The Hidden Cost of Sports Fandom: Rebuilds, Trades & Fantasy Hockey Realities

There are a lot of reasons to love a sports team. Geography is a big one, but sometimes we just connect with a team's attitude, style or success. Going through the highs and lows of a team's season is part of what makes coming back each new year worth it. 

However, it's not all sunshine. Just look at some NHL teams that have started a rebuild, only to go through a decade or more of languishing at the bottom of the standings. Some teams catch lightning in a bottle and only have to suffer for a year or two, while others flail around. If that sounds all too familiar, you might be in Vancouver or Buffalo. 

The Emotional Cost of Team Rebuilds on Longtime Fans

One of the things that often triggers a rebuild is the selling off of aging franchise legends or fan-favorite veterans. Growing up, I saw this happen with two favorite teams -- and my two favorite players in hockey and baseball -- in the span of the year. There was the Seattle Mariners' trade of the legendary outfielder Ichiro Suzuki to the dreaded Yankees in July of 2012, followed by the Flames' deal that sent franchise record-holder Jarome Iginla to the Penguins in March of 2013. 

By that time, I was old enough to understand the business of sports. An increasingly rare breed is the one-franchise player, and that's because the desire to win championships is above all else. For Ichiro and Iginla, those titles never came. The Ichiro deal yielded two pitchers, but neither had anywhere near the impact of one of the greatest contact hitters in baseball history. For the Flames, the return on their franchise icon was a pair of career minor-league players and a first-round pick that was used on Morgan Klimchuk at 30th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The two players who went immediately after Klimchuk? Defensive center Jason Dickinson and an agitating power forward in Ryan Hartman. 

I get that it's easy to have hope for the future when your team's present is looking gloomy. That doesn't mean that future will be easy. Over the years, I've come to not resent players who request a trade too much. If they want something different, be it more money, a better role or a chance at a title, that's worth going after. As a Flames fan, I was already bracing for the exit of Rasmus Andersson, whose goal-scoring staredowns and defensive stability have been a joy to watch on the blue line for the better part of the last decade. With the Flames likely out of the playoff picture, rooting for old fan favorites is a good way to get through the postseason. Andersson should help stabilize the Golden Knights' top four, while the Flames will benefit from Zach Whitecloud's experience. The Flames also got two picks in the deal, including a conditional second-round pick that becomes a first if Vegas wins the Stanley Cup this year. In that regard, I can root for Andersson in the playoffs knowing that he could help his old team from afar. 

Fantasy Hockey Strategies for Underperforming Teams

Fantasy hockey provides a different challenge than fandom. As much as I love supporting my team in any sport, I acknowledge the reality of their situation when approaching the virtual game. That's the long way of saying I don't have a lot of Flames on my fantasy teams this season, because the team's offense doesn't justify a large investment. I also have plenty of Oilers. I don't like it, but winning is winning, and just like the players, I enjoy that feeling. 

To the waiver wire, where it's time to look at restocking your depth. Lawson Crouse could give you some upside for points and physicality lately with three goals, six assists, 26 hits and a plus-15 rating over nine contests since the start of January. The Mammoth tend to stick with line combinations for a while, and right now, Crouse is alongside the team's top forward duo of Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. That's a plum assignment, and Crouse gives that top line a bit of an edge, creating space for his linemates to do damage. With 25 points and 132 hits over 49 outings this season, he's right around the pace he showed in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before his poor 2024-25 campaign. 

The switch seemed to flip for Viktor Arvidsson at the start of January. He's earned four goals and four assists over eight contests this month, and he's riding a seven-game point streak into the new week. Arvidsson is more of a points-and-shots contributor for fantasy, and he's on the second power-play unit. At his best, he's been a 60-point winger, but if he can chip in 15-20 points for the rest of the season, that's more than enough to help in fantasy. 

Evaluating Player Value Beyond Scoring for Fantasy Success

Full disclosure: I don't really like Jeremy Lauzon's overall style. I saw it briefly in Seattle when he was with the Kraken, and while his offense improved during his time with the Predators over the last three years, he still doesn't stand out much outside of hits. That said, Lauzon has the opportunity of his career right now, playing top-pairing minutes in Vegas alongside Shea Theodore while Brayden McNabb (upper body) is out. Lauzon has three assists, 14 shots on net, a plus-7 rating, 38 hits and 17 blocked shots over nine games since McNabb left the lineup. In fantasy, Lauzon is a short-term play -- he'll go back to the third pairing as soon as McNabb comes off injured reserve. If you want him, take him for the physicality, as the offense is just a bonus. 

