Happy Tuesday y’all! Less than a month away fromthe end of the regular season. Some leagues are already in playoffs, but both mine start next week. This is a beautiful time of the year and I want to wish everyone good luck if you are in your postseason! Let’s get into it.

Bobby McMann and the Seattle Kraken have finally been able to clear his visa and get him into some game action, and boy, he has not disappointed. Playing on the top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle, McMann has contributed all across the board. He has three goals (two on the power play), two assists, eight shots on goal, and six hits. What is even more impressive is the fact that he is on Seattle’s second man advantage. It is only two games, but he has averaged almost 19 minutes per contest (up almost four minutes from his time in Toronto) so he is taking advantage of the extra ice. I’m not sure if people were fed up waiting for him and his visa, but he is only owned in 25% of Yahoo leagues and if your leagues championship round is April 6 – 16, the Kraken have SEVEN games that week.

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Another team that has a gorgeous schedule for the week of March 30 is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The black and yellow have FIVE games that week, so if you have limited waiver adds, start looking for a Penguin or two to stash. Evgeni Malkin just finished his five-game suspension and scored two goals and an assist last night against the Colorado Avalanche.

The line of Malkin, Yegor Chinakhov, and Tommy Novak did not miss a beat and with Chinakhov and Novak being available in virtually all of Yahoo leagues, put them on your watch list now or make sure you keep them on your bench if you believe you will advance that far. Sidney Crosby should also be back soon, which should increase the opportunity for that trio as defenses will have multiple lines to focus on.

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Auston Matthews took a brutal knee-on-knee from Anaheim’s Radko Gudas and has been ruled out for the rest of the season (I almost acquired him at a trade deadline the day before so thankfully the owner got cold feet). That is a lot of ice time to fill for the Maple Leafs, who really don’t have much to play for except draft positioning (and in their case hopefully the teams around them keep winning).

One player who has looked sharp in the four games he has played this season is Bo Groulx. A former second round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, Grouxl was never a flashy offensive player, but more of a 200-foot, Vincent Trocheck-type of player because he has a physical edge to his game. He has 27 goals for the Toronto Marlies this season and if you add in the three he has thus far for the Leafs, he is up to his first 30-goal campaign in the pros. The French center was one of my favorites to cover while I was covering the Ducks for DobberProspects and I feel he is going to grasp this end of season opportunity and convert it into an NHL roster spot for next Fall.

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The Anaheim Ducks have finally gotten their top line of Leo Carlsson, Chris Kreider, and Troy Terry all back, as it seems like at least one has been battling an injury since the end of November. These three were one of the hottest lines in the first month and a half of the season and they showed it on Sunday night in Montreal. If they can stay off the shelf, Terry is available in 61% of Yahoo leagues and Kreider is available in 71%. The Ducks also have nice playoff schedule with multiple light nights so keep those two on your radar if available in your leagues.

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When we look at our schedule for this week, there is lots of action in this stretch run. Sunday has nine contests so we only have Wednesday and Friday considered as light nights. There are six teams that play on both nights, but the rest of the week looks different for some teams. The New Jersey Devils only have those two games, whereas the Carolina Hurricanes also play on Tuesday and Sunday so if you have a limited number of pick ups, the Canes may be the way to go. 

Since the return of the Olympic break, Taylor Hall has nine points in nine games and his line with Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven have been clicking. The former first overall pick is available in 95% of Yahoo leagues and provides reasonable peripheral stats across the board to go along with the recent point production.

If you are currently in a playoff battle, good luck! If you are fighting for playoff positioning, good luck! If you’re fighting for draft positioning, shame on you!

Just kidding, good luck as well!

Have a great week everyone!