Have you recharged your batteries, fantasy hockey owners?

Now that the All-Star break is in our rearview mirrors, fantasy hockey owners have to be more cognizant about what trades they can make to bolster the talent on their roster so they can make a run towards a title down the stretch. The All-Star break gave owners a few days to realize who they can trade and who they can acquire for a lower-than-usual price in their leagues. If you did not take advantage of these hockey-less days, this column should help you.

Here is a look at buy-low and sell-high candidates for week 18 of fantasy hockey:

Week 18 Fantasy Hockey Buy-Low Players

Ryan Getzlaf - C, ANA

Getzlaf has been more disappointing this season than Donald Trump’s results in the Iowa caucus. He is in the midst of his worst season since the 2011-12 campaign and is on pace for score single digits in goals for the first in his 11-year career. That’s right, single digits. He has gone from a superstar who netted 56 goals over the past two seasons to being tied for 362nd in the NHL in goals. Getzlaf’s precipitous fall from fantasy grace is startling.

Getzlaf is quietly becoming his old self, though. He scored eight points (all assists) in his last eight games heading into the all-star break, his best point production other than a short streak in November that was highlighted by a five-point game. While the goals still are not coming, the assists and points are happening, and his ice time is still hovering around 20 minutes per contest. Fantasy owners may not be paying attention to Getzlaf’s slow re-emergence since Anaheim’s plays so many games on the West Coast. His fantasy value will probably never be lower than it is now. Making a lowball offer for Getzlaf and getting him on the cheap could put your fantasy team over the top if he continues averaging a point-per-game from here on out.

Tyler Johnson - C, TB

As wonderful as Johnson was last season when he scored 72 points and was plus-33, he has been equally as woeful this season. With only five goals and 11 assists in 36 contests, Johnson has the stats of a third-line center, not a top-10 scorer. The poor guy has endured a potpourri of injuries this season. Johnson was behind the eight-ball at the beginning after having offseason wrist surgery, then has dealt with undisclosed lower and upper-body injuries that have continuously slowed him throughout the schedule. So for as bad as the aforementioned Getzlaf has been, Johnson has been much, much worse for fantasy owners.

I do not own a crystal ball or a tarot card or a Long Island medium that can tell me if the super-skilled Johnson will rebound. But I do know one thing --- Johnson can only get healthier. The All-Star break afforded him some needed time off to repair his body and get back into shape. He could explode out of the second-half gates with longtime linemates Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat and return to being the point-per-game scorer he was when the 2014-15 season concluded. Trade for Johnson now before that explosion happens and his fantasy owner in your league does not want to part with him.

Week 18 Fantasy Hockey Sell-High Players

Matt Niskanen - D, WAS

Niskanen has been logging heavy ice time on the backline for the Capitals, averaging 25-28 minutes per game over the last month. This is because power-play quarterback John Carlson (27 points in 35 games) missed several weeks due to injury. Niskanen’s fantasy value rose while Carlson was sidelined as he scored eight points over his last dozen contests. He took over the helm on the power play and played a few more minutes each night than he would normally play to fill the puck-moving void the skilled Carlson left behind. Playing a few extra shifts with Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov does a fantasy value good.

But Carlson has returned and is ready to reclaim his post on the power play. That means Niskanen will be bumped down to where he was before --- second-unit power-play duty and 22-24 minutes of playing time per night. This is does not make Niskanen as worthless as one piece of toilet paper for someone suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, but his fantasy value definitely takes a hit. Trading Niskanen now while his points-per-game average is at its highest mark of the season is certainly a strategy worth entertaining.

Connor Hellebuyck - G, WPG

Hellebuyck has been a fantasy revelation this season, and one of the more valuable fantasy goalies since he been installed as Winnipeg’s full-time starter. Thanks to Ondrej Pavelec’s knee injury and Michael Hutchinson’s ineffectiveness, Hellebuyck has skyrocketed up the Jets’ netminder food chain. Hellebuyck was a distant third on the depth chart when the season started. Pavelec was the incumbent veteran slated to be the top dog, while Hutchinson was the up-and-comer ready to replace him. Hellebuyck has not disappointed fantasy owners that claimed him off league waiver wires. He is 12-9-1 with a 2.10 GAA and .927 save percentage. If you predicted that would happen then I want you picking Powerball numbers for me next week.

But there are factors to consider with Hellebuyck. Winnipeg is dead last in its division, and Hellebuyck has only won three of his past nine starts, largely due to receiving little help from his teammates. Pavelec should return sometime during the second half of the season, which should hip-check some of Hellebuyck’s fantasy worth. And Hellebuyck is one string of bad games away from having Hutchinson take over with the chance to prove he is the starter of the future, not Hellebuyck. Don't forget that Hutchinson was 21-10-5 with a .914 SP last year. I like Hellebuyck and what he has done this season, but if I could package him in a deal I would do it sooner rather than later.
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