With Christmas right around the corner I thought it would be fun to do a bit of a season recap and go over some of the fantasy players who have done well or exceeded expectations, and also cover a couple of the under-achievers up to this point. It's been a wild season this far that has provided us with a couple of curveballs in terms of what teams have been competitive. Without further ado, I present to you the naughty and nice list!

NICE

Tage Thompson

While the Buffalo Sabres are still a team that is largely a work-in-progress, there's been a lot for Sabres' fans to cheer about this season. Somewhere near the top of that list would have to be Thompson, a player who has been a bit of an anomaly. He broke into the league with the St. Louis Blues back in 2017-18 and had a fairly uneventful rookie campaign. The first notable thing about his career was the fact he was part of the Ryan O'Reilly trade that saw him go from St. Louis to Buffalo.

From there it didn't get much better for Thompson as the following three seasons were marred by injuries and underperforming. Despite the meandering start to his NHL career, last season finally was the breakthrough year many people had been waiting to see out of him.  In 78 games he put up 38 goals and 30 assists for 68 points. By all accounts it was an impressive season, but you couldn't help but wonder if it was a flash in the pan, or if this was the start of something special for Thompson.

Well we are about 40 percent through this season and needless to say last year wasn't a one-off! Not only is he matching his pace from last season, he is shattering it. Through 31 games he already has amassed 25 goals and 24 assists, one point shy of the 50-point plateau. He has averaged over a point and a half per game and is on pace to shatter the 100-point barrier this season.  Not only is he scoring in heaps, but he is shooting at an insanely high rate of over four shots per game. Clearly Thompson has a newfound confidence in his game, and rightfully so.

Going into this fantasy season, Thomson's ADP on Yahoo was 141.3. If you had the foresight to snatch him up in your draft in the mid-to-late rounds, you are most certainly reaping the benefits now as Thompson is probably outproducing all your other forwards on your roster. His fantastic season was accentuated last week with his five-goal performance versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Right now, it seems like the sky’s the limit for the 25-year-old forward. He tops the nice list this season for sure!

Bo Horvat

What a whirlwind it must be for Horvat this season. You're the captain of the Vancouver Canucks, who have once again underachieved and really stumbled out of the gate with a real ugly start to the season that was marred with blowing multiple-goal leads. You are in a contract year and there's a ton of rumors about whether you will stay on as a Canuck or pursue free agency. Then on top of that, there's the trade rumors. All the while, you are quietly putting together a career year and near the top of the league in goals.

I've always had a soft spot for Horvat. Partially because I am a huge faceoffs nerd in fantasy leagues, and Horvat is among the absolute best on the draws. But I've always gotten giddy at what was possible for him during his time in Vancouver. For whatever reason, he always seemed to be good, but never great. And in fantasy when the center position is as deep as it is, it can be really hard to justify taking guys who are just so-so. 

Like Thompson, Horvat was ranked very far down the draft list when I checked the Yahoo ADPs while researching this article. On average Horvat was going at 153.4 overall, which basically meant he was a bench option in most formats. In 30 games, Horvat has 22 goals to go with nine helpers. He's averaging just over a point per game and is earning himself a substantial raise come this offseason. This season he is also shooting at a career-high pace of 3.2 shots per game. 

The Canucks have been so disappointing this season, but without Horvat they would be downright awful. I'm not sure where the Canucks fans' loyalties lie with Horvat, but I think they are going to come to miss him when he eventually plays elsewhere, whether that be via trade or free agency. For now, though, he certainly cracks my nice list for the holiday season!

NAUGHTY

Jonathan Huberdeau

It was an offseason of epic proportions in Calgary this summer. One Johnny left, while another one was brought in via one of the most massive trades in recent memory. Things were becoming very grim for the Flames' fans and head office this season, but pulling off the massive trade with Florida for Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar really seemed to quell the panic that had been growing. Furthermore, when the organization was able to sign both players to long-term extensions, I think many people were very pleased at how everything turned out in the end.

Unfortunately, the games started happening. Last year Huberdeau was one of the most dominant players in the league and enjoyed a career year. I think most people knew it wasn't realistic to expect a repeat performance, but it was within the realm of possibility that an 80–90-point season was entirely achievable. Through 31 games so far this season the Flames are 13-12-6, and most people would agree they are not performing as well as expected. Huberdeau's season is a microcosm of that. 

In his 28 games played, he's only put up five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in total. His stats are down across the board, and it seems evident he hasn't adapted well to Darryl Sutter's brand of hockey. There's still plenty of time for him to figure things out and get his season back on track, but fantasy owners have already experienced irreparable damage to their teams at this point. When you consider he was drafted at an average spot of 11.8 overall in Yahoo drafts this year, you can see why people are unhappy. As much as it pains me to do it, Huberdeau is the first entrant on the naughty list!

Patrick Kane

Well, it looks like the inevitable may finally occur. I've thought for the past couple of years now that Patrick Kane would be due for some regression. He's 34 years old now, and the Blackhawks are absolutely awful right now and are clearly looking to the future. I distinctly remember passing on Kane last season in my draft thinking that he would finally fall off and have a stinker of a season. Then he put up a 91-point season. 

Well 2022-23 has been a different story. Through 29 games, Kane has just four goals and 18 assists for 22 total points.  He still plays with confidence and his shot rate is right around his career average, but his shooting percentage is a woeful 3.9%. Maybe he is extremely snakebitten and should be due for a scoring spree soon. Or alternatively, maybe this could be the beginning of the end for Kane's long and illustrious career.

This downtick in his production also comes at pivotal time for him as it is the final year in his eight-year deal with Chicago. He's spent his entire 16-year career in the Windy City and it would be hard to imagine him going elsewhere. But unless he can turn things around in the back-half of the current season, he will be limiting his options and potential salary for future seasons. For now, though, he lands the other spot on my naughty list!

That's all for this week folks. I decided to do something a little different from the usual waiver wire suggestions this week, hopefully it was an enjoyable change. Just a heads up, there will be no Geek of the Week for next Sunday as it is Christmas Day, but rest assured I will be back on New Year's Day for the first column of 2023! Until then, I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season. Make sure you watch your waiver wire closely and set your lineups or you'll end up like Patty Kane and Jonathan Huberdeau!