Hello Tuesday, I hope everybody is enjoying the great matchups that have been going on this past week. NBC may have dropped the ball by not broadcasting an actual NHL rivalry game, but I know the hockey world heard about it and watched the highlights. If it wasn’t enough to watch old-time hockey from teams that hate each other, we got to watch it all over again a few days later. Of course, if you haven’t been able to pay attention lately, I am talking about the fantastic, brawl-inducing, hatred-filled, rivalry between Edmonton and Calgary that unfolded even more this past week. There have been 18 total goals in two games between the teams, and too many penalties to count. That’s the hockey we are going to start seeing down the stretch from all teams, and it should excite everyone.
Check out today’s Breakaway NHL contest from FanDuel 
Buy
Jonathan Toews (C – CHI)
Well, the captain has finally come around again this year. It’s a great time to buy or hold onto Toews. Despite his atrocious start to the year, the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves only three points behind a wild card spot with a couple of games in hand. The February schedule is a tough one, as they’ve only got three home games out of a remaining 13 for the month, and on top of that, no team they are playing this month is under .500. Even with all that, the Blackhawks just made a move earlier this week to acquire defensemen Nick Seeler, which could indicate that the organization is trying to buy before the deadline, and in that case, I would buy all the top players on a team that can play well when its players perform.
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C – CLS)
On a team that many thought to be at the bottom this year, the Columbus Blue Jackets are surprisingly third in the Metropolitan Division with a great record of 8-1-1 in their last ten games. A new young face working its way into the league and our fantasy world is Dubois. He has 42 points on the year and eight points in the last four games. Since the beginning of the new year, he has scored 15 of those points, is a +10, and has 1.15 PPG. At 21 years old, he has managed to work his way into a prominent role on the team and is logging power-play minutes (and points) as well.
Jakub Vrana (LW – WAS)
It’s always hard to pick players on the top teams because I know it’ll be hard for most owners to get their hands on them. Vrana has been hovering around 70% ownership in leagues this year, which means that in smaller leagues, you’ll still be able to use him as a rental or if you have an injury. In larger leagues, trading for him may be tricky but can be done. Since the start of 2020, Vrana has eight goals, six assists in 12 games, and three power-play points — one of those a goal. Washington’s schedule is not a very daunting task this month, as they play six games at home and five away against a good mix of teams that are over and under .500. Take the chance that someone will sell him.
Sell
I have heard you loud and clear, so I will give you a few big names to sell. Maybe the following can be traded for the above players.
Jamie Benn (C, LW – DAL)
A player that I drafted in the first round just a few years ago is 90 percent owned in leagues this year. Benn is a big name that you may consider using to bait some better players. He has a weak posting of 25 points this season in 51 games. He’s scored in single digits in PPP, -5 in +/-. The allure is wearing off. There are just too many players that you can find or trade for that will do more to help your team. Hopefully, Benn isn’t the reason that you’re on the outside looking in come playoff time. With eight points since the start of 2020, there are no signs of the team changing much. However, once again, I present this player with the asterisk of being traded to a highly ranked contender. Oh wait — Dallas is a contender, but Benn has still been a disappointment.
Josh Bailey (LW, RW – NYI)
He’s on pace to have his lowest point total in five years. Bailey has been another drafting disappointment of the season. Sell or drop him in any league you can, and that includes dynasty. He may be on the way of the journeyman soon, but that does not mean his points will go up. He has four points in the last two games and seven in the last six. Sell high to anyone that will listen.
Football is officially over, and we can all focus on just hockey for a while. I love this time of year, great NHL games on TV every day, and almost all of them with some sort of playoff implication. Let’s sit back and watch it unfold together. As always hockey friends, have fun.
Check out today’s Breakaway NHL contest from FanDuel
Mat Vilcek is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Mat, check out his archive and follow him @Mat1Thockey.
