This week's article includes Cirelli filling in nicely on first line in Tampa, Raymond on a roll, Bouchard scoring, Edvinsson sidelined and Askarov slumping.
Discover who's been filling up the scoresheet with RotoWire's NHL Trending Players page!
First Liners (Risers)
Anthony Cirelli, C, TB: Cirelli received a bump in value and line placement when Brayden Point landed on the injured list. Classified as week-to-week, no clear timetable exists for Point's return. Cirelli has recently raised his play, as he is riding a modest four-game scoring streak (three goals, four assists). Overall, he has 15 goals, 20 assists, 85 shots and a plus-29 rating in 47 games, giving him an outside shot at coming close to the career-high 59 points he posted last season for Tampa.
Cole Caufield, RW, MTL: Caufield is on pace for a career-best season, punctuated by him notching a hat trick Saturday. He is currently on a five-game goal streak and has eight goals in that span. Overall, the 25-year-old winger, who was the 15th overall pick in 2019, has 29 goals, 53 points, 155 shots on goal and 35 hits through 52 games this season. Caufield is just 17 points shy of the 70 he tallied last year, the second straight season he raised his point level as he moves into elite wing status.
Lucas Raymond, LW, DET: Raymond extended his point streak to five games Saturday, during which he has posted three multi-point performances and racked up nine points. The 23-year-old
This week's article includes Cirelli filling in nicely on first line in Tampa, Raymond on a roll, Bouchard scoring, Edvinsson sidelined and Askarov slumping.
Discover who's been filling up the scoresheet with RotoWire's NHL Trending Players page!
First Liners (Risers)
Anthony Cirelli, C, TB: Cirelli received a bump in value and line placement when Brayden Point landed on the injured list. Classified as week-to-week, no clear timetable exists for Point's return. Cirelli has recently raised his play, as he is riding a modest four-game scoring streak (three goals, four assists). Overall, he has 15 goals, 20 assists, 85 shots and a plus-29 rating in 47 games, giving him an outside shot at coming close to the career-high 59 points he posted last season for Tampa.
Cole Caufield, RW, MTL: Caufield is on pace for a career-best season, punctuated by him notching a hat trick Saturday. He is currently on a five-game goal streak and has eight goals in that span. Overall, the 25-year-old winger, who was the 15th overall pick in 2019, has 29 goals, 53 points, 155 shots on goal and 35 hits through 52 games this season. Caufield is just 17 points shy of the 70 he tallied last year, the second straight season he raised his point level as he moves into elite wing status.
Lucas Raymond, LW, DET: Raymond extended his point streak to five games Saturday, during which he has posted three multi-point performances and racked up nine points. The 23-year-old winger has cracked the scoresheet in all but two of his 12 games in January, tallying 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in that stretch. Raymond is now up to 18 tallies and 40 helpers in 51 contests, putting him on pace to raise his point total for the fourth straight campaign, He has notched 22 of his 58 points on the man advantage.
Tyler Toffoli, RW, SJ: Toffoli was brought to San Jose to be a solid veteran presence on a young squad. He has filled that role nicely while providing secondary scoring. Toffoli has bounced between the top two lines while scoring at a pace like the last two seasons, when he notched 55 and 54 points. Obviously, his value spikes when he is on the first line opposite Macklin Celebrini, but he still has fantasy value even when on the second line next to Alexander Wennberg and either Pavol Regenda or William Eklund.
Zach Werenski, D, CLM: Werenski is showing his breakthrough last season was no fluke. His two assists Saturday upped his season marks to 19 goals, 36 helpers, 170 shots on net, 61 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating in just 47 contests. Werenski is tied with Cale Makar and Evan Bouchard atop the points list for defensemen -- all have 55, though Werenski has done it in fewer games than the other two. Injuries have been an issue in the past, though he has remained relatively healthy the past two seasons as he has moved into elite blueliner status.
Evan Bouchard, D, EDM: Bouchard showed Saturday why he is selected high in most fantasy drafts. His hat trick and three assists was the 24th time in NHL history that a blueliner notched six points in a game. This performance upped Bouchard's season marks to 14 goals, 56 points, 143 shots on net, 75 blocked shots and a plus-11 rating through 54 appearances. After falling from 82 to 67 points last season, Bouchard is on pace to bounce back and set a new career high. His work in his own end still leaves a lot to be desired, but his point production helps make up for it.