Top-line centers don't grow on trees in fantasy, but Ryan O'Reilly is still available in over half of leagues. That number's rising fast -- he drew some attention with a hat trick and an assist in Friday's win over the Avalanche, the team that took him 33rd overall in 2009. O'Reilly has nine points, 14 shots on net and a plus-4 rating over his last seven appearances. He's a must-have in any league that counts faceoffs, but his production lately will play in nearly all formats. I've written about him recently, but he's worth mentioning again given his high-profile role for Nashville. 

It's also worth looking at one of the players who has been facilitating for O'Reilly. I'm talking about Luke Evangelista, who has three goals and eight helpers over his last 15 contests. That stretch includes a four-game point drought from Jan. 8-13. The 23-year-old winger is a pure playmaker, which is a good fit alongside a do-it-all center like O'Reilly, as well as a sniper like Filip Forsberg. Evangelista is trending toward a 55-point campaign this season, and while he'll likely fall short of the 20-goal mark, he can hold down assists for you so you can focus on other areas with additional moves. 

Identifying High-Upside Waiver Wire Picks in the NHL

Call it the Geekie spot, or just a really good job, but fantasy managers should always have tabs on whoever's the first-line left wing for the Bruins. Marat Khusnutdinov is in that spot currently, and it's earned him six goals and three assists, as well as a plus-10 rating, over his last seven contests. I'm still not fully sold on Khusnutdinov in the long run, but the 23-year-old has clicked with David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm. Stream him now and see what he can do for a while. 

If you want to stabilize your blue line's plus-minus rating, take a look at John Marino. He's plus-31 on the season, including plus-17 with seven points over his last 10 contests. Marino plays a top-four role for the Mammoth, and while that level of offense is sure to fade, his steadiness in his own zone won't disappear. Only six players in the NHL are better than plus-30 this season, and Marino is one of the two in that category that doesn't play for the Avalanche. 

If the Sabres are going to hang around in the wild-card race, it'll take a lot of players contributing to help them keep pace. Ryan McLeod has been part of that supporting cast lately with four goals, five assists and a plus-9 rating over his last seven contests. McLeod has a good opportunity ahead as well, as the oft-injured Josh Norris (ribs) is out again on a week-to-week basis. The second-line job is McLeod's to lose, and he won't have to worry about that if he keeps providing plenty of offense to take some pressure off Tage Thompson. 

Joel Hofer has been pretty good since the start of December, and it looks like he's finally getting the chance to take a majority of the starts in St. Louis. His 2.76 GAA and .905 save percentage overall aren't that impressive, but he's 8-4-0 with a 2.21 GAA and .925 save percentage over his last 14 outings. Jordan Binnington hasn't been able to get himself right this season, so this could be Hofer's chance to stake a claim to being the Blues' starter. 

In Los Angeles, the crease could be opening up. Darcy Kuemper's performance has improved a bit over the last week, but he's still 0-2-3 over his last five games. Anton Forsberg is 3-4-2 since the start of December, but he has a decent 2.53 GAA and a .911 save percentage across 10 games in that span. Head coach Jim Hiller has been patient with Kuemper, but Forsberg is pressing the issue. At the very least, Forsberg has proven he won't hurt you if you opt to stream him. 

The trade deadline is still weeks away, but I'd imagine the deals pick up a little before the Olympic break. As a fan, it's a wild time of the season. Trading isn't easy, but some of the deals that went down last year, as well as the Quinn Hughes trade earlier this season, prove that general managers are getting creative to stay competitive. There's always the well-talked about trade targets, but there are some deals that appear to come out of nowhere. 

In fantasy, it's still a good time to pursue trades. Use fandom to your advantage. Virtually all of my team names are puns on players, and I've seen a handful of managers offer me the guy a team is named after thinking I'll bite. I don't play that way, but there are plenty of people who do, so give them someone they'll overvalue to get someone that improves your roster dramatically. Use knowledge to your advantage. Keep the emotion out of it -- fantasy trades are pure business. Good luck this week, and I'll have a special topic to discuss next week alongside the usual waiver-wire ideas. 

Stuck between two players available on the waiver wire? Check out the NHL Player Comparison Tool or the NHL Trending Players to help break the tiebreaker on your waiver wire decisions.