Each week, I will take a trip around the league and dig into the numbers to find insights that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions.
This week, Roman Kantserov, Tristan Luneau, Matt Coronato, and Jake Evans are making a difference while Tom Wilson struggles to find his form, and much more!
#1 While the Chicago Blackhawks continue to struggle, they are getting positive returns out of rookie Roman Kantserov, the 22-year-old winger who was a second-round pick in 2023. In his first NHL season, Kantserov started with three goals and zero assists in his first 10 games, despite averaging 19:46 of ice time per game. As he saw more time with Connor Bedard, however, the results started to turn. In his past eight games, Kantserov has eight points (6 G, 2 A) with 15 shots on goal. His ice time is still over 18 minutes per game, but not as lofty as it was earlier in the season. This is a case of more quality instead of quantity as Bedard has points on eight of Kantserov’s 11 points this season, so that connection is what is driving Kantserov’s surge to become the leading rookie goal scorer with 9 in 18 games.
#2 When the Anaheim Ducks gave defenceman Tristan Luneau a six-year, $43.2 million contract on October 1, it seemed like a lot for a player who had four points in 14 NHL games across the past three seasons. Turns out that the Ducks had reason to be optimistic about the 22-year-old blueliner’s game. In his past seven games, Luneau has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) with 14 shots on goal, while playing more than 19 minutes per game. Even more impressive is that only two of those nine points have come on the power play, so Luneau is a significant part of Anaheim’s strong 5-on-5 production that is driving better team results.
#3 Sticking with the Ducks, rookie right winger Judd Caulfield has landed a spot on Leo Carlsson’s wing and the 22-year-old winger is showing that he belongs. A fifth-round pick by the Penguins in 2019, Caulfield went to North Dakota, where his most productive campaign saw him tally 20 points in 39 games as a junior. He played three-plus seasons in the AHL and produced 38 points (17 G, 21 A) in 71 games last season and none of these numbers indicate a player who is primed for a scoring role in the NHL, but with six points (3 G, 3 A) and 13 shots on goal in his past seven games, Caulfield is starting to change that perception. He also has 30 hits in those seven games, so he hasn’t forgotten the style of play that put him into the league in the first place.
#4 The Calgary Flames started slowly and since they are a rebuilding team, it was easy enough to dismiss them, but they have become more competitive and that has resulted in players having more fantasy appeal. Consider right winger Matt Coronato, who has 13 points (2 G, 11 A) and 29 shots on goal in his past 13 games. The 23-year-old winger was a first-round pick in 2021 and is in a spot where he skates on the first line with Mikael Backlund and Joel Farabee and that trio is enjoying success.
#5 The Montreal Canadiens got captain Nick Suzuki back in the lineup and that’s obviously good for the squad, but they are still looking for a long-term answer at second-line centre. Jake Evans had zero points in nine games to start the season but put up six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past eight games. He also had just six shots on goal and for a player who is known more as a checking centre, it’s probably worth exercising caution when it comes to picking up Evans. He is getting significant ice time with quality linemates, and that might be enough, but Evans is probably no more than a deep league option at this point.
#6 When he is on his game, Washington Capitals right winger Tom Wilson is a massive difference maker, the rare player who can score goals while providing an intimidating physical presence. Through 15 games, Wilson has 42 hits and 45 penalty minutes, so he’s still a menacing presence, but he also has a modest five points (2 G, 3 A). Wilson has only scored on 6.9 percent of his shots on goal, so he’s due for better luck around the net. Wilson’s line with Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois has the potential to be physically dominant, especially down low in the offensive zone, but those results haven’t materialized yet and Wilson could be facing supplemental discipline for his boarding penalty against Florida’s Sandis Vilmanis on Saturday.
#7 The season started so poorly for Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Jamie Drysdale, who had zero points through 11 games despite playing more than 22 minutes per game. In seven games since, Drysdale’s ice time has rocketed up to 25:48 per game and he has delivered eight points (1 G, 7 A) with seven shots on goal. As the quarterback on Philadelphia’s top power play unit, Drysdale has the potential to make an offensive impact and it looks like he’s starting to make the most of it.
#8 Vegas Golden Knights rookie winger Trevor Connelly has made steady progress since he was the 19th pick in the 2024 Draft. Last season, he tore up the AHL, producing 49 points (14 G, 35 A) in 46 games and this season he has 12 points (7 G, 5 A) to tie Boston’s James Hagens for the rookie scoring lead. Connelly has scored goals in three straight games and has the upside to move up the depth chart if he can continue to deliver offensively.
#9 Through his first 11 games this season, Ottawa Senators centre Dylan Cozens had zero goals and three assists, not exactly the kind of production that the team would expect, but he has been rounding into form since. Cozens has seven points (4 G, 3 A) with 10 shots on goal in seven games since then. That shot rate isn’t terribly encouraging but note that Cozens also has 25 hits in those seven games, so he does fill stats categories for fantasy managers.
