The fantasy hockey season is on pause while the 4 Nations Face-off Tournament is underway. NHL and fantasy play will not resume until next Saturday. As a result, there will be no fantasy column next week.
However, we’ll try and provide two options to scoop up during your downtime while the 4 Nations Face-Off rages on and two guys to part with before play resumes next Saturday.
I hope you’re doing well in your fantasy leagues. If you ever have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to hit up my X account (@DanielEDobish). I’ll be glad to try and answer as quickly as possible if I see it. Let’s get started.
NHL Fantasy Hockey Trade Advice (Week 18)
Buy
Patrik Laine is currently representing ‘Suomi’ at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament for his native land, and he didn’t have to go far, either. Finland opened against Team USA at Bell Centre, which is currently Laine’s home rink. That’s key for fantasy managers concerned their players are not getting a lot of rest.
Yes, Laine is playing during the nearly two-week break, while others rest bumps and bruises. But, the 4 Nations Face-Off also gives Laine a chance to build some momentum heading into the unofficial second half of the regular season. Laine limped to the break with zero points and a -9 rating with two penalty minutes (PIM) in his final eight games before the break.
As a result, his fantasy rostered percentage slipped to just 48% in Yahoo! fantasy leagues, while holding steady at 82% in Fantrax pools. Now is the time to go out and acquire Laine. You know what he is capable of doing.
It’s hard to believe, but Laine is still just 26 years old. It seems like he has been around forever. He has 12 goals and 18 points with a -11 rating through 28 games. He is projected for just 18 goals and 26 points. In a full season with 55+ games played, he has never finished with fewer than 22 goals or 50 points. He needs to get it going, but he has been killing it on the power play. Laine scored 10 of his 12 goals on the man advantage, just the second time in his career reaching double-digit power-play goals. If you need help in that category, Laine is especially useful.
Either the Lightning knew something everybody else didn’t or Steven Stamkos is just having a down year adjusting to life in new surroundings. Stamkos hasn’t looked like himself in his first year in Nashville.
Stamkos has 17 goals with 33 points through 54 games, which isn’t awful, as he is projected to finish with 26 goals and 50 points. Of course, in his past three full seasons, he made it to at least 34 goals and 80 points, so the downturn has been rather stark.
We know what Stamkos is capable of. While he is 35 years old, and on the downside of his career, he is still likely to finish this season with a flurry. If not, it could be his worst full season of production since he had just 23 goals and 46 points in his rookie season of 2008-09 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sell
The 28-year-old forward has been on quite the roll lately, and that makes him a sell-high candidate in most fantasy pools. In February, Ryan Donato has piled up four goals with eight points and a +3 rating, posting at least one point in each game. He also has at least one point in eight of his past 10 games, while going for eight goals and 15 points across the previous 14 outings.
Producing at a point-per-game clip is not going to continue for Donato. You have to figure his fantasy value is at its apex right now. He already has 19 goals and 37 points through 53 points, both marks are new career highs. He is 28 years old, so is he a late bloomer? Maybe. But, he averaged 14 goals per season across the past three seasons in Seattle and Chicago, so he has been rather consistent in showing us who he is.
A long, cold offensive streak is likely right around the corner. Let that be somebody else’s problem.
We’ve highlighted Teuvo Teravainen before in this space. He is currently representing Team Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off with teammate Patrik Laine. Teravainen was ice-cold at the end of January, going for just a single goal and zero assists in his final five games of the month while totaling three points in the final seven games of January.
However, since flipping the calendar to February, he has a goal and six points in four games, including three consecutive multi-point performances. That’s rather unsustainable for Teravainen. You have to figure that his plus/minus rating will turn ugly again, as the Blackhawks are not expected to be a contender down the stretch.
Teravainen has been streaky this season, and really, he always has been. The 30-year-old is on pace for 18 goals and 60 points, but also a-22 rating. He has just one 60-point campaign since 2019-20 with the Carolina Hurricanes. He has settled into that 45-50 points neighborhood in his career. It’s a major reason the Hurricanes weren’t keen on investing big money to bring him back to Raleigh in the offseason. You should try and drop him in the lap of another fantasy manager who will have to endure his cold snap that is surely upcoming.
Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Daniel, follow him @danieledobish.
