No one would blame you if you had given up on Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Once a versatile forward that could impact the game in any number of areas, Dubois’ value sunk to an all-time low last season with the Los Angeles Kings. The former third-overall pick struggled mightily with Kings, spending time on the fourth line and seeing his offensive production plummet. Despite Los Angeles’ best efforts, they felt there was no path forward with Dubois and shipped him out of town only a year after acquiring him for a significant return, which included Gabriel Vilardi. Heading into 2024-25, Dubois found himself on already his fourth team by the age of 26, in what was likely his last chance to make things work.
The Washington Capitals weren’t exactly the ideal landing spot for Dubois either. Washington ranked 28th in goals for during the 2023-24 season, so if you drafted Dubois hoping for an offensive resurgence, it seemed like more of a longshot than anything else. Dubois, though, has arguably been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, rebounding offensively in a major way.
In his past 20 games, Dubois has 19 points and is now on pace for 63 on the season. That would match Dubois’ career high, who is not only fantasy relevant once again, he suddenly has major value. Take Wednesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks as an example of how effective Dubois can be when he’s at his best. He scored two goals, including the overtime winner, while adding three shots and four penalty minutes. It was the type of versatile performance that can make a huge difference in a weekly matchup.
It should also be noted the impact Dubois’ teammates have had on him with the Caps. Connor McMichael is having a breakout campaign and Tom Wilson is closing in on 20 goals. The trio has been a dominant second line for Washington and one they really lean on. Dubois is averaging close to 19 minutes per game this month, almost three minutes more than he was playing with the Kings.
It’s easy to forget how important of a piece Dubois can be when he’s firing on all cylinders. In his final two years with the Winnipeg Jets, Dubois was a 60-point player that posted over 200 shots, averaged 92 penalty minutes, while posting very respectable hit numbers. We just didn’t think we’d ever see that player again.
Whether he makes it all the way back to top form remains to be seen, but if you’re thinking of taking a chance on Dubois, the time is now. He likely won’t be available much longer.
1. Charlie Lindgren left Friday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an injury and did not return. If he’s out for any significant time, Logan Thompson’s value goes way up. Thompson has been superb this year but is playing only every other game. He may get an extended run of starts coming up here if Lindgren misses a few weeks.
2. Somewhat predictably, Gustav Nyquist’s value has taken a huge hit this year. The Nashville Predators forward had a career year last season, but at age 35 that was never going to be sustainable. Plus, the Preds have found something with Filip Forsberg, Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos as a trio, leaving Nyquist in a tough spot. He’s been a bit more productive lately, but Nyquist is no longer someone you can roster full time.
3. Sam Bennett has really cooled off. He hasn’t scored since December 3rd and has just one point in 10 games. Bennett started the year on a torrid pace, so some regression was definitely expected and he was a good sell high for that reason. The value is still there for hits and faceoffs, just temper your expectations when it comes to his point production.
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4. Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling is one of those better in real life players than fantasy, but he’s improved his shot volume this season. He’s currently on pace for around 200 shots, something he did a couple of years ago, too. If Forsling can give you 35-40 points with that type of shot production, he’s worth holding all season.
5. When Cam Fowler was dealt to the St. Louis Blues, the assumption was it would open up more ice time for Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger on the left side of the Anaheim Ducks blue line. Instead, Jackson LaCombe has really stepped up and he’s getting those key minutes. LaCombe is averaging nearly 23 minutes per game in January and has points in seven of his past nine games. Out of those three Ducks defensemen, LaCombe is the one to roster right now.
6. The New York Rangers gave up on Kaapo Kakko and are now betting on Arthur Kaliyev, who they claimed on waivers. Kaliyev could never get a featured role with the Los Angeles Kings, so expect the Rangers to give him a good look to try and help turn their fortunes around. He can provide some goal scoring if he lands with a solid line, so put Kaliyev on your watch list.
7. Frederik Andersen is back on the ice, giving some hope that he could still make an impact this fantasy season. Much like Boone Jenner, Andersen would be a low-risk, high-reward stash right now that could help out during a playoff run if he can remain healthy. It’s a big if, but Andersen is down to about 50 per cent rostered and you don’t have much to lose by stashing him.
8. Say what you will about Lane Hutson’s defensive shortcomings, but he’s been a fantasy hockey gem as a rookie. The Montreal Canadiens standout is now on pace for 62 points this season, which is incredible value for a rookie blue-liner. You just don’t see that type of production from young defensemen that often. Hutson is a sure-fire keeper going forward and his potential is through the roof.
