by Special for Yahoo Sports
In this space, we’ll look at which NHL players are seeing their fantasy hockey values rise or fall on a weekly basis.
This week’s article features Chytil on a stove, another Kirill the Thrill in the NHL, D-Ham hot in NJ, and Konecny in a bit of a meltdown.
First Liners (risers)
Filip Chytil, C, NYR
Chytil-mania continues to rage. January was a big month for the center, as he scored eight goals and four assists in 11 games this month. Four of those goals have come in the last three contests, giving Chytil a career-best 16 goalscorers this season. Additionally, he has one assist short of tying his career in that category, while his 29 points also set a new mark for Chytil. The Kid Line with Alexis Lafreniere-chityl-Kaapo Kakko he was the best of the team this month.
Sebastian Aho, LW, CAR
When NHL superstar wingers are discussed, Aho sometimes gets lost in the mix. A closer look at his numbers shows that this is a mistake. If you throw away his rookie season, when he had 49 points in 82 games as a 19-year-old, Aho had 158 goals and 194 assists for 352 points in 363 games, nearly a point per game. This season is no different, as Aho’s seven goals in his last four games have given him 21 goalscorers and 23 apples in 42 games. He is truly an elite player.
Kirill Marchenko, LW, CLM
Selected in the second round (49th overall) in 2018, Marchenko is playing Cy Young at his best. In 26 games, Marchenko scored 13 goals, six of which were scored in men’s lead, with zero assists. Marchenko is skating on the second line at par and on the maximum powerplay unit for the blue jackets. He has played the last four seasons in the KHL, allowing him to be more ready for the physical side of the game. But he adapted well to the smaller rinks in the NHL and looked like he would be a sniper on the wing for Columbus.
Claude Giroux, RW, OTT
After seeing his production drop in three consecutive seasons and his games played drop for two consecutive years, Giroux reversed all trends last season. Skating for Philly and then Florida after the trade deadline, Giroux scored 21 goals and dished out 44 assists in 75 games. As a free agent, Giroux agreed to sign a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Senators last July and is proving that the previous season was no aberration, as he has 17 goals and 27 assists in 48 games with Ottawa.
Quinn Hughes, D, VAN
The Canucks are having a brutal season both on and off the ice, as evidenced by the treatment of Bruce Boudreau recently and the subsequent hiring of Rick Tocchet as coach. As bad as the team has played, some bright lights remain. One of those shining stars again this season is Hughes, who could have an even better season than last year when he had 68 points in 76 games. With four goals and 10 assists in his last 10 games, Hughes came within five scorers and 40 apples in 45 games with nine-plus scoring; the latter mark is even more impressive given the Canucks’ negative goal differential.
Dougie Hamilton, D, NJ
Hamilton extended his point streak to four on Friday, posting three goals and five assists during that span. If you look back on Dec. 6, Hamilton had seven goals, 23 assists and one plus five in 23 games. Hamilton, who signed a seven-year, $63 million deal with the Devils in July of 2021, battled multiple injuries in his first season with New Jersey, eventually missing 20 of New Jersey’s 82 regular season games and scoring only 30 points. He’s put that tough campaign in the rearview with his production of him this season.
Alexandra Georgiev G, COL
Georgiev is experiencing a warm January. Saturday’s victory was his fourth straight and he boasts a . 929 save percentage in eight appearances this month. Every win he gets adds to his career-best mark in that category, as he now has up to 20 wins on a season. Acquired this offseason by the Rangers for draft picks, Georgiev signed a three-year, $10.2 million deal with the Avalanche last July, which has looked like a bargain for the Avs so far.
Jaroslav Halak, G, NYR
Halak is set up as a backup Igor Shesterkin, but that doesn’t mean it lacks value. After making a brutal start for Rangers, Halak has won his last five games, even if they were spread out over a six-week spell. Halak is more of a plug-and-play option when needed in deeper leagues or a possible cheaper DFS option, but his better play lately makes him at least a consideration if you’re desperate between pipes.
Others include Jack Hughes, William Nylander, Brock Nelson, Alex Newhook, Sidney Crosby, Kirby Dach, Brady Tkachuk, Frank Vatrano, Brad Marchand, Zach Hyman, Nick Schmaltz, Carter Verhaeghe, Adam Fox, Moritz Seider, Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Vitek Vanecek, Dan Vladar, Ville Husso and Martin Jones.
Quarter Liner/Press Boxer (Fallers)
Travis Konecny, C, PHI
Konecny is still having a good season, but recently its production has had a bit of a sag. He hasn’t lit the lamp since January 11, a span of eight games during which he had just three assists. Overall, Konecny had 24 goals and 25 assists in 44 games, showing how good his season is. The All-Star break comes at a good time for Konecny, who could benefit from some time off to rest and recharge his batteries.
Seth Jarvis LW, CAR
The future looks extremely bright for Jarvis, although there is a chance he will reach his potential elsewhere, as his name has been whispered as a possible part of a deal to Timo Maier. If the deal goes through, Jarvis would get a raise in value, as he would immediately step up to play on the top line of the evenly tied Sharks and power play. For now, though, even though he’s in the Canes’ top line, he’s seeing second-unit power-play time. Additionally, after notching 40 points in 68 games last season, Jarvis has just 24 of 49 contests this year, including nine of 19 games since Dec. 17.
Joonas Korpisalo, G, CLM
The best way to describe Korpisalo’s season was “uneven.” He has alternated between wins and losses in his last four starts, mixing one good, one so-so and two bad starts into that mix. Three times in seven appearances in January, Korpisalo allowed four goals or more, posting a 3-3-1 mark with a 3.64 goals against average (GAA) and 0.900 saves. Overall, the 28-year-old is at 8-9-2 with a 3.31 GAA and . 907 save percentage in 22 contests this season.
Others include Mathew Barzal, Anthony Cirelli, Adam Ruzicka, Josh Bailey, Torey Krug, Devon Toews and Jordan Binnington.
