Happy Tuesday y'all! We have a super short week because of the Olympic break. At this point, I don't think your commissioner can change any league schedules so hopefully this week and the week the games return are combined into one matchup. I just realized one league has last week and this week together; not sure what my feelings are, but it is what it is at this point.

With the Olympic break coming up, we'll still be pumping out the content so make sure to keep checking out the website and all social accounts!

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If you're not reading my Wild West column that comes out on Monday's, you should start! We just dove into Anze Kopitar's return for the Kings and how he could be considered droppable in some formats. When the center returned, the coaching staff put him on the second powerplay unit. The Slovenian skater has always been on the top man advantage, with his lowest powerplay point total in his career being 16 (and he only played 47 games that lockout shortened season). 

Kopi currently only has seven points on the power play this year and, in his career, he has been an extra-man merchant. Out of his career 1,299 points, 35% of those have come when the Kings are up a man. He is only averaging a little more than half-a-point per game through 2025-26 and if his keys to the first powerplay unit are being taken away, he is almost not startable if you have a full lineup. 

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The Seattle Kraken will go into the break with their playoff hopes very much alive as they are in the thick of it in the Pacific Division. The line that will carry them to extra hockey is their top unit that consists of Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers, and Jared McCann. 

All three are former first round selections and seem to have found chemistry with one another. Eberle and Beniers have three points in their last three games while McCann looks like he did during his 40-goal campaign, registering four tallies and three apples in his last three contests.

While the Kraken will have three members of their lineup at the Olympics, this line will have the benefit of taking some time off and recharging their batteries for a late season playoff push. They also have one of the easier schedules for the rest of the season as the combined winning percentage of their foes ranks 24th at .562.

All three skaters should be available as well. McCann is owned in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues, while both Eberle and Beniers are sitting on the waiver wire in more than 70% of Yahoo leagues.

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When the New York Rangers told Artemi Panarin they were not going to re-sign him and the organization sent their letter of rebuilding out to the fan base, it signaled fire sale on every Ranger. No one really seems safe in that locker room. But out of all this mess comes the opportunity to find value, guys that will receive top-six minutes, because after all, the games still have to be played. These two players are deep stashes and available in almost every Yahoo league.

The first player I like is the American rookie, Noah Laba. He's a big center (6-foot-3, 214 pounds) and coach Mike Sullivan is a fan. You can bet if Vincent Trocheck or Mika Zibanejad get dealt, Laba will be given the opportunity to showcase his talents. He produces decent numbers in the peripheral categories, so he has the possibility to become Trocheck 2.0. Already receiving some power-play time, that could skyrocket if some of the big fish get moved.

The second forward I like is Jonny Brodzinski. He is a veteran presence for the Blueshirts and has worked his tail off to be where he is at. The versatile forward could be given a lot of extra work as a reward to show the younger Rangers that if you keep grinding and have that strong work ethic, you will be given opportunities.

When Brodzinski has played up in the lineup, he has produced. In games where the shifty American skater plays at least 12 minutes, his shot volume almost triples. He is a shooter when given the opportunity and should have the chance if the Rangers move on from the majority of their offensive players.

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I hope you guys enjoy the Olympics and use that time to really decipher your own rosters. If you need to rebuild your dynasty league or need a major push to make the playoffs, make those moves. The glory of fantasy sports is that we have the power to make our own teams and it doesn't actually affect the real world (except for maybe the wallet with some of these league fees) so hit accept on that trade offer you have been mulling over the past week! Hit me up on Twitter @LAM1926 if you have any waiver/trade/line up questions.