Lukas Dostal, G, ANA: Dostal, following a rough December, Dostal has found his early-season form lately. Sunday, he notched his sixth straight win, a span in which he's allowed just 12 goals on 173 shots. For the season, Dostal is up to 19-12-2 with a 3.00 GAA and an .895 save percentage, the latter two numbers less than optimal but improving thanks to Dostal's current hot stretch. He is the clear No. 1 netminder in Anaheim and should easily exceed the career-best 23 wins he notched last season.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, BUF: Buffalo and UPL show no signs of slowing down. The Sabres have been red hot, aided by the fine netminding they have received, Luukkonen is 3-1-1 in his last five starts and 6-2-1 in nine games since Christmas, allowing two or fewer goals in five of those nine starts. Luukkonen has an 11-7-2 record with a 2.66 GAA and .905 save percentage in 19 starts this season. The only concern with his fantasy value is the recent return from injury of Alex Lyon, who will usurp some of the playing time between the pipes.
Others include Ryan O'Reilly, Nick Suzuki, Morgan Geekie, Tage Thompson, Connor McDavid, Kirill Marchenko, Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, Denver Barkey, Seth Jarvis, Mark Stone, Jake Guentzel, Charlie McAvoy, Dougie Hamilton, Rasmus Dahlin, Vince Dunn, Quinn Hughes, Brandon Bussi. Andrei Vasilevskiy, John Gibson and Alex Nedeljkovic.
Buy Low
Ryan Hartman, C, MIN: The trade of Marco Rossi escalated Hartman to first line center in Minnesota. Danila Yurov and Joel Eriksson Ek also take turns at that spot, but Hartman looks to be the primary choice for the role. Hartman has posted five goals and three assists over his last nine games, giving him 14 goals, 24 points (six on the power play), 99 shots on net, 42 hits, 61 blocked shots, 25 PIM and a zero plus-minus rating through 48 appearances. The Wild still may acquire a top pivot prior to the trade deadline, but for now, Hartman is ably filling the position.
Training Room (Injuries)
Simon Edvinsson, D, DET: Edvinsson, injured January 21, will not return until after the Olympic break. His absence due to a lower-body injury is a blow not only to the Red Wings but also Team Sweden, who have gotten strafed by injuries and were not be able to select him as an injury replacement for Jonas Brodin. Edvinsson has six goals, 17 points, 57 shots on net, 104 blocked shots and 63 hits across 48 appearances, a mild step down from what he produced last season. But he is playing 22-plus minutes a game and is a solid partner on the top pairing for Moritz Seider.
Others include Brock Boeser (head, injured Sunday, placed on IR on Monday), Luke Hughes (shoulder, placed on LTIR ON January 21), Zeev Buium (undisclosed, placed on IR on Monday), Denton Mateychuk (upper body, has missed sixth straight games, slated to play Wednesday), Linus Ullmark (personal, missed 14 games, was the backup Sunday) and Dan Vladar (lower body, missed sixth straight game Monday but participated in morning skate).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
Adam Fantilli, C, CLM: Fantilli's upside is still substantial, but he has not taken the step forward expected of him this season. Maybe the recent coaching change from Dean Evason to Rick Bowness will unlock his offensive game. Fantilli, skating as the Blue Jackets' top center, broke a 17-game goalless streak Saturday, which hopefully is a portend to come. With 33 points in 54 contests, Fantilli is on pace to simply match his production – 54 points – from the 2024-25 season, his first full campaign in Columbus.
Thomas Harley, D, DAL: Harley, who posted 47 and 50 points the past two seasons, has regressed offensively. He has notched just 18 points this season, partially impacted by a massive decline in his shooting percentage to just 3.3 percent. One positive for Harley's fantasy investors is that he has raised the physical element of his game, dishing out 91 hits already in 40 contests. Miro Heiskanen's return to prominence has also pushed Harley into a secondary role.
Yaroslav Askarov, G, SJ: The new calendar year has not been kind to Askarov. He is just 1-3-0 with a 4.42 GAA and .836 save percentage in five contests. Alex Nedeljkovic has won five straight games, opening up the possibility that he will earn additional time between the pipes in the short term. In the long term, Askarov, who was acquired before last season from Nashville, is still viewed as the Sharks' No. 1 netminder of the future.
Others include Alex Laferriere, Nazem Kadri, Maxim Tsyplakov, Arseny Gritsyuk, Pavel Mintyukov, K'Andre Miller, Samuel Ersson and Jonathan Quick
Sell High
Will Cuylle, LW, NYR: Cuylle entered the 2025-26 season with raised expectations after posting 20 goals, 25 assists and 301 hits last season. He moved from the third to first line to begin the season, though he struggled in that role. Cuylle moved back down to the third line, where he is now skating with Noah Laba and Brennan Othmann and has notched a pair of his goals his last three games. The Rangers have already begun a sell-off ahead of the trade deadline, shipping out blueliner Carson Soucy, and moving veteran forwards will afford Cuylle additional ice time. The question is, will he take advantage of that opportunity?
