As a fantasy manager, I don't think I have ever owned Teuvo Teravainen. I never fully bought into the upside, and then once he had broken out, he was never productive enough for me outside of hits that there were always players I liked better in trades and drafting. As a result, he's a player that I seem to have set my opinion on and generally forgotten about. When I get asked about him the other day, it meant I actually had to do some research before responding.

First place I check is always @FrozenTools : https://t.co/Vsegt6xX2b

Looks like a ton of bad luck condensed into three minutes less of ice time per game. If the ice time continues to sit at 16 minutes per game it caps his ceiling, but in general things should turn around soon.

— Alex MacLean (@alexdmaclean) February 12, 2021

Frozen Tools should always be the go-to, and it was a small step from there for me to dive down the rabbit hole of other cold players who were supposed to be cap league bargains.

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Rasmus Dahlin (D) – Buffalo Sabres

Current Cap Hit: $925,000

Dahlin has had a terrible set of circumstances holding him back this year. His team around him has seen their shooting percentages crater, and coupling that with Dahlin's low individual point percentage (IPP) stats at even strength and on the power play, it has slowed Dahlin down to a halt. On top of all of that, Buffalo had nine players and their head coach hit the Covid19 list, causing multiple games to be postponed and stopping Dahlin from being able to sort things out on the ice. Also hurting his case is that his goalies can't make a save, sporting a 0.886 save percentage when Dahlin is on the ice.

The save percentage numbers should climb a little, helping Dahlin's plus-minus, and allowing him to pick up a few more points in the transition game which suits his style. The on-ice shooting percentage will correct itself as well, and Dahlin will be a focal point of the offence as it does. Seeing him put up over 30 points in his last 45 games should surprise no one, and if we get a full market correction it could even be over 40. Buy now in any league format.

Kevin Fiala (RW) – Minnesota Wild

Current Cap Hit: $3,000,000

The Minnesota Wild have been through some tough sledding this season, and we're still another month away from the end of Winter. Fiala has been caught up in many of the same challenges, between injuries, inconsistency, and games getting postponed, many of the 24-year-old's fantasy owners are starting to look around for replacement options on the trade market. Fiala's own shooting percentage is in a typical range, and that's showing with his three goals through nine games. Unfortunately, those are his only points, as the rest of his linemates are struggling to produce offence.

Fiala's ice time both at even strength and on the powerplay are up this year, and his shot rates are climbing with the added time. For those in multi-category leagues, he is also showing some unprecedented contributions in the hits and PIM categories. His value in every style of league is going up, and now is likely the lowest his value will be for the next number of years. Currently projected at a $5.66 million for next year, he likely won't be pricing himself off your team anytime soon either.

Adam Gaudette (C) – Vancouver Canucks

Current Cap Hit: $950,000

Gaudette put up a quietly successful rookie season in 2019-20, and he looked primed to take another step forward on a Vancouver team that really didn't add anyone who would force Gaudette to lose ice time – the room to grow was there. Unfortunately, none of that has come to fruition thus far, and rookie Nils Hoglander is soaking up a lot of Gaudette's ice time. Gaudette has seen his ice time drop to under 10 minutes per game, and in the time he is seeing, he hasn't gotten any bounces. His shot rate is up, and he is driving play better than he was last year, but the scoring numbers are atrocious. Gaudette has a measly two goals in 14 games, with no assists or powerplay points to show for it. His most common linemates are Zack Macewen, Antoine Roussel, and Brandon Sutter, so it's not too surprising that they aren't bringing much to the table. Still 70 games away from his breakout threshold, he may be someone to keep an eye on, but the numbers are probably a year away from really trending upwards. Expect a little under a point every other game for the rest of the current season.

The New York Rangers:

Alexis Lafreniere (LW)

Current Cap Hit: $925,000

Kaapo Kakko (RW)

Current Cap Hit: $925,000

Mika Zibanejad (C)

Current Cap Hit: $5,350,000

The Rangers haven't been able to control the puck well in recent games. Surprisingly, the most effective possession line over the last week has been Lafreniere and Kakko centred by Ryan Strome. The rookies have both seen just over 14 minutes per game of ice time, and have produced at least 20 shots each to this point, but they have a combined four points to show for it. Lafreniere has been seeing more powerplay time, but both are primarily only out with the second unit (both are scoreless with the man advantage).

On the other hand, Zibanejad has been firing pucks on net at his usual rate (three per game), and the only real change in his numbers has been his shooting percentage. Michael Clifford had some great coverage in his February 12^th Ramblings of how Zibanejad's changing shot locations have been a root cause of his tanking shooting percentage. He has the exact same linemates both at even strength and on the powerplay, so it really is just a change in Zibanejad's game. This could be a result of the multiple nagging injuries that he has been dealing with.

Quinn said Zibanejad is both "upper and lower" body injuries, and that he thinks both he and Lemieux (lower) will be in the lineup Friday. #NYR

— Rick Carpiniello (@RickCarpiniello) January 20, 2021

All three Rangers should be in line for an uptick in production as their on-ice shooting percentages climb, but a full statistical rebound will depend on the rookies maintaining ice time, and Zibs getting back to full health so he can crash the net and stop shooting solely from the perimeter. These rebounds come with a little more risk attached, so in one-year leagues, be a little more cautious on buying in now.

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All statistics and cap info are all pulled from FrozenTools. Follow me on Twitter @alexdmaclean.

Stay safe!

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Previous Capped Articles:

How to Deal With Unproductive Players

Expensive Producers and Their Cap Values