NHL Usage Trends for Fantasy Hockey – 11/27

Welcome to Fantrax’s NHL usage trends for November 27 — a tactical breakdown of deployment trends that matter. This week, we’re spotlighting key ice time changes, power play promotions, and line shakeups that could swing matchups and unlock hidden value. Whether you’re grinding in deep leagues or scanning for streaming upside, these shifts offer actionable insight for fantasy managers looking to stay ahead of the curve.

More Fantasy Hockey Analysis: | Goalie Streamers | Buy-Low, Sell-High | Fantasy Hockey Cold List | Prospect Report | NHL Injury Report | Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire

NHL Usage Trends for Fantasy Hockey

Jamie Benn, LW – Dallas Stars

Benn has now played four games since returning to game action. While his ice time is not anything to get excited about, 11:02 per game, he is playing on a line with Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnson.

We should also remember, Benn has just returned from having a collapsed lung. It should be of little surprise that his ice time has been limited. He is also on the second power play unit, but let’s be real here, that first unit provides most of the firepower. His real value remains in multi-cat leagues. He still provides solid hit and penalty minute numbers.

Zach Benson, LW – Buffalo Sabres

Benson has also recently returned to game action. In his first two games back, he’s averaged 16:33 and sees 66.7% of power-play minutes. Last night, he bounced between the third line and the Sabres’ top line, playing 6:55 with Tage Thompson & Alex Tuch.

Josh Doan also played 6:50 with Tuch and Thompson. This deployment is one worth watching. If Benson can lock down a full-time gig on the Sabres’ top line, he’s in for a big boost in production. He has nine assists in nine games as it is.

Darren Raddysh, D – Tampa Bay Lightning

Quite the turnaround for Raddysh. He’s gone from being a healthy scratch and playing as little as 7:53 on November 6th to averaging over 22 minutes a game over his last eight games. He also has seven points in that span.

Victor Hedman has missed the last four games, so we can’t solely point to his absence as the catalyst for the turnaround. I’ll go on a limb and say, message received with the healthy scratch.

Raddysh is currently taking down over 80% of power play minutes. Again, not solely linked to Hedman’s injury. In the last four games before he got hurt, Raddysh played 89.2%, 87.5%, 77.3%, and 90.6% of the power play minutes. He might be 29, but he’s only played 193 career NHL games.  Hedman is Hedman, but he is also 34.

Sam Montembeault, G, and Jacob Dobes, G – Montreal Canadiens

I know, I’m late to the party in flagging this, but I’m here. Montembeault has been absolutely dreadful this year. His .852 save percentage (SV%) ranks 70th in the NHL.

Dobes’ .895 SV% won’t put him in Vezina conversations, but it is significantly better than Montembeault’s. Dobes has a 7-2-2 record in 11 games, while Montembeault sits at 4-5-1 in 12 games.

Dobes will take more and more starts if Montembeault continues to struggle. One has to wonder if the Canadiens continue to receive below-average goaltending, how long to they leave Jacob Fowler in the AHL? He only has 14 professional games, but in 11 games this season, he has a 7-4 record with a 2.10 Goals Against Average and a .918 SV%.  The Habs would love to let him have a full season with the Laval Rocket. However, if Dobes stumbles, you have to think Fowler will get a look.

Easton Cowan, RW – Toronto Maple Leafs

Cowan is starting to find his way in the NHL. He’s also finding a regular role alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. He seems to be a good compliment on that line and is demonstrating the hockey IQ to hang with them and not just be a puck retriever for them. He did pick up the game-tying goal late in the third on that line, as well.

The real reason I included Cowan is that he replaced Morgan Rielly on the Leafs’ power play last night. The Leafs went with a five-forward deployment, and Cowan was number five.

Rielly has been on again, off again on the Leafs’ first unit for the past six years. This is nothing new. Craig Berube is desperate to find a way to get the team going. This is just the latest installment of him trying to light a fire.