We're down to the last two weeks (well, 1.5ish weeks) of the regular season, meaning we're down to the nitty gritty of the NHL season. Doing a long weekend recap isn't going to provide as much value to everyone as a look at this week's schedule and how it affects our roster decisions. For that reason, I'm going to highlight the spots where you can gain an edge, specifically in head to head leagues, but also some advantageous spots for roto leagues as well. Let's get to it!
Surging Savoie
April 2, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, FEATURED | Leave a commentby: Viz
With Draisaitl out for the regular season, somebody in the Oilers supporting cast had to step up. There's been a few depth guys that have, but nobody more than Matt Savoie. The former ninth overall pick from the Sabres has started to come into his own. Savoie had a goal on five shots in the 3-1 win over the Blackhawks. This was his fourth game out of five that Savoie scored a goal, but the most important things for projecting going forward were his role. In this game, Savoie played with McDavid and registered over 19 minutes, including on the top power play unit. The Oilers schedule is pretty spread out so I'm not going to say he's an automatic hold, but Savoie has a Tuesday/Wednesday back to back next week, which is a prime spot to stream him. Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
There are a couple teams making surprising runs to get back into the playoff race. The most surprising to me, by far, is the Flyers. In a huge showdown with Detroit on Saturday, the Flyers stomped them early and held on for the win. Owen Tippett stole the show with a hat trick and an assist with seven shots. He had two shots in the 2-1 OT win over the Stars, putting Philly two points out of the playoffs, albeit losing the tiebreaker to every team in front of them. Philly has a bunch of games this week against their direct competition, so expect Tocchet to lean on their studs. There are only two games on Friday, so Tippett has a real case to be held. Let's take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Granlund Gets Ducks Towards Glory
March 27, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, FEATURED | 9 Commentsby: Viz
The Anaheim Ducks have taken a big step forward this season. Lucky for them, they're geographically located in the right place. In the Eastern Conference, they'd be on the outside looking in for the playoffs. In the West, specifically the Pacific Division, they're close to a lock. The Ducks won their fourth straight game on Thursday, with Mikael Granlund scoring all three goals in a 3-2 OT win. Granlund now has seven goals in his last four games and continues to get big minutes. We've reached the point of the season where most of the fringe are streamers because we need to make a push in the fantasy playoffs, but with Anaheim having four games next week, Granlund is making a real case to be held while he's on fire. Let's take a look at what else happened on Thursday night:
Thanks to Gary Bettman, the favorite to win the Pacific Division bracket isn't even a team in the Pacific Division. Sure, this is a hot take, but give me the Utah Mammoth over any other team in the Pacific to make the final four assuming Utah is the first wild card team. On Sunday, the Mammoth beat the Kings in overtime, with Lawson Crouse leading the way with two goals, an assist, five shots, three hits, and two blocks in almost 18 minutes of ice time. Crouse has been on the first line for an extended period now and continues to deliver. In hits leagues, I would hold him almost everywhere. In non-hits leagues, he's an elite streamer. Let's take a look at what else happened over the last two nights:
2025-26 Hold/Stream List 5.0
March 20, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, FEATURED, Hold/Stream | 3 Commentsby: Viz
Version 4.0 of this season’s hold/stream list is below. For those of you new to these parts, this is pretty straightforward. This is for standard 12 man leagues so none of the additional categories like faceoff wins, etc. If a player is in the hold category, they are a slam dunk hold, don’t even think about. If they’re on the fringe, you can make a case either way depending on team needs. If they’re a streamer, then you can pick them up when you need starts and potentially hold them for a bit if they get hot, but don’t anticipate keeping them on your roster long term. Also, assume that every starting goalie is a hold unless otherwise noted. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, leave them below. Let’s get to it!