9. With back-to-back overtime winners this week, Nick Suzuki has a new career high for game-winning goals with five. I’m not a huge fan of game-winning goals a category for fantasy but some do like it and Suzuki has been clutch in that area this year. I had the Canadiens forward on my roster for Team Canada and perhaps motivated by being left off the squad, Suzuki now has eight points in six games.
10. Tough luck for those rostering Stuart Skinner this week. The Edmonton Oilers knocked off the Boston Bruins 4-0 on Tuesday, but despite making 26 saves, Skinner didn’t qualify for a shutout because he left the game for a brief period after a collision in the crease. He still got the win and great peripheral numbers, but in leagues that count shutouts, it was a frustrating outcome.
11. Evander Kane had a knee procedure recently which could delay his return to the ice. I’d guess the Oilers would just keep him on LTIR until the playoffs at this point and use his cap space at the trade deadline. There’s probably no point in stashing him anymore, as I’d be quite surprised if we see Kane before Game 1 of the postseason.
12. Anthony Cirelli is on pace for 34 goals this season, which would shatter his previous career high. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward is normally tough to roster because his best traits are in the defensive zone, but Cirelli has formed a solid pair with Brandon Hagel and is suddenly scoring at an impressive rate.
13. If you’re rostering William Nylander, you have to expect some quiet stretches. Nylander went eight games without a goal before finally finding the back of the net on Thursday. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward is still going to finish with very strong numbers, he’s just not as immune to the odd cold streak like some other elite players are. Nylander was on pace for well over 50 goals at one point this season, but I don’t think that was really sustainable. You should expect him to finish closer to 45, which is where he’s trending now.
14. Rumours of Connor Bedard’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Okay, so no one was really going that far, but there definitely were some concerns when Bedard hit a wall earlier in his sophomore campaign. He’s now up to 12 points in his past 10 games and is pacing toward a 72-point year. Not bad at all given the lack of talent around him on one of the worst teams in the league. Bedard is going to be just fine.
15. This recent surge has had a positive impact on Tyler Bertuzzi. He’s been playing on Bedard’s wing lately and has 9 points in 11 games. I have no confidence that Bertuzzi can keep this going long term, though ride the wave while you can.
16. Have you ever had a player you were planning to add for a game or two but they played so well you just couldn’t drop them? That’s been Dmitri Voronkov for me recently. The Columbus Blue Jackets forward has 10 goals, 18 points, 34 shots and 10 PIM in his last 13 games. He’ll probably cool off eventually, but with that kind of consistent production, there’s no way you can drop Voronkov at the moment.
17. Don’t look now, but Jordan Staal is up to five goals and eight points in his past four contests. This is an unexpected burst of offense from Staal and isn’t sustainable, but if your league counts faceoff wins and hits, it’s not the worst idea to grab him until he slows down.
18. The Minnesota Wild have been decimated with injuries and it’s starting to take a toll on Filip Gustavsson. Kirill Kaprizov, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon and Brock Faber are all sidelined, leading Gustavsson to conceded 10 goals over his past two starts. I wouldn’t panic where Gustavsson is concerned, but just note that his short-term value may take a bit of a hit.
19. It’s a heavy Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule next week, so players skating on off nights will be few and far between. The Buffalo Sabres only play twice, but on Wednesday and Friday, so maybe someone like Jason Zucker or Jack Quinn could be worth a look. Both have provided some scoring pop over the past few weeks and you could always drop them after Friday and grab someone who plays Saturday and Sunday to get a combined four games.
I’d take a chance on Evgenii Dadonov, too. The Dallas Stars play four times and Dadonov has been bumped up to the top line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz, leading to him scoring eight points in his past eight games.
As far as drops go, I’m looking at the Bruins, who play just twice and were really struggling before pulling out a win against Florida on Saturday. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha would be good candidates, as Coyle has one point in his past eight games and Zacha has just one goal in 13 contests.
20. Connor Hellebuyck leads the league with six shutouts, which is a wild stat considering we aren’t even in mid-January yet. The league leaders in shutouts for each of the past two seasons only had six and Hellebuyck still has three months left to shatter that mark. They haven’t always been easy, too. In those six, the Winnipeg Jets netminder has shut out Minnesota, Edmonton and Colorado twice. It’s very rare for a goalie to win the Hart Trophy, but I think Hellebuyck should at least be in the conversation at this point.
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