Welcome back in, everyone! I don't know if you're in the same boat, but my fantasy season in my main league came to a crashing halt last week. And honestly, I'd always rather lose by a lot than by a little, and let me tell the readers:this one wasn't close. Being in Nashville over the weekend softened the blow a bit, but it's still tough when the season officially ends.

Still, I like to play things out as long as I can, because come May I'll inevitably open the fantasy app by accident while trying to check my club. For those of you still alive in the playoffs, I want to help you bring home that title. Just like last week, let's dig into some interesting fantasy options as we inch closer to championship week(s).

Pavel Zacha, C/LW, Boston Bruins ($4.8M AAV)

I went digging through my Fantrax league for a solid add, but that league is so massive that the top candidate by add/drop percentage I could find was someone named Felix Trudeau. I swear that's a real player. Over on ESPN, though, my algorithm spit out Pavel Zacha — now we're talking.

Ideally, the time to scoop him up was earlier in the week, but Zacha is trending into "must‑start"territory for the weekend. He has seven points in his last six games and is riding a shooting percentage just over 20%. He's also skating on a power‑play unit with David Pastrnak, who currently owns the longest scoring streak in the league, and he's active on Boston's second line with Viktor Arvidsson.

Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lighting ($8M AAV)

We got word on Wednesday afternoon that the Lightning captain will be taking a leave of absence from the team. There is no timeline and the team asked for his privacy, so we'll just leave it at that and wish Hedman and his family the best.

On the fantasy hockey side of things, replacinga defenseman in salary formats is usually easier than replacing a forward. You can often find a near‑match in salary to temporarily fill Hedman's spot. The production won't be the same, but securing a warm body and maintaining roster flexibility is the priority. Players like Jared Spurgeon, Adam Pelech, or Brenden Dillon come to mind —all of whom are likely sitting on waivers in deeper leagues and carry AAVs below Hedman's $8M.

Hopefully Hedman returns soon, but until then, those types of placeholders make for simple, low‑stress pivots to keep your lineup intact.

Mathieu Olivier, C/RW, Columbus Blue Jackets ($3M AAV)

Rostered in just 25% of Fantrax leagues, Mathieu Olivier is an interesting under‑the‑radar option. His AAV is manageable, he's skating on an active Columbus depth line, and at this point in the season, finding any forward help can feel impossible. Olivier isn't a name that's going to draw much attention, but he's quietly put up eight points in his last 10 games.

For a depth‑line player, he's also seeing solid usage, averaging 14:25of ice time. If you're looking for a weekend filler at under a $4M AAV, he makes a lot of sense as a low‑risk, helpful plug‑in.

Egor Chinakhov, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins ($2.1M AAV)

It might be hit‑or‑miss whether Chinakhov is available in your league, but he's definitely worth checking on. Even with Evgeni Malkin out —a player he had strong numbers alongside —Chinakhov has kept producing. He has seven points in his last six games and has racked up five goals and eight assists over Pittsburgh's 13 games so far in March.

His ice time is a bit on the lower side at 16:18 over the past week, but that shouldn't push him off your radar. I do wish the Penguins had a weekend back‑to‑back to really boost his value, but if you need quick production, he's a perfectly viable option.

*Salary Cap data from PuckPedia.com and roster data from Frozen Tools

For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.