Keeping Karlsson Fantasy Hockey Podcast · Elan Dubrofsky and Brian Kom

Short Shifts -- The Home Stretch

February 27, 2026·18 min·1 clip

Sidney Crosby's Olympic injury opens the door for AHL standout Avery Hayes to shine on Pittsburgh's top line.

This solo episode of the Keeping Karlsson Fantasy Hockey Podcast, hosted by Jeremy Brasillo, focuses on navigating the final weeks of the fantasy hockey regular season following the Olympic break. Brasillo analyzes key injury updates, breakout candidates, and strategic waiver wire targets for the playoff push. Sidney Crosby's four-week absence has reshuffled the Pittsburgh Penguins' lines, creating an opportunity for AHL call-up Avery Hayes on the top unit. Mikko Rantanen's injury has opened power play time for Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn in Dallas, with Duchene particularly highlighted after a productive return game. Brasillo notes several players returning from injury with strong performances, including Brayden Point, Leo Carlsson, and Artemi Panarin in his debut with the LA Kings. He advises fantasy managers to check on all players returning from pre-break injuries, as too many exist to list individually. The host identifies three categories of players who could excel post-break: older veterans who benefited from rest, players returning from injury with extra recovery time, and rookies who may have overcome a mid-season wall. For the schedule-driven final stretch, he highlights the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs for their favorable eight-game slates. Specific speculative adds include Radko Gudas for potential fights on a Canadian road trip and Max Domi as a linemate for Auston Matthews. Brasillo also lists several widely available players from teams like St. Louis, Detroit, and Edmonton, which have advantageous schedules, but cautions about potential trade deadline movement disrupting plans. The tone is direct, informational, and strategically focused, mirroring a consultant giving time-sensitive advice. The style is conversational yet dense with data, referencing specific stats, lineup combinations, and roster percentages from platforms like Yahoo and Fantrax. Fantasy hockey managers in redraft leagues desperate for a playoff edge will find immediate, actionable advice here. Listeners seeking broader NHL analysis or narrative-driven content should skip this highly tactical, deadline-focused episode.

As heard by us

A tight late-season fantasy update that keeps the focus on usage, patience, and practical pickups.

After the Olympic break, this feels less like a recap and more like a late-season fantasy checkpoint. Sidney Crosby is projected to miss about four weeks, so Pittsburgh has to reshuffle its lines, and Avery Hayes looks like a possible pickup while the fantasy regular season…

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Why you'd press play

You need one fast fantasy hockey reset before the regular season wraps up.

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