Kevin Lankinen entered the season as an insurance experienced backup goalie for the Canucks, who didn't know how long Thatcher Demko would be sidelined. With Lankinen providing steady goaltending and Demko held to 17 games and injured again, Lankinen's stock has soared to the point where the Canucks have extended Lankinen for a five-year extension worth $4.5 million per season.

To answer these questions:

Happy for Lankinen, but a few thoughts come to mind:

Have we seen Silovs full potential, as is?

Should Demko fantasy GMs be concerned about his long-term role and health?#Canucks #NHL https://t.co/JWdkWjUWrQ

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) February 21, 2025

No, that doesn't mean Arturs Silovs has peaked. At all. Silovs turns 24 in March, which is still a very young age for a goalie. Take a look at the league's top goalies and they generally range in age between 26 to 32. It's possible that the best of Silovs will always be the World Hockey Championship and the 2024 playoffs, but another year or two in the AHL would be beneficial in adding to that resume. At that point he might be ready to be an NHL backup, perhaps even Lankinen's. Or even a 1A or 1B in a goaltending tandem. That's because…

I'd be worried about Demko's long-term health. Demko was out for the better part of nine months because of an obscure injury that doctors had trouble pronouncing (popliteus), let alone treating. He has another year left on his contract, which means the Canucks will have $9.5 million allocated for goalies next season. By signing Lankinen to five years, it seems as though they are betting on Demko still not being 100%. Regardless, Demko would need a full injury-free 2025-26 season before any team will feel comfortable issuing anything more than a short-term contract his way. If he gets a long-term deal, it probably won't be in Vancouver. For what it's worth, Lankinen and Demko are the same age (29). Demko has more upside than Lankinen as a past Vezina nominee, but at this point Lankinen is the much safer bet.

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As per Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, Quinn Hughes doesn’t appear ready to play on Saturday. Since I wasn’t sure about Hughes’ availability after the 4 Nations, I added Filip Hronek a few days ago in another league. Hronek has four points in his last three games, including two on the power play – all games in which Hughes was out of the lineup. From a visual perspective, Hronek's presence as the offensive focal point of the defense is more pronounced with Hughes not there.

MacIntyre also mentioned that Elias Pettersson is day-to-day with an injury from the 4 Nations. Pettersson’s struggles this season have been well-documented, and his injury status has been subject to debate. However, a video clip from the 4 Nations caught Petey with an ice bag on his knee during the intermission of one of the games.

Why is Pettersson icing his knee at 4 Nations if he isn't injured? pic.twitter.com/EaURDQCcgv

— Taj (@taj1944) February 20, 2025

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Another casualty of the 4 Nations Face-Off is Charlie McAvoy, who will miss NHL games as a result of an infection caused by a shoulder injury in the USA's game against Finland. I've pre-emptively added Mason Lohrei in one league, since he took on top power-play duties when McAvoy was injured during January. During McAvoy's absence, Lohrei picked up four points in seven games, including one power-play point. Lohrei also averaged more than two minutes per game during that time.  

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Look for at least a few 4 Nations participants to be rested today (Saturday), even if they are battling minor injuries or even fatigue. A bunch of pre-7 pm ET starts might also contribute to the decision to sit out. Sidney Crosby is one such player, as he will be a game-time decision. Remember that Crosby missed the last two games before the break with an upper-body injury. The Penguins also face the Capitals for a 3 pm ET game, and they also play again on Sunday against the Rangers in another matinee game.

Josh Morrissey will also miss today's game with the same illness that forced him to miss Thursday's championship game. Not surprisingly, Eric Comrie is expected to start in place of Connor Hellebuyck for today's game against St. Louis. My guess is that Joel Hofer will start for the Blues instead of Jordan Binnington, although nothing has been announced. See GoaliePost for the latest starting goalie info.

This already seemed obvious if you watched the 4 Nations final, but Panthers coach Paul Maurice has said that Matthew Tkachuk is unlikely to play today against Seattle.

For more player news updates, check the Frozen Tools Player News.

