Due to postponements related to the never-ending COVID pandemic, please note that the scheduling data provided in this article may not be 100% up to date at the time you read it. Please refer to the Frozen Tools Schedule Planner for the most recent scheduling information for your customized period.  

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, New York Islanders (Available in 95% of ESPN leagues, 58% Fantrax, 88% Yahoo) – It feels good to write about something positive out of Islandersland. If you're in a deeper league with less players available on your waivers I think Wahlstrom might just be an add that can help in the coming days.

So on the surface of the stat sheet Wahlstrom has one point in his last four games, but that's coming off COVID as well as the Isles hardly playing any games in late December/early January. I think that's really the issue here, as we just have not seen enough of him where he would come up as a potential addition to any fantasy team. Coming into this week, the Isles are in action four times and will play four times again next week, so I think them seeing more consistent ice time will only help both Wahlstrom's fantasy value and the Islanders as a whole.

Wahlstrom is a player I've always really liked and think he should see more time on the top six, and the offensive numbers show it. So far this season he has the highest points per 60 minutes and highest shots on goal per 60 minutes of his career and in the past week he has 18 shots on goal. The only players with more than him in that same timespan are Mikko Rantanen, Roman Josi, Nathan MacKinnon, and Jeff Skinner. Wahlstrom also see's top power play time which only adds to his value for your fantasy or DFS lineup.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Anton Lundell, C, Florida Panthers (Available in 90% of ESPN leagues, 42% Fantrax, 75% Yahoo) – I get it, sometimes in fantasy there's always that pause before adding a rookie, but I think Lundell might be worth the addition, and not just for a week or two but for the long haul.

In short, Florida is good at hockey. Not really a hot take, but their offense is fantastic and for fantasy and DFS those are the teams we love to target. So far this month Florida leads the entire NHL in total goals for, scoring chances, have the highest danger chances for, and Lundell is a part of reason why they are leading in these categories. The 20-year-old center has five points in his past four games and over that span has filled in top six center roles for players that have seen time in COVID protocol.

Right now, Lundell is centering Florida's third line but that's a line that does see some depth matchups from opponents and for a club like Florida, that just creates a mismatch. He does see time on Florida's second power-play unit, but Florida as a whole usually sends out their first unit for the duration of the man advantage. To make up for that ice time though, Lundell does see time killing penalties on a club that's tied for the most shorthanded goals this season (six) with Colorado and Vegas. For folks out there in in both regular and keeper leagues, I think you can benefit having Lundell on your roster.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Andrew Mangiapane, LW/RW, Calgary Flames (Owned in 80% of ESPN leagues, 80% of Fantrax, 35% Yahoo) – The Odd Man Out committee has convened and is going to zag a bit on this one. Let's look at Mangiapane, who one of the most added players in fantasy who at one point led all NHLers in road goals and was playing fantastic. Now we're starting to see some regression and it's worth looking into for a player with higher fantasy ownership.

The Flames haven't exactly been playing as great as they were to towards the beginning of the season going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games played, and while I don't think this falls on Mangiapane, it is worth noting that his offensive production has declined. Mangiapane is on Calgary's second line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, which is a good defensive line that at times has shown good offensive production, with 134 minutes played together and a Corsi for percentage of 64%.

For Mangiapane, though, it's one point in his last 10 games with no high danger chances for over that length of games. Now part of this might just be the ebb and flow of the NHL season as for the first 10 games in Mangiapane was tied for the most goals for by a Calgary forward and highest high danger chances goals for. I think if you're a Mangiapane fantasy owner I think he's worth keeping on your roster for the time being but a player I think you should be paying close attention to the stat sheet following games.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks (Owned in 91% of ESPN leagues, 94% of Fantrax, 88% Yahoo) – As I'm writing this it looks like the Canucks have players testing positive for COVID again, this club just can't catch a break from players going into protocol. Regardless, I think we have an anchor candidate here in Pettersson.

Sometimes Elias is slated on Vancouver's top line, others he's slated on Vancouver's third to help get him great depth matchups and the result is usually the same, a goose egg on the stat sheet. I'm not sure what the issue is for a player that has the talent to really produce. So far this season he has the lowest 5v5 shooting percentage of his career by far at 5.8 (10.2 career average) and his career lowest points per 60 minutes. Now it could be it's a chemistry issue with him moving up and down Vancouver's lines, that may be, but it you can flip in a trade I think that's a great way to get some value in return for a player that with his ownership should be producing much more than he currently is.

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)
This period runs from January 21^st to February 2^nd

Pittsburgh – Another week, another Love Em for the Pens. Wash, rinse, repeat. Over the next seven days Pittsburgh will see Winnipeg, Arizona, Seattle, Detroit, and the Kings, all at home. I can't click lock fast enough on my DFS lineup for most if not all those matchups. Pitt typically sends out their third line at home vs their opponent's top six which gives Pittsburgh's top six depth matchups.  

Colorado – This is Colorado's third week in a row on the Love Em side of things and it's not just because they have been rolling opponents lately, albeit that helps. The Avs have favorable matchups next week with two games vs the Hawks and a home game vs Buffalo. This is a great stretch for the Avs to keep climbing in the Central.

NY Islanders – The Isles grade out great over this upcoming stretch and that's a good thing for a club that may need more ice time under their skates.  Next week their homestand extends with matchups vs Philadelphia and Seattle. For a struggling club this could be a great stretch to get back on the right track.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Tampa Bay – Following Friday's game the Bolts will have a four game break with two home games next week, and a light schedule even beyond that.

Toronto – Light schedule for the Leafs upcoming and that's always a negative for a club that is highly owned in fantasy and DFS. The schedule will balance out for them soon enough, but for now they're a stay away.

Nashville – Nashville doesn't grade out particularly well in the short term and like Toronto, it has everything to do with their very light schedule. The Preds have been extremely fun to watch this season but more of that will have to wait a week.