Becoming The McMann In Seattle
March 15, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, FEATURED | 8 Commentsby: Viz
I've long been a fan of Bobby McMann, but the early returns for Seattle blew my expectations out of the water. McMann scored two goals and an assist with four shots in his Kraken debut on Saturday against Vancouver, and followed it up with a goal and an assist with four shots against Florida on Sunday. He played over 18 minutes in both games slotting right onto the first line and second power play unit. With Seattle in the thick of a playoff race, I see no reason to expect McMann's workload to decrease. That means a 20-25% boost in playing time compared to what he was getting in Toronto. Over the last three seasons, McMann is in the top 50 in the league in even strength goals per 60 minutes. Given that, I think he should be held in all formats for the time being. Let's take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Kadri Confirmed Deadline Winner
March 12, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, FEATURED | 4 Commentsby: Viz
It's no surprise that Nazem Kadri is the big winner of the trade deadline. The surprise is how big of a winner that he is. Kadri has played on the wing with MacKinnon and Necas instead of centering his own line, and it doesn't get better than that. Kadri had a goalon two shots on Thursday in the win over the Kraken. His 19:26 in a blowout win is the lowest TOI he's played so far. There's a real chance that Kadri will be a top 50 player for the rest of the season if he stays in this spot, despite being available in 15% of leagues. I assume your league's trade deadline has passed, but if it hasn't and you're making a push, Kadri is a top target.
Live Blog! 2026 NHL Trade Deadline
March 5, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, FEATURED, Live Blog! | 3 Commentsby: Viz
The last day for teams to make moves for their playoff push has arrived! The NHL trade deadline is today at 3 PM EST. In this post, I am going to note every single trade that takes place and what impact, if any, it will have in fantasy for the rest of the season and in dynasties. At the bottom of the page, starting on Friday, it will say the last time that I updated this post. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask them below. Let's get to it!
Sabres Surge, Sweep Through Florida
March 1, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, FEATURED | 10 Commentsby: Viz
After missing the playoffs for fourteen straight seasons, I keep waiting for the Sabres to slump, but instead, they keep getting better. On Friday, they had a big 3-2 regulation win in Florida. If that wasn't enough, on the second of a back to back, they absolutely destroyed Tampa 6-2, including a 5-0 lead less than two minutes into the second period. Only the Colorado Avalanche have more regulation wins this season than the Sabres. What's been different this week is that Josh Norris has actually been in the lineup. Norris had an assist with three shots against the Panthers, before scoring two goals against the Lightning. As has been the case for Norris for four straight seasons, he's been hampered with injuries. The good news is that he's dominated when he's played this season, sitting with 8+12 in 22 games. The shot rate is poor so I wouldn't necessarily hold, but he's an elite streamer who probably belongs on the fringe. Ride the production while you can. Let's take a look at what else happened over the weekend:
Holloway’s Return
February 26, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, FEATURED | 6 Commentsby: Viz
I started the opening paragraph before the Blues game ended and got punished for it. I was already writing about Dylan Holloway, but his night got a lot better late improving his stat line. Holloway was playing his first game since January 18th, and only his second since December 12th, and he delivered the best game of his career. Holloway had a hat trick and an assist with five shots in the 5-1 win over the Kraken. Holloway broke out last season with 26-37 in his first year with the Blues, but this season has been a huge disappointment both for him and the team. The Blues are out of the playoff picture, so it's hard to say who will be traded and who will stay. Holloway is one of the few players that I'd be surprised if they moved. The 24 year old has the upside of a bottom end hold in 12'ers, as he showed last season. The Blues play a bunch of poor defenses in the short term, so for now, Holloway is an elite stremer. Let's take a look at what else happened in the first two nights back from the Olympic break:
Players To Sell For The Second Half
February 22, 2026 | 2025-26 Fantasy Hockey, Buy/Sell/Hold, FEATURED | 4 Commentsby: Viz
It's time to do the opposite of my post from last Friday, where I looked at players to buy for the second half. Today, I'm going to be a pessimist and tell you the players that I expect a dropoff from down the stretch. If you didn't see Friday's post, you can check that out here. Let's get to it!
