR | 6% Yahoo
Staal is not a fantasy staple at this point in his career. But he can be a valuable pickup when he heats up — right now, with five points in two games. Staal’s recent uptick in scoring may have something to do with Andrei Svechnikov’s move to the third line. In about 98 five-on-five minutes together, the pair has a 62 percent expected goal rate and a 6-3 scoring advantage. The center is also shooting the puck more with Svechnikov on his wing and is taking higher-quality shots, which helps explain (and adds more sustainability to) his last few games.
Mikey Anderson, D, LAK | 5% Yahoo
Anderson is another pickup to consider if you’re looking for low-key value from the backend or a category booster in the shot-blocking department. The Oilers and Flames rank fifth and sixth in shot volume in all situations, which should keep Anderson busy next week. The Kings are on the road all next week for any managers worried about potential postponements for Los Angeles due to the wildfires.
Honorable mentions: Tyler Bertuzzi, Ryan McLeod
Injury Replacements
The Blue Jackets are only a three-game streamer and aren’t playing on a light night, but Sean Monahan’s injury is worth noting. His resurgence has been one of the season’s best stories, leaving big skates to fill while he is out. Adam Fantilli has moved up to the top line in Monahan’s absence alongside Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. If those wingers can keep up the pace they had with Monahan, then expect Fantilli to fit in just fine. He got off to a solid start on Thursday night and could become a good keeper pick for managers, considering his star trajectory. For those who want more guaranteed production from a center, maybe outside of Columbus, consider Pierre-Luc Dubois in Washington. Dylan Holloway (a winger with center eligibility) is hot in St. Louis, too.
Shifting positions, Linus Ullmark is still out for the Senators. Finding replacement goalies can be a real challenge, especially in deeper leagues. But there are a few names worth considering. Columbus continues to trend up, and their No. 1 goalie, Elvis Merzlikins, is a key reason. The Blue Jackets’ next five opponents sit outside the playoff picture, and that strength of schedule should be beneficial. If wins don’t matter, consider Yaroslav Askarov, who has quality starts in six of his seven NHL appearances this season. His three most recent outings, against the Flames, Lightning and Devils, were especially impressive. John Gibson is in a similar situation to Askarov and could make sense for managers who need saves. Jakub Dobes could earn more playing time if he impresses tonight for Montreal in his third start.
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 Adam Fantilli: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
