Before we get into Sunday's news, a quick reminder that due to the All-Star Break, this is a double week in most fantasy formats – running from January 29^th to February 11^th. As a result of the break, there are a lot of teams that only play twice over the next 14 days. Fortunately, there are also a few teams that play four games. Here's a quick breakdown from Dobber's Schedule Planner:

Number of Games (Jan. 29 – Feb 11)

Four – Colorado*, Vancouver*, Washington*

Three – Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers*, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Winnipeg,

Two – Anaheim, Arizona, Buffalo, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, Seattle, Vegas

*Teams with three games scheduled on light nights.  

If you need help from the waiver wire, Colorado's schedule makes Jonathan Drouin and Ross Colton optimal targets. Available in 72% of Yahoo Leagues, Drouin has 20 points in his last 21 games and is skating on the team's top power-play unit. Also on the top unit, Colton has nine points in his last seven outings and is available in 82% of leagues.

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On Sunday, the Blue Jackets announced that Patrik Laine would be out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Injuries have limited the 25-year-old forward to just 18 games this season, and he currently sports a career-low 41-point pace. He's been out with a broken clavicle since December 14^th. Although it seemed like he was getting close to a return, this past Saturday, we learned he'd suffered a setback in recovery. Obviously, his on-ice play takes a backseat to whatever going on right now. Hopefully, this stint in the program brings him to a better place.

#CBJ forward Patrik Laine has entered the NHL / NHLPA player-assistance program and will be away from the club for an undetermined amount of time, The Athletic has learned.
Story posting soon.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 28, 2024

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The Rangers also released a significant injury update on Sunday, ruling Filip Chytil out for the rest of the season. Chytil's been sidelined with an upper-body injury – believed to be a concussion – since November 2^nd. He recently suffered a setback, raising concerns about his long-term health because he has a history of concussions. The 24-year-old forward broke out with a 50-point pace last year and was primed to build on that this season, centering New York's second line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière. His absence opened the door for Vincent Trocheck, who has 42 points in 39 games (1.08 points/game) since Chytil got injured – a big jump from four in 10 (0.40 points/game) he had before. Ultimately, the most important thing here is Chytil's long-term health, so let's hope this extra time off gives him an opportunity to fully recover for next season.

pic.twitter.com/apWZOavGUO

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 28, 2024

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In brighter news, the Golden Knights activated William Karlsson from long-term injured reserve on Sunday. Karlsson's been out with a lower-body injury since January 1^st. He has 32 points through 38 games this season and will be a welcome addition to a Vegas team that's still without Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore.

In addition, #VegasBorn have also activated William Karlsson off LTIR. https://t.co/04mRlebgIr

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) January 28, 2024

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Montreal's power play has been surprisingly hot over the last two months. Since the beginning of December, they rank 11^th with a 23.4% success rate. During this stretch, Nick Suzuki has 14 power-play points in 26 games. Only six players in the league have amassed more points with the man advantage during this span. Close behind Suzuki are Mike Matheson and Sean Monahan, who each have 10 PPPs. They're followed by Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, who have eight and five, respectively.

Since Sean Monahan is a free agent at the end of this season, Montreal is almost certain to trade him for future assets before the NHL trade deadline (March 8^th). From a real-world perspective, such a move would be a win-win – furthering Montreal's rebuild, but also giving Monahan a shot at the Cup. However, from a fantasy perspective, I think a Monahan trade ends up hurting the fantasy value of a few players.

For starters, there's Monahan himself. He's one of the better players on a rebuilding Canadiens' team, and thus sees a high volume of opportunity every night. He's averaging 18 and a half minutes per game this season, enjoying a 66% share of Montreal's total time with the man advantage. Most contending teams have deep rosters, with concrete top power-play units, so Monahan will probably see less favourable deployment on whatever team he lands on. Depending on where he ends up, higher quality linemates may help him produce despite that reduced role.

