Hutch's Hockey: Maintain Momentum

The holiday break is done, and that brings us to a tricky part of the season. It's the middle of the season now. Normally, it would be about a six-week gap between the holidays and the All-Star Game, but instead, it's more like seven weeks before the league goes on a nearly two-week pause for the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

This segment of the season can be a tough one in fantasy. Sure, you can dedicate more time to your teams once football's over. Hockey's a different beast with the day-to-day grind. It's easy to get out of the habit of keeping up during the holidays. 

Momentum will be a key factor in this part of the season. Most of the time, it's just before the trade market really picks up -- this year's been a little more active in that regard, but it's not to a level that would have a significant impact in January. On your end, you have to maintain your momentum. Keep going with good habits, adjusting your roster as you see fit. The middle of the season is a slog, but these games count as much as the ones early and late. 

The other part of momentum is how the holiday break has affected teams. It's a fairly common thing -- a player who was cold all season has a good week right before the break and then crashes right back down. Hockey players thrive on the rhythm of playing roughly once every two days and throwing a three-day break in there can be disruptive. Look at the scores from Friday night. Lopsided games all over the place. That said, some players will benefit from the reset, and some will lose their touch. Identifying which players fall into which categories quickly will help you navigate this segment of the season as you make moves to keep your fantasy team competitive. 

Given the lighter schedule this past week, it's worth looking back with a wider scope to find players who are still not rostered as high as they should be. I most try to avoid repeating players on a week-to-week basis, but there are some that have played well throughout the year that are worth mentioning again. 

On that note, Sean Monahan continues to be worth a look this year. The Blue Jackets' offense has a pleasant mix of veterans and young players taking a step up. Monahan's in the former category, and with 13 points over 15 contests in December, he's arguably gotten even better as the season has progressed. The center had 26 goals and 59 points last season, and it's likely he'll surpass those marks in 2024-25. He's already at 33 points through 37 outings, so a 70-point campaign is a possibility if he stays healthy. 

Sometimes, I'm waiting to see something before I recommend a player. That was the case with Cam Fowler. Considering his role shrunk with the Ducks to begin this season, I didn't figure he'd have much of a better assignment with the Blues. However, Justin Faulk's poorer play on offense and the inability of Scott Perunovich to keep hold of a power-play role has been to Fowler's benefit. Over eight games with St. Louis, Fowler has five points, 12 shots on net, 18 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating. He's quickly ascended to the top power-play unit, and he's also playing alongside a shutdown blueliner in Colton Parayko on the top pairing at even strength. Fowler is in a fantastic spot for a team likely to be in the thick of the wild-card race for the rest of the season. He was successful for years even on a rebuilding Anaheim squad, so he should be just fine now that he has a lot more proven talent around him. 

To say Elias Lindholm's first season in Boston has been unremarkable is fair. However, he's stayed in a top-six role and is starting to find his way with six points and 17 shots on net over his last seven games. Lindholm is currently on a 40-point pace for the season, but it wouldn't be a shock for him to kick his offense into overdrive in the second half, especially if the Bruins continue to compete for the top of the Atlantic Division, which is wide open. 

The top of the Maple Leafs' lineup is one of the strongest in the league, but that doesn't mean the team's depth players should be ignored. Bobby McMann is doing enough to earn a look now, racking up four goals and four assists over eight games since he returned from a lower-body injury. That's mostly come from his role on the third line, though his improved play has also earned him a spot on the second power-play unit. McMann is playing at a 40-point pace and adds plenty of shots and hits to supplement his scoring. 

Ondrej Palat has rarely done much of note since joining the Devils, but he's put together quite a December. He's scored five goals on 19 shots and added four assists and 19 hits through 12 contests this month. Palat has often moved around the lineup in 2024-25, but his current run of production has earned him a top-six role alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. That's an excellent spot, and Palat is at least worth streaming as long as he stays there. 

Any number of Sabres could make this column since the team has rattled off three straight wins to bounce back from a 13-game skid. I'll highlight Jack Quinn this week, who was scratched for a large portion of that slump. He's played in six of the team's last seven games, collecting four goals and four assists in that span, and four of those points have come on the power play. At 23 years old, he's still young enough to have upside -- and that's an argument that applies to other young players like Dylan Cozens and Zach Benson, who are also finding grooves. They all have similar roles and playing styles, though Cozens is the most physical of the three. Go with whoever fits what you need on a positional basis. 

Sticking with the Sabres, Bowen Byram is a defenseman to consider. He has five helpers, 22 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over his last nine appearances. He's currently playing alongside Rasmus Dahlin on the top pairing at even strength and also features on the second power-play unit. Byram is well on his way to setting a career-high in points again after logging 29 points in 73 outings last season -- he already has 20 points through 37 contests in 2024-25. 

He won't be widely available, but it's still worth checking in on Luke Hughes. As expected, he had a bit of a slow start to the campaign after battling a shoulder injury that occurred just before camp. He started to pick up the pace at the end of November and has kept it rolling in December with three goals and eight assists over 12 games this month. Hughes' skill game means he won't haul in hits or blocked shots, but he and his brothers have displayed plenty of talent. Hughes just needs top-four minutes and power-play production to help your fantasy team. 

Outside of Quebec, Ohio and Czechia, I think it's safe to say not many people had heard of Jakub Dobes prior to this season. Count me in that group. He's on everyone's radar now after shutting out the Panthers in his NHL debut on Saturday. Dobes has a 2.44 GAA and a .910 save percentage in the AHL this season. That's not even elite for the AHL, but it was enough to force the Canadiens to give the 23-year-old a chance at the backup spot after Cayden Primeau failed to secure that role. Sam Montembeault is still going to see a lot of starts for Montreal, but Dobes is worth a speculative add in deeper formats where starts are hard to come by. At least see what he can do over a larger sample. 

This will be the last call on Karel Vejmelka. Whether he stays in Utah or gets traded ahead of the deadline, there's no questioning his place in the NHL anymore. Connor Ingram (upper body) remains out indefinitely, and Vejmelka is still rostered in just 41 percent of Yahoo formats as of Sunday afternoon. At worst, Vejmelka is a No. 2 fantasy goalie, and he's 5-3-1 with a 2.21 GAA and a .920 save percentage through nine outings in December. My gut says Utah's not selling as long as they're close in the playoff race, and they offer enough scoring support to bail him out on the rare occasion he puts in a poor performance. 

Momentum is a tricky thing. You either have it or you don't. Obviously, if you're in first place, you've got it. The way I play fantasy usually finds me having my best performances around this time of year. Sometimes that means playing catch-up, but I enjoy the chase almost as much as a good old wire-to-wire win. 

If you don't have momentum on your side, the important thing is to keep pace. You won't win every matchup. Try to keep the losses competitive. The worst-case scenario in fantasy hockey is knowing you're out of it before New Year's Day. On that note, goodbye to 2024 and hello to 2025 in a couple of days. Celebrate responsibly and check in next week for more.