Fantasy NHL Midseason Moves: Top Trade Targets & Sleeper Picks Before Olympic Break
Welcome to 2026. Is your fantasy team where you want it to be?
With the holiday break behind us, we're in a key segment of the season now. We're just crossing the halfway mark, and a lot of teams will be busy over the next five weeks or so before the Olympics, which will see NHL players present for the first time since 2014.
Players who made their country's roster for the Olympics will likely be playing with a pep in their step. There are some players you simply shouldn't trade away in fantasy, but I'd consider selling on some of the depth pieces from those Olympic rosters. As we saw at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year, playing essentially playoff-level competition in the middle of the regular season is going to lead to a number of injuries, which will affect the playoff race and your fantasy stretch run. It's unavoidable -- some of those injuries would happen in the regular season anyway.
Go by feel if you're looking at trades, but now's a good time to get started. Trading for Olympic snubs or Russians could help you in the long run. Russians won't be at the games, so they'll be getting rest while other players are in line for three demanding weeks of action. Going after snubs, especially trading for them early rather than waiting, has the benefit of them playing with a chip on their
Fantasy NHL Midseason Moves: Top Trade Targets & Sleeper Picks Before Olympic Break
Welcome to 2026. Is your fantasy team where you want it to be?
With the holiday break behind us, we're in a key segment of the season now. We're just crossing the halfway mark, and a lot of teams will be busy over the next five weeks or so before the Olympics, which will see NHL players present for the first time since 2014.
Players who made their country's roster for the Olympics will likely be playing with a pep in their step. There are some players you simply shouldn't trade away in fantasy, but I'd consider selling on some of the depth pieces from those Olympic rosters. As we saw at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year, playing essentially playoff-level competition in the middle of the regular season is going to lead to a number of injuries, which will affect the playoff race and your fantasy stretch run. It's unavoidable -- some of those injuries would happen in the regular season anyway.
Go by feel if you're looking at trades, but now's a good time to get started. Trading for Olympic snubs or Russians could help you in the long run. Russians won't be at the games, so they'll be getting rest while other players are in line for three demanding weeks of action. Going after snubs, especially trading for them early rather than waiting, has the benefit of them playing with a chip on their shoulder. They're also still playing for a chance to be an injury replacement should anything happen to an Olympic player before the tournament gets going. That motivation could lead to some big second halves, even if they ultimately don't get a chance to don their nation's colors.
Sleeper Players with Upside for Second Half NHL Season
As usual, this middle section of the NHL season is when things can start to get late early. Stumbling now leaves you too little time to get your roster in order for the sprint to the playoffs after the Olympic break. A strong January, coupled with moves to keep your team competitive, will set you up for success in March and April.
After a week off, I'm taking a clean-slate approach to this week's waiver-wire looks. It's the middle of the season, so it's a good time to look at some players that have popped up before but still remain under-appreciated in fantasy. Whether they're streaky, consistent or in a volatile situation doesn't matter as much right now. Upside is still in play, so don't be afraid of making speculative moves now and through the Olympic break before pivoting to win-now mode when March rolls around.
A couple of Kraken wingers have sustained good play over the last couple of weeks to keep their seasons going strong. Eeli Tolvanen remains a strong all-around option in fantasy, though he's gone three games without a point entering this week. Prior to that quiet stretch, he racked up four goals, 10 assists, 24 shots on net and 33 hits over 12 contests. He often got left out of the power-play mix last year, but he's been a regular in that situation this season, which has put him on track for a career year in most scoring categories.
I'm also still liking what Jordan Eberle has brought to the table. He's on a hot streak with points in six straight contests (four goals, three assists), and he's earned three of those points on the power play. Eberle remains firmly on the top line, and with Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko also trending up lately, Eberle's offense should be pretty stable in the second half.
