Two defensemen get the most love in the latest look at who was hot and cold in the NHL in the past week.

Their teams needed the help as well.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are tied in points with three other teams in the East, including the Philadelphia Flyers, which are currently in the second wild-card spot due to a tiebreaker. The Calgary Flames, meanwhile, are likely not going to climb out of the basement, but they at least showed more than a smidge of offense in their recent surge.

With that said, let’s get right down to business. Here are this week’s hot and cold NHL players:

Hot: Rasmus Andersson, D, Calgary Flames 

Despite being in the trade rumor mill, Andersson had a stellar week for the Flames, posting seven assists and nine points while being a plus-5 in four games. Andersson also was a huge workhorse for Calgary, logging 25:02 of ice time, bumping up his season average time-on-ice average to 24:25. 

The 29-year-old Swedish blueliner is on a five-game points streak, and he had three-point nights against the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks, both wins that suggested Calgary is capable of scoring a lot more than its current average of 2.38 goals-for.

Andersson is almost certainly going to be traded by or before this year’s trade deadline if the Flames remain in the NHL's basement. The pending UFA's current strong play is going to drive up Calgary’s asking price for him.

Cold: Jonathan Toews, C, Winnipeg Jets 

The Jets made a big splash by signing Toews this summer, and his choice of Winnipeg to stage his NHL comeback was a feather in the organization’s cap. But one question that arose was how well he would play after missing two seasons.

Toews has had some up-and-down weeks. This past week, Toews recorded zero points and four shots in three games. He has now gone five points without a point, and he has one point in the last nine contests. This season, he has three goals and eight points in 21 games.

The Jets were blanked by the Minnesota Wild and lost by one goal to the Carolina Hurricanes Friday, so they could’ve used some offense from Toews. Winnipeg can afford to be patient with Toews, but sooner or later, the team will need him to produce some more points.

Hot: Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets 

Werenski had a phenomenal year for the Blue Jackets last season, and this year, the 28-year-old is off to another strong start. This week, Werenski posted five assists and eight points in only three games, giving him seven goals and 21 points in 22 games. 

Werenski averaged 27:41 of ice time this week, and that includes two straight games of more than 28 minutes per game. His current average of 26:50 would be a career high, but regardless, he’s underscoring his status as one of the best D-men on the planet.

Cold: Frank Vatrano, LW, Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have been thriving this season, but one prominent Anaheim player who has been struggling is veteran Vatrano. The 31-year-old had zero points on seven shots in four games this week, and he’s averaged just 13:34 of ice time in that span. His average ice time of 12:18 this season is about five fewer minutes per game than he had last season.

Two seasons ago, Vatrano put up 60 points. And last season, he averaged 45 points. The Ducks could have traded him to get some more assets in the late stages of their rebuild, but instead, they signed him to a three-year contract extension worth about $4.5 million annually.

This year, he’s got only two goals and three points in 22 games. It doesn’t get much colder than that.

The Ducks lead the Pacific Division thanks in part to Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Troy Terry, who have 29, 26 and 25 points, respectively. Even rookie Beckett Sennecke has 16 points, and acquisition Chris Kreider has 15 points in 18 games.

Vatrano got pushed down Anaheim’s depth chart, and he isn't in a position to excel right now. At least the team is doing well.

Hot: Yaroslav Askarov, G, San Jose Sharks 

As San Jose’s goalie of the present and future, Askarov has to do much of the heavy lifting in net for this young Sharks team.

This week past, the 23-year-old was electric, compiling a 3-0-0 record, .937 save percentage and 1.92 goals-against average. San Jose needed Askarov to be sharp, as the Sharks won one game in overtime, one in the shootout and the third game by two goals, although one of those goals was an empty-netter.

In 14 appearances this season, Askarov has an 8-5-1 record, .913 SP, and 2.83 GAA. If the Sharks are to be in playoff contention, Askarov will need to be at least that well. But he’s living up to lofty expectations, and San Jose has to be thrilled with what they’re getting out of him already.

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