As you may have seen on my X account, I just returned from a field trip to Seattle to watch the Kraken play the Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena. Needless to say, I have some observations based on that game.

After the Kraken lost eight games in a row, Joey Daccord has posted wins in back-to-back games, allowing just one goal over that span. Daccord also has three consecutive quality starts. It sounds like Philipp Grubauer will be out for a while, so Daccord is worth adding if you have an extra space for a goalie. As Mike pointed out yesterday, Seattle's next three opponents are Los Angeles, Dallas, and Los Angeles again. That means the best plan is probably stashing him on your bench. It gets a little easier after that with matches against Anaheim, Calgary, and Philadelphia before the Winter Classic showdown with Vegas.

With Justin Schultz out, Ryker Evans has posted three points over his last two games. Evans has also played on the Kraken's second-unit power play, one that seems to get solid minutes compared to other teams. Dave Hakstol even made Schultz a healthy scratch so that Evans could make his NHL debut back on December 7. That means Evans may not necessarily be returned to the AHL once Schultz is out. Evans is rostered in just 16 percent of Fantrax leagues, and he possesses solid keeper value (44 PTS in 73 GP in the AHL last season) as well as a bit of near-term potential.

Now playing in his home state of Washington, Kailer Yamamoto has multiple points in back-to-back games, including two goals on Thursday. He seems to be glued to the fourth line right now, but he skated 15 minutes on Thursday and has received over 60% of Seattle's available power-play minutes in back-to-back games. I'd like to see him moved up to a scoring line before recommending him, though. Yamamoto was without a point in his previous 11 games, so he hasn't exactly been a consistent option.

The Blackhawks might be the worst team in the NHL right now. Remember when we said the Sharks were in a league of their own in that category? Well, if I had my own team power rankings (which I don't), I'm sure the Sharks would no longer be dead last after their recent run of six wins in their last nine games. For the Blackhawks, it’s now Connor Bedard and a whole bunch of players I needed a program (or the new feature on scoreboards that matches players on the ice with their numbers) to look up.

No Taylor Hall.
No Corey Perry.
No Andreas Athanasiou.
No Seth Jones.
No Kevin Korchinski.
No Jarred Tinordi.
No MacKenzie Entwistle.

The Blackhawks were going to be bad this season. But tonight's lineup is especially thin. This is what happens.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) December 15, 2023

Bedard didn’t seem to have his best stuff on Thursday. I begin to wonder if this lack of depth is going to eat away at his production for the rest of the season. After all, it's not like the Blackhawks will be loading up at the trade deadline. He’s going to need to be surrounded by better players in order to reach his potential, and a major part of that will be from players the Hawks haven't drafted yet.  

–

Some Friday news regarding the Kraken: They have acquired Tomas Tatar from the Avalanche for a fifth-round pick. The Kraken have never seemed to have a shortage of middle-six-type forwards during their existence, so at first glance this trade might seem like a head-scratcher. However, both Andre Burakovsky and Jaden Schwartz are expected to be on IR for a while, and both are left wingers. Tatar can play at that position or allow another Seattle forward to be shifted there. He has not been productive this season (9 PTS in 27 GP), but the acquisition cost and cap hit ($1.5 million) are both very inexpensive.

The Kraken have also recalled Shane Wright and assigned Tye Kartye to Coachella Valley of the AHL. The move is believed to be for salary cap reasons, so it may be very temporary.

In another trade, the Canucks sent Jack Studnicka to the Sharks for defenseman Nick Cicek and a sixth-round pick.

–

How about this one: Dakota Joshua is worth a look in bangers leagues. Joshua leads the Canucks with 89 hits (5^th in the NHL after Thursday's games), while his 31 PIM is only one back of the team lead in penalty minutes. He has also been finding the net lately with two goals on Thursday and six goals on the season. That's more than at least one player that is universally rostered.

Dakota Joshua currently has more goals this season than Alexander Ovechkin. #Facts

— J Hawr🇺🇦 🇨🇦 (19-9-1) (@JHawr11) December 15, 2023

Don't look now, but Andrei Kuzmenko has goals in back-to-back games. Despite his struggles and recent demotion to the fourth line, Kuzmenko remains on the Canucks' top power play. We knew that regression was coming this season after a 26.8 SH%, but at this very moment it has the potential to swing the other way.

–

Jake Oettinger left Friday's game against Ottawa in the first period with a possible groin injury. The injury may have affected his performance recently, as he had allowed two goals in the first three minutes of the game prior to the injury. As well, Oettinger had posted really bad starts in three of his past four games prior to Friday.

Scott Wedgewood took over from Oettinger, stopping 25 of 27 shots in earning a win. Oettinger is not expected to travel to St. Louis for today's (Saturday's) game against the Blues, so Wedgewood should warrant an immediate pickup for teams that need goaltending.

