Seeing that Valentine's Day was this week, I thought to myself, what better time to go over some of the players that might be due for a messy break-up. We've all got them… the players we were enamored by in the preseason. Guys who thought we would never let go of. But sometimes you gotta look deep within yourself and be honest. "Sorry Huberdeau, it's not you, it's me". Let's take a look at players that have been disappointments this year, and it's time to cut loose. 

Jonathan Huberdeau

It's no secret that Huberdeau has been having a rough go of it in Calgary since being dealt there in the summer. Whether it be the team around him, the system the Flames play, or even if coach Darryl Sutter is holding him back, the bottom line is that he has been a shell of his former self. This was never more evident this week when Huberdeau's agent put out a tweet that seemed to imply Huberdeau has not been enjoying his time as a Flame.

Aside from all the speculation, the numbers alone tell you things haven't been great for the two-time all-star. Over the past four seasons, Huberdeau has been a point-per-game player. This was highlighted by his incredible 115-point performance last season. Now it would have been bold to assume he could reach over 100 points again this season. Sure, it was possible, but it would have been more reasonable to assume Huberdeau could finish his first season in Calgary with around 80-85 points. That's still a very high level of play and would still warrant a high pick for him in fantasy drafts.

During fantasy draft season this fall, Huberdeau was going in the second or third round in most drafts.  When you are taking a guy as your second or third player on your team, it's always gonna be a tough pill to swallow when debating over cutting bait on them. Unfortunately, the writing is on the wall here. In 53 games Huberdeau has ten goals and 28 assists, which doesn't even put him on pace to break 60 points this year. He seems less confident than ever, shooting just 1.6 shots per game, which is over a full shot per game lower than last season!

His confidence seems gone, but so are his opportunities. His average ice time is down by almost three minutes compared to last season, and while his still featured on the man advantage, his deployment on the power play is the lowest it’s been since 2016. If you've already waited this long, you might just want to ride it for the rest of the season. At the very least you should explore some trade opportunities for him, but you aren't going to be getting top value for him at this point.  

If you have him in a keeper or dynasty league, I pray for you. That's going to be a tough call for you to potentially have to let him go.  Without a doubt, this is going to be a messy break-up for you and Huberdeau. There's gonna be a lot of hard feelings for sure, but it might be best for you to just move on!

Patrick Kane

It was only a matter of time before Kane finally had a disappointing fantasy season. Quite frankly, I am surprised it took this long to happen. The Blackhawks have been subpar for a while now, but it seems like the perfect storm has finally come together to slow down the American superstar. In 51 games this season, Kane has 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points. A total of 16 of those points have come on the man advantage. Kane has been a point-per-game player pretty much his entire career, so these are some disappointing point totals.   Unlike Huberdeau, Kane is still getting all the opportunities to put up big numbers, but the results just aren't there.

So why all of a sudden is Kane not getting the results. First off he is 34 and certainly isn't getting any younger, and the league slows down for no one. Secondly, as I mentioned before, the Blackhawks are a dumpster fire right now, and it would be fair to say management doesn't exactly want them to be playing winning hockey at this stage of the season. The tank for Connor Bedard is clearly on, and the Blackhawks have a decent shot at the next phenom of hockey. And lastly, and probably most importantly, it has been heavily implied that Kane has been playing with a bad hip that needs surgery. Being hampered with something like that is obviously going to derail your season pretty quickly. 

Kane still peppers a ton of shots on net, so he gives you value there. And as previously mentioned, he still gets some points on the man advantage. But outside of that he really isn't doing much for your team. I think it may be finally time to move on. He seemed to really have his heart set on being traded to the Rangers, but that seems pretty unlikely now since they acquired Vladimir Tarasenko last week. The thought of dropping or dealing away Kane sounds crazy, but I don't see a late-season renaissance happening. Pack up your things Patty Kane, I want you out by the morning!

Patrik Laine

Laine rounds out my list today. Now, it should be noted that Laine has missed some time due to injury this season. In 41 games played, Laine has accumulated 15 goals and 19 assists for 35 points. If he played a full slate of games, he's still producing at an okay pace, but there's not a ton of time left in the fantasy season, and I just don't think Laine is that much of a game changer this year.

The Blue Jackets are awful this season, and while they have a lot of great young talent coming through their system right now, this year they are in the same boat as the Blackhawks. They are among the league's worst and are clearly looking to be in the Bedard sweepstakes at the end of the hockey year. While Laine's offense has been okay, my main problem with him is that he doesn't provide much else. He's not bringing you any meaningful hits or blocks to bolster his fantasy stock. Look at a guy like Chris Kreider, a player who lit it up last season, but has somewhat slowed down this year. He still provides over a hit per game, so it's easier to stomach the lack of scoring. 

I don't think you want to straight up drop Laine, but with trade deadlines coming up in fantasy hockey, I think he would be a great candidate to try and deal away to someone else. If you have a ton of guys getting you those extra peripherals and you lack in scoring though, maybe Laine is fine to hang on to. As with all recommendations in this column, at the end of the day you need to access your own team and decide what your strengths and weaknesses are. For me personally though, I think I need some space with Laine and he's gotta go!

So here's some Kleenex and a box of chocolate. Don't feel bad, we all make bad choices in life, but it's time to move on and start the healing process! All joking aside, it can be hard to ship out big names off your team like Huberdeau and Kane, especially if you drafted them high. By this point though, it's not like you haven't been patient. It's time to make a change! Be sure to keep an eye on NHL trades that will start trickling over the next two weeks! There could be some great opportunities to snag a player from waivers that might get a boost in value.  Hopefully everyone has a great week, and I will be back next Sunday to go over some more fantasy hockey.