A year ago, the St. Louis Blues were in last place and were in need of a change. They fired head coach Mike Yeo, and entrusted former player Craig Berube as bench boss. The Blues were instantly ignited, becoming one of the hottest teams in the NHL while putting together a fairy-tale Stanley Cup run in the process.

Yesterday, the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs took a page out of the 2019 Stanley Cup champion’s book by firing veteran head coach Mike Babcock in an attempt to turn around the disappointing season.

The biggest take away from last year’s title run from St. Louis and the recent change of personnel in Toronto, is the fact that the season is still young. If your fantasy team is struggling, don’t hit the panic button just yet— there’s plenty of time to turn things around.

In this week’s version of the 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey Week 7 Waiver Wire, we’ll show you which changes in personnel that you need to make to turn your team’s season around.

2019-20 Fantasy Hockey Week 7 Waiver Wire

Bryan Rust, LW/RW, Pittsburgh Penguins (25% Owned)

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The line combinations in Pittsburgh are currently in flux, mainly because of Sidney Crosby ending up on the IR due to a sports hernia injury. As a result, Bryan Rust benefits the most of any Penguin.

The Notre Dame alum is now seeing time on Pittsburgh’s top line alongside of Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel. He’s also slotted on the top power-play unit.

In Rust’s ten games this season, he’s been on fire, scoring seven goals and adding four assists. He’s also racked up 31 shots on goal and 15 hits, while going +6 in the plus-minus department.

So far this season, he’s only been held off the score sheet twice. With Crosby out for the next six weeks, the two-time Stanley Cup winner should continue to produce from a fantasy standpoint.

Get Rust into your lineup immediately.

Robby Fabbri, LW/RW, Detroit Red Wings (17% Owned)

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A change of scenery is often all it takes to jump-start offensive production in the NHL. For Robby Fabbri, the trade to the Red Wings was exactly what he needed to revitalize his performance.

Since being shipped to Detroit, the former Blues winger has been excellent, scoring three goals and adding four assists in six games. Fabbri’s offensive production was headlined in his first game for his new club, where he scored twice, both of which were on the powerplay.

Fabbri is currently slotted on the Red Wing’s second line and on the top line with the man-advantage. Playing with the talented Tyler Bertuzzi, Fabbri should be able to chip in regular power-play points.

Fabbri serves as a quality depth booster with a moderate upside for fantasy owners.

Derick Brassard, C/LW, New York Islanders (16% Owned)

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The New York Islanders have found their stride, winning 13 of the last 14 contests.

So has Derick Brassard.

The native of Hull, Quebec, has been one of the driving forces behind New York’s success. After starting the season slowly, Brassard has been red-hot as of late. Brassard found his rhythm nearing the end of October, scoring in five consecutive games.

In the last 11 games, Brassard has contributed 14 points while playing on the second line. The journeyman winger has been particularly explosive lately, scoring eight points in the last four games, including three on the man-advantage.

Despite not being known as a physical presence, Brassard has averaged over 100 hits per season in his career. This season, he’s on pace for 146.

Brassard’s offensive ability and sneaky physicality bodes well for his performance and is a solid addition to most fantasy squads.

Kasperi Kapanen, LW/RW, Toronto Maple Leafs (23% Owned)

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The Maple Leafs have enlisted Sheldon Keefe, former coach of the Leafs’ AHL affiliate, Toronto Marlies, to turn the tide in the Ontario capital. Keefe won a Memorial Cup with the Marlies 2018 and has a proven record in the minors. Whether or not his success in the AHL will transfer to the NHL remains to be seen.

While in the minors, Keefe developed some of Toronto’s major talent, including second-liner Kasperi Kapanen. The son of retired NHLer, Sami Kapanen, has seen an increased role as of late, mainly due to injury. With both Mitch Marner and Alexander Kerfoot out of the Leafs’ rotation, Kapanen finds himself alongside one of the best playmakers in the game— John Tavares.

Kapanen’s twelve points on the year aren’t necessarily mind-blowing, but the young Finn’s rapport with the new bench boss is intriguing. Adding Kapanen into your lineup is speculative, but with the departure of Mike Babcock and injuries to Toronto’s core, Kapanen has a chance to turn into fantasy gold.

Roll the dice on Kapanen while his stock is low.

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