There have been a couple of key changes to scoring lines since we last checked in. While some may be temporary, others have the initial appearance of some permanence. That means there are some new names in the mix for ongoing fantasy production.
Jake Virtanen, W, Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks are systematically eliminating all opponents of late, for the most part. A big part of that success has been the team spreading out the offense on two lines at the top. Brock Boeser was separated from Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller in favor of Virtanen for the past five games. Virtanen has responded with two goals and six points in the past four games. When these little line juggles coincide with a winning streak (four games and counting), they tend to stick. Virtanen should be a hot pickup.
James van Riemsdyk, W, Philadelphia Flyers: With Brian Elliott holding down the fort in net, the Flyers have won a couple games in a row with a new top line. Rarely used with Claude Giroux this season, van Riemsdyk is currently skating with Giroux and Travis Konecny. He exploded for three points on Jan. 18 and followed it up with a goal three days later. The Flyers have been off since then, but here's betting JVR gets some more run on the wing with Giroux.
Warren Foegele, W, Carolina Hurricanes: The results haven't been there yet, but Foegele is in a position to succeed. Since Justin Williams joined the lineup, Foegele has been rolling with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Both games with Williams in the lineup were wins, which followed three consecutive losses. While Foegele was a no-show on the score sheet, he occupies the prime spot in the Hurricanes offense.
Connor Brown, W, Ottawa Senators: We follow the bouncing Brady Tkachuk for offensive value with the Senators, and that currently means Brown is on the radar. He has seven points in the past five games and has shown the ability to stay hot for a month at a time already this season (October).
Kyle Turris, C/W, Nashville Predators: While new coach Jon Hynes has shown some affinity for Calle Jarnkrok, an illness forced his hand to bring someone else into the top six. Turris, who has always had that lurking potential, has three points in two games while cresting 19 minutes in both games (first time hitting that threshold this season). While Jarnkork was given a long leash to stay in the top six, Turris may be forcing the issue here for a longer look.
Dominik Kubalik, W, Chicago Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews has found a new sidekick in Kubalik. It doesn't seem to matter who is with them, either. During the past 10 games, Toews and Kubalik have been on the ice for five goals with John Quenneville, five with Patrick Kane and three with Drake Caggiula.
Fantasy Forecaster: Feb. 3 to Feb. 9
The schedule is ramped back up with the all-star break and bye weeks in the rearview. There are 51 games on tap for this week, including 12 teams with a four-game schedule.
The San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals get a reduced, two-game schedule.
For those new to the forecaster chart, here are some explanations: "O" (offense), which is on the left for each game, and "D" (defense), on the right, matchup ratings are based upon a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup) and are calculated using a formula that evaluates the team's season-to-date statistics, their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played, as well as their opponents' numbers in those categories. The "Ratings" column lists the cumulative rating from 1 to 10 of that week's offensive ("O") and defensive ("D") matchups.
In the notes below, the focus every week will be mainly on players that are available for potential use. Ownership below 50 percent of ESPN leagues is a good generalized cutoff. I'll try to also include players below 10 percent ownership whenever possible to cater to deeper formats.
Team notes
Florida Panthers: Somewhat quietly, the Panthers have established three lines of offense that can threaten the opposition. In fact, would you believe the line of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov is third on the team in even-strength goal production during the past 10 games? Brett Connolly, Vincent Trocheck and Noel Acciari have accounted for the most goals in that span, with Frank Vatrano, Mike Hoffman and Dominic Toninato coming up second. From a fantasy perspective, it's Vatrano that you want to attack. He's been on fire in January, with seven goals and 12 points in 10 games.
Goal scoring is not something foreign to Vatrano, who led the AHL with a ridiculous 36 goals in 36 games during the 2015-16 season. He's only 25 now and it can take a little more time for smaller players (5-foot-9) to find their footing in the NHL. This could be just a hot streak, but it could be something more. Heading into a four-game week rated as a 10 by the Forecaster is a good time to try and find out.
Los Angeles Kings: The Kings continue their extended ventures away from home with four games in Washington, New York and New Jersey next week. They've been holding their own of late, relatively speaking. Alex Iafallo is fresh of a hat trick and has five goals in four games. He's always worth riding when he and Anze Kopitar are hot. If Drew Doughty continues to miss time with an undisclosed injury, Alec Martinez is worth a short-term add as his power-play replacement.
Toronto Maple Leafs: It looks like Alexander Kerfoot is settling into a scoring-line role for the Leafs of late, which was no sure thing with Andreas Johnsson getting back to health and Kasperi Kapanen lurking for a chance. Kerfoot is skating with John Tavares and William Nylander, and has points in three straight.
Player notes
Oliver Bjorkstrand, W, Columbus Blue Jackets: Bjorkstrand's back and you're gonna be in trouble. Picking up right where he left off before injury in December, Bjorkstrand has two goals in each of the past two games. He returned to a line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nick Foligno. He's a must-add.
Kevin Labanc, W, San Jose Sharks: With Tomas Hertl down for the remainder of the season and Logan Couture still weeks away from a return, Labanc might be the last healthy body under the age of 40 worth a shot on a line with Evander Kane and Timo Meier. We'll see how the Sharks deploy him and whether there is any success to be found, but he should be on the radar.