Fantasy Hockey Dropdown List: It’s time to move on from these four players

Halloween is too early to cut bait on the supposed cornerstone of your dream bucket list. But now that the holiday season is in full swing, it’s officially time to pull the plug and accept that some of these “difference makers” have made exactly one difference: blowing your team.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest movers from the fantasy rankings on October 31 to last Friday’s update, featuring more than a few players who inspired the classic, “I’m Not Mad… Just Frustrated” as they drifted outside the top 250.

Shane Wright, C, Seattle Kraken (129th as of Oct. 31; 270th last week): He was on just 14% of rosters at the start of the season, but there was plenty of reason for optimism. Chief among them: Wright finished 136th among forwards in total fantasy points after Dec. 1 of last season. But he hasn’t been part of the Kraken’s top six yet, which matters even more this year since the team isn’t distributing ice time like it used to.

Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, St. Louis Blues (98th as of Oct. 31; 244th last week): Like Wright, there were bright spots last season that convinced about 15% of fantasy managers to roll the dice. And those faithful have remained loyal through 26 games, as Snuggerud has been given multiple looks in scoring innings and plenty of ropes on the power play. But the statistics are not there. Now he’ll be out with a wrist injury until January, so it’s time to move on.

Logan Stankoven, C, Carolina Hurricanes (202nd as of Oct. 31; 299th last week): If we played great fantasy hockey, Stankoven would be beloved. His lines are possession hogs with a positive goal difference in almost all of his minutes. Of the 50 lines that have played at least 4:00 per game together this season, Stankoven has two separate lines in the top 20 in shot attempt percentage (Corsi%). But he doesn’t collect counting statistics, and that’s our whole game.

Alexander Nikishin, D, Carolina Hurricanes (139th as of Oct. 31; 255th last week): The Russian rookie defenseman’s early-season explosion of points proved to be just that: an early-season explosion of points. After collecting four out of four to start his NHL career, Nikishin managed just five points over his next 20 games. There’s still potential here, as the Hurricanes have used a rotating mix of bottom four defensemen, with only Sean Walker and Kandre Miller eclipsing 100 minutes combined (161:22). Some of the pairings were great for Nikishin – with Shane Gostisbe, beating the opposition 9-1 – while others were not, as they were beaten 4-3 with Shaun Walker. If he can’t climb the depth chart with Jacob Slavin sidelined, it’s hard to see him doing so once Slavin returns later this month.

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Goalkeeper Notes

Below is a selection of this week’s on-target picks, featuring wrinkle posts, imaginative production and keynotes where appropriate.

Boston Bruins in 27 games (three last week):

• Jeremy Swayman (Season/Week Share Increase: 63.1%/67.8%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 51.6/15.6, 26.5% Available, 3.01 FPP60)

• Joonas Korpisalo (Season/Week Crease Share: 36.9%/32.2%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: -5.4/-4.0, 98.5% Available, -0.54 FPP60)

Swayman’s swagger – much of which we haven’t seen in 2024-25 – has returned in a big way. He has worked his way into the top five goaltenders for total fantasy points. Some of the “credit” goes, of course, to Korpisalo, who the Bruins relied on less and less, widening the door to Swayman’s workload.

Carolina Hurricanes in 25 games (three last week):

• Frederik Andersen (Season/Week Crease Share: 51.7%/32.1%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: -0.4/-3.2, 42.3% Available, -0.03 FPP60)

• Brandon Posey (Season/Week Increase Share: 32.0%/67.9%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 30.0/14.4, 96.3% Available, 3.73 FPP60)

• Pyotr Kochetkov (Season/Week Crease Share: 16.4%/DNP, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 22.6/DNP, 84.4% Available, 5.49 FPP60)

The Hurricanes’ stifling style means goaltenders often face fewer than 20 shots. This low-volume environment hasn’t helped Andersen, whose only win this month came on Nov. 6. Kochetkov was excellent when he was healthy, which was a short stretch from November 4-17. That leaves Posey, the bane of Canada: He started four games in November, all against Canadian teams, and the Hurricanes won all four thanks to solid point guarding. It’s actually a great option for an immediate start, and can tip that curl even further on its way.

