Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, a fresh start for Alexandre Texier, Ivan Demidov takes the rookie scoring lead, Brock Nelson and Tyler Bertuzzi are cooking, Seattle’s top line is thriving and so much more!
#1 After an underwhelming start to the season in St. Louis, where he had one assist in eight games, Alexandre Texier was bought out of his contract, leading him to sign a one-year, $1-million deal with the Montreal Canadiens and it looks like the fresh start that the 26-year-old winger needed. He is skating on Montreal’s top line, with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and, after a hat trick against Florida on Thursday, Texier has eight points (4 G, 4 A) with 12 shots on goal in his past five games. For a player whose career high is 30 points (12 G, 18 A), set in 2023-2024, Texier has a chance to be a bigger offensive contributor with the Habs.
#2 Even though he has been held off the scoresheet in the past two games, Canadiens right winger Ivan Demidov has pulled into the rookie scoring lead. He has 10 points (3 G, 7 A) and 13 shots on goal in his past nine games, giving him 36 points (10 G, 26 A) in 44 games. He is getting first unit power play time while skating on a line with Oliver Kapanen and Juraj Slafkovsky at even strength, but it is fair to be concerned about the shot rate. In his past 18 games, Demidov has recorded two or fewer shots 16 times.
#3 Early in the season, Colorado Avalanche centre Brock Nelson got off to a slow start, managing five points (3 G, 2 A) with 24 shots on goal in 16 games, which was enough to lose the interest of fantasy managers. Since then, though, Nelson has been riding high, producing 32 points (18 G, 14 A) with 69 shots on goal in his past 27 games. With Gabriel Landeskog injured, Nelson’s wingers right now are Valeri Nichushkin and rookie Gavin Brindley, but he’s also getting first unit power play time and that’s a fine opportunity to keep the points accumulating.
#4 In his past seven games, veteran Chicago Blackhawks winger Tyler Bertuzzi has delivered eight points (6 G, 2 A) and 24 shots on goal. Impressively, this has happened with the Blackhawks missing injured centres Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, so Bertuzzi has helped the Blackhawks get through a trying situation. Bertuzzi is skating on a line with rookie centre Ryan Greene and veteran winger Andre Burakovsky. He is a six-time 20-goal scorer but with 22 goals in 40 games this season, he has an excellent chance to surpass his previous career high of 30 goals, set in 2021-2022 when he played for Detroit.
#5 After scoring 57 points and winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022-2023, Seattle Kraken centre Matty Beniers has had a few mediocre offensive seasons. That hasn’t been entirely fixed, but he is starting to generate more offense right now, putting up nine points (4 G, 5 A) with 21 shots on goal in his past nine games. He is getting full opportunity, centering the first line and playing on the first power play unit, so there is a chance for Beniers to continue his production. One encouraging sign is an improving shot rate as Beniers has never averaged even two shots on goal per game over a full season, but he is starting to cross that threshold more recently.
#6 Beniers’ wingers, Jared McCann and Kaapo Kakko, are both thriving as well. McCann has battled injuries, skating in just 18 games this season, but since returning to the lineup in late December, he has seven points (3 G, 4 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past seven games. Kakko has elevated his play, too, producing nine points (2 G, 7 A) and 20 shots on goal in his past nine games. Kakko has two 40-point seasons and with 14 points in 26 games this season, he is on that pace, even if he has missed a significant portion of the season, too.
#7 With Alex Danault traded to Montreal and injuries hitting the Los Angeles Kings, Alex Laferriere has been spending more time at centre and the third year forward is getting some results, with six points (4 G, 2 A) and 17 shots on goal in his past six games. With Anze Kopitar day-to-day, Laferriere is getting a shot with Adrian Kempe on the Kings’ top line and Laferriere’s physical play – 115 hits in 42 games this season – does make him more appealing to fantasy managers.
#8 A long-time favourite of mine for fantasy value, Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner remains very productive when healthy. That caveat hangs over him more at this stage of his career, but in his past 13 games, Jenner has 11 points (4 G, 7 A) with 36 hits and 36 shots on goal. He doesn’t take as many faceoffs now that he’s on left wing, but he still takes some draws, and skating on a line with Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson is not a bad place to continue scoring.
#9 He has been overshadowed by other young talent in San Jose, but Sharks winger William Eklund is still a highly skilled winger who can deliver offensively. In his past dozen games, Eklund has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) with 46 shots on goal while playing 20:18 per game. That shot rate is a very good sign for Eklund being able to sustain his production and it’s probably not a coincidence that he has more recently found himself on the Sharks’ top line with Macklin Celebrini and Igor Chernyshov, which is a great situation.
#10 In five games since he was a healthy scratch for the Vancouver Canucks, left winger Jake DeBrusk responded with five points (3 G, 2 A) and 22 shots on goal. If you’re trying to show that the coach’s message was received, that’s a good way to go about it. While he is getting first unit power play time, DeBrusk is skating the Canucks’ second line at evens, with David Kampf and Kiefer Sherwood, which may not offer the highest offensive ceiling, but it also might represent more of a back-to-basics approach, and it seems to be working.