Likely a groin strain for Oettinger

Time off depends on grade but often more of a week-to-week injury for goalies https://t.co/fLcS3j772A

— Dr. Harjas Grewal (@Harjas_Grewal) December 16, 2023

Drake Batherson scored twice for the Senators, which gives him 10 points over his last eight games. Batherson has rebounded nicely after a slow start where he was held without a goal and registered just three assists over his first seven games.

Jakob Chychrun had a night he won't forget, recording three assists and getting traded to Dallas afterward. Oh wait, he just made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

Uhhh… wrong tunnel Jakob 😂 pic.twitter.com/348QmDHIDT

📢 advertisement:

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 16, 2023

–

Kevin Shattenkirk might seem obsolete in fantasy leagues by now. Yet because Charlie McAvoy is on IR with an upper-body injury, Shattenkirk is making some noise again. In the three games that McAvoy has been out of the lineup, Shattenkirk has three points – all on the power play. Included in that are two power-play assists from Friday's game against the Islanders. This could turn out very similarly to Erik Gustafsson's value improving with Adam Fox out of the lineup earlier this season. Shattenkirk is just 1% rostered in Yahoo and 17% rostered in Fantrax, but he is a candidate to be added in many league formats. The Bruins have a top-10 power play in the league, so the potential for more points is there while McAvoy is out.

We might have to rethink Bo Horvat's fantasy value taking a hit after being traded to the Islanders. Horvat has a nine-game point streak in which he has 15 points (6 G, 9 A). Horvat has also taken four shots in each of his last three games, including six shots on Friday. Horvat scored a power-play goal and added two assists on Friday, pushing over the point-per-game mark this season (29 points in 28 games). With Horvat, Mathew Barzal, and Noah Dobson all at or over the point-per-game mark this season, the Islanders might be better offensively than you've been led to believe.

–

Patrik Laine is expected to miss the next six weeks with a fracture clavicle from Thursday's game against Toronto. Laine has had almost no luck this season, recording nine points (6 G, 3 A) in 18 games while also missing time to illness and even a healthy scratch. I would think Laine will be elevated to full Band-Aid Boy status this offseason, as he has played in just 56 and 55 games over the previous two seasons. He is rostered in just 38% of Yahoo leagues and could be droppable in even more, which is a far cry from when he seemed like a star in the making over his first few seasons in Winnipeg. Maybe he gets it going in Columbus again, but this seems more and more like a lost season for Laine.

–

Jonathan Quick might be the most ideal spot starter in fantasy leagues. Quick stopped 29 of 30 shots he faced in picking up a win over Anaheim, giving him a 9-0-1 record with a 2.09 GAA and .927 SV%. The 37-year-old appeared to be on the decline after posting subpar numbers last season, but he has reversed that trend. Maybe a well-rested Quick is the best Quick? He is at least in the conversation for more playing time, as he is outperforming starter Igor Shesterkin (10-7-0, 3.02 GAA, 902 SV%). In one league where I have gone total Zero G, I added Quick recently and took advantage of this great home matchup.

With two goals on six shots, Chris Kreider broke a four-game stretch without a point.

–

I had high hopes for Jesperi Kotkaniemi early in the season when he scored 13 points over his first 14 games. However, he's gone ice cold with no points in his last nine games and counting. He played just 11 minutes on Friday and hasn't seen the power play in three games. Bench him or drop him, whatever seems fit for your roster.  

–

Connor Ingram broke a run of three consecutive losses with a 21-save shutout of the Sharks on Friday. Now with three shutouts, Ingram is tied for the league lead in that category with Thatcher Demko and Tristan Jarry. He has established himself as the Coyotes' starter with some very impressive season numbers (12-6-0, 2.41 GAA, .923 SV%). Yes, it is safe to start a Coyotes netminder. He was a Zero G target earlier in the season with his fine play, but your window to add him is now firmly shut (78% Yahoo/74% Fantrax).

–

Playing his first NHL season as an 18-year-old, Zach Benson will have his ups and downs. Benson began the month with a six-game stretch without a point. Now he has goals in back-to-back games, including a goal and an assist on Friday. What makes this more notable is that Benson was playing on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in this game. Benson is a must-own in keeper leagues for his obvious upside, but he could be worth a pickup in single-season leagues if he can stay on this line. How Buffalo was able to select him 13^th overall is beyond me.

In Friday's win over Vegas, Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt each had three points and a plus-3. Mittelstadt broke a four-game slump without a point with the three-point effort, while Cozens had gone three games without a point. Cozens has taken at least three shots in each of his past four games.

–

Follow me on Twitter/X and Threads.