The bye weeks, and the All-Star break in the middle of them, are here. This is the quietest part of the NHL schedule. If you're used to having a lot of hockey on every night, this is where you find something else to catch up on for a while.
In fantasy, there's a couple of ways to approach the bye weeks. You can just ride through it -- every team will be off for a few days. Most fantasy providers will include the next two weeks as one matchup in head-to-head, and for the most part, that means there's very little difference in the overall sample of your roster's stats. In weekly formats, there's really not much else to do. You can relax and enjoy the quiet time.
If you're in a daily lineup format or playing DFS, there's still decisions to be made. You won't need to make a lot of decisions based on matchups -- everyone is plug-and-play on the light days. If you want to get a leg up on your competition, this is the best time of the season to get into churning your roster. Pick up players who are playing Monday through Wednesday, and then rotate them off your roster when they're on the bye after the All-Star Game.
That's the focus this week -- who can help you get an early advantage in your head-to-head matchup, a good value play for rotisserie or a player that might make a difference in your DFS contest. There's nine teams that are in action over the next seven days, so I'll give you one player from each team that might give you a boost.
I'll start with the two-game teams. The Predators are one of them, as they'll visit the defensively lacking Senators on Monday and then host the road-weary Kings on Wednesday. Colton Sissons is the player I'm looking at for a short-term boost. He has four points, 14 shots on goal, nine hits and nine blocked shots over his last five games. Sissons already has 25 points on the year, putting him on pace to shatter his previous career high of 30. He's a defensively solid forward with grit who has made the most of moving up to a top-six role this season. Even if the offense isn't there, you should get something out of him.
The Senators also have two games this week, and that makes Vladimir Tarasenko a little more interesting. He hasn't rediscovered himself in Ottawa as many would have expected at the start of the year, but he also hasn't been bad. He's at 32 points over 43 games this season, including seven goals and three assists in January. He won't be out there in a lot of shallow fantasy formats -- he's 53 percent rostered in Yahoo. Tarasenko is worth a look, especially if you want your moves this week to have some staying power.
I won't blame you if you want to skip looking over the Sharks for a fantasy play. Unlike the other two-game teams, they play back-to-back against Seattle and Anaheim. The good news is you'll have the pick of the roster -- only Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture are over 25 percent rostered. William Eklund is likely the best mix of widely available and scoring potential. The rookie has 21 points over 48 contests after his two-assist game versus the Sabres on Saturday.
I am still fully on board with first-liner Adam Henrique. With 13 points over his last 11 games, he's been quite the revelation lately. Henrique is a solid veteran capable of playing in all situations, and that role on a young Ducks team gets him exposure to some of the talented up-and-coming members of the roster. He's on pace to reach 50 points for the first time since 2017-18. Again, getting the extra game in this week is nice, but he could have more useful long-term appeal.
Michael Rasmussen feels like the most short-term option I'll recommend this week. He's earned five points over his last seven games, but that's in a middle-six role with no power-play time. He's helped the Red Wings get through a stretch without Patrick Kane (lower body). Rasmussen is useful while tracking toward a career year -- he has 22 points, 57 hits and 52 blocked shots through 49 contests. The all-around production is nice, but you may just want to stream him when his offense is clicking.
After a rough start to January, Yegor Chinakhov seemed to be out of the fantasy picture. The Blue Jackets broke up his line with Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov, and since then, Chinakhov's had the most success while logging first-line minutes. Chinakhov has four goals and three assists over his last six games, so he's definitely worth a look against the Blues on Tuesday. His long-term appeal will be determined by how long he can stay in the top six and put up solid offense.
In goal, I'll turn to the Kings' David Rittich. I had serious concerns with how hard the Kings rode Cam Talbot, but they had to when he was the only one clicking for them. The magic has run out, and Rittich has become the better option between the pipes. The Kings have won just twice in January, and Rittich is responsible for both of them, as well as three overtime losses to Talbot's two. This isn't to say you should drop just anyone for the 31-year-old Rittich. Only make a move if or when it's confirmed he gets the nod versus the Predators on Wednesday.
He hasn't been a standout player, but Justin Schultz has put together a solid January on the Kraken's third pairing. The defenseman has six points over 13 contests this month. The Kraken are in San Jose on Tuesday, making it a favorable matchup for this balanced team to score in bunches. Schultz and Brian Dumoulin have responded excellently to the threat of Ryker Evans taking their playing time, but Schultz's power-play time and recent productivity on offense give him the edge. Dumoulin is better if you want to chase down non-scoring production early in the fantasy week.
Lastly, a couple of Blues defensemen have made their mark. Nick Leddy has a goal and seven assists across his last nine games. He's really stepped up to cover for the absence of Justin Faulk (lower body) over the last week or so. Leddy's best offensive years are behind him, but he's still seeing top-six minutes and can chip in. If you want a bit more physicality, Colton Parayko is worth a look. He has seven points, 13 hits and 37 blocked shots over 12 games in January, offering steady play in his own zone. Both can help you now, and they're likely to be readily available if you need defensive help later in the season.
One last thing on the All-Star break. As a fantasy manager, when that break begins, I'm also taking a break from my teams for a few days. I may check in to make a couple of injury-related moves, but it's a time for me to not think about hockey as much. Some people like to do trades in this time -- I prefer to do any trading outside of the break instead. Don't feel bad about missing out on an offer from an impatient rival if you just want to unplug from the season for a while. If it's truly a good deal, check in and take advantage.
Good luck this week and enjoy the down time, the All-Star festivities and anything else you have planned. I'll be back next Monday to help guide you through the second half of the bye weeks.
