In this week's In the Crease, we'll take a look at six players that Fantasy owners should make a move to acquire and six guys who they should consider dropping due to sporadic play.
The Minnesota Wild have seen their starting goaltender Manny Fernandez go down due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. His knee has not been improving and he will be shut down anywhere from one to three weeks depending on his progress. That opens the door for Niklas Backstrom to show what he can do.
Backstrom has been spectacular when given the opportunity, posting a 7-5-3 record with a sparkling 1.94 GAA and .932 save percentage. If he is available in your Fantasy league, he is worth adding as a No. 2 Fantasy option while Fernandez is on the mend. The starting goaltender's injury might linger into March, so the Finn is a great short-term option for all Fantasy owners in need of goaltender assistance.
There are plenty of hot players available for plucking off of the waiver wire. Bryan Berard of the Blue Jackets and Colorado's Jordan Leopold have emerged as useful options in all Fantasy leagues of late. Berard has not exactly lit the world on fire just yet, going scoreless in two games, but we all know what he is capable of doing on the offensive end. He is worth a look as a No. 4 or 5 Fantasy defenseman, especially in leagues that do not penalize plus/minus rating. Fantasy owners apparently agree, as he has moved from 26 percent ownership to 54 percent in just one week.
If you are looking for some instant offense, take a look at what Pittsburgh's Michel Ouellet has been doing lately. He has four goals and 13 points with a plus-5 rating over the past 11 games, playing on the second scoring line. As long as he is playing on a top two line and getting power play time, he is worth a look. For some reason, he is available in 73 percent of CBS SportsLine.com leagues.
Two other offensive players we are really high on this week are Ottawa's Mike Fisher and Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom. Fisher has recently returned from a serious knee injury and is skating on the second line in Ottawa with Jason Spezza. He has posted an assist in two games back, but we love his potential once he gets back up to full speed. Holmstrom has bagged four goals and six points over the past four games and is over a groin injury that hindered him earlier in the season and is now a must-start in most formats.
Cut your losses
Well, Fantasy owners on the cusp of the playoffs are likely getting impatient with several players just not cutting it. No one has been more disappointing between the pipes than Marc Denis, who is now the No. 2 backstop in Tampa in favor of Johan Holmqvist. Denis has seen his Fantasy ownership drop from 80 percent at the beginning of the season to just 39 percent this week. Unless Holmqvist suffers a long-term injury, Denis is no longer worth using in most formats. In fact, the team is considering signing Holmqvist to a long-term contract, so a deadline deal shipping Denis out of town would not be surprising.
Washignton's Lawrence Nycholat has been a healthy scratch over the past two games, as he has gone from a nice temporary pickup to a player to avoid like the plague. That's how it works sometimes with the flavor of the month, but cut bait now. There is no reason to believe the Capitals will extend his stay in the NHL much longer unless they suffer more injuries among their rearguards.
Brad Stuart is another player who is struggling mightily with the Bruins, who continue to spin out of control and out of the postseason hunt. He has just been atrocious recently, going scoreless over the past six with a minus-9 rating. Stuart has been in the positive just twice in the past 24 games dating back to Dec. 7. Fantasy owners have taken notice of his futility, dumping him in six percent of CBS SportsLine.com leagues this past week.
As you know, younger players can be a little bit confusing to figure out. Nashville's Alexander Radulov has been given a chance this season, but he has emerged as a fringe Fantasy player due to his decreasing role with the contending Predators. He remains a great option in long-term Fantasy leagues, but his ownership is down 13 percent over the past six weeks in weekly formats. The same holds true for Marek Svatos of Colorado, who was amazing last season but has been disappointing in 2006-07. He managed just one goal in the months of December and January combined. That simply will not do when we are getting down to crunch time.
We mentioned Fisher above, but not all Senators are great options in Fantasy leagues. Chris Kelly has gone scoreless over the past seven games and has seen decreasing ice time following the recent returns of Fisher and Spezza from injury. Kelly is worth hanging onto in larger leagues, but drop him in all formats of 12 or fewer teams. Fantasy owners apparently agree, as his ownership is down six percent.
Kings youngsters are impressive
The Los Angeles Kings recently visited the Florida Panthers and dropped a 7-0 shutout on them. While the score was certainly not indicative of how either team has played this season, it should be cause for excitement in Tinseltown. The black and purple have an exciting group of rookies and younger players who have a bright future in this league.
Konstantin Pushkarev lit the lamp against Ed Belfour and has a very nice scoring touch. While he certainly has a lot to learn, he will likely get on-the-job training down the stretch rather than learning in the AHL. The invaluable experience makes him one to watch heading into the 2007-08 season for Fantasy owners in keeper leagues, especially those which do not penalize plus/minus rating. The same holds true with Patrick O'Sullivan, who we have mentioned previously.
Anze Kopitar is another one of those impressive youngsters who are getting plenty of ice time. He picked up an assist against the Panthers on Saturday and continues to show why he was a first-round pick in the NHL Draft. He is second to the more heralded Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins in rookie scoring. If you have room on your Fantasy roster and the rookie is still available, grab him immediately.
Most Fantasy owners have already realized that Michael Cammalleri and Alexander Frolov are good players, but they have really been playing well recently. The duo combined for four goals, eight points and a plus-7 rating in the lopsided win. Cammalleri, the diminutive budding star who reminds me of Nashville's Steve Sullivan, has bagged six goals and 14 points with a plus-5 rating in the past 10 games despite playing for the lowly Kings. That's not too shabby.
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