It's a big week for fantasy hockey, and I'm right there with you in three semi-finals matches, and one consolation final match (with the prize being first-overall pick next year – Connor Bedard). It's also that time in Roto leagues, where you need to make up the games played that you lost during the year by holding onto all those injured players at the same time.

Every year in my Roto league(s) I tell myself that I will use four of my five bench slots for goalies, and the last one for a skater who I will cycle in sometimes to make sure I'm pacing just a little above the GP limits at every position. Inevitably, I don't want to waste games early in the year on bad players, so I end up sitting some of my lower-end guys and end up having to stream in players with heavier schedules at the end of the year in order to maximize my volume. In a way, it does help, because in the second-half of the year you have a better sense of what stats you need to target, and who might do a better job at producing those numbers. However, if you wait too long, then the free-agent pile has less options, especially in the goalie department, where it seems everyone is always chasing games.

Coming in clutch as always with new and useful features, there's a solution for dealing with all this games-volume madness:

🚨NEW FEATURE🚨

We have a Remaining GP Tracker, which is useful for leagues with a maximum GP at each position.

Now you know when you will run out of games. You can also use this to take advantage of a famous Yahoo glitch and go over max GP. 😎https://t.co/35eTgPQIPA pic.twitter.com/mLIvwfAvjJ

— Frozen Tools (@FrozenTools) March 28, 2023

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Vladimir Tarasenko has seen his ice time drop off a little since Patrick Kane arrived in New York. The production hasn't really suffered overall, but the share of power play time has. The Rangers can support all of this offence though, as they have become a three-line team on the offensive side of the puck. They're one of two teams (Detroit being the other) that have three games left this week and also don't play on Saturday. Check the wire, there should be someone on the Rangers still kicking around.

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After scoring two goals last night Jakub Vrana is up to four points in his last five games, and has 17 shots over that span. Not that trades are likely still open for you, but the buy-low window is closing fast.

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Johnny Gaudreau's ice time has jumped over the last few games, and his point totals have climbed with them. The power play ice time has been climbing all season, but what worries me is the linemates. Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko aren't exactly equivalent to Elias Lindholm and Matt Tkachuk. If Columbus lands one of Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli, then that may really help Gaudreau's outlook for next year.

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David Perron scored a hat-trick against the Penguins last night, bringing him up to six points in the last five games. He had been trending down from the first quarter of the year into the third quarter, but since the trade deadline he has been at nearly a point-per-game. For the rest of the year he should be a valuable fantasy own, but be wary of his dipping point totals next year as he gets pushed back down the lineup.

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Sean Farrell made his debut for the Canadiens last night and put up zeroes across the stat sheet in 13 minutes of ice time. He may not have had any points, but there were positive takeaways.

It's very, very early, but… I've been saying for a while that Farrell processes the game like an NHLer. So far, he's been doing just that, on both sides of the puck.

— Hadi Kalakeche (@HadiK_Scouting) March 28, 2023

Farrell will have an excellent opportunity as the season closes out to get acclimatized to the NHL and possibly see some time on a scoring line. He has some great offensive upside, and looking at next year's projected roster, he doesn't have a ton of competition in Montreal for scoring-line ice time.

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We're also going to see Henry Thrun debut tomorrow for the San Jose Sharks. As a lefty defenceman, the fun place to slot him in initially would be alongside righty Erik Karlsson. Play him with the best players and see what he can do. Erik Karlsson's partner for most of the season was Jaycob Megna, and he was traded as part of the Sharks' race to the bottom of the standings. Since then, Karlsson has split time alongside Mario Ferraro (LD) and Nikolai Knyzhov (LD). Some of San Jose's other defencemen are alsoleft shots, but can play the right side, meaning there shouldn't be a lot of competition for heavy minutes from Thrun.

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A handful of other fantasy-relevant player I am looking forward to seeing as they could/will make their debuts over the next three weeks:

Devon Levi – One of the top goalie prospects, and maybe the best one that doesn't have an incumbent starter in front of him (e.g. Yaroslav Askarov behind Juuse Saros, Jesper Wallstedt behind Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson). Levi may only be 21, which is very early to be getting regular starts in the NHL, but he has never taken traditional paths before. Buffalo has a very uncertain situation in the crease, and a skater core that is ready to push for the playoffs. Whichever goalie gives them the best chance to win is going to get the majority of the starts – and that should be Levi.

Marco Kasper – There have been some questions about his ultimate offensive upside, and that isn't exactly what you want to hear as a fantasy owner, but Kasper is skilled and does have an excellent all-around game. He is as safe a bet as they come that he will be an impactful NHLer with a long career. The question though is will he top out as a third-line centre or can he grow into a top-six weapon along with Dylan Larkin?

Emil Andrae – Someone I have had on my watch list for a while, Andrae's height is the only thing that is really holding him back from being viewed as a real fantasy hockey prospect. If you're happy with Lane Hutson and his production versus height, then there's no reason you can't get on board with Andrae as well. The five-foot-nine, former second-round pick, may actually be the top prospect defenceman in the pipeline, even ahead of Cam York or Egor Zamula. He has two power play assists, three shots, and six PIMs through two games at the AHL level thus far. If he doesn't get a couple games this season, then he will at least get a long look for the team in the fall.

Matthew Coronato – Assuming he does actually see game action and Darryl Sutter doesn't just sit him in the press box to watch, then there is a possibility he will see some time on either or both of the top-two lines to see if he (and any of the rest of the team) can find some chemistry that has been missing this year in Calgary. Getting to play with at least one of Elias Lindholm or Jonathan Huberdeau would be a boon for a player with an excellent shot like Coronato has.

Matthew Knies – With Michael Bunting having been shuffled down the lineup, there is a world in which Knies sees a few games on the Leafs' top line before season's end. He was excellent in college the last two years, and has an NHL frame to go along with a few NHL level skills already.

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I put out some new salary cap league fantasy rankings in the last few days, with some revamped ranking systems to make them a lot more universally useful. You can find the skater rankings here, and the goalie rankings here.

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I wish Jonathan Toews all the best health-wise. As a fantasy asset, his day as a must-own player are over. However, in deeper leagues that also count faceoff wins, he could still be a useful flier for next year. He may be a big risk to play or stay healthy, but when he's on the ice he still has the talent to produce in spurts. He will be much better off next year if he does in fact choose to move on from the Blackhawks, as he could slot in as a solid third-line centre on a top-heavy team such as Carolina, Winnipeg, or Toronto. His value will likely depend on whether or not he moves on from Chicago though, because if he does return to the Blackhawks, then there's almost no point at which he will be worth using a pick on or spending an asset to acquire him.

Toews returns to ice: 'This could be my last few weeks in Chicago as a Blackhawk'

WATCH: https://t.co/IIoCXSEu9K pic.twitter.com/wbhp7q4vDN

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 29, 2023

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Lastly, congrats to my hometown Toronto Six taking home the Isobel Cup as PHF champions on the weekend. It's nice to have a top-level professional hockey team in Toronto win a championship in my lifetime.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THE TORONTO SIX ARE ISOBEL CUP CHAMPIONS.#GotYourSix pic.twitter.com/cTMrHqtiUi

— Toronto Six (@TheTorontoSix) March 27, 2023

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See you next Wednesday. In the meantime, you can find me on Twitter @alexdmaclean if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments.