Connor Hellebuyck is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks, as he will undergo a minor arthroscopic knee procedure. The timeline should make Hellebuyck available in January, about a month before the Olympics start. After starting in the 4 Nations last season, Hellebuyck has the inside track to be the starting goalie for the USA during the 2026 Olympics.

Hellebuyck has been the gold standard for durability and reliability among goalies up to this point, as he has played at least 60 games for the past four seasons and six times in his career. Since the start of 2021-22 only Juuse Saros has more games played among goalies than Hellebuyck (267), while Hellebuyck has more wins (158) than any other goalie during that span. It's an unfortunate break for Jets fans and fantasy teams, but the decision for surgery may have been made with an eye on being ready for the Olympics.

While Hellebuyck is out, Eric Comrie is expected to take on the starting role in Winnipeg. Comrie wasn't expected to play much before the season, with his highest single-season games-played total being 20 games from last season. Comrie has shot up to being rostered in 32% of Yahoo leagues and 35% of Fantrax leagues with this news. That means you'll have to act quickly if you have any interest in adding him. Thomas Milic has been recalled from the AHL to be Comrie's backup.

The Jets were involved in one of four games on Friday, which meant that Comrie had only two days of rest following his previous start on Tuesday. He allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Jets' 4-3 loss to Carolina.

Jordan Staal scored two of the Hurricanes' goals, giving him four goals over his last four games.

In his return to Winnipeg as a member of the Canes, Nikolaj Ehlers registered an assist on the game-winning goal from Andrei Svechnikov. Ehlers took 12 games to score his first goal with his new team. However, he has 10 points in his last 10 games, so he is adjusting to his new surroundings after a slow start.

Adam Lowry was handling BOTH Sebastian Aho and Sean Walker all on his own 😭 pic.twitter.com/85KHzVUmOi

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 22, 2025

–

With one-quarter of the 2025-26 regular season in the books, the main takeaway seems to be that this is the season of the kids. The breakouts of young forwards Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, and Leo Carlsson as top-10 scorers forwards have been well chronicled here. All three of these players are not yet legal drinking age in the United States (21). Don't forget about 2025 first overall pick Matthew Schaefer, who has jumped seamlessly into the NHL despite not being legal drinking age through much of Canada.

We can also add goalies into the discussion. Dobber's theory about goalies, which has been proven with loads of data, is that they need years and years of development from their draft year before being fantasy relevant. We're talking longer development time than most skaters. In fact, the right time to invest in a goalie on a fantasy team is closer to age 25. However, a look at the goalie stats shows Spencer Knight and Jesper Wallstedt both holding a save percentage above .920 while under the age of 25. Yaroslav Askarov (6 W, 7 QS in last 7 GP) and Jet Greaves (4 W, 4 QS in last 5 GP), both also under 25, have also stood out with their recent play.

Is your fantasy team worse than you thought? It may be because of the lack of young stars on your team. Maybe one or more of these players hits the rookie wall or a sophomore slump before the season ends, but superstardom is imminent for at least some of these players.  

–

Inconsistency comes with young players on rebuilding teams. So as much as the Blackhawks have been on the upswing this season, Friday served as a reminder that they are not a full-fledged contender yet. The Hawks fell 9-3 in Buffalo to a Sabres team that has been mired in a rebuild for what seems like forever. Fortunately for those rostering Knight, Arvid Soderblom was in goal for all nine goals against. Soderblom would have been a stream that went horribly wrong for those who saw the Sabres as a great matchup.

Josh Doan scored a pair of goals, Jason Zucker scored a goal and two assists, and Alex Tuch registered four assists for the Sabres.

Even though Rasmus Dahlin has returned, Bowen Byram continues to be hot. Byram scored a power play goal and an assist with four shots on goal, giving him four points in four games since relinquishing his spot on the top power play. Byram had an injury scare after crashing into the boards during the second period, but he fortunately returned to the game. Keep an eye on this, because I've seen more than one player this season return to a game after an injury, then miss the following game.

