2025-26 NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 13 Primer and Pickups

Welcome back from the holidays and wishing you all an early happy new year.

With the shortened fantasy week behind us, there will be at least four games each day in Week 13. With the new year falling on a Thursday as we flip the calendars to 2026, note the annual Winter Classic will be held on Friday, Jan. 2.

In past seasons, the Winter Classic has usually been the sole focus, but note there are three other games scheduled for that day, including a matinee at 2 p.m. local time in St. Louis with the Blues hosting the Knights even though Jan. 2 is not a holiday. 

Even stranger is that the busy days in Week 13 will be Monday (11 games) and Wednesday (10 games), and there will be no shortage of back-to-backs, including two sets for the Devils and Hurricanes. There will be plenty of travel, too, since all the back-to-backs will feature some travel except for the Devils and Jackets over the weekend, and the Blues on Friday and Saturday.

That means plenty of backups will be in action, either due to injuries or the back-to-backs. I’ve noted some of them below.

Another wrinkle: The Canes play five times (!) in Week 13, making them the most desirable team to mine for streaming options. This is the type of week where I might target Jackson Blake, who’s only rostered in 11 percent of Yahoo leagues and showing signs of a heater with five points in six games.

A steady but unspectacular multi-category contributor, such as Sean Walker and Alexander Nikishin, could also add another shot, block or hit with the extra game. They can be the difference makers in close head-to-head matchups.

All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy.

Schedule

Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. Points percentages are as of Sunday morning.

Season-long adds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Jordan Kyrou, RW, STL (50% rostered)

It’s obviously been a tough year for Kyrou and the Blues, but 30-goal scorers don’t grow on trees. Kyrou is now only rostered in half of Yahoo leagues, and it’s a low-risk pickup for offensive upside.

William Eklund, LW/RW, SJ (34% rostered)

Eklund has low-key been pretty solid this season despite the minus-17 rating. His shot volume is up (shooting percentage is down) and also more productive on the power play. With Will Smith out and Collin Graf on L2, Eklund has moved up to L1 with Macklin Celebrini, and that's always a great spot to be in. If you need some offense, Eklund possesses close to point-per-game upside while on L1. Even when Smith returns, Eklund is a fixture in their top six and power play. 

Mid-term holds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Mikael Granlund, C/LW/RW, ANA (33% rostered)

If you want a versatile player with multi-category coverage at a low risk, Granlund’s been excellent, especially with a five-game points streak. He was playing L3 with unexciting linemates – Frank Vatrano is the highlight – but Joel Quenneville has mixed it up recently and Granlund also skated on L1 with Leo Carlsson. Granlund sees time with PP1, and his power-play prowess is one of the reasons the Ducks signed him in the first place.

John Klingberg, D, SJ (33% rostered)

Klingberg’s fantasy value will certainly yo-yo all season, but the consistent minutes is encouraging and he scored a goal Saturday against the Canucks. There is fantasy value for a skilled PP QB sharing the ice with Macklin Celebrini and a potentially dangerous Sharks offense.

Connor Ingram, G, EDM (24% rostered)

With three straight starts, I think there’s little doubt who the Oilers will turn to while Tristan Jarry is on the mend, even with the loss to the rival Flames on Saturday. (He finished with 29 saves and a .906 SP). We know what Calvin Pickard is capable of, and he’s little more than a capable backup who can get hot for certain stretches.

Ingram, meanwhile, has at least proven that he can be starting material for stretches (2023-24 season), and that’s all the Oilers need. The Oilers’ annual second-half turnaround seems to be well underway, so if you need wins and saves, Ingram should be picked up right away.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, BUF (19% rostered)

I do think Luukkonen has more long-term value to the Sabres and they’ll be more confident with him in net with eight straight wins, including two with him in net. Luukkonen and Alex Lyon have split the starts and there’s little reason to think the Sabres will break from that rotation as long as they’re winning. Should Lyon get traded – he’s been linked to the Oilers in previous rumors – then Luukkonen’s fantasy value can potentially return to where it was last season when he was a workhorse for the Sabres who could occasionally steal games. 

Joel Hofer, G, STL (15% rostered)

It’s been noted multiple times in this column and on the Sleepers and Keepers podcast, but we’re really getting to the point where Hofer’s going to the Blues’ starter going forward. He’s won three straight games while Jordan Binnington has lost three straight, and as much as the Blues want to show loyalty to the goalie that earned them their 2019 championship, it’s getting hard to ignore who’s produced more results. There’s a good chance Binnington regains the starting job – maybe the Olympics can boost his confidence – which is why Hofer is still a short-term hold… for now.

Short-term streamers (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Rasmus Ristolainen, D, PHI (5% rostered)

The obvious one to target in Travis Sanheim’s absence is Jamie Drysdale, who also quarterbacks their power play, but I wanted to point out Ristolainen’s significant usage at even strength. In their most recent game before the holiday break, Ristolainen trailed Drysdale by just 15 seconds at even strength, and in the past Ristolainen has been a good source of blocks and hits (100-plus in each). In deep leagues, Ristolainen’s multi-category coverage might have some value. He has eight blocks and eight hits in five games so far this season.

Denton Mateychuk, D, CBJ (2% rostered)

Zach Werenski’s injury doesn’t sound good, and in his stead is Mateychuk, who played 28:35 on Dec. 22 against the Kings and notched an assist for the second consecutive game. Obviously, there’s no replacing Werenski, but Mateychuk’s has really jumped from an average of 18:36 in October to more than 22 per night in December. Mateychuk was known for his offensive skill in major junior and scored 25 points in 27 games for AHL Cleveland last season, so there should be little doubt in his ability to generate offense. He provided two assists Sunday against the Isles and skated more than 26 minutes. 

David Rittich, G, NYI (20% rostered)

No word on how much time Ilya Sorokin will miss – it’s not expected to be much longer – but in the meantime, Rittich is worth rostering with three excellent starts including 2-1 and 2-0 wins over their tri-state rivals. He’s been solid all season with nine wins in 14 starts with a .919 SP and 2.25 GAA – superior numbers to Sorokin, actually.

Leevi Merilainen, G, OTT (3% rostered)

With Linus Ullmark taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, Merilainen will get the bulk of the starts going forward. He has not had a good season so far – .874 SP and 3.43 GAA – but in leagues where goalies are scarce, Merilainen at least can provide volume. The upcoming matchups are not easy with the Jackets, Caps and Jets, though at least the Sens are on home ice. Merilainen is 4-1-0 with a 2.82 GAA at home but 0-5-0 with a 4.11 GAA on the road.

Remember to bookmark The Hockey News Fantasy site for stats, news, analysis, rankings, projections and more, including the Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.