We’ve reached the halfway point of the NHL season. This means week 13 of fantasy hockey is closer to two-thirds through your fantasy hockey season. I have pools with playoffs ranging from three to six weeks in length (one and two-week matchups). The NHL trade deadline is two months away. With the games pausing for two weeks due to the Four Nations Cup, the deadline is closer than expected.
You should have taken stock of your team and identified roster needs by now. ‘Tis the season to battle for playoff spots.
Week 13 of Fantasy Hockey
Central Division
Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota Wild
Rossi picked up a cool eight points in three games last week. He topped it off with a four-point performance against the Carolina Hurricanes. Now up to 37 points in 40 games, Rossi has fully arrived. He is on pace for 76 points this season. At season’s end, he will have played 185 NHL games. This places his breakout threshold in the second quarter of the 2025-26 season. This breakout might be the tip of the iceberg.
Wyatt Johnston, RW, Dallas Stars
Johnston has turned it on of late, with seven points in his last four games and 17 in his last 18. At 203 career games played, Johnston is smack-dab on top of his breakout threshold. If you own him, there is every likelihood that the second half of this season will hit a new level.
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon has 25 points in his last 12 games. Connor McDavid is considered to be the best player in the game. It’s time to acknowledge that MacKinnon has been the best player in the NHL for the last two seasons. Perhaps this deserves a larger discussion. After all, the reigning Hart Trophy winner has a seven-point lead in the scoring race and 12 more points than McDavid.
Juuse Saros, G, Nashville Predators
He only picked up one win in three starts last week, but it was another shutout. Saros has been an interesting case study this year. He is now 9-17 on the year – four of those nine wins are shutouts. His .906 save percentage ties him with Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers for 18th in the NHL.
If you’re looking for a buy-low goalie opportunity, Saros would be a great option.
Pacific Division
Troy Terry, LW/RW, Anaheim Ducks
Terry was the NHL’s second Star of the Week, with four goals and two assists in four games. No one ever talks about Terry. Twice he has hit the 60-point mark. He’s currently on pace for 69 points.
Frank Vatrano, LW/RW, Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim has been a revelation for Vatrano’s career. It’s clear he recognizes it too. He signed a three-year extension with the Ducks this past week. That removes him from the rumor mills. At $4.71 million, Vatrano remains a great value own in salary cap pools.
Ilya Samsonov, G, Vegas Golden Knights
He has won five starts in a row and seven of his last eight. During the five-game win streak, he hasn’t given up more than two goals in a game.
Adin Hill, G, Vegas Golden Knights
Not to be outdone, Hill is 8-2 in his last 10 starts. It’s a pretty nice problem to have if you’re the Golden Knights coach.
Eeli Tolvanen, LW/RW, Seattle Kraken
Tolvanen has been ice-cold over the last nine games. I don’t know if it gets much colder than this. We’re talking zero points and a -8. His streakiness has made him a difficult player to own. There’s a 70-point player buried in there. If you have the time and the patience to wait for him to find the consistency you will be rewarded.
Atlantic Division
Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Knies had a monster game Saturday night against the Boston Bruins. He recorded his first career hat trick and added two assists. He followed that up with a goal in both games against the Philadelphia Flyers, including the game-winner last night. He also added six penalty minutes and ten hits. The only thing missing is power play production. Knies has taken a big step forward this year. I own Knies in three pools. His five-point game put me over the top in week 13 of fantasy hockey in two of those pools.
Jason Zucker, LW/RW, Buffalo Sabres
The only thing going right in Buffalo this year is Zucker. He’s up to 31 points in 41 games and just had a modest 4-game point streak broken. It might be hard to believe but Zucker has only surpassed 50 points once in his career. He is currently on pace for 62 points. If he only matches his career average of .54 points per game – that’s a career 44-point pace – he will break 50 points for the second time.
This is one player I worry about getting traded at the deadline. He’s found a home in Buffalo. I don’t know if he can maintain this production if the Sabres trade him.
Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens
Hutson has usurped Mike Matheson, D, from the first power play unit. He’s also on pace for 61 points. Hutson is going to get a lot of consideration for the Calder Trophy this year. If he hits 60 points, it will be almost impossible to give it to someone else.
I didn’t think he would produce this much this fast. It will be interesting to see how the second half of the season affects his play. He’s never played 82 games in a season. The rigors of the pro schedule are real.
Mike Matheson, D, Montreal Canadiens
He’s under contract for one more season with a cap hit of $4.875 million. He’s demonstrated he can run a power play and play top-pair minutes.
I know he’s not at the top of any trade boards, but more than a few teams could use a puck-moving defenceman come playoffs. Division rivals, Toronto Maple Leafs, could use him for one.
Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings
Larkin had a solid week with five goals and two assists over 4 games. Five of those seven points came on the power play. He’s riding a six-game point streak and the Red Wings are riding a five-game winning streak. At least early, this coaching change looks to have worked
Metropolitan Division
Sean Monahan, C, Columbus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan might be the best free agent signing of the season. He’s on a point-per-game pace, which he’s only achieved once before (2018-19). He has one goal and seven assists in his last four games, including three power-play points.
Tom Wilson, RW, Washington Capitals
Wilson is also riding a four-game point streak with eight points in those four games. Everything seems to be going right in Washinton this year. Wilson, being on pace for 63 points is just the cherry on top. His penalty minutes are down significantly this year as he is averaging less than one per game, for the first time in his career. At least to this point in the season, Wilson has cleaned up his game.
Brock Nelson, C, New York Islanders
Nelson was dropped in three of my five pools. Week 13 of fantasy hockey was not kind to Nelson. After three straight 30-plus goal seasons, Nelson finds himself on pace for 21. The trade rumors could be taking their toll. It seems inevitable he will be traded by the NHL deadline.
If you’re into value trading, this would be a good one. Several teams could use a big second-line center. Especially one that can play on the power play. Some landing spots will be much better than others for Nelson. For example, if he goes to Toronto, he won’t get a real shot at the first power play unit. Whereas, the Boston Bruins have a bigger need.
Zack Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Werenski’s wild tear continues. He picked up eight points over his last four games and has fourteen over his last seven. If that’s not enough, in the past four games, Werenski fired 27 shots on goal. He has an incredible 161 shots on goal on the season. Werenski willed teams to a win in week 13 of fantasy hockey.
He’s on pace for 92 points. That would obliterate his career-high of 57 points. No one saw this coming.
Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washinton Capitals
Career Goals: 872 (19 on the season)
Gretzky’s Record: 894
To Tie Record: 22 Goals
To Break Record: 23 Goals
That will do it for this week. Thanks for reading.
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