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Once NHL play resumes, many fantasy teams will be in must-win mode as they attempt to secure a playoff spot. In fact, the fantasy playoffs aren't too far away, as standard Yahoo leagues show only three more scoring periods. If you are in that position, here are a few teams and players to consider over the next few weeks based on strength of schedule.

To align with the last three weeks of the regular season in many fantasy leagues (not the NHL regular season), I'll use the date range of February 22 to March 16 in the Frozen Tools Schedule Planner, which you can view here.

Anaheim

Anaheim is one of two teams to play 13 games, the largest number of games over the next three weeks. On top of that, the Ducks play their usually high number of light days (6), so this is a great time for a Ducks streamer at the very least. Maybe this is the right time to roll the dice on Trevor Zegras, who is just 6 percent rostered. However, Mason McTavish seems like the safer option at the moment, and he has been hot with seven goals and two assists over his past 11 games. If McTavish isn't available, then Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Strome, or Alex Killorn might do the trick.

NY Rangers

The Rangers are the other team to play 13 games over the next three scoring periods, and they also play on an equal number of light days to the Ducks (6). Will Cuylle's scoring has dried up after a hot start, but he is still a consistent contributor of hits. Currently he is third in the NHL in that category with 204 hits. Cuylle is rostered in 29 percent of Yahoo leagues, so he isn't necessarily widely available. If you're looking for a Ranger with a similar profile, consider adding Braden Schneider or K'Andre Miller to your blueline. Neither blueliner scores a lot, but each has at least 150 combined hits and blocked shots.

Winnipeg

The Jets make their way onto the list with 12 games, including six light days. Their opponents over the next three scoring periods have a combined .509 winning percentage, so this is a nice opportunity for the Jets to feast. Cole Perfetti has moved up to being 28 percent rostered in Yahoo as a result of a recent run with nine points over his last seven games. Perfetti is a mainstay on the Jets' second line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov, who is hot himself with six points over his last four games. Namestnikov is just 12 percent rostered, so look to him if Perfetti isn't available.

Vancouver

Like the Jets, the Canucks have 12 games with six light days. Kiefer Sherwood is the obvious play if you need hits, as he is the runaway league leader in hits (294). If Sherwood isn't available and you need hits, Dakota Joshua has averaged over three hits per game and is at triple-digit hits despite playing only 30 games. Newly acquired Filip Chytil is worth a look for scoring, as he has three points and 10 shots over his four games with the Canucks. Chytil is also averaging 18:40 per game as a Canuck, compared to just 14:20 with the Rangers. In order to make the J.T. Miller trade work, the Canucks will give Chytil every opportunity to claim that second-line role.  

Los Angeles

The Kings are yet another team with 12 games and six light days. Quinton Byfield plays all three forward positions, so there's lots of versatility there for your lineup. At 38 percent rostered, Byfield could be available in your league. If not, consider Warren Foegele or Phillip Danault. Foegele in particular is hot with four points in his last three games. In addition, Foegele has averaged four shots per game over his last five games. Danault is known more for his two-way game in real life, but he also has five points over his last four games.

Vegas

The Golden Knights play a fairly league-average 11 games, but six of those games are on light days. Usually this would be the spot where we would recommend Pavel Dorofeyev, who has emerged as a legitimate full-time scoring threat this season. He's now 43 percent rostered in Yahoo, so go get him if he happens to still be available. If not, multicategory threat Ivan Barbashev is down to being 35 percent rostered in Yahoo, although his scoring has fallen off a cliff (9 PTS in last 23 GP) after a hot start (25 PTS in 23 GP). Brayden McNabb should be able to fill hits and blocks categories as well.

For more waiver-wire suggestions over this scoring period, see this week's Frozen Tools Forensics. Chris and I just happened to pick similar topics without consulting with each other. Some of our picks are the same, but some are different. That's what is great about different viewpoints. I believe that this is a topic that could be very useful anyway.   

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Don't forget to set your lineup bright and early today! The first game starts at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT. I'll be back tomorrow with a rundown of the important happenings from a busy day.

Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Threads @goodsfantasyhockey and now Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social