Fantasy Hockey Who's Hot Who's Not: Artemi Panarin, Winless Kings Severely Struggling

Fast starts and slow ones have already changed the fantasy hockey landscape two weeks in.

Some stars are catching fire, others are stuck in neutral, and a handful of young players have emerged as intriguing waiver wire options. 

The Florida Panthers are finally turning the corner, but the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers have struggled to collect points early, and their fantasy value has taken a hit.

Here is a look at who has been hot and who has not. 

After scoring just nine goals in their first five games, the Panthers had people wondering whether they were truly a playoff team again or headed for another down season. That changed quickly when newcomer Brady Tkachuk finally woke up, scoring back-to-back hat tricks and helping Florida bury 21 goals over its last four games.

Tkachuk finished the last seven days with six goals and 10 points in four games. His brother Matthew Tkachuk recorded 10 assists, Seth Jones had nine assists, Carter Verhaeghe scored five goals and added an assist, and Sam Reinhart had five goals and three assists.

It was a massive rally for the Cats in what has been a remarkable three-game turnaround.

The Los Angeles Kings made the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, but the run produced no series wins. They tried to add another marquee talent by acquiring Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers toward the end of last season, yet still failed to win a series, and this season the decline has stretched further.

The Kings have lost their first six games, and the offense is the biggest issue. Even with a talent like Panarin, they have a league-worst 12 goals in six games. Players drafted near the top of fantasy leagues, including Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe and Brandt Clarke, are all off to horribly slow starts, and the last week has been no different.

The Detroit Red Wings were expected to take a step back after narrowly missing the playoffs last season, but their young and emerging talents have carried the torch early, and they look like intriguing waiver wire options. Dylan Larkin and the trade saga surrounding the Red Wings captain dominate the headlines, but the more encouraging development has been the top line.

Alex DeBrincat, known as a lethal shooter, has started hot after earning a massive extension, with nine points over his last seven games. Benefiting on his line is Emmitt Finnie, who broke out with Detroit last season and emerged as an exciting 30-point option. This season he has looked even better after moving from wing to center, and he has recorded a pair of multi-point games this week.

On the wing is another young talent, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who made the opening night roster a year ago but spent most of last season in the minors. Now fully on the Detroit roster, he has been impactful, with two goals and four assists for six points over his last seven games. That has made the trio Detroit's best unit and a surprising bright spot.

Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier entered the season with high expectations, similar to his linemate Leo Carlsson, who recently received a record-breaking extension. Gauthier is coming off a 69-point season in 76 games, but while Carlsson has been decent so far, Gauthier has struggled to live up to his top-50 fantasy draft stock. He has one assist and no goals over his last four games.

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