Fantasy Hockey Players Trending Up: Anton Lundell, Luke Hughes and More

Hey folks! The regular season starts this week. Can you believe it is finally going to be hockey SZN?!

If you haven't had your draft yet, or you are looking at your freshly drafted squad for the year, today we're going to discuss several players who are trending up in rostered numbers for one reason or another that a keen general manager can take advantage of before your opponents know what's up or why their player is gaining value quickly.

There have been injuries, lineup movements during preseason, and some opportunities on the powerplay that will make an impact on these players discussed today.

Make sure to check out our new Fantasy Hockey Projections. Outlooks at your fingertips that always give you an in-depth snapshot and an accurate outlook of what you expect from every player, all season long. Powered by AI; refined by our experts.

Anton Lundell - Florida Panthers

The current biggest opportunity in the league is for Lundell, after Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has been ruled out for the regular season with injury. Now known as “baby Barkov,” Lundell has a huge hole to fill and finds himself moving up the lineup in a top fix role, as well as getting consistent powerplay time.

The amount of roster adds is insane, and if he hasn't been added in your league, consider yourself lucky and get him on your squad immediately. He went from a late-round pick and/or undrafted in most leagues to an average ~50% roster increase since the news about Barkov broke.

Lundell was on an upwards trajectory over the last couple seasons, becoming a solid depth option on a winning team, but is now thrust into the spotlight to eat huge minutes with season-changing opportunities. Don't miss out.

Even an average Lundell performance will see an uptick in even strength and powerplay production. Look for a career high 60+ points this year, on the conservative side, and that's without Matthew Tkachuk!

Lundell had 17 goals, 28 assists, and six powerplay points in 79 games played last season as a forward. He also had 158 shots on goal, 110 hits, and 54 blocked shots.

Luke Hughes - New Jersey Devils

Firstly, Hughes just signed his big boy deal at $9M AAV over seven years with the Devils, securing two out of three Hughes brothers. His brother, Jack Hughes was thrilled to have him sign long term and spoke to the media expressing how much he enjoys playing with his brother.

Interestingly enough, Jack also noted he wants his brother Luke to be running the top powerplay unit with him. Head coach Sheldon Keefe will start the season with veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton quarterbacking this unit, however this may be temporary.

While training camp and most of preseason has seen Hughes out with injury, I think it will only be a matter of time this season before Hughes swoops in and takes over the top powerplay unit, adding to both his trade value and increasing his production through elite deployment and chemistry with his brother Jack.

Hughes had seven goals, 37 assists, and 16 powerplay points in 71 games played last season as a defenseman. He also had 121 shots on goal, 19 hits, and 60 blocked shots.

Ivan Barbashev - Vegas Golden Knights

Barbashev is about to go through the Zach Hyman experience. He is set to start the season on the Golden Knights' first line alongside elite sniper Jack Eichel, and newly signed elite playmaker Mitch Marner.

While he did have a decent season last year in his own right at over 50 points, playing the season on the top line with these two is going to be an absolute gamechanger for him. He is still unlikely to receive top powerplay unit time, he will be a lock for the secondary unit all season long.

There is risk here though, as he may battle with Pavel Dorofeyev for a spot on the top line, but competition is always healthy for production. This is more of a ceiling add which is sky high, but rest assured the floor is a couple stories up so a Barbashev selection is a low risk, high reward play here.

Barbashev had 23 goals, 28 assists, and three powerplay points in 70 games played last season as a forward. He also had 111 shots on goal, 103 hits, and 33 blocked shots.

Andrei Kuzmenko - Los Angeles Kings

Poor Kuzmenko went through three teams last year before finding a home. He has played most of his career in the KHL, but has settled down now in the NHL and finds himself with a huge opportunity for this season. 

Kuzmenko has been slept on in most leagues and went undrafted, but after being an almost a point-per-game player for his stint with the Kings last season, and strong showings in preseason this year, he is slated to start the season on the top line alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.

Further, he has been a lock for the top powerplay unit also. Given the strong regular season's the Kings have produced over the last couple seasons, it is no doubt that Kuzmenko is likely to have a breakout season. He is the lowest risk player on our list today, with the potential for 50+ points. Not bad for a waiver wire pickup!

Kuzmenko had 11 goals, 26 assists, and 13 powerplay points in 66 games played last season as a forward. He also had 83 shots on goal, 19 hits, and 22 blocked shots.

John Gibson - Detroit Red Wings

Finally! Gibson is getting the fresh start he has needed. No more trade rumors. While this isn't a blockbuster add, and Gibson still is not on a high-end contending team - it's still better than the Ducks.

Gibson has had injury issues in the past and is considered a risk for a full-season workload, that said last season, he put up some of his best numbers in front of an atrocious defensive core. The Red Wings are a step up from this, and should Gibson be healthy for the season, you can expect a huge workload from him, coupled with some above league average numbers. 

I would consider Gibson a good 1B goaltender who you can get reliable starts and an average amount of wins out of. Don't expect a ton of wins out of this player, but instead volume.

He should be a late-round pick, but also a tendy you could get as an add through trade at quite a discount. Be mindful, as others are cluing in to the potential Gibson can have this season and his roster add rate is quickly gaining traction.

Gibson had 11 wins in 28 games started last season as a goaltender. He also had a .912 save percentage, 2.77 goals against average, and zero shutouts.