It's tough to talk about fantasy hockey in the wake of all of the news dropping from the result of the investigation into the abuse and cover up in the Chicago Blackhawks organization back in 2010. I won't get into the details of the incident(s), the cover up, or the fallout here, but I do want to impress on how I feel that despite Stan Bowman stepping down and the NHL fining the team $2 million, it doesn't seem like nearly enough action was taken based on the gravity of the situation.

With a new GM coming in, is there a chance that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are moved to really start a new era on the ice in Chicago? Alex DeBrincat should be just fine without Kane, but if the duo were to be moved, the team overall would take a hit in the fantasy department.

In addition, do we see a new coach in Florida, and how do the lines shake out from there? A new coach for the Cats could greatly impact the value of players such as Owen Tippett, Mackenzie Weegar, and Spencer Knight. Something to keep an eye on.

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Andrew Mangiapane made the New Jersey Devils look like a Peewee team, scoring two goals to bring him up to seven on the season. He's becoming exactly the threat the Flames have needed in their middle-six over the last number of years.

Safe to say Andrew Mangiapane (@andrewmange13) is bringing the heat. 🔥 https://t.co/bhkiOnJsd4 pic.twitter.com/4d6lncxDG4

— NHL (@NHL) October 26, 2021

Speaking of the middle-six, Sean Monahan has been disappointing fantasy owners for a while now. Part of it can possibly be blamed on his recovery from his hip surgery in the summer, but that doesn't explain his declining production, shot rate, and ice time since the 2018-19 season. He notched his first point of the season last night, but at this point, his career high of 82 points looks like an outlier, and he can't be relied on for any more than 50 points, with a realistic upside of 65. If/when he ends up playing for a different coach, then maybe those numbers can be re-assessed and bumped up a little, as Darryl Sutter doesn't exactly inspire peak offensive seasons from his players.

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Matt Duchene scored early for the Predators, keeping his hot start to the season going as well. He was lined up with Mikael Granlund and Filip Forsberg in last night's game, and has been playing with Forsberg all season. He may only be on pace for 60 points, but compared to recent years that is actually a decent total for him. He's also adding peripherals with 3.4 shots per game, and already three points with the man advantage. He's not a top-tier option, but he shouldn't be on your league's waiver wire either.

Carey Price may be the big name that has taken time off recently through the Player's Assistance Program, but last year Predators goalie Connor Ingram took himself away from the game for a number of months to seek the help he needed. It's great to see him in the NHL, and notching his first career win over the weekend. He's currently the third goalie on the Predators' depth chart, but if he keeps up his current high level of play, he may pass David Rittich in the pecking order. He's a bit of an under-the-radar goalie in a lot of deeper leagues right now if you are looking for someone to stash that has the potential to be a starter in the future.

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Tampa ran with some new lines last night as they try to balance the lineup in the wake of the Nikita Kucherov injury, and re-adding Alex Barre-Boulet gave them a little extra flexibility on the wing. The new-look lines really seemed to click, so we should expect a very similar lineup to remain at least in the short term.

Here are the lines:

The big impacts are that Stamkos is playing centre, and taking faceoffs again for leagues that count that. He's playing on a line with Ondrej Palat and Matthew Joseph, which would be a boon for Joseph's value to be brought up from the third line. Maybe even more noteworthy though, is that Joseph is now averaging 17 minutes a night over the last three games, which is five minutes more than his highest ice time from any other game this season. Tampa seems to have someone break out every year, is this Joseph's year?

Meanwhile, Alex Barre-Boulet, was down on the fourth line, but managed to notch a point on a Palat goal during a line change. Anthony Cirelli is the big winner, playing up on Brayden Point's line with Alex Killorn. Their line scored, but Cirelli wasn't part of the scoring action this time around. He should pick up a few extra points by osmosis in that case, and will be freed up a little more offensively without the centre responsibilities. On the flip side, Ross Colton got theshort end of the stick, playing with Corey Perry and Pat Maroon. His offensive ceiling is very limited with that kind of deployment.

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Chandler Stephenson was supposed to completely fall off with Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty both injured. Instead, he is chugging along with six points in six games, at least one shot in every game, and is a plus player. He may not have the same upside without the two wingers, but he's not completely useless either.

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William Eklund was back in the lineup for the Sharks. He's a very talented offensive winger who will have a long and productive career in the NHL, but there will be some bumps early on. He isn't seeing any power play time right now, and it is looking like he may not stick past his nine-game trial because he just doesn't have the full trust of the coaching staff right now.

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Mike Hoffman is the first member of the Canadiens to score a goal in Seattle since Jack McDonald in Game 5 of the 1919 Stanley Cup Final.

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 27, 2021

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The Avalanche don't look like the dominant team many expected early on this year, and I think they are hugely missing Devon Toews (and now Samuel Girard). This team isn't the same without that dominant top-four on the back end that can control the entire game at both ends of the rink. Keep an eye on the return dates for Girard and Toews as a good timeline on when to try buying a few Avs players.

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Sami Niku seeing decent minutes in Montreal is a nice change for him, especially considering he's getting a fair shake with the man advantage. Someone to keep an eye on in deeper leagues, especially after putting up two points in his season debut a few days ago.

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Calle Jarnkrok is slotted in as the top-line right-wing at the moment, and it looks like a distinct possibility that he is given ample offensive opportunity here in Seattle, meaning his career high of 35 points is probably in danger even despite his zero points through two games.

Meanwhile, down on line three, Brandon Tanev potted his fourth and fifth goals of the season. He has no assists, and is shooting at 42%. He's great for hits leagues, but don't expect the offence to continue.

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Alex Chiasson has some emporary value while playing on the top power play unit for the Canucks, especially if he's regularly getting passes like this.

A perfect pass from Petey 🤩#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/tXfe7eK7Q6

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 27, 2021

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Feel free to find me on Twitter @alexdmaclean if you have any fantasy hockey questions.