Injuries can affect you in fantasy at any time. Your roster may be completely healthy one week before immediately getting hit with a wave of casualties the next week. And then there are those constantly trying to fill multiple absences.
I've been fortunate in the RotoWire Staff Hockey League, having only lost Connor Bedard for a few weeks while recent acquisition Brayden Point is projected to not miss as much time as originally feared. Thanks to that, a couple overachievers, some excellent goaltending, and way more luck than anyone should have, I sit in first by two games at 13-1 having won the last 13 matchups.
No matter whether you're a frontrunner or lagging behind the pack, there's plenty of ways to enhance your lineups. Here are a few widely available players who might help you do that.
(Rostered rates as of Jan. 16)
Forwards
Jordan Kyrou, STL (Yahoo: 44%): Kyrou has only produced 19 points through 37 games after four straight seasons with at least 67. Part of this dropoff can be attributed to him playing on a team ranked last in average goals at 2.49 or the 8.9 shooting percentage that's well below his usual double-digit mark. Kyrou returned from injury three weeks ago and has since posted three assists over nine outings – including two PPAs from each of his last two – with none of the 21 pucks directed on net going in. With that kind of volume while in the top-six and part of a talented top power play, he's bound to start scoring again.
Matty Beniers, SEA (Yahoo: 32%): It's often been a tough fantasy sell for Beniers, as his contributions have been fairly one-dimensional and not exceptional (unless you count faceoff wins). But when someone goes off for 11 points across 13 appearances – four of those while up a man – more people will notice. Beniers should be able to continue this run as Seattle's lead center in all attacking situations. And if the numbers dip again, you can always cut him.
Beckett Sennecke, ANH (Yahoo: 32%): Kudos to Sennecke for being this season's first repeat forward entry. Since first being featured on Nov. 28 when he already had notched seven goals and 10 assists in 23 contests, he's accumulated another eight and 10 alongside 52 shots on a 17:04 average. Sennecke has worked well with any linemate and in various situations. The sky's the limit for the soon-to-be 20-year-old, so you should pick him up right away.
Connor McMichael, WAS (Yahoo: 23%): I don't know how I had thought I previously discussed McMichael during 2025-26. Anyways, now's a good time to talk about him. Like the nine points over the last nine matchups – highlighted by a four-assist performance versus Anaheim – to go with 22 shots, nine hits and eight blocks, while he's logged 19-plus minutes a night. And that's totally sustainable for McMichael, as he managed 26 goals, 31 assists and 177 shots last year.
Jack McBain, UTA (Yahoo: 12%): McBain is generally overlooked due to a large percentage of his stats coming in the physical department, but every once in a while he'll go on a short scoring streak. That's happened the last week or so, as he's tallied two goals and three assists over five games in addition to 14 shots, 11 PIM and 19 hits, including three points, seven shots, three hits and a plus-4 on Tuesday with Dylan Guenther on his wing. McBain is valuable enough for laying out opponents, so the offense is a nice bonus.
Charlie Coyle, CLS (Yahoo: 8%): Betcha can't name any forward who's at least 33 with no fewer than 30 points and is available in more than 90 percent of Yahoo! leagues. I'm guessing by now you've figured out we're talking about Coyle. There's been a few gaps on his scoring log, yet he's still registered seven goals on 41 shots with eight assists and 163 faceoff wins since the start of December while being a regular on the Blue Jackets' lead man-advantage that boasts the likes of Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli. Do your part by adding Coyle.
Ridly Greig, OTT (Yahoo: 4%): Greig was on the right line at the right time Wednesday as he posted three assists while joining forces during five-on-five with Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Cozens. And even with other teammates, he's supplied 10 points from 14 outings while throwing in 29 shots, 26 PIM and 15 hits. Even if Greig slips back down the depth chart, he'll net you enough fantasy output.
James van Riemsdyk, DET (Yahoo: 4%): It's always nice when a low-risk, low-salary offseason move turns out much better than expected, especially when it's a veteran who came into the season with 327 career goals. van Riemsdyk initially struggled with Detroit before finding the back of the net in six of seven appearances – three of those PPGs. Despite not many minutes, he's recently benefited with an even-strength spot next to Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond in addition to their existing man-advantage arrangement. JVR may not be an MVP, yet can still provide you a decent ROI.
Defensemen
Brandt Clarke, LA (Yahoo: 50%): Clarke gets a second mention after originally appearing during the opening week. He's taken over for Drew Doughty as LA's top power-play quarterback and has produced five PPAs since Dec. 17 to go with another three helpers, a goal, 32 shots and 36 blocks. This is the type of offense that's been expected of Clarke since he was drafted eighth overall in 2021. He's also on pace to significantly surpass a career-high in points (currently at 23, peaked last season at 33) as he should keep receiving advanced attacking placement.
K'Andre Miller, CAR (Yahoo: 24%): Miller makes it consecutive repeat defenders as he's been on fire the last 10 games, recording eight points, 14 shots, 10 hits and six blocks on 22:28 a night. He may no longer hold a man-advantage role like earlier in the year, but is heavily involved while shorthanded while retaining a steady five-on-five partnership alongside Sean Walker. Miller's scoring may not be as plentiful the rest of the way, though he'll deliver consistent cross-category production.
