This article is part of our NHL Barometer series.
This week's article includes Wright is right for the Kraken, Smith heating up for the Sharks, Harley stepping up in Big D, Knight is cooking for Chicago, Jack Hughes lost for the season and Rossi slumping for the Wild.
First Liners (Risers)
Shane Wright, C, SEA: Wright, selected fourth overall in 2022, has found his game the last six weeks or so. He is close to a point-per game in that stretch, tallying seven goals and 10 assists in 18 games. Wright is up to 15 goals and 23 assists in 62 games, a far cry from his production his first two seasons, when he played just eight games in each of his first two campaigns. He is Seattle's third line center behind Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson, but will eventually move up a trio, possibly even as soon as next season.
Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR: Zibanejad is having a rough season overall, though he has picked up his game recently. His uptick in production coincides with the team acquiring J.T. Miller and moving Zibanejad from center to right wing. Since then, Zibanejad has five goals and 13 assists in 17 games, giving him 14 markers and 33 apples in 64 contests, a far cry from his usual production. His uptick in output looks to be sustainable, plus he now qualifies at wing as well as center, adding value to his fantasy teams.
Will Smith, RW, SJ: Smith, drafted as a center, is
This week's article includes Wright is right for the Kraken, Smith heating up for the Sharks, Harley stepping up in Big D, Knight is cooking for Chicago, Jack Hughes lost for the season and Rossi slumping for the Wild.
First Liners (Risers)
Shane Wright, C, SEA: Wright, selected fourth overall in 2022, has found his game the last six weeks or so. He is close to a point-per game in that stretch, tallying seven goals and 10 assists in 18 games. Wright is up to 15 goals and 23 assists in 62 games, a far cry from his production his first two seasons, when he played just eight games in each of his first two campaigns. He is Seattle's third line center behind Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson, but will eventually move up a trio, possibly even as soon as next season.
Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR: Zibanejad is having a rough season overall, though he has picked up his game recently. His uptick in production coincides with the team acquiring J.T. Miller and moving Zibanejad from center to right wing. Since then, Zibanejad has five goals and 13 assists in 17 games, giving him 14 markers and 33 apples in 64 contests, a far cry from his usual production. His uptick in output looks to be sustainable, plus he now qualifies at wing as well as center, adding value to his fantasy teams.
Will Smith, RW, SJ: Smith, drafted as a center, is playing right wing on the Sharks' second line which is being centered by Macklin Celebrini. Down the road, Celebrini should be the team's top center with Smith as the No. 2. Smith has gotten on the scoresheet in six of the last seven games, earning four goals and five assists in that span. He's also earned five power-play points during this stretch and is up to 32 points (12 goals, 20 helpers) through 57 contests this season as his ice time ticks up.
Artturi Lehkonen, LW, COL: Lehkonen is on a bit of a heater, notching six goals and five helpers in his last 11 games. For the season, the winger is at 41 points, 118 shots on net, 31 blocked shots and a plus-31 rating over 53 appearances. Lehkonen is skating on Colorado's top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. The Avalanche have changed their top-nine personnel via various trades, but given all the weapons there, even if Lehkonen moves to a different line, he should remain highly productive.
Thomas Harley, D, DAL: Harley started to deliver on his talent, notching 15 goals and 47 points in 79 regular season contests last year. Drafted 19th in 2019, Harley also blocked 135 shots while skating 21:01 a contest and providing a complete stat line to the Stars and his fantasy owners. Harley took a step back earlier this season to Miro Heiskanen, but with Dallas' top blueliner sidelined, he has raised his game. He has five goals and 11 assists his last 14 games while averaging 25:18 in ice time a contest, including 3:15 on the man advantage.
Jared Spurgeon, D, MIN: Spurgeon is not a top blueliner producer but is a solid third or fourth option. Brock Faber is not having the kind of season he did as a rookie, forcing others to step up more. Spurgeon has helped the Wild's cause, notching three goals and eight assists his last 16 games. That production exceeds what we are used to seeing from Spurgeon, who skates on the team's second defensive pair. Look for Minnesota to rely even more on Spurgeon until we see more from Faber, etc.
Adin Hill, G, LV: Hill had won four straight games while allowing two goals or fewer in each outing until he was blasted by the Kings on Sunday, allowing six goals on 35 shots. His winning streak had allowed the British Columbia native to post a 23-11-4 record, .904 save percentage and 2.60 GAA through 38 appearances this season. Those 23 victories mean that Hill has upped that total for the fifth straight season. The key this season is that Hill has remained relatively healthy, which is a change from prior history. Ilya Samsonov has done a solid job supporting Hill in net.
