It's been a minute since we checked in on the risers and fallers on the ESPN fantasy hockey rankings.
The rankings are updated every Friday, but they don't offer space for discussion or analysis, so I like to use this space every so often to highlight some movement. In this case, our reference for the last check-in is Nov. 5.
A reminder that the rankings are expectations for fantasy points in the standard game here on ESPN from the date of the rankings forward. No previous results are factored in aside from using those results to drive the projections forward.
Jump ahead: Goalies | Power Play | Droppables
Risers
Drew Doughty, D, Los Angeles Kings (previous ranking 279, current 55): Getting oh-so-close to finally lacing them up for this season, Doughty has practiced with the Kings and his return feels imminent. With Brandt Clarke's production on the power play fading -- to the point that Jordan Spence has supplanted him lately -- Doughty will surely step back into the quarterback role he is familiar with..
Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota Wild (previous 357, current 169): Hidden in Kirill Kaprizov's shadow back in November, the superstar's extended absence has allowed Rossi to showcase what he brings the table on his own. Rossi has averaged 2.18 fantasy points in contests that Kaprizov has missed this season, compared to 1.81 fantasy points overall.
Jackson LaCombe, D, Anaheim Ducks (previous 328, current 146): What a meteoric rise for LaCombe, who not only secured a role alongside captain Radko Gudas on the Ducks top pairing, but then locked down the power-play quarterback role. Back in November, he was still getting the occasional healthy scratch!
Darcy Kuemper, G, Los Angeles Kings (previous 165, current 64): What do Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off and fantasy managers have in common? Regrets over not investing in an injured Darcy Kuemper back in November. Since the Nov. 5 check-in on the rankings, Kuemper leads the NHL with a 1.85 goals-against average.
Brandon Hagel, W, Tampa Bay Lightning (previous 123, current 37): Regrets over goaltending aside, Team Canada nailed this one. Hagel has evolved from a star-by-association winger that needed to eke out those power-play minutes for fantasy value, to a dominating fantasy presence that doesn't even need to be on the top line to earn his keep.
Ryan Pulock, D, New York Islanders (previous 166, current 110): Left outside of fantasy relevance in Noah Dobson's wake last season, Pulock has resurfaced, currently inside the top 30 defensemen for overall fantasy points, and he's not even 10 points behind Dobson.
Fallers
Adin Hill, G, Vegas Golden Knights (previous 80, current 236): The consistency is just not there. While he plays for a winning team,one of the winningest, in fact, Hill let's in a troublesome number of goals with a save percentage that isn't helping his cause. The wins from the team are covering a lot of the warts here, and Hill's trending in the wrong direction, posting only 13.6 fantasy points since Dec. 14.
Mario Ferraro, D, San Jose Sharks (previous 180, current 276): This one is easy to explain. Ferarro was a fantasy factor for the Sharks as the top defender last season and he didn't start this campaign too poorly. This season, the top spot on the blue line has been seized by Jake Walman.
Juraj Slafkovsky, W, Montreal Canadiens (previous 133, current 222): In early November, things were looking good for Slafkovsky. He had opened with 20.4 fantasy points in his first nine games (2.27 FPPG). That was the high point though, as he's posted 1.29 FPPG in 34 games since.
Mike Matheson, D, Montreal Canadiens (previous 54, current 138): Not to pick on the Habs, but Lane Hutson has all but erased Matheson from the fantasy map. Those early November rankings are about the time Hutson took over as power-play quarterback. Since then, Matheson has posted 1.71 FPPG across 32 games. His overall stats are still buoyed by his 2.61 FPPG across 12 games before Hutson took over.
Matvei Michkov, W, Philadelphia Flyers (previous 164, current 229): He still pops off on occasion, but it's been a slower start than hoped for Michkov in the NHL. His overall 1.5 FPPG doesn't make the grade and he's posted fewer than 1.0 fantasy points in 23 of his 45 games. He needs to start getting those minimums higher to stay in fantasy lineups.
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Goalie notes
Boston Bruins in 48 games (three last week):
Jeremy Swayman (crease share season/week: 69.7%/67.6%, fantasy points season/week: 45.2/7.4, 17.9% available)
Joonas Korpisalo (crease share season/week: 30.3%/32.4%, fantasy points season/week: 25.4/3.0, 96.3% available)
It looked like Swayman might have turned a corner with consecutive positive results against the tough opponents from the state of Florida, but he gave up five goals to Ottawa on Saturday. Still, the results have been better lately. Given the overall hopes for him this season, he's not a bad buy-low for a fantasy team struggling in the standings and needing a change.
Carolina Hurricanes in 47 games (three last week):
Pyotr Kochetkov (crease share season/week: 61.2%/33.6%, fantasy points season/week: 61.4/5.8, 56.6% available)
Spencer Martin (crease share season/week: 14.8%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: -8.4/DNP, 99.9% available)
Dustin Tokarski (crease share season/week: 12.8%/32.3%, fantasy points season/week: 16.8/-1.8, 99.3% available)
Frederik Andersen (crease share season/week: 10.8%/34.1%, fantasy points season/week: 21.4/2.4, 40.7% available)
Yaniv Perets (crease share season/week: 0.3%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: -0.8/DNP, 100.0% available)
Andersen is back sooner than expected from his knee surgery. He posted positive fantasy points in a close win against the Blackhawks on Monday. It's definitely unclear what the crease-share arrangement will be with Andersen and Kochetkov going forward, though banking on a 50-50 split seems wise as the 'Canes can both preserve Andersen and reward Kochetkov for holding down the fort.
