Fantasy Hockey Trends to Watch For In 2025
Four Recent Developments to Watch For in the New Year
We’re officially in 2025, and I hope everyone had a great start to the New Year. It was awful to hear the news in New Orleans early this morning, as the panic delayed the Sugar Bowl game between Georgia and Notre Dame until tomorrow. Prayers and thoughts go out to the families who saw loved ones lose their lives in the tragedy.
From a fantasy hockey end, the turn of the year can be a nice mid-point for fantasy hockey managers.
It can be a time for reflection and experimentation, especially regarding streamers and roster composition. However, it can also be a time of deflation, as, after the new year, teams are typically tempted to quit, especially if they’re looking forward to fantasy baseball draft season.
Thus, with January 1st and still months left to play in the fantasy hockey season, I wanted to share some “trends” fantasy managers should pay attention to in the 2025 portion of their respective seasons.
Stay Away From Rangers Players
As I have frequently said on this blog, it’s a tire fire in New York.
Rangers fans and fantasy hockey managers received gutting news on New Year’s Eve as New York placed goalie Igor Shesterkin on Long-Term IR. That means Jonathan Quick will get a majority of starts for the Rangers going forward in Shesterkin’s absence. However, he hasn’t played well as of late, as I categorized him as a “dud” in my most recent edition of goalie “Studs and Duds.”
Goalie "Studs and Duds": Week 12
We’re reaching the end of Week 12, though Sunday's NHL schedule is still decently full. Nine NHL games are scheduled today to close out the week. The high number of games is likely due to the Christmas/Holiday break, as no NHL games were played from December 24th to the 26th.
The Shesterkin injury is just the tip of the iceberg for the Rangers. Forward Chris Kreider has been a healthy scratch recently, blue liner K’Andre Miller and Mika Zibanejad are on cold streaks, and the team is in the Metropolitan Division. Center Vincent Trocheck and wing Artemi Panarin are still productive, but there aren’t many bright spots for the Rangers, especially on a fantasy end.
Managers should stick with Trocheck and Panarin if they are rostering them. Any other Ranger, though, is a serious trade or drop candidate, even if their trade values are comically low right now.
Pay Attention to Hall and Bertuzzi in Chicago
The St. Louis Blues took it to the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in the Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve.
As a result, the vibes with Chicago aren’t great. They sit in last place in the Central Division, three points behind Nashville and 12 points behind Utah. Their 26-point mark is also the worst in all of hockey, two points worse than the San Jose Sharks, who have the second-worst mark (28 points).
There are a lot of flaws with this Blackhawks roster, and the team hasn’t shown much fire under interim coach Anders Sorensen, who took over for previous head coach Luke Richardson in early December. On a positive note, it does seem like the Blackhawks are finding the right linemates with franchise star Connor Bedard, who’s scored 33 points this season.
According to Left Wing Lock line combo data, Tyler Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall have recently become Bedard's primary linemates. In 87:05 TOI, the trio scored five goals and produced an SF% of 52.9% and a CF% of 52.2%. Thus, considering that kind of shot generation, it seems likely that Bertuzzi and Hall will stay on the first line with Bedard for the foreseeable future.
Individually, Bertuzzi has scored five goals in the past five games and has 19 points in 28 GP (including 12 goals).
As for Hall, the 33-year-old left wing has scored six points (a goal and five assists) in his last five. He has scored 20 points this year with eight goals and 12 assists. His IPP for the season is 83.3%, and unlike Bertuzzi, his shooting isn’t too crazy high at 11.3%.
Bertuzzi is only eight percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, while Hall is only four percent. I am not sure they would be great in category leagues with plus/minus. However, in points formats, Bertuzzi and Hall could be worthwhile Streamers as long as they stay together on this line with Bedard.
Mackenzie Blackwood May Be A Dude For Colorado
When the Avs acquired Blackwood from San Jose, many experts thought he would simply be a better temporary option than Alexandar Georgiev, who had worn out his welcome in Colorado.
Trade Spotlight: Colorado and San Jose Swap Goalies
On Monday, we had some interesting trade news: The San Jose Sharks traded away goalie Mackenzie Blackwood and forward Givani Smith to the Colorado Avalanche for Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 5th-round pick, and a 2026 2nd-round pick.
However, the Avs awarded Blackwood a five-year extension before the new year. The deal received mixed praise from hockey analysts, but there’s no question that Blackwood has performed well since making the move to Colorado.
Since becoming the Avs’ primary goalie, he’s 5-1 in his last six starts, with all six being quality starts. Blackwood has produced a 1.85 GAA, 0.936 SV%, and a 6.40 GSAA in those games played with Colorado. While the 28-year-old goaltender won’t put up those numbers for the rest of the season, his overall numbers (including those from the Sharks this year) look pretty solid.
What to do with Blackwood in keeper and dynasty formats may be a more challenging dilemma for fantasy managers. However, in standard redraft leagues, I think Blackwood is a safe bet for regular play in both points and category formats for the remainder of the season.
Buy Into the Canadiens’ Skaters
The Canadiens are hot right now. They have won six of their last seven, including significant road victories over Florida, Tampa Bay, and Vegas. Martin St. Louis’ squad is currently 17-17-3, and its 37 points rank sixth in a tough Atlantic division.
Winger Cole Caufield has been on a hot streak with four points in his last four games. He has 34 points for the season, and his 75-point 82-game pace is an improvement from his 65-point 82-game pace a season ago.
Caufield has been a Montreal skater to watch, but he’s rostered in 93% of leagues, so he’s likely unavailable (and I'm not sure managers who roster him would be willing to trade him). Conversely, center Jake Evans is even hotter, and he’s only rostered in five percent of Yahoo leagues.
The 28-year-old forward has eight points in his last seven games and has 10 goals and 23 points in 37 games with Montreal this season. His 0.62 PTS/G mark is 28 points higher than his PTS/G mark last season, and his 82-point pace so far this year is 51, a 13 point-improvement.
Evans’ 29.4% SH% and 14.2% 5-on-5 SH% will eventually fall back to earth at some point. However, he’s a strong-performing Montreal skater worth streaming, especially with the Canadiens’ attack on such a tear (31 points in seven games).
Patrick Laine has added a much-needed spark, especially in the power play (8 PPP). Rookie Lane Hutson has cooled a bit recently (zero points in his last three games), but he’s a worthwhile blue-line streamer (55% rostered) who can provide points (0.68 PTS/G) and blocks (1.27 Blocks/G).
Thus, there’s a lot to like in fantasy with many Montreal skaters now. Managers desperate for production shouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger on any of the three I previously listed, especially since they may likely be available on waivers in most leagues.
Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports