Hutch's Hockey: Fantasy Hockey Make or Break Season

This time of year is exciting for fans, but the playoff chase can also be pivotal for players and coaches. For teams in the running, getting a player to step up or a lineup shake-up to click just in time is a huge deal. Just look at the Blues. They go into the coming week winners of nine straight, and they're getting production from all over the lineup. Some young players hit a wall this time of year, while others take the experience they gained early in the season and apply it to great effect. 

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Fantasy Hockey Make or Break Season

On the flip side, this can be the time of the year when teams realize something's not going to work. With roster limits out of the way following the trade deadline, more players can get a look in the NHL, and that means someone who was a regular is now out of the lineup. This can happen to veterans or rookies alike. For a pending restricted free agent, this can spell bad news for their future with their team. 

There's also coaching. A lot of teams are willing to make moves behind the bench early in the season, when one change can ignite a turnaround in the team's fortunes. Other times, teams try to make it work and then cut bait before the end of the year. NHL coaches get rotated arguably more than any other sport, so it's not unusual to see this happen. For teams out of contention, it's best to get a head start on planning for next season, especially when the writing is on the wall. 

In fantasy, your season hinges on your players being at their best right now. Nothing's better than watching patience on a player pay off with a massive scoring streak this time of year. At the same time, having a goalie give up a six-spot can torpedo months of roster-building and good fortune. These moments can make or break a season, but the best you can do is put yourself in a position where you're not at the mercy of one or two performances defining your campaign. 

Now to the waiver wire. It's a little early to be counting games remaining, but it is something you want to keep in mind. Games in hand are only as good as the stats that come from them, but taking a volume approach to racking up production is a good strategy this time of year. However, don't discount a hot player just because they have less time to work with. 

In that case, Zachary Bolduc is a name to watch. His stock is trending up in the second half of the campaign, and that was evident when he was temporarily moved to the top six during Pavel Buchnevich's four-game stint on the NHL Injury Report. I'll always have time for a player that has scored eight goals and added three assists over 15 games, which is what Bolduc did in March. He added 35 shots, 30 hits, 15 PIM and a plus-7 rating while being a part of the power play as well. He's back on the third line now, but his quality play started long before he was moved up, so don't think a slump is coming. 

In another example of dropping to the third line not necessarily being a bad thing, take a look at Jared McCann. He's racked up two goals and five assists over his last six outings despite moving to center the third line after spending the bulk of the season in a top-six role. The Kraken's lines are largely interchangeable, but McCann's success has helped boost Andre Burakovsky while also carrying along a slumping Eeli Tolvanen. McCann is in a down year with 52 points in 74 contests, but he's among the most reliable Kraken forwards throughout the young franchise's history. 

Any top-six spot is usually good enough for an Avalanche forward, but it's clear that Jonathan Drouin does best when alongside Nathan MacKinnon. That's where Drouin has been over the last five games, though he started warming up earlier than that with four multi-point games across his last seven outings. He has two goals and seven assists in that span. Playmakers often go underrated in fantasy, but don't ignore Drouin down the stretch, especially when he's seeing significant minutes at even strength and on the power play. 

You can mostly take your pick of Blues defensemen. I advocated for Justin Faulk last week, and I've got my eyes on Philip Broberg this week after his four-point game Tuesday versus the Canadiens. Broberg has six points and a plus-7 rating over his last six contests, and he's added 11 blocked shots in that span. Broberg's consistency isn't as strong as it was early in the season, but when he gets on a roll, he can provide well-rounded category coverage aside from power-play points. 

I could do a whole column on the post-John Tortorella Flyers, but I'll spare you from that. Instead, just know the whole team should be able to play a little looser. That won't convert many of them into fantasy stars overnight, but it's a great time to reacquaint yourself with Sean Couturier. Couturier is currently centering the Flyers' points leader in Travis Konecny (71) and the team's most talented player in Matvei Michkov (56). For the season, Couturier is third on the team with 40 points, though he's earned eight of them over his last six games. Despite being named captain last February, the center was often moved all over the lineup this season. A little stability in a top-six role should help him sustain his recent success, which makes him a sneaky-good addition for fantasy down the stretch. 

