With the NHL season now on pause, I'll use this time to take a closer look at the top five Frozen Tools searches from the past week. These are the players that fantasy owners are the most curious about, so I'll share my two cents on each.

Fraser Minten

Minten is off the Frozen Tools Hot List after failing to record a point over his last two games. That's unfortunate, because the 21-year-old has averaged over 19 minutes per game over those two games. One major reason for the spike in icetime is that centers Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha have both been injured. Prior to that, Minten had a red-hot January with eight goals and 16 points and a plus-15 over 15 games (including December 31).

Minten benefitted from a 30.8 SH% during his January run, while many of his season-long advanced stats look very unsustainable (17.9 SH%, 11.9 5-on-5 SH%, 1052 PDO). When Lindholm and Zacha return, Minten's icetime could fall and so could his scoring as a result. Minten has shown a glimpse of his upside as a potential second-line forward, but he might be better off as a keeper league option once the NHL season resumes.

Darren Raddysh

Who knew before the season that Raddysh's season-long fantasy value would far surpass that of Victor Hedman at the Olympic break? You probably know by now that onetime AHL regular Raddysh is suddenly on Tampa's top power play, scoring at over a point per game. Is the bubble going to burst now that Hedman is back? If it eventually does, it hasn't yet. In the three games since Hedman has returned, Raddysh has five points (three on the power play), four shots per game, and is still averaging 25 minutes per game. Raddysh played just 19 minutes on Thursday, but that was a game that was one-sided by the second period.

The Lightning appear to be one of the few legitimate top-tier contenders in the Eastern Conference. Hedman, their franchise defenseman, is now 35 years of age, has a ton of mileage with over 1100 NHL games, and just returned from a significant injury. The best way to keep Hedman fresh for a potentially long playoff run would be to limit his minutes. That is in fact what the Lightning have done so far, keeping him to under 18 minutes in each of his three games since returning. Raddysh may cool off in the scoring department anyway, as a 13.2 SH% is rather high for a defenseman. However, the Lightning now know they have unlocked a new PP1 QB who can carry the mail for at least the rest of the season.  

Looking among the scoring leaders for forwards and defensemen, Raddysh might be the biggest surprise of the fantasy season.

Jack Quinn

I was fortunate enough to be able to add Quinn in a deep 20-team keeper league. I say this because young players with as much upside as his don't become available that often. At the time he was dropped, Quinn had seven points in 15 games and contributed very little to peripheral categories. Today, Quinn is two points shy of reaching his career high while not yet reaching 60 games, while registering 15 points over his last 15 games. Although he is still not a great option for hits, blocked shots, or faceoffs, Quinn has been on the Sabres’ top power play for the past few games.

In addition to the above, Quinn hasn't really seen his overall icetime or his power-play time increase much over recent seasons. Yet the rising tide in Buffalo seems to be helping Quinn improve, while he hasn't been promoted to receive minutes that he can't handle. Quinn is also at 235 career games, which is a stage in which players tend to break out. Quinn probably won't be a superstar, although he is coming closer to delivering on the promise that made him the 8^th overall pick in 2020.

Egor Chinakhov

Sometimes players just need a change of scenery. Chinakhov has requested a trade during the summer, but the fact that he has finally moved on might be settling for him. Since being acquired by the Penguins, Chinakhov has a fairly modest 12 points in 18 games. However, eight of those points are goals, while he has heated up recently with eight points over his last eight games. His final stint with Columbus (6 PTS in 29 GP before the trade) seems like a distant memory.

Chinakhov's success with the Penguins also boils down to the fact that he is being used more by his new team. Although his 13:39 average icetime doesn't seem like much, it is over three minutes higher than what he is averaging with the Blue Jackets. Chinakhov is also being used on the second power play, while he saw nearly no power-play time with the Jackets this season. Overall, Chinakhov's fantasy value has improved with the trade, and it could remain that way for the rest of the season. Based on deployment and most frequent linemates (Evgeni Malkin, Tommy Novak), Chinakhov is probably best suited for deeper leagues.

Charlie Coyle

Sometimes players will benefit under a new coach, but it's not the most obvious names. Until recently, Coyle had been a fantasy afterthought. Under former coach Dean Evason, Coyle had recorded seven goals and 26 points in 45 games averaging 17 minutes of icetime with second-unit power-play minutes – a 57-point pace. Yet since Rick Bowness was hired, Coyle has eight goals and 16 points in just 11 games, seeing his icetime increase a minute per game while receiving a promotion to the top power-play unit. More recently, Coyle has 12 points over his last six games.

Scoring at two points per game won't likely continue for the nearly 34-year-old Coyle, given his NHL track record. Just like the rest of the league will eventually catch up to Bowness. However, none of Coyle's advanced stats suggest that he can't produce at the 62-point pace he is on. In fact, his secondary assist ratio of 33% is a bit low and could keep it somewhat sustainable. Coyle's production hasn't been largely power-play dependent, so he should be safe to add even if he is removed from PP1.

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