NHL Barometer: Risers and Fallers

This week's article includes a Duck doing swimmingly well, the current first-line winger in the Desert, EK65 remaining hot, Carolina's new No. 1 netminder, Washington's top blueliner injured and the first-overall selection in the 2021 draft scuffling a bit.

First Liners (Risers)

Mason McTavish, C, ANA – McTavish has mixed hot streaks with cold stretches, which isn't that surprising since this is his first full season in the NHL. He's currently in the middle of a run of solid production, with two goals and four helpers over his last five outings. On the year, the third-overall pick in 2021 is up to six goals and 14 assists in 35 contests, with nine of those points coming on the man-advantage. Centering the third line for the Ducks, look for McTavish to see a slight increase in minutes as Anaheim is already playing for the future. 

Jared McCann, LW, SEA – McCann has been on quite a heater, collecting nine goals in his past 12 outings. That run has upped his season mark to 16 tallies alongside the six assists he's added in 29 games. McCann, selected in the expansion draft by Seattle, posted 50 points for the first time in his career last season. He's moved from center to left wing, opposite Matty Beniers, and is on early pace to set a new career high, aided by his current line placement. 

Travis Konecny, RW, PHI – After missing five games due to injury, Konecny has kept the beat rolling since his December 1 return. So far this month, Konecny has eight goals and five assists in 12 games, including three straight multi-point efforts before the league's Christmas break. Philly as a whole has struggled, but Konecny has shown that he's most certainly a top-six winger and not out of place on the top unit. Konecny is up to 32 points in 29 games and is on pace to challenge his career high of 61 points, set in 2019-20.

Michael Amadio, LW, LV – With Jack Eichel sidelined, Amadio has stood in nicely on the top line. Skating alongside Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson, Amadio has notched five points his last three games, with the trio combining for nine points Friday. Amadio's run on the trop trio likely will end when Eichel returns, but until that happens, enjoy the production you're receiving if you already added him to your roster. Once Eichel gets back, Amadio will likely slide to the third line.

Erik Karlsson, D, SJ – Any concerns that Karlsson might slow have been largely dispelled by his continued high level of production. The veteran notched his third four-point effort of the season Thursday against the Wild, extending his current point streak to nine games (two tallies, 12 assists). On the year, the two-time Norris Trophy winner is up to 13 goals and 33 apples in just 35 games in what's already his best season since 2017-18. Karlsson's name continues to be prominently mentioned in the trade market, though no deal is rumored to be close. Regardless of where he lands, he should continue to rack up points.

K'Andre Miller, D, NYR – Very quietly, after a rough start to the season and some struggles in November, Miller has found his form of a year ago when he was a key component of the Rangers' run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Miller has been much better positionally, but almost as importantly has shown an improved recognition of when to pinch or lay back as well as use his offensive skills to create chances. A former forward, Miller is still learning how to play defense, but he has two goals and six assists his last nine contests after managing zero goals and eight helpers in his first 26 games of the season.

Pyotr Kochetkov, G, CAR – Kochetkov has been brilliant since replacing the injured Frederik Andersen the second week of November. After initially splitting time with Antti Raanta, it's been the Kochetkov show between the pipes for the 'Canes. The 23-year-old 2019 second-round pick is 10-1-4 with a 1.94 goals-against average (GAA) and .928 save percentage (SV%) in 15 contests. Andersen is back practicing with the team and the rumor is that Carolina will keep all three goalies, so monitor the situation, though Kochetkov may have laid claim to #1 spot with his fine performance.

Jacob Markstrom, G, CGY – Very quietly, Markstrom looks to have gotten back on the beam in December. He notched his third straight win Friday and has allowed more than three goals just once in eight games this month after doing so four times in November. The 32-year-old goalie improved to 11-8-4 with a 2.84 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 24 outings, though his numbers — as seen from the first two sentences of this paragraph — are trending in the right direction 

Others include David Krejci, Dylan Larkin, Kent Johnson, Vincent Trocheck, Jordan Staal, Drake Batherson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Michael Bunting, Mikko Rantanen, Michael Rasmussen, Rasmus Andersson, Torey Krug, Josh Morrissey, Alex Pietrangelo, Linus Ullmark, Jake Oettinger, Marc-Andre Fleury and Logan Thompson. 

