Welcome to Fantrax’s NHL usage trends for January 15 — a tactical breakdown of deployment trends that matter. 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 | NHL Usage Trends | Buy-Low, Sell-High | NHL Schedule Preview | Fantasy Hockey Cold List | Prospect Report | NHL Injury Report | Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire
NHL Usage Trends
Egor Chinakov, Pittsburgh Penguins
Five points in 11 games isn’t spectacular, but it is significantly better than six in 29. Chinakov is slowly trending in the right direction since being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He spent most of last night with Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin and scored a goal. The ice time isn’t there yet, though. It’s better, but marginally so. He is playing an extra 2:20 per game compared to his time with Columbus this year. Mind you, he’s only getting 12:37 since the trade. The bonus, he’s getting 1:19 of power play time.
The buy low was before the trade. That said, he’s rostered in only 18% of Fantrax pools. He has legit top-six upside. In dynasty pools, if you can afford to burn a spot for another year, you’ll get rewarded.
Rasmus Andersson, Vegas Golden Knights
He was the big news last week, getting traded to the Golden Knights for draft picks.
Andersson never really clicked as a pure power-play quarterback in Calgary. They often used MacKenzie Weegar over the past couple of seasons.
With a healthy Shea Theodore, Andersson won’t get a sniff on the first unit. Expect him to play the second unit, which shouldn’t decrease his 2:17 averaged power-play ice time by much. The Knights are a better offensive team, so we may see a slight bump in five-on-five production.
Overall, Andersson remains a 40-plus point defenceman who can threaten 50.
Josh Doan, Buffalo Sabres
Doan just signed a seven-year contract that will pay him $6.95 million until 2033. That is top-six money. He was considered a promising prospect with the Utah Mammoth, but some didn’t expect him to have significant offensive upside. A few months later, Doan sits with 35 points in 49 games and inked a deal $800k less than J.J. Peterka’s – the player the Mammoth traded Doan and Michael Kesselring to acquire.
In his first full NHL season, Doan is on pace for 59 points and 170 shots. He’s also marched his way up the Sabres depth chart to the first power play unit. Rostered in 67% of Fantrax pools, the word has gotten out on him.
Signing a deal like this, the Sabres believe this is the tip of the iceberg. At 111 career NHL games, Doan is a full season away from his breakout threshold. While he’s exceeded expectations and is having a great season, I don’t think the cost to acquire him equals his fantasy value. I think there’s still a small window to acquire and gain value over the cost to acquire.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Minnesota Wild
If we remove his forgettable season with the Detroit Red Wings, Tarasenko has remained a 55–60-point winger. It is disappointing compared to his glory years, when he scored 40 goals and averaged a point per game, but the relevance is still there.
He’s on a modest four-game point streak, which does include five goals and eight points. He has played well enough that in the last three games, he’s received a bump of two minutes of ice time per game. The good news is that extra ice time is primarily all time spent on the first power play unit.
The increased value is speculative. Odds are he drops back down to the second power play unit at some point. The Wild are rumoured to be searching for a top-six forward and have been said to be interested in Vincent Trocheck or Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers. They seem primed to acquire someone of that ilk by the deadline. Barring an injury, that should spell the end of Tarasenko on the first unit.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
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