Change is always a theme as the calendar flips to a new year. Some NHL teams are giving us new looks on their scoring lines as 2017 draws to a close, and some of those changes warrant a much closer look as we head into 2018.
Tanner Pearson, LW, Los Angeles Kings
After sticking with his top trio religiously through Dec. 23, coach John Stevens came back from the break with a new winger on the top line that includes Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Pearson replaced rookie Alex Iafallo for Thursday's contest. Iafallo didn't do anything to get a demotion, per se, but following 37 games of action with such dynamic linemates, one has to expect more than 10 points. Pearson, who is averaging almost two minutes more than his previous high for ice time, now gets the opportunity to improve his fantasy fortunes while playing with Kopitar. Pearson is worth a speculative pickup in 12-team leagues.
Patrik Berglund, C, St. Louis Blues
With the absence of Jaden Schwartz expected to last another month or more, the Blues are still tinkering with the depth chart to find a replacement on the top line. Lately, Berglund has been getting the chance to skate with Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn. While he hasn't run with the opportunity just yet, there is still some time before Schwartz's return. Berglund does have two goals in his past three games, but one of those came before his promotion to the top line. You can probably sit back and watch this situation unfold, as no one on the Blues has been particularly hot of late.
Thomas Vanek, LW/RW, Vancouver Canucks
After a huge game against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 19, the Canucks created a new line with Vanek, Sam Gagner and super rookie Brock Boeser. After two games together, that trio came back from the holiday break and exploded against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. Vanek had five points, Boeser had four and Gagner had three in the 5-2 victory. Playing with Boeser has been tantamount to fire paired with an accelerant this season, so Vanek should be added via waivers if you have the roster room.
Coach Ken Hitchcock has been doing a lot of trading up and down his depth chart of late, so it's safe not to buy too much into any configuration until we see some consistency and positive results in the win column. Following three days off for the holidays, the Stars reassembled with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn back on the top line together, but Alexander Radulov wasn't the third member of the unit. Instead, Shore is getting a shot with the dynamic duo at even strength. He's already been playing with Benn and Seguin a lot this season on the power play, so this could make for an easy transition. Like Berglund, this is a wait and see situation, especially given Hitchcock's revolving-door depth chart.
Calle Jarnkrok, C, Nashville Predators
While this is not a new line assignment by any means, it's past time we acknowledge that this kid has a wicked shot, and Filip Forsberg is allowing him to use it with confidence. A couple of weeks after the trade for Kyle Turris, the Predators used the improvements to the second scoring line to create a third by breaking up the top trio. Since Dec. 4, Forsberg has been spending his even-strength time mostly with Jarnkork and Pontus Aberg, and since Dec. 4, Jarnkrok has six goals and two assists in 10 games. That doesn't sound like a coincidence. If it's not already too late, scoop up Jarnkrok as a goal-scoring specialist in deeper leagues.
Fantasy Forecaster: Jan. 1-7
The NHL schedule ramps back up with 12 teams set to play four times next week, despite everyone but the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres taking Monday off for New Year's. Following the outdoor game on Monday, the schedule is jam packed, with 14 teams scheduled for a back-to-back set.
The Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals are limited to only two games during the week.
Note: For those new to the forecaster chart, here are some explanations: "O" (offense) and "D" (defense) matchup ratings are based upon a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup) and are calculated using a formula that evaluates the team's season-to-date statistics, their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played, as well as their opponents' numbers in those categories. The "Ratings" column lists the cumulative rating from 1-10 of that week's offensive ("O") and defensive ("D") matchups.
In the notes -- team, goalie and player -- below, the focus every week will be mainly on players who are available for potential use. Being rostered in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues is a good generalized cutoff, and I'll try to include players below 10 percent whenever possible to cater to deeper formats.