Edmonton Oilers in 46 games (four last week):
Stuart Skinner (crease share season/week: 66.3%/74.8%, fantasy points season/week: 66.4/14.2, 28.2% available)
Calvin Pickard (crease share season/week: 33.7%/25.2%, fantasy points season/week: 34.0/4.2, 97.8% available)
Skinner is coming on strong. He's ninth in total fantasy points among goaltenders since the start of December after ranking 37th across October and November combined.
Florida Panthers in 47 games (five last week):
Sergei Bobrovsky (crease share season/week: 64.5%/38.8%, fantasy points season/week: 52.8/-8.8, 6.5% available)
Spencer Knight (crease share season/week: 35.5%/61.2%, fantasy points season/week: 39.4/21.8, 96.2% available)
Keep an eye on the goaltending here, as Knight has been the more reliable starter for the past couple of weeks and that was reflected in the crease share last week.
Montreal Canadiens in 46 games (four last week):
Sam Montembeault (crease share season/week: 69.9%/48.8%, fantasy points season/week: 51.6/-4.2, 67.9% available)
Cayden Primeau (crease share season/week: 18.9%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: -31.2/DNP, 99.8% available)
Jakub Dobes (crease share season/week: 11.2%/51.2%, fantasy points season/week: 32.2/9.0, 85.5% available)
Ottawa Senators in 46 games (four last week):
Linus Ullmark (crease share season/week: 46.8%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: 67.2/DNP, 15.9% available)
Anton Forsberg (crease share season/week: 31.1%/24.5%, fantasy points season/week: 9.8/7.0, 98.5% available)
Leevi Merilainen (crease share season/week: 18.9%/75.5%, fantasy points season/week: 35.0/14.6, 90.5% available)
Mads Sogaard (crease share season/week: 3.3%/DNP, fantasy points season/week: -5.6/DNP, 99.9% available)
Both Merilainen and Dobes should be on rosters in medium-to-deep leagues based on their recent returns. Ullmark and Montembeault could brush them both aside again in short order, but the fantasy results speak for themselves. They rank seventh and ninth in fantasy points by goaltenders during the past month.
Pittsburgh Penguins in 49 games (four last week):
Tristan Jarry (crease share season/week: 42.3%/24.6%, fantasy points season/week: 3.4/-3.2, 78.9% available)
Alex Nedeljkovic (crease share season/week: 41.6%/50.4%, fantasy points season/week: 18.6/15.0, 96.6% available)
Joel Blomqvist (crease share season/week: 16.1%/25.1%, fantasy points season/week: 9.0/-0.4, 99.2% available)
With Jarry sent to the AHL, Nedeljkovic and Blomqvist have an opportunity to carve out some value if one can seize the starter's title. Early returns suggest Nedeljkovic has the lead, but this should be a tight crease share as the Pens let them both get minutes. Nothing to see here ... yet.
Power-play notes
Darren Raddysh nets goal for Lightning
Darren Raddysh, D, Tampa Bay Lightning (available in 97.8%): Perhaps as a ploy to improve the secondary unit, Victor Hedman is off the top power-play unit for the Bolts with Raddysh taking over on the point. That said, both units are splitting time evenly, as Hedman has 2:27 power-play minutes per game in the past three and Raddysh has 2:19.The big news here is that it's working. Raddysh's group has three goals and Hedman's group has two goals across those three games, and Raddysh has three power-play points to show for it.
Mason Lohrei, D, Boston Bruins (available in 93.6%): So, there's a chance Charlie McAvoy has some competition for the power-play minutes when he's healthy again. Lohrei has breathed some new life into the Bruins advantage, fueling them to four power-play goals in four games with him on the ice.
Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas Stars (available in 13.2%): With both Mason Marchment and Roope Hintz on the shelf, the Stars were forced to amalgamate their power play units, and the results suggest they should consider keeping the deployment like this. In three games and 8:43 for the top unit, they've fired 26 shot attempts, 12 that resulted in a shot on goal and pocketed three goals in that span. Johnston is the biggest beneficiary at this stage.
Teuvo Teravainen, RW, Chicago Blackhawks (available in 67.8%): The Blackhawks top unit has been finding the back of the net, and Teravainen is getting in on the action when they do. He has been in on all three goals by the top unit during the past four games.
Matt Grzelcyk, D, Pittsburgh Penguins (available in 94.6%): Desperate times ... Not Erik Karlsson, not Kris Letang, but Grzelcyk has been leading the Pens in power-play time on the point in recent games. For better or worse, it's working. Grzelcyk has two power-play points across three games, with the top unit cashing in twice against the Sabres last Friday.
Bobby McMann, C, Toronto Maple Leafs (available in 97.2%): Rather than bring Morgan Rielly back into the fold on the advantage, Bobby McMann is the fifth forward on the top unit in place of the injured John Tavares. He has two power-play points in the past three games.
Pavel Dorofeyev, RW, Vegas Golden Knights (available in 73.1%): Back on the top unit in place of Victor Olofsson, Dorofeyev has been in on two of three power-play goals this top unit has scored in the past three games.
Droppables
Martin Necas, RW, Carolina Hurricanes (rostered in 95.2%): No, there is too much residual value to consider dropping Necas, even in shallow leagues. But it's notable that he's still riding high on what was an amazing first 26 games of the season. Through Dec. 5, Necas posted an amazing 77.2 fantasy points across 26 games (2.97 FPPG). However, the ride stopped there. Since that time, Necas has 1.11 FPPG in 21 games. His overall FPPG still stands at a whopping 2.14, so there is a chance you can trade him for someone valuable. Unless you think that kind of out-of-character scoring rate is coming back again, which feels like an equal if not greater gamble.