Spencer Knight, G, CHI: In a trade that came a little bit out of nowhere. Knight was dealt to the Blackhawks a little more than a week ago for Seth Jones. Sergei Bobrovsky is already 36vyearsvold and will be a free agent after next season, so most expected Knight, an RFA after this season, to sign a long-term deal to be the top man between the pipes for the Panthers in the future. Instead, Knight is now the No. 1 goalie in the Windy City. He won both of his first two starts for Chicago, saving 77 of 81 shots for a .951 save percentage, before allowing two goals in a 3-0 loss to Colorado on Monday.
Others include Steven Stamkos, Frederick Gaudreau, Macklin Celebrini, Adam Fantilli, Alex Ovechkin, Morgan Geekie, Alex Tuch, Kyle Palmieri, Tom Wilson, Nick Schmaltz, Troy Terry, Rasmus Dahlin, Mikhail Sergachev, Filip Hronek, Noah Hanifin, Jake Sanderson, Jordan Binnington, Ilya Sorokin, Mackenzie Blackwood and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Buy Low
Zachary Bolduc, RW, STL: Bolduc, in his first full season in the NHL, is finding his way in the league. He has gotten on the scoresheet in five of his last seven games (five goals, one assist), upping his season total to 24 points, 80 shots on net, 77 hits and a plus-15 rating through 55 appearances. Bolduc, taken 17 overall in 2021, provides the Blues a skilled presence at wing. He likely won't be a big scorer but could reach 40 points once he fully settles in and gains more experience.
Training Room (Injuries)
Jack Hughes, C, NJ: Hughes, unfortunately, has suffered injuries that have cost him games nearly each season since he entered the league. This is the second campaign that Hughes will be limited to just 62 contests. Last season, he tallied 27 goals with 47 assists, with 31 of his points coming on the power play. This season, he notched 27 goals and 70 points in those 62 appearances. Hughes underwent shoulder surgery after crashing into the boards following him getting tangled with Jack Eichel as time wound down March 2 against the Knights.
Others include Mathew Barzal (kneecap, not guaranteed to be back before the end of the regular season), Roope Hintz (puck to face Friday, sat Sunday's game, will be evaluated), Brad Marchand (upper body, expected to miss a couple of weeks), Victor Hedman (lower body, injured Thursday, did not play Saturday), Quinn Hughes (tweaked something March 1, sidelined since) and Connor Ingram (out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Sunday).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
Travis Konecny, RW, PHI: This is likely a short-term placement. Konecny notched an assist Sunday, his first point in five games. In addition, he has just six points since the start of February. Despite that slowing in production, he still leads Philadelphia in scoring. The 27-year-old is at 22 goals and 64 points through 65 appearances, the third straight season he has topped the 60-point mark. Konecny sits just five points shy of setting a new career-high, exceeding his 2023-24 total. He and Matvei Michkov are the faces of the Flyers' franchise.
Brent Burns, D, CAR: Burns scored his first goal in two months and 24 games on March 6. In that stretch, Burns had just eight assists as his scoring production continues to decline. Burns will see his output drop significantly for the second straight season, as he morphs into more of a depth player rather than a primary piece on the Carolina blueline. In fantasy leagues, he is now at best a fourth or fifth defenseman after being an alpha dog for years. Burns still has a good chance to be a Hall of Famer in the future.
Jeremy Swayman, G, BOS: Swayman is having a rough campaign overall, as his goals-against average has risen and save percentage declined for the second straight season. His training camp holdout certainly didn't help the situation, though that is far in the past now. Swayman earned his first win since Feb. 4 and his fourth shutout of 2024-25 on Saturday. He was 0-4-2 in his previous six starts, and things won't likely get any easier for the netminder with deadline trades that took Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo to new cities, leaving a pop-gun offense in Boston.
Others include Casey Mittelstadt, Morgan Frost, Jack Roslovic, Owen Power, Brady Skjei, Alexandar Georgiev and Alex Nedeljkovic.
Sell High
Marco Rossi, C, MIN: If you have been paying attention the last few weeks, Rossi may already be off your fantasy team. He has been centering the third line at times in Minnesota with Frederick Gaudreau manning the pivot on the second trio and Ryan Hartman seeing time on the top unit. Rossi has also seen a turn back in his usual first line spot, but two assists his last six games certainly doesn't have you rushing to put him in your lineups. The upside potential still exists but I would wait until you see him have some success before adding or activating him.