Now, onto the rest of the Canadiens, specifically the fantasy-relevant ones on that top power-play unit. With Monahan gone, there isn't really anyone who can step up and fill his role in the bumper spot. Josh Anderson has seen time on the top unit in the past, but he has just two power-play points in 45 games this year and hasn't looked particularly good with the man advantage. Kirby Dach would be the ideal fifth member of that top unit, but he's sidelined with an injury for the rest of the season. In my eyes, the next best option is Alex Newhook, but he still has another two-to-four weeks left in his recovery from a high ankle sprain. Although that lines up nicely with the trade deadline (when Monahan would be moved), I imagine Newhook would need some time to build chemistry with the top group.

Between Suzuki, Caufield, Matheson, and Slafkosvky, there's still enough talent for the Habs to be dangerous with the man advantage. However, at the very least, the team will need some time to integrate new personnel and adapt new strategies once Monahan's gone, making it difficult to maintain this recent rate of power-play success. If you're in a one-year league that tracks power-play production, I'd at least be listening to offers for Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Mike Matheson.

Monahan's pass on this goal is a great example of the offensive awareness and ability that the Canadiens will miss once he’s traded.

Ce jeu de passes 👌

Suzy on the power play!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/nsPUE6VVAz

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 26, 2024

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David Rittich was handed the overtime loss on Sunday, surrendering four goals on 32 shots from the Blues. With Cam Talbot struggling lately, I thought Rittich had an opportunity to steal the starting role. Although he played more than Talbot this week, his performances were lacklustre. Given how solid Talbot was early in the year, I imagine LA gives him the first start out of the All-Star Break – hoping that the time off allows him to reset. The Kings stumble into the break with a shocking two wins in their last 16 games. Although they aren't in great form right now, they've established themselves as one of the league's better defensive teams. As such, I'd feel comfortable holding onto their starting netminder down the stretch – it's just a matter of who that is (i.e., who goes on a hot streak first). My money's on Talbot reclaiming the role, but only time will tell.

With two assists against the Kings, Scott Perunovich now has 10 points in his last 14 appearances, including four power-play points in his last six games. He's still developing, having entered this season with just 19 NHL games under his belt. He's been limited to 14 and a half minutes a night so far this year, but if he keeps up this strong offensive play, he should demand more opportunity. Perunovich left Sunday's game with a lower-body injury, but ith the Blues playing just one game between now and February 9^th, he has plenty of time to rest and recover. His offensive ability was on full display as he set up Jordan Kyrou on this goal:

Some incredible passing leads to this goal from @JordanKyrou and the @StLouisBlues have the lead! 🎶 pic.twitter.com/r6vt0LV4Y2

— NHL (@NHL) January 28, 2024

Jordan Kyrou had a strong showing on Sunday, tallying a goal and three assists. He now has 20 points in 20 games since Drew Bannister took over as head coach – a significant step up from the 17 points in 28 games he had under Craig Berube earlier in the year.

Pavel Buchnevich posted his fifth three-point game of the season on Sunday. He's been scoring in bunches this year, boasting 12 multi-point games so far. Unfortunately, that's also meant a lot of scoreless games as he's failed to register a point in 24 of his 46 appearances.

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Jared McCann stayed hot on Sunday, posting a goal and an assist to give him 13 points in his last nine games. He had a strong second half last year, so don't be surprised if he closes out the campaign on a high note once again. Jordan Eberle also extended his hot streak with three points on Sunday. He now has 12 points in his last 11 appearances.

Yegor Chinakhov scored both of Columbus' goals on Sunday, cementing himself as one of the team's few bright spots this season. He started the year with five points in his first 17 outings, skating less than 14 minutes a night. Since then, he leads the team with 19 points in 21 games, averaging over 17 minutes per game. Drafted 21^st overall in 2020, the 22-year-old forward is currently rostered in just 3% of Yahoo Leagues.  

The Jackets make it a one goal game 👀 pic.twitter.com/1DEFP00SMJ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 29, 2024

Adam Fantilli left Sunday's clash with the Kraken due to a lower-body injury. If he's not ready to go Tuesday against St. Louis, he'll have some extra time to rest. Columbus' next game after that isn't until February 10^th.

Adam Fantilli went down the tunnel after this play due to an injury. pic.twitter.com/7elvDti3iI

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 29, 2024

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Thanks for reading! If you ever have any fantasy hockey questions, follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza and shoot me a message!