Due to the All-Star break, most formats are combining this week and next week into one fantasy matchup. With just six games being played across the league this week (Monday January 30^th – Sunday February 5^th), it makes sense to start planning for next week right now. Get ahead of the curve and start adding players who have favourable schedules after All-Star weekend (Monday February 6^th to Sunday February 12^th)! To help you in this endeavour, we'll discuss valuable waiver wire additions for this unique fantasy week.

I identified teams to target this week using Dobber's Schedule Planner – an incredibly useful tool that gives you informative previews of the upcoming schedule. It shows you which teams play most during a given timeframe, which teams play on busy/light days, and which teams have the toughest/weakest opponents. Check it out here!

Carolina Hurricanes

If you want to squeeze value out of these few days before the All-Star break, Carolina is the place to look. I mentioned earlier that only six games are scheduled across the NHL from Monday January 30^th to Sunday February 5^th. Carolina is the only team set to play twice during that span. While most of the Hurricanes' fantasy relevant players are likely rostered at this point in the season, here are a couple players who may be sitting on the waiver wire:

Teuvo Teravainen (65% Rostered) – The 28-year-old winger is a fixture of the top line, which means plenty of exposure to superstar Sebastian Aho, who has seven points in his last four games. Carolina splits time between their two power-play units relatively evenly, so although Teravainen won't see huge minutes with the man advantage, he sees enough to chip in a few points every now and then. His overall production is underwhelming but he's been heating up recently, tallying nine points in his last 12 outings.

Brady Skjei (47% rostered) – After tallying just seven points in 23 games between October and November (0.30 points/game), Skjei has racked up 15 points over 25 appearances in December and January (0.60 points/game). The Hurricanes have been splitting both time and talent between their two power-play units recently, giving Skjei significant minutes with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov on the man advantage. Although it hasn't borne much fruit yet, Skjei's recent power-play deployment has been more favourable than Carolina's undisputed top defenseman Brent Burns. While Burns won't be available on your league's waiver wire, Skjei might be.

New York Rangers

Looking ahead to next week, the Rangers are one of nine teams that play four games between Monday February 6^th and Sunday February 12^th. Three of those games are scheduled on 'light' days, when there aren't as many teams playing. That makes it easier to incorporate players from New York into your fantasy lineup without benching your main roster. Here are a few Rangers to target:

Filip Chytil (22% Rostered) – Who led New York's forwards in scoring during the month of January? Mika Zibanejad? Artemi Panarin? Chris Kreider? Nope. Filip Chytil. The 23-year-old center took his breakout campaign to a new level this past month, maintaining a point-per-game pace over 12 appearances. Only seven players in the league had more goals than Chytil (8) in January. Most of his success this year has come at even strength, where he's shown great chemistry beside fellow first-round picks Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière on New York's 'kid line'. If you're looking for power-play production, Chytil probably isn't your guy. He's stuck on the second unit, where he sees less than 25% of New York's total time with the man advantage. However, he does provide sneaky value in leagues that track faceoff wins, chipping in a few while slotting in at the right wing position of your fantasy roster.

Kaapo Kakko (4% Rostered) – Considering he was drafted second overall in 2019, I can understand why some are underwhelmed with Kakko's 38-point pace this season – his fourth season in the NHL. Since he's been in the league for a few years now, it's easy to forget he's still just 21 years old (turning 22 in a couple weeks), doing a lot of developing on the fly. His overall production this season doesn't capture the strides he's taken over the course of the year. Kakko opened the campaign with nine points in his first 29 games (0.31 points/game) but went on to tally 14 in his next 20 (0.70 points/game). After averaging roughly 15 minutes a night from October to December, Kakko skated 17 and a half minutes per game in January. Currently available in 96% of Yahoo leagues, you'd be wise to snag and stash Kakko now, before your fellow managers become aware of New York's favourable schedule next week.

Honourable Mentions

Kyle Palmieri (4% Rostered) – The 31-year-old forward recently returned to the lineup after missing two months with an injury. Palmieri has five points in four games since coming back, seeing a high volume of ice time and a significant role on the power play. The Islanders have a favourable schedule next week, playing a league-high four games – three of which are set for 'light' days. Although New York doesn't have the most potent offense, they'll benefit from playing against the lowly Flyers, Canucks and Canadiens next week.

Kevin Hayes (50% Rostered) – Like both New York teams, the Flyers also play four games (with three games on light days) next week. Hayes's overall production has been solid, but he's coming off a great showing in January. He tallied 15 points in 14 appearances this past month, averaging 3.5 shots per game. If Hayes isn't available in your league, Scott Laughton (32% rostered) and Morgan Frost (4% rostered) represent more attainable options that have been playing well recently.