Fantasy Hockey Puck Drops: Why Hampus Lindholm shouldn't be on many lists

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It was a fun weekend in Toronto for the All-Star break, but now it's back to reality and the final 20 to 25 games of the regular fantasy hockey season. Let's consider some players who are rostered by Yahoo Leagues and could easily be left out in the long run.

The Kings are being pilloried for their trade with the Jets, with Dubois coming to Los Angeles in exchange for Alex Iavallo, Rasmus Kubari, Gabriel Vilardi and a 2024 second-round pick. Dubois signed an eight-year, $68 million contract in conjunction with the trade and it has been nothing but a disaster in Los Angeles. . Dubois was expected to be the second-line center this season and eventually take over the top spot when Anze Kopitar retired.

Instead, Dubois is the centerpiece of the third line and has just 10 goals and 20 points in 48 games, after back-to-back 60-plus point seasons in Winnipeg the past two years.

Hampus Lindholm, D, Boston Bruins, (56% rostered)

Lindholm has five assists in his last six games, which is good for 56% of the players who have him on their squad, but his solid performances of late still give him just one goal and 19 points in 49 games. Lindholm was outstanding last season, scoring 10 goals and 43 assists in 80 games, including 17 points on the power play. This season Lindholm has seen a significant drop in shots on goal, going from 158 to just 62 so far, and his power play time has been cut in half as Charlie McAvoy – who missed 15 games last season – has taken over some of his roles. While Lindholm has a good plus-17 this season, that's not enough to keep him on your roster.

Pionk has regressed recently, only registering a goal and an assist with an even rating in his last nine games. Overall, the 28-year-old defenseman has four goals and 18 points in 47 games, which places him 54th in scoring among NHL defensemen. He has 110 hits, which is No. 25 in the NHL and seventh among blueliners. That's a good stat for Pionk, but his lack of offense makes him a poor fantasy option in all but the deepest leagues.

Rakell deserved to be on your team when he was playing on the front line alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. That is no longer the case, as Rakell now sits on the third line with Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi, having been replaced by Bryan Rust on the top unit. Rakell sees time on the second power play but has just two goals and four points in 34 games. Overall, Rakell has scored just five goals, 13 assists and 82 shots on target this season, which is nothing close to being fantasy-worthy.

Unless you're in a bloodline deck – and even then, it better be deep – I don't see why decks stick with Zegras. He suffers a broken ankle that will likely keep him out until early March, and there is no guarantee he will return to full strength. He's been good the last two seasons, tallying 61 and 65 points respectively, but has regressed dramatically this season, scoring just four goals and seven points in 20 games. This is a lost season for the 22-year-old, and there is no reason to hold on to him at this stage of the season.