#10 Traded to Nashville from Colorado in the offseason, Ross Colton managed just two points (1 G, 1 A) with 12 shots on goal in his first 10 games for the Predators. He has started to find his range, contributing six points (4 G, 2 A) and 14 shots on goal in his past seven games. He is playing with Jack Drury and Adam Edstrom, which doesn’t suggest sustained offensive production, but it’s worth keeping tabs on Colton as he had some hot streaks in Colorado that made him at least a short-term asset for fantasy managers.
#11 A 28-year-old defenceman who had one NHL season under his belt entering 2026-2027, Tampa Bay’s Charle-Edouard D’Astous is stepping to the forefront for the Lightning. In his past nine games, D’Astous has contributed 10 points (2 G, 8 A) with 14 shots on goal while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. He has secured a spot on the top power play alongside John Carlson, as the Lightning are running two defencemen on PP1.
#12 A fifth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2022, winger Sandis Vilmanis had seven points in his first 32 NHL games, modest production from a supporting player, but he has five points in his past three games, including a four-point (2 G, 2 A) explosion in Wednesday’s 5-3 win against Chicago. He was unfortunately injured Saturday by a Tom Wilson hit, so that’s enough reason to not get so excited about Vilmanis, but he was skating on a line with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart, which may be enough to put him on your fantasy radar.
#13 While Boston Bruins centre Elias Lindholm has not been terribly productive since signing as a free agent, the Bruins have been a dominant team this season and Lindholm has elevated his play. He has 10 points (5 G, 5 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past 10 games, logging nearly 19 minutes per game. He has Casey Mittelstadt and rookie James Hagens on his wings, so there is some skill level there to help bring out more offense.
#14 At 34, Columbus Blue Jackets centre Charlie Coyle is playing nearly 20 minutes per game, the highest average time on ice of his career. He earns head coach Rick Bowness’ trust through his solid two-way play, but Coyle also has 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 15 games. Since he is centering Cole Sillinger and Mathieu Olivier at even strength, it’s a good thing that Coyle gets first unit power play time for the Blue Jackets.
#15 Towering winger Anthony Mantha did not roar out of the starting gate for the New Jersey Devils this season, contributing two points (1 G, 1 A) in his first nine games after signing as a free agent. In the next eight games, however, Mantha has put up eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 10 shots on goal. That is not a shot rate that inspires confidence for future production, but Mantha is providing secondary offense at even strength, skating on a line with Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist.
#16 In his first five starts this season, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry posted a .868 save percentage while delivering a 2-1-2 record. With Devon Levi getting injured, there was a slight opportunity for Jarry to take on more responsibility in the Oilers’ crease and Jarry responded. In his past three starts, he recorded back-to-back shutouts followed by stopping 31 of 34 shots at New Jersey. Jarry’s .961 save percentage in those three starts is reason for hope, but then he has missed a couple of games due to illness, stalling some of the progress that he had made since his difficult start to the season. With Levi due to return from injury, Jarry may still be battling for playing time in the Oilers’ crease, but he is worth watching.
#17 Defenceman Philip Broberg has a great opportunity to become a bona fide No. 1 defenceman in St. Louis this season, building on the progress he has made already with the Blues. In his past 10 games, Broberg has taken a step forward, putting up 10 points (4 G, 6 A) and 27 shots on goal while playing nearly 27 minutes per game. Obviously, it will be difficult to maintain point-per-game pace but if he continues to generate nearly three shots on goal per game, the points will be there in the end.
#18 As the Seattle Kraken continue to seek out scoring help, they can be grateful that one of their offseason forward acquisitions is paying dividends. Mackie Samoskevich, who came to Seattle in a trade with Florida, has produced seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. He’s playing with Berkly Catton and Kaapo Kakko at even strength, and it’s not a star-studded line, but Samoskevich is showing that he is capable of more than what he produced in Florida. It’s just a matter of the Kraken giving him the opportunity.
#19 A premier puck-moving defenceman who has a couple of seasons with 50-plus points and four more seasons with at least 40 points, Shea Theodore is struggling to generate offence this season. Since recording three points (1 G, 2 A) in his first two games of the season, Theodore has managed just two points (1 G, 1 A) in 16 games. That sounds disastrous and five points in 18 games is a far cry from expectations for Theodore, but he does have 32 shots on goal in the past 16 games and there are not a lot of defencemen averaging at least two shots on goal per game. That might make him an intriguing buy-low candidate.
#20 New Jersey Devils left winger Timo Meier scored his first goal of the season in his eighth game of the season. Since that game, Meier has produced zero goals and one assist, with 35 shots on goal, in nine games. While his production has been awful, it’s interesting to see him still generating shots at an elite rate. It probably makes him worth a look.