#11 A third-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2020, Justin Sourdif saw action in four games for the Panthers, scoring one goal, but did have 72 points (28 G, 44 A) in 101 AHL games across the past two seasons. In the summer, the Washington Capitals acquired him from Florida for a second-round pick in 2026 and a sixth-round pick in 2027, presenting a better opportunity for Sourdif to stick in the NHL. He started the season with one goal and zero assists in 16 games, playing just over 11 minutes per game. Sourdif has gradually earned a bigger role and has busted out, scoring nine points (5 G, 4 A) with 12 shots on goal, while logging nearly 19 minutes per game, in his past five games. Sourdif has emerged as the Capitals’ second line centre, with Connor McMichael and Ryan Leonard on his wings, and that trio could be a solid source of secondary offense in Washington.
#12 Only once in his career has 34-year-old Colorado Avalanche defenceman Josh Manson surpassed 25 points in an NHL season, scoring 37 points in 2017-2018 when he was with the Anaheim Ducks, but with the juggernaut Avs, he is putting up decent numbers. He had two goals and two assists in Thursday’s rout over Ottawa, but in the past month he has 13 points (2 G, 11 A) and 21 shots on goal in 14 games. For a guy who already has 107 hits and 60 blocked shots in 43 games, that offensive surge suddenly makes Manson much more relevant for fantasy managers.
#13 When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers in the offseason, they were looking at a defenceman in his prime who, at his best, can be an exceptional defender, covering so much ice with excellent skating and a 6-foot-5 frame. In his past seven games, Miller has contributed seven points (2 G, 5 A) with nine shots on goal while averaging 23:47 of ice time per game. Only three of his 20 points this season have come on the power play, though Miller is getting second unit PP time right now, but the Hurricanes’ dominance at five-on-five does give Miller a chance to challenge for 40 points this season, a threshold he has crossed just once in his career.
#14 A reliable two-way centre, San Jose Sharks veteran Alexander Wennberg is getting more of an opportunity to play a top six role this season and he’s contributing more offence in the process. In the past four 14 games, Wennberg has produced 17 points (3 G, 14 A) with 19 shots on goal and while that shot rate is not very encouraging, it’s also pretty standard – he has been a reluctant shooter for much of his career. He is centering a line with Tyler Toffoli and Pavol Regenda on the wings, but Wennberg is also getting first unit power play time. The last time that Wennberg finished with more than 40 points in a season was 2016-2017 but with 30 points (8 G, 22 A) in 43 games, he seems very likely to exceed that total this season.
#15 Pavol Regenda is an interesting case for the Sharks. The 26-year-old left winger was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks last season and had 25 points (9 G, 16 A) in 36 AHL games then started this season with 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 28 AHL games, which is hardly knocking down the door to force his way into the league. However, Regenda has scored six goals with 19 shots on goal in six games for the Sharks this season, which is the type of production that can get a team to figure out how to keep a guy around. With Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev injured, Regenda may have a little more time to prove that he belongs and might have some short-term appeal in deeper leagues.
#16 The Utah Mammoth have moved winger Lawson Crouse to the top line, with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, and that makes Crouse much more appealing from a fantasy perspective. In his past seven games, Crouse has six points (2 G, 4 A) with nine shots on goal while averaging 18:45 of ice time per game. He also has 19 hits and six blocked shots in that stretch, and those contributions elevate him when it comes to overall fantasy value.
#17 In his first four seasons with the Seattle Kraken, after he was signed in the summer of 2021, goaltender Philipp Grubauer was among the worst netminders in the league, posting a .890 save percentage in 156 games. His long-term contract was hanging around the Kraken like an albatross, and suddenly in the past few weeks, the 34-year-old netminder is good. In his past five starts, Grubauer has a 4-0-1 record, lifting the Kraken into a playoff position, stopping 168 of 175 shots against for a .960 save percentage. Joey Daccord is still the No. 1 option in Seattle but, however improbably, Grubauer might be able to force his way into more playing time.
#18 The Tampa Bay Lightning have moved winger Gage Goncalves to the top line, where he is skating with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov and Goncalves has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 10 shots on goal in his past eight games after scoring seven points in his first 30 games. He played fewer than 14 minutes per game in that eight-game stretch, so there is a limit to his offensive upside, but if he sticks with elite linemates, there is a chance that Goncalves can raise his value.
#19 At 36-years-old, Detroit Red Wings left winger James van Riemsdyk is naturally not as productive as he was during his peak years, when he topped 25 goals five times, but he’s making the most of a limited role in Detroit. Since the start of December, JvR has 13 points (8 G, 5 A) and 37 shots on goal in 16 games. His four power play goals is tied for third on the Red Wings and he’s not a bad source of secondary scoring while skating on a line with J.T. Compher and Lucas Raymond.
#20 After a brief conditioning stint in the American Hockey League, where he had a .904 save percentage in two games, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault has returned to the Habs and has stopped 77 of 84 shots while winning each of his three starts since returning to the NHL. The Canadiens surely want Montembeault to regain his form, but it does create a crowded crease in Montreal as rookie Jacob Fowler has played well and Jakub Dobes is still in the mix, too. Fowler seems like the best long-term bet, but Montembeault might be getting his act together.
*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick