It was a polarizing Week 8 for fantasy managers with a pair of long-term injuries announced, while another superstar made his return.

Let’s start with the negative, with the news getting worse and worse in Buffalo.

Jack Eichel is out for the “foreseeable future” with an upper-body injury, meaning there’s a chance we don’t get anything from him for the rest of the fantasy season.

If so, he’d go down as one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory.

Eichel has been held to just two goals and 16 assists in 21 games this season, and was held without a goal over his last 13 games. Victor Olofsson’s outlook takes a hit as well.

Anders Lee has been placed on long-term IR after suffering a lower-body injury on Thursday. Lee won’t be eligible to return until early April, likely during the final week of the fantasy hockey regular season, so fantasy managers will be faced with a tough decision to hang on to him or not.

Kieffer Bellows took his spot on the top line with Mat Barzal and Jordan Eberle and looked good doing so.

Bellows has three goals through two games in that role, however those were his first three points of the season, so we can temper our expectations. Whether Bellows stays there or someone like Anthony Beauvillier gets the bump up, you’ll want a piece of that top line, so it’s a situation worth monitoring.

On the positive side, Artemi Panarin made his return on Saturday, and helped out with an assist in the win. This is great news for the Rangers, and especially linemate Ryan Strome. Strome is up to 10 goals on the year and his production should only ramp up with the return of Panarin.

Week 9 Notes

The NHL’s busy schedule will continue down the stretch with a number of teams making up previously postponed games.

Twenty teams will be playing at least four games in Week 9, with the Penguins and Lightning playing five games apiece. Naturally they’ll be the best option for streamers.

Meanwhile Columbus, Toronto, and Ottawa draw the short sticks this week with just two games each. Feel free to cut your fringe players from those squads, especially the Leafs who only play two games the following week as well.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh will play a back-to-back with Boston on Monday and Tuesday before finishing the week off with three straight against the Devils for a five-game week.

New Jersey is 1-7-2 over its past 10 games, giving up 3.8 goals per game during that stretch. They are an extremely favourable matchup right now. Casey DeSmith is coming off his fifth career shutout on Saturday and will get at least one start against the Devils in Week 9

If you’re in need of hits, Brandon Tanev is your man. Tanev is second among forwards with 118 hits through 27 games, but he’s also putting some points on the board, with six over his past five games. We can’t expect that to continue, but with the amount of hits he’ll give you, he’s worthy of a roster spot with a five-game week anyway.

Teddy Blueger is quietly putting together a respectable season with 15 points through 27 games. He’s currently riding a four-game point streak and is available in all but the deepest of leagues.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay gets Nashville and Dallas back-to-back to start the week. They’ll face Chicago on Thursday and Saturday before closing it out with Florida on Sunday to complete the five-game week.

Alex Killorn and Yanni Gourde are playing on a line with Steven Stamkos. Killorn has seven points in his past six games while also seeing time on the top power-play unit.

Meanwhile, Gourde has cooled off considerably since his four-point game, but the five-game week should help him get back on the scoresheet.

Best of the Rest

Vancouver, Vegas, St. Louis and Boston have the most favourable matchups this week among the four-game teams.

The Canucks get the Senators twice in Week 9. Ottawa is giving up a league-high four goals per game.

The Golden Knights and The Blues get the Sharks twice each. San Jose is giving up 3.52 goals per game – second to only Ottawa.

Meanwhile, the Bruins will face the struggling Sabres twice to close out the week. They’ve given up at least three goals in each game during their 10-game losing streak.

Rising stock

W, Kasperi Kapanen, Pittsburgh Penguins (37 per cent rostered, up 11 per cent)

Kasperi Kapanen has been on fire playing alongside Evgeni Malkin on the second line. Kapanen has 11 points over his past 11 games, averaging 16:30 of ice time per game. His 2.9 points 5-on-5 per 60 are second on the team, ahead of Evgeni Malkin (2.17) and Sidney Crosby (1.63). Unfortunately, that means Kapanen is doing all of his damage at even strength. The Pens second power- play unit doesn’t see much ice, and as a result Kapanen has just one power-play point to his credit this season. His 17.1 shooting percentage is also a cause for concern. Kapanen has a career 11.5 shooting percentage and has never finished a season above 12.7. While there are some red flags, you’ll want to grab Kapanen while he’s hot, especially with the Penguins extremely favourable five-game week upcoming. He’s available in over 60 per cent of leagues.

G, Alex Nedeljkovic, Carolina Hurricanes (12 per cent rostered, up 7 per cent)

Alex Nedeljkovic has a .948 save percentage over his past five games, going 4-1 in the process. He’s taken advantage of the injury to Petr Mrazek. Nedeljkovic has been labelled as the goalie of the future in Carolina since they took him in the second round in 2014. We’re starting to why he was so highly touted. Mrazek is reportedly close to a return, although he did not join the Canes on their current road trip. The window for Nedeljkovic might be closing, but he’s worth a roster spot until then.

C/W, Chandler Stephenson, Vegas Golden Knights (22 per cent rostered, up 7 per cent)

Chandler Stephenson has nine points in his past eight games, playing on the top line with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, and is now up to 18 points in 25 games this season. That top line is currently the most productive line at even strength with 22 goals this season, five goals clear of second place. His 24 per cent shooting percentage is a cause for concern, but Stephenson has been an accurate shooter for his career, sitting at 16.2 per cent through his 234 career games. Stephenson is also on the top power-play unit, wins faceoffs, and isn’t a zero in the hit column.

Falling stock

G, Carter Hart, Philadelphia Flyers (75 per cent rostered, down 11 per cent)

Look away Carter Hart owners. He currently has an .887 save percentage through 16 games – which ranks 56th out of 63 goalies to have appeared in five games this season. What’s worse is his recent stretch. Hart has an .849 save percentage over his past six games, and that includes a shutout on Feb. 28 ,which helped protect some of those numbers. If you drafted him early on you’re likely not a playoff team due to his play alone. Some of the blame can be put on the penalty kill, which ranks fifth worst at just 73.1 per cent this season. Despite the ugly numbers, Hart is a hold. The numbers can only go up from here for the 22-year-old, simply because they can’t get much worse. Put him on the bench until he figures it out.