Would you look at the time? Entering the final full calendar month of the 2024-25 regular campaign, and just a few short weeks away from the NHL postseason, playoff brackets in fantasy head-to-head leagues already lie well in sight. The perfect occasion to, again, hack the schedule in seizing the greatest flexibility in maximizing your fantasy lineup each and every night.
By determining which teams are more active when most others are not, we're offered the opportunity to roll out more players on every occasion. Sure beats watching a skeletal lineup accomplish little on one night, while points pour in from your bench on another. Setting the target at six games between Mar. 2 and Mar. 31 - when another 20 teams, at minimum, are idle - the New Jersey Devils lead the way in competing on seven dates when most of the rest of the league is off.
The Minnesota Wild, Utah Hockey Club, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and Vancouver Canucks battle on six such occasions. If in the market to boost your lineup, give the following fantasy performers from those aforementioned teams a gander. Knowing they'll have the opportunity to play more when others don't.
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Utah Hockey Club
Within sniffing distance of the second Wild Card spot in the West,, Utah provides a few attractive, and perhaps accessible, fantasy options to toss onto your roster. Available in more than 30% of ESPN Fantasy leagues, Logan Cooley presents as one such desirable substitute. After losing almost a month to a lower-body issue, the sophomore has two goals and two assists in his three games back. Seeing top-line minutes with Clayton Keller, Cooley is also competing on the club's secondary power play. Otherwise, rostered in only 10% of ESPN competition, Barrett Hayton sports renewed appeal as Dylan Guenther's linemate and a participant on the top power play.
On the blue line, Sean Durzi is finally back in the competitive mix after sitting out since mid-October with a shoulder injury. The 26-year-old already has a goal, assist, and 10 shots to show for his four contests back. Let's not overlook what goalie Karel Vejmelka -- rostered in just 11% of leagues -- is accomplishing of late. How do you fancy a four-game win streak, during which he has surrendered only five goals? Make no mistake, this is a good hockey club, especially when most everyone is healthy, which is the case right now.
Chicago Blackhawks
Forward Ryan Donato is in a quiet groove at present, racking up six goals and 10 assists -- including five points with the extra skater -- in his past 14 games. An impressive enough haul for a reasonably large sample size. Skating on a top line and power play with Connor Bedard, the 28-year-old registered another assist in logging nearly 23 minutes against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. We've witnessed these productive spells from Donato in the past and they occasionally last a while. Consider adding him to your fantasy roster until the numbers dwindle once more.
Veteran Teuvo Teravainen presents as another moderately appealing option in deeper fantasy competition. Driving into the 4 Nations break with six points in three games, the Finnish competitor is back on scoring track with a power-play goal and assist, along with another even-strength helper, in his recent trio of contests. Accumulating 43 points in 59 games altogether, Teravainen sits second only to Bedard in team scoring. Don't let the Blackhawks' lack of overall success turn you off an otherwise serviceable fantasy performer.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Supposing Toronto's monster fantasy performers are logically accounted for, have a gander at whether Matthew Knies is available. Experiencing a minor drop in scoring of late, the gifted sophomore is now available in nearly half of ESPN Fantasy leagues. It won't be a hot minute until Auston Matthews' and Mitch Marner's linemate finds the back of the net once more. He helpfully registered an assist (plus-three) in the Leafs' come-from-behind win over Boston just the other night. Knies boasts additional value in leagues that reward hits.
If not, consider giving Bobby McMann a fantasy shot in deeper leagues. A touch cool himself of late, the scrappy ex-minor leaguer has demonstrated good chemistry with linemates Max Domi and Nicholas Robertson. Beginning this weekend, the Leafs face the Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche in a busy seven-day stretch. McMann will contribute.
New Jersey Devils
Relying too heavily on Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and a healthy-again Nico Hischier, the Devils need to get their balanced scoring act back together, and soon. For instance, after an inspired start to 2024-25, Stefan Noesen has been much too quiet of late. Reunited on a scoring line with Hischier, he's one candidate with the potential to kick it up a notch. On New Jersey's blue line, Brett Pesce should be more popular in fantasy competition that prizes blocked shots.
Between the pipes, Nico Daws presents as an intriguing fantasy option in the here and now. Starting just two games this season, he was superb against the Penguins earlier this month and utterly perfect -- stopping all 29 shots -- against Nashville this past weekend. Outside of one dominant showing versus Montreal, Jake Allen has been much less successful. Even though the Devils face some fairly tough competition coming up, Dawes boasts reasonable streaming potential while Jacob Markstrom continues to recover. At least for managers desperate for competent netminding in the short term.
Minnesota Wild
Nearing the end of his (adjusted) eight-game suspension, Ryan Hartman needs to make amends for his absence -- one for which he has no one to blame but himself. (And thank goodness Tim Stutzle is generally okay after having his head slammed into the ice.) Coach John Hynes, who has spoken positively of the work Hartman has put in during his league-imposed pause, should allow the center the chance to do so, especially with Joel Eriksson Ek out week-to-week. Soon, if not immediately.
You know Hartman is jumping out of his skin right now, rearing to get back out there while his club endeavors to secure a playoff position. If the 30-year-old manages to funnel his energy into providing valuable production instead of dangerously targeting others, he could knock it out this March. He's put up bunches of points before.
Anaheim Ducks
Troy Terry nets goal for Ducks
Defenseman Jackson LaCombe should be on more than 40% of ESPN Fantasy rosters, favorable schedule or not. The 24-year-old is leaving all other Anaheim defenders in his fantasy dust. Troy Terry is scoring again, riding a four-game streak with a goal and five assists. Goalie Lukas Dostal remains a decent choice for desperate managers in deeper leagues, just be prepared to stomach some negative scores here and there. Dostal evolves into an even more interesting acquisition if John Gibson is dealt ahead of the Mar. 7 trade deadline.
Vancouver Canucks
With Thatcher Demko shelved once more, Kevin Lankinen is going to play a lot. Fortunately, for a club that's still in the playoff mix, he's generally performed well since late January, averaging 4.1 fantasy points/game through six starts. If the Canucks manage to battle hard enough to remain in the fight -- and it would greatly help if one or two key performers would wake up -- Lankinen could be in for a positive March indeed.