J.J. Moser, TB (Yahoo: 13%): Long-term injuries to Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh have allowed others to take on more responsibility. Moser was already getting enough opportunities while Hedman was available, as the two sometimes skated together, yet his minutes have seen a major boost the last month at nearly a 23-minute average consisting of four goals, four assists, 27 shots, 16 hits and 20 blocks. As an added bonus for those in formats that count plus-minus, Moser ranks third in the NHL with a plus-37.
Uvis Balinskis, FLA (Yahoo: 0%): Seth Jones recently suffered an upper-body issue that's set to sideline him for a couple more weeks. Aaron Ekblad was first offered the chance to fill the vacancy on PP1 before Balinskis started appearing there Saturday. And while nothing came from that contest, he earned a PPA on Tuesday when his shot was tipped in by Sam Reinhart. A lot of poolies would be hesitant to add Balinskis due to his overall lack of output and ice time. There's definite value as long as he sticks on the lead man-advantage, so be sure to check the latest line alignments heading into Florida's next matchup Friday at Carolina.
Goaltenders
Sam Montembeault, MON (Yahoo: 41%): The Habs continue to carry three netminders on their roster where Montembeault has made as many starts as Jacob Fowler since Dec. 30 with four compared to two for Jakub Dobes. He significantly struggled before being demoted by posting a 3.65 GAA and .857 save percentage in 15 outings. Fowler should be Montreal's lead as he's already done decently (2.62/.902 across 10 appearances) and needs the volume to prove he can be their No. 1, though Montembeault will earn enough work based on recent results (three wins from four) and to showcase him for a potential trade.
Leevi Merilainen, OTT (Yahoo: 9%): Since Linus Ullmark went on personal leave, Merilainen has started all nine games for the Sens that included two back-to-back sets. The numbers during this stretch haven't been the greatest (3.29/.859), but the experience will help and he fared well last season in an abbreviated run (8-3-1, 1.99, .925). James Reimer was signed and will eventually make his Ottawa debut, yet it's been nine months since his last NHL involvement. Even behind a weak defense, Merilainen deserves a chance on a club boasting a solid offense.
Players to consider from past columns: Dylan Cozens, Leo Carlsson, Frank Nazar, Will Smith, Carter Verhaeghe, Gabriel Landeskog, Jared McCann, Cole Perfetti, Nick Schmaltz, Anze Kopitar, Kiefer Sherwood, Brock Nelson, Zach Benson, Tyler Toffoli, Jonathan Huberdeau, Adam Fantilli, Patrick Kane, Dawson Mercer, Chris Kreider, Troy Terry, Brock Boeser, Mikael Granlund, Sean Monahan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan O'Reilly, William Eklund, Will Cuylle, Bobby McMann, Anders Lee, Tyler Bertuzzi, Owen Tippett, Josh Norris, Brayden Schenn, Eeli Tolvanen, Pavel Buchnevich, Alexis Lafreniere, Boone Jenner, Anton Lundell, Ivan Barbashev, Vladimir Tarasenko, Conor Garland, Jack Roslovic, Christian Dvorak, Jake Neighbours, Jamie Benn, Ryan Hartman, Mikael Backlund, Vasily Podkolzin, Matt Duchene, Zachary Bolduc, Logan Stankoven, Luke Evangelista, Claude Giroux, Marcus Johansson, Alexandre Texier, Mackie Samoskevich, Evander Kane, Alex Laferriere, Teuvo Teravainen, Alexander Wennberg, Jake DeBrusk, Lawson Crouse, Chandler Stephenson, Noah Cates, Braeden Bowman, Sean Couturier, Jordan Eberle, Jackson Blake, Dmitri Voronkov, Pavel Zacha, Jackson Blake, Anthony Mantha, Justin Sourdif, Blake Coleman, Eetu Luostarinen, Ross Colton, Jack Quinn, Josh Doan, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Mason Marchment, Arseny Gritsyuk, Collin Graf, Matias Maccelli, Matthew Coronato, Fabian Zetterlund, Oliver Kapanen, Ben Kindel, Andre Burakovsky, Emmitt Finnie, Igor Chernyshov, Andrew Copp, Ryan Leonard, Fraser Minten, Erik Haula, Ryan McLeod, Brock Faber, Drew Doughty, Mattias Ekholm, Kris Letang, Travis Sanheim, Filip Hronek, Rasmus Andersson, Zeev Buium, Noah Hanifin, Cam Fowler, K'Andre Miller, Jared Spurgeon, Jake McCabe, Artyom Levshunov, Charle-Edouard D'Astous, Vladislav Gavrikov, Ivan Provorov, Hampus Lindholm, Darren Raddysh, Brent Burns, Olen Zellweger, Sam Malinski, Ryan Pulock, Sean Durzi, Radko Gudas, Philip Broberg, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Justin Faulk, Damon Severson, Esa Lindell, Mattias Samuelsson, Josh Manson, Simon Edvinsson, Dmitry Orlov, Matt Roy, Cam York, Nick Blankenburg, Tony DeAngelo, Jordan Spence, Nate Schmidt, Spencer Knight, Jesper Wallstedt, Brandon Bussi, Jacob Fowler, Stuart Skinner, Yaroslav Askarov, Carter Hart, Jet Greaves, Jake Allen, Jakub Dobes, Tristan Jarry, Philipp Grubauer, Cam Talbot, John Gibson, Dan Vladar, Casey DeSmith, David Rittich, Connor Ingram, Akira Schmid, Joel Hofer, Jonathan Quick, Kevin Lankinen