If Bobby McMann can stay in a top-line role, I like his potential there. He's earned four goals, four assists, 23 shots on net and 11 hits over his last eight contests, and he's trending firmly up during his hot streak. McMann has a good blend of scoring potential and grit, and he's on pace to top 40 points, 150 hits and 50 PIM this season. Power-play time is less of a guarantee, but McMann's clicked with Auston Matthews before and should do so again if they stay together.
From deeper in the lineup, Nicholas Robertson is rewarding the Maple Leafs' patience and/or inability to find a trade for him by racking up three goals and five assists over his last eight games. Robertson still carries risk, but with 20 points in 39 outings, it seems unlikely he'll be heading to the press box as a healthy scratch any time soon. He's also on the second power-play unit as well as the third line at even strength, though an injury or two could open the door to top-six minutes at some point if he continues to produce in a limited role.
Alex Laferriere was one of my sleeper picks this season. He hasn't taken another step up on offense, but he's still pushing for 20 goals and 40 points. He's been a little better lately with eight points over his last 13 contests, and that's come with 38 shots, 43 hits and a plus-7 rating. Laferriere is part of the Kings' future, and a strong second half is within reach if he stays in the top six more regularly.
Analyzing Blue Line Breakouts and Defensive Value in Fantasy
To the blue line, where Brandt Clarke hasn't quite popped as expected this season. He's still in a steady power-play role, where he's earned four of his 19 points this season, though three of those power-play points have come during his current stretch of five assists over eight games. Clarke is exactly the type of player that has upside, especially if the Kings get creative in addressing their weaknesses to push for a playoff spot.
Buffalo's also got some interesting options on the blue line with a pair of Sabres that should be getting more attention. Bowen Byram is one of them, and he played a large role in their 10-game winning streak that ended at the hands of the Blue Jackets on Saturday. With seven points and a plus-9 rating over his last six contests, Byram is starting to find more productivity on offense. The defenseman has 20 points in 40 outings this season, a pace that would get him to the 40-point mark for the first time in his career if he can keep that pace up in the second half.
For a more physical defenseman with less scoring potential, Mattias Samuelsson is still getting the job done. He's had one good stretch on offense each month -- he had seven points in six games from Dec. 18-29 to check that box in December. He's already earned a career-high 19 points, and he's added 55 hits, 78 blocked shots and a plus-15 rating. If the Sabres' recent hot stretch is more than a mirage, expect Samuelsson to continue being productive in the second half, with top-four minutes and ample non-scoring contributions.
Nashville's another team that has turned things around, and that's been great news for Ryan O'Reilly. The veteran center has been on an extended surge with 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) over his last 19 games. O'Reilly offers playmaking, power-play production and faceoff skills for fantasy. He's not an ideal center in standard formats, but he has valuable strengths that will allow managers to make moves to shore up other parts of their roster.
Goaltenders Gaining Confidence and Opportunity Down the Stretch
The Kraken made a mistake in goal earlier this year by riding Joey Daccord too hard. It was a justifiable choice at the time, given the struggles of Philipp Grubauer in previous seasons, but Grubauer has stepped up in a big way lately. He's 7-3-0 with a 2.35 GAA and a .922 save percentage over his last 11 games dating back to the start of November. Grubauer will get at least one game soon with the Kraken entering a fourth consecutive back-to-back set early this week. He's won three straight with just one goal allowed in each of those contests, and that's certainly worthy of him getting more playing time in January.
A large reason the Sabres were able to have success in December was that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen found his way again. He has gone 4-3-0 with a 2.42 GAA and a .912 save percentage over his last seven games, and he was in net for three of the Sabres' 10 wins during their streak. Alex Lyon (lower body) is in the midst of an absence, and Luukkonen has taken over the starting role again. When the Sabres are healthy, it's a three-headed monster in the crease, but Luukkonen can be trusted for now.
With that, I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and is off to a good start in 2026. It may be a new year, but the NHL season is in its middle, and there will be plenty more good hockey ahead in this highly competitive year. Next week, I'll weigh in on where I think the midseason awards should go, in addition to some waiver-wire looks.
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.