Buy Low

Joel Eriksson Ek, C, MIN – For all the rightful attention paid to the bigger names in Minnesota, don't forget about Eriksson Ek. In the first of a new eight-year, $7 million AAV contract last season, Eriksson Ek rewarded Minnesota's faith in him by posting new high-water marks in both goals (26) and points (49). This year, he's bounced between the top three lines, recording six goals and nine assists in his last 15 games. He's included as a Buy Low since Eriksson Ek may be available on your waiver wire and would be a fine depth add in deeper leagues. 

Training Room (Injuries)

John Carlson, D, WAS – Carlson, struck on the right side of the head/face by a shot from Winnipeg's Brenden Dillon on Friday, was released from the hospital later that evening. A timetable for his return remains unclear, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he was out for the remainder of the month. The veteran defenseman, who had at least 68 points in each of the three full seasons he played in the last four campaigns, has registered eight goals, 21 points, 101 shots on net, 70 blocks and 34 hits in 30 contests this season

Others include Boone Jenner (thumb, injured 12/17, underwent surgery, will miss four weeks), Brock Nelson (head, hit by puck, left Friday's game), Aleksander Barkov (left knee, injured Dec. 18 by Nico Hischier's stick, sat through holiday break), Yegor Chinakhov (high-ankle sprain, injured Dec. 19, out 6-8 weeks), Matias Maccelli (lower body, injured Friday, out 6-8 weeks),  Tim Stutzle (shoulder, missed four games, returned to action last Wednesday), Ondrej Palat (groin, out since Oct. 24, underwent surgery Nov. 8, close to practicing), Jakub Vrana (personal, out since second game of the season, may need short AHL conditioning stint before returning), Aaron Ekblad (upper body, injured Friday, day-to-day), John Gibson (undisclosed, missed last five games, expected to play Wednesday) and Carter Hart (upper body, left Friday's game, day-to-day). 

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Mark Scheifele, C, WPG – The overall season numbers — 20 goals and eight assists — are relatively nice, especially in the lamp-lighting department, but those who play DFS have a slightly different view. Scheifele has five goals his last nine games, but that output came in three contests, meaning he failed to dent the scoresheet six times. In addition, after notching 41 helpers in 2021-22 — his fourth straight season with 41 or more assists — Scheifele sits with a mere eight, making his line look more Cy Young like than anything else.

Troy Terry, RW, ANA – Terry was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2021-22 season. Selected in the fifth round in 2015, Terry had middling success his first few years in the league. Last season, Terry exploded on the scene, finishing with career-best marks in goals (37), assists (30), points (67), shots on goal (192), power-play points (15) and average time on ice (18:14). Terry got off to a strong start this season but recently he has hit the skids with just a goal and an assist over his last eight games. He's still seeing top-line minutes, so for now, view this as a mild setback. 

Thomas Greiss, G, STL – Greiss was signed by the Blues to a one-year deal this offseason to provide St. Louis a veteran backup behind Jordan Binnington after Ville Husso was traded to Detroit. Greiss has been very uneven, mixing solid with brutal starts, resulting in a 4-5-0 record with a 3.55 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 11 contests this season. The Blues may look to rely even more on Binnington, especially if he's able to eliminate the peaks and valleys that have plagued his season.

Others include Trevor Zegras, Sam Bennett, Oliver Wahlstrom, Jonathan Drouin, Mattias Ekholm, Justin Faulk and Daniil Tarasov.

Sell High

Owen Power, D, BUF – The upside for Power, who's currently sidelined with a lower-body injury, is tremendous. In addition, his defensive positioning and advanced metrics are solid. But unless you play in a league that uses stats such as expected goals scored and the like, those numbers aren't doing your fantasy team much good. Power has 10 assists on the year, but zero in the last seven games before he was sidelined. Maybe the time off will be the elixir to unlock his offensive production, but at this point, he's only a sell-high based on name recognition and expectations.