Team notes
Only the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning have an overall outlook as positive as the Bruins next week on the Forecaster. The Bruins will visit the New York Islanders, host the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, and then travel to play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Secondary scoring has begun to come alive for the Bruins, even despite the continued absence of David Krejci. The line featuring David Backes, Danton Heinen and Riley Nash has been doing some damage of late, making Backes and Heinen possible short-term additions for next week's slate. Backes has nine points in his past six games, while Heinen has 11 in his past eight.
Buffalo Sabres
The low Forecaster ratings for offense are very much deserved by this Buffalo team, but a recent shuffle in the lines leaves reason for optimism. The past three games have featured Jack Eichel on a line with Sam Reinhart and Zemgus Girgensons, and the past three games have been the most productive consecutive trio of games for Eichel this season. He has five points (admittedly thanks in part to two empty-netters), and the Sabres have been reasonably competitive. Aside from the outdoor game, the Sabres play three other games on the road next week. Be sure to have Eichel in your lineup, while considering Girgensons for a spot start in deep leagues.
New York Rangers
Mika Zibanejad was benched in the final game before the holiday break, but returned on Wednesday to find himself on a new line with Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash. The trio features the Rangers' leaders for points (Zuccarello), points per game (Zibanejad) and shots on goal (Nash). The combination was stymied in a goaltenders' duel against the Capitals, but an outdoor date with the Sabres and games against the struggling Blackhawks, as well as the Coyotes and Golden Knights, should give us a taste of what they can do together.
Other notes: With only two games on the docket against the Predators and Rangers, you may want to leave basically all your Coyotes not named Clayton Keller on the bench. ... Similarly, the Flames only play the Kings and Anaheim Ducks. If the player isn't named Johnny Gaudreau or Sean Monahan, you can probably find a better option for your roster in a busy week.
Goalie notes
Devan Dubnyk, G, Minnesota Wild (rostered in 92.6 percent of ESPN leagues)
No, you won't find him available in any league worth its salt, but Dubnyk is ready to return to the crease on Friday, and it comes at a perfect time to make sure he's activated off your fantasy IR. The Wild could go three-for-three with Dubnyk in the crease next week in games against the Panthers, Sabres and Colorado Avalanche.
Other notes: While Anton Forsberg has potential as a replacement for Corey Crawford during his indefinite absence with an upper-body injury, next week is not the time to toy with him on your roster. The Hawks play one the league's top home teams in the Rangers, followed by the Golden Knights and surging Edmonton Oilers. ... Similarly, despite his recent success and the red-hot Panthers offense, the matchups do not look good for James Reimer next week as he continues to tend twine in place of Roberto Luongo.
Player notes
Erik Johnson, D, Colorado Avalanche (30.2 percent)
As the numbers suggested, the Avs went with Johnson as their Tyson Barrie replacement on the power play on Wednesday. This bodes very well for Johnson, who is already having a fantasy-friendly campaign thanks to his pace for new career highs in penalty minutes, time on ice and shots on goal. He's definitely worth adding to rosters for the next four-to-six weeks while Barrie is out.
Mathieu Perreault, C/LW, Winnipeg Jets (26.8 percent)
With Mark Scheifele out for the next six-to-eight weeks, Perreault steps back into a familiar role as the fill-in top-six winger for the Jets. Whenever he steps into such a role, he usually manages to earn at least fringe fantasy value. For example, he skated bigger minutes at the end of last season and closed the campaign with 29 points in his final 29 games. Those with Scheifele on their fantasy rosters won't be able to replace their top-20 asset, but Perreault could contribute in the meantime.
Ryan Ellis, D, Nashville Predators (48.1 percent)
Ellis is eyeing Tuesday's game for a return to the ice following the offseason knee surgery that delayed his season debut. There's little doubt he'll settle back into a top-four role on the Predators' blue line, but just how much power-play time and responsibility he receives is somewhat in question with the solid play of Mattias Ekholm this season. Still, Ellis' career curve and breakout performance in last season's playoffs warrants a spot on rosters at this point.