A lot has gone well for the Stars in March. The instant chemistry between Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen is a big plus. Not only are they playing well, but their success has opened up space for the rest of the team to thrive as well. Take Mason Marchment, for example. He has five goals, six assists, 26 shots on net, 22 hits and a plus-3 rating over 14 contests in March. The winger is still in a second-line role, but he's also scored three of his goals this month on the power play. Fantasy managers can benefit from Marchment's scoring as well as his grit, so take a look to see if he fits in your playoff plans. 

It took about a month for Boone Jenner to find his scoring touch following a long-term shoulder injury. In the last four games, he has five goals and an assist, as well as 18 shots on net. Jenner is back on the wing after filling in at center during the worst of the Blue Jackets' recent injury woes. What you're getting here is a player in a top-six role in the middle of a playoff race who can score and hit. Jenner does a little bit of everything, and he's poised for an excellent end to the season since he doesn't have a full campaign of wear and tear on his body currently. 

Pius Suter hasn't backed down from a massive opportunity in the absence of Elias Pettersson (undisclosed). Suter has racked up eight points across four games while Pettersson has been out, part of a larger point-per-game surge in March (seven goals, eight assists over 15 contests). Suter got bumped down to the third line when Filip Chytil replaced J.T. Miller in the Canucks' lineup, but Chytil is also sidelined by a concussion, leaving Suter as the top center for now. He's enjoyed a career year, and he's well-positioned to cash in this offseason. For now, get him on your fantasy team if you need even-strength offense with decent non-scoring numbers to supplement it. 

Every year, there seems to be a time when I'm surprised Ryan McDonagh can still do enough to be a factor in fantasy. The 2024-25 version of this is happening right now, as the newest member of the 1,000-game club is doing it all for the Lightning. He has eight points, a plus-7 rating and 14 blocked shots over his last nine games. McDonagh's best deployed for blocks in fantasy, but he can also chip in offense, and his only real weak spot now is in hits. He's also plus-40 this season, one of two players in the league at that level alongside the Capitals' Aliaksei Protas. 

Now that the Stars have clinched, I wouldn't be surprised to see Casey DeSmith start three of the team's last nine games, and maybe more if they get locked into a certain seed. DeSmith is 6-0-1 with a 2.26 GAA and a .930 save percentage over seven games since the start of February. It's not easy to be a backup behind a goalie of Jake Oettinger's caliber, but DeSmith's quality play in the No. 2 role has given Dallas one of the best goalie tandems in the league in terms of surface numbers. Stream him when he starts -- outside of an April 10 game versus the Jets, the Stars' remaining schedule isn't very intimidating. 

It looks like the Sabres have changed course in goal late in the season. There's no denying that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has failed to live up to the standard he set last year, but James Reimer makes for an unlikely fantasy hero to close out 2024-25. He's won four straight games, though his latest was a 24-save performance in an 8-5 win over the Capitals on Sunday. Even for a team in last in the Eastern Conference, the Sabres are turning to the hot hand. If Reimer can get a decent volume of starts, that will help fantasy managers in need of saves, and he may even snag a few wins or a shutout along the way. He's no superstar, but playing time matters. 

While the pressure is on for NHL teams and fantasy squads alike, it's a good time to remember that this is still a game. I'm competitive, so I understand the desire to win at all costs. I'm starting to get ruthless with my fantasy teams -- produce or be replaced is the name of the game this time of year. 

At the same time, everyone else is taking a similar approach in the fantasy playoffs. I had one team that flirted with contention all season. In the end, a skid in early March was the final nail in the coffin. Ironically, the problem earlier in the season -- not scoring enough -- ended up being the least of my problems by the end. Instead, some of my best performances of the season were wasted in matchups with an opponent who was one point better. The season could have looked a lot different if the schedule had been ordered a different way. 

With that, I hope you get the matchups you can win as you move into the fantasy semifinals. The penultimate edition of Hutch's Hockey for the season will be up next Monday in preparation for the finals. 

Stuck between two players available on the waiver wire? Check out the NHL Player Comparison Tool or the NHL Trending Players to help break the tiebreaker on your waiver wire decisions.