Calgary Flames in 27 games (four last week):

• Dustin Wolf (Season/Week Crease Share: 66.6%/3.2%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 7.2/-5.8, 29.0% Available, 0.4 FPP60)

• Devin Cooley (Season/Week Share Increase: 33.4%/96.8%, Season/Week Fantasy Points Increased: 25.4/7.0, 98.4% Available, 2.81 FPP60)

It’s probably too late to get the Cooley heater full, but there’s still a chance he has fuel left. He has started four of Calgary’s past six games despite being healthy, and Wolfe was chased in his last start after allowing three goals in the first six minutes. The Flames aren’t exactly a fantasy goldmine, but if Wolff needs a break, there are some soft opponents on the horizon.

Detroit Red Wings in 26 games (four last week):

• Cam Talbot (Season/Week Crease Share: 53.1%/75.1%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 19.6/-9.8, 80.7% Available, 1.41 FPP60)

• John Gibson (Season/Week Crease Share: 46.9%/24.9%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: -14.6/-5.6, 86.9% Available, -1.19 FPP60)

Pittsburgh Penguins in 25 games (five last week):

• Arturs Silovs (Season/Week Crease Share: 43.7%/10.3%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 15.2/-6.8, 84.2% Available, 1.38 FPP60)

• Tristan Jarry (Season/Week Crease Share: 41.7%/89.7%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 36.6/12.6, 65.3% Available, 3.49 FPP60)

• Sergey Murashov (Season/Week Crease Share: 14.6%/DNP, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 8.6/DNP, 99.5% Available, 2.33 FPP60)

Vegas Golden Knights in 25 games (four last week):

• Akira Schmid (Season/Week Increase Share: 58.0%/51.0%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 33.2/-4.0, 64.0% Available, 2.25 FPP60)

• Carl Lindbom (Season/Week Crease Share: 27.6%/49.0%, Season/Week Fantasy Points: -8.4/-0.6, 99.8% Available, -1.2 FPP60)

• Adin Hill (Season/Week Crease Share: 14.4%/DNP, Season/Week Fantasy Points: 1.8/DNP, 36.4% available, 0.49 FPP60)

• Carter Hart (Season/Week Increase Share: DNP/DNP, Season/Week Fantasy Points: DNP/DNP, 88.2% Available)

Hart is now with the team and eligible to play. We’ll see when it’s published. For what it’s worth, he’s allowed nine goals in three AHL starts and has one win.

Power up notes

Josh Norris, C, Buffalo Sabers (85.9% Available): A solid return to the lineup from injury saw Norris earn a power play spot with the first unit and also be on the ice to score two goals at even strength (with Taj Thompson and Zach Benson). Norris could be the shot in the arm the Sabers offense needs.

Scott Morrow, D, New York Rangers (99.8% Available): The Rangers don’t have a clear successor to Adam Fox on the power play blue line, so when he left midway through the game, the team went with five forwards (adding Will Coyle) in the next feature. No other Rangers defender has a single power play. Fox will be out for at least a month, and Morrow has the closest thing to a PP-QB skill set on the roster. He’s been bouncing around between the NHL and AHL, with minimal usage, but is still the most logical to get a shot at.

Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Colorado Avalanche (55.3% Available): It took some time, but Landeskog worked his way into the Avs’ top unit. His PPTOI has jumped to 3:19 over his past three games (from 1:53 on the season), and he has scored his first two power-play points in his return in that span. The unit itself clicked for him, with 9:49 to play, 5.3 shot attempts per two minutes, and two goals.

Zach Hyman, RW, Edmonton Oilers (43.5% Available): Take it. One of the guys we know who scored 50+ goals two seasons ago is back in the lineup and promoting solid play alongside two of the best players on the planet. Hyman rarely stays quiet for long. It shouldn’t be available in many leagues.

Darren Radish, D, Tampa Bay Lightning (73.4% available): We’ve highlighted Raddysh a lot during Victor Hedman’s absence, but there may be an argument to keep him there even when Hedman is healthy. The Lightning’s senior unit (Kucherov, Guentzel, Bjorkstrand, Point) clocked 27:50 with Hedman and 26:34 with Raddysh. With Radisz, the group has more shots (27-21), more attempts (50-44), more goals (4-3).

Easton Cowan, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs (98.4% Available): The fact that Cowan is getting a cameo appearance in the top unit without an injury opening the door is a notable development. At some point, the Maple Leafs power play has to start taking over… right? She has too much talent to not…right? They haven’t scored with Cowan’s 6:32 yet, but his 4.29 shot attempts per two minutes is at least encouraging… right?