Bedard finished with two assists, giving him 24 points over his last 13 games. Bedard is also tied for third with Celebrini in league scoring, with the two young stars showing identical statlines (21 GP – 13 G – 18 A – 31 PTS).

Tyler Bertuzzi scored both goals that Bedard assisted on. Dating back to his hat trick against Vancouver on November 5, Bertuzzi has nine goals and 12 points over his last six games. Just as Bedard is breaking out as the superstar we thought he'd become, Bertuzzi has seen his scoring explode accordingly.

–

Filip Gustavsson only needed 19 saves to earn his second shutout of the season, a 5-0 blanking of Pittsburgh. Gustavsson's first shutout came on his first game of the season. Gustavsson has recently been alternating starts with the red-hot Wallstedt, so he may not reach the 58 games he played last season. Overall, a goalie competition seems good for the Wild, as they lead the league with four team shutouts.

Matt Boldy led the Wild with two goals and an assist, giving him 10 points over his last six games. Boldy is above the point-per-game mark (25 PTS in 22 GP) for the first time in his career. A high shooting percentage (18.1%) and secondary assist percentage (66.7%) may pose challenges for Boldy to stay above a point per game.

Vinnie Hinostroza left this game in the second period with what coach John Hynes described as a serious injury.

Arturs Silovs entered this game with a .918 SV%, but that save percentage decreased to just .908 in this one game alone. Silovs was pulled early in the second period after allowing four goals on just 10 shots.

–

Morgan Geekie's goal run continued on Friday night. Geekie scored both Bruins' goals, including the game-winner in overtime in a win over Los Angeles. He is now up to 16 goals on the season, which ties him with Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead.

Morgan Geekie wins it in OT and Darcy Kuemper sticks out his leg at a passing by David Pastrnak who was NOT happy 🫣🧐 pic.twitter.com/0byaPCnrNa

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 22, 2025

Geekie should continue to score goals if he remains on David Pastrnak's line as he has for much of the season. As well, he will need to continue to use his shot more often, as he is up from 2.0 SOG/GP last season to 2.6 SOG/GP this season. In prior season with Boston, Seattle, and Carolina, Geekie had never averaged two shots per game.

As nice as the run has been, there's still a sound argument that Geekie is a sell-high candidate. His 21.9 SH% last season seemed quite high, so his 27.1 SH% this season definitely seems like it will drop, as well his 3.2 PTS/60. Other advanced stats seem okay, such as an 8.2 5on5 SH% and 967 PDO. Geekie has just six assists in 23 games, so a significant dropoff in goals could result in a major slump points-wise.

A serious question about David Pastrnak before the season was which current Bruin could possibly keep up. That guy is Geekie, who is in the right place at the right time.

–

Teams with games on both Saturday and Sunday: Calgary, Colorado, NY Islanders, San Jose, Seattle

Emil Heineman continues to be hot on a five-game point streak and 15 points (9 G – 6 A) in his first 21 games. I'm still not convinced that the run is sustainable, given just about every advanced stat out there (or at least the ones listed on Frozen Tools). Heineman has been especially valuable in bangers leagues, as he has averaged around three hits per game dating back to last season. There is something there longer-term even if the scoring drops off a bit.

Teams with games on neither Saturday nor Sunday: Los Angeles

If you're looking for a potential drop, Andrei Kuzmenko might be the guy. Combine no points in the last six games with a three-game healthy scratch absence and Kuzmenko has not registered a point since November 1. On his fourth team, Kuzmenko's run with a team typically goes from strong offensive producer at the start followed by cold stretches with time in the coach's doghouse. That is what is currently playing out in LA. Don't be fooled into making a long-term investment.

–

This is probably the first time I've ever mentioned the PWHL on here, but this was an entertaining game with a great finish. The Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent were both playing their first-ever game.

ABBY BOREEN OVERTIME HERO ‼️ pic.twitter.com/umD7vASxWy

— Vancouver Goldeneyes (@PWHL__Vancouver) November 22, 2025

–

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