Playing the Waiver Wire: Staal tactic

Perhaps it is time for Jordan Staal to pack his bags for Las Vegas.

The 19-year-old has pulled a better disappearing act than some of Vegas' best entertainers such as Penn and Teller, David Copperfield and Lance Burton. Even Harry Houdini would be impressed on how well the Thunder Bay, Ontario native has gone from the brink of NHL stardom to complete mediocrity in his second NHL season.

Let's take a step back in time and reminisce about Staal's accomplishments as a rookie.

The second overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft made his debut Oct. 5, 2006 against the Flyers after playing the previous two seasons in the OHL (juniors) with the Peterborough Petes. He wasted little time making a name for himself as he scored in his third NHL game and recorded his first multi-goal outing seven contests into his NHL career. He became the youngest player ever to record a hat trick on Feb. 10, 2007 against the Maple Leafs just 18 years and 153 days after he was born. He holds the rookie record for most short-handed goals (seven). Then, he amazed us all in the playoffs as he scored three goals in a five-game series against the Senators.

Staal ended his rookie campaign with 29 goals, 13 assists and a plus-16 rating. He was following in the footsteps of older brother Eric (who plays with the Hurricanes) and that of fellow teammates Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins thought they had another diamond in the rough, and so did Fantasy owners.

Well, Staal has ordered up a heavy dose of the dreaded sophomore slump. He scored just one goal in the first 22 games of the 2007-08 season and has just five tallies through 48 games. He is in the red at minus-9 and continues to drift into obscurity. Now, the second-year center has a chance at salvation.

Crosby's ankle injury, which is expected to sideline him 6-8 weeks, opens the door for Staal to showcase his skills once again. He has moved up to the second line and is currently being flanked by Erik Christensen and Maxime Talbot. He will also see more time on the power play with Crosby watching from the press box. However, there have been whispers that Staal might eventually be shifted to the top line with Malkin and take on the wing role that the Malkin thrived in before Crosby exited the lineup. Can you imagine a line that might one day consist of Crosby, Malkin and Staal?

Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is one of the oldest magic tricks known to man. It's time for Staal to create a little magic of his own and produce one of the greatest re-appearing acts of all time.

In case you missed it ... The best goalie play in recent weeks has come from a trio of backups. Avalanche G Jose Theodore (5-2-1 in last eight games, 1.59 GAA), Blackhawks G Patrick Lalime (4-0-1 in his last six games, 2.31 GAA) and Flyers G Antero Niittymaki (5-0-1 in his last six games, 2.16 GAA) have all earned the trust of their head coaches for the time being.

Add 'Em

Nicklas Backstrom, C, Washington
Owned: 71 percent of leagues
Analysis: The Swedish rookie has already accepted the challenge laid forth by Capitals management after they discovered that Michael Nylander would miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Backstrom now becomes the default center on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and his rise to stardom has begun. He has a three-game points streak highlighted by consecutive four-assist games. He is at 40 points in 48 games with 31 assists.

Peter Mueller, C, Phoenix
Owned: 33 percent of leagues
Analysis: While we are going rookie crazy, let's talk about Mueller, the Bloomington, Minn. native. He is currently on the best run of his career -- a seven-game points streak that was extended Monday with a goal and assist against the Sabres. He has four goals and eight assists during his points streak. He is actually been moved from center and is playing left wing on the top line with Joel Perrault and Shane Doan. Funny, the move to wing has worked wonders for Evgeni Malkin's career and it looks as though it has also sped up the learning curve for Mueller.

Mikko Koivu, C, Minnesota
Owned: 50 percent of leagues
Analysis: Koivu was the unfortunate recipient of a two-handed slash by Canucks defenseman Mattias Ohlund on Nov. 16 that resulted in a broken foot. Koivu sat idle for a few weeks and missed nearly two months worth of games before suiting up Jan. 11 against Chicago. He recorded an assist in his first game back and has scored goals in his last two games with the kicker coming Monday against the Canucks, as his third-period goal was eventually the decisive score. He let out a loud roar as he skated by the Canucks bench to let everyone know he is back. It might only be a matter of time before Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire gets off his high horse and puts Koivu back on a line with Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra.

Fredrik Modin, LW, Columbus
Owned: 12 percent of leagues
Analysis: Modin finally returned to the lineup Saturday against the Stars after missing 35 games with a back injury. He nearly scored a goal against Dallas, but it was debated whether goalie Mike Smith carried the puck over the red line. The officials looked at the video and waved off the goal. Modin wasted little time sulking as the next night in Colorado he snuck a goal past Jose Theodore, which wasn't revoked. He is flanking the top line with Michael Peca or Derrick Brassard at center and Rick Nash on the right wing. There is some serious points to be had by the 11-year veteran.

Drop' Em

Scott Hannan, D, Colorado
Owned: 8 percent of leagues
Analysis: The former San Jose Shark is not making the splash everyone envisioned in his first year with the Avs. Hannan, more of a defensive-minded player, is having an average offensive season with one goal and 12 assists. However, for a player that has always been in the black as far as plus/minus is concerned, he is at minus-6 through 48 games. The goalie play in Colorado (Theodore, Peter Budaj) is not as strong as when he was with San Jose (Evgeni Nabokov, Vesa Toskala), and he is not even among the top two defensive pairings at this time.

Dan Ellis, G, Nashville
Owned: 33 percent of leagues
Analysis: The Predators are grateful for how well Ellis has played in a pinch. He is 10-5-1 with a 2.38 GAA and three shutouts. However, Nashville didn't ship Tomas Vokoun to Florida because of Ellis. Chris Mason was the reason why, and he has found his edge once again. Ellis has not been in net since Jan. 13 and Mason has started the last four games, winning three. Mason is 4-1-1 in six January starts with a 1.32 GAA. Ellis could be glued to the bench until back-to-back games.

Cory Stillman, C, Carolina
Owned: 96 percent of leagues
Analysis: Can somebody go down to Raleigh and slap around Stillman? How does a guy go from averaging a little more than a point per game to being almost non-existent? Stillman totaled 31 points (13 goals) in his first 23 games. As soon as December hit and the weather went cold, so did Stillman. He has just 12 points (eight goals) in his last 25 games. He is starting in 94 percent of Fantasy leagues, but owners need to take him down a notch until he starts to heat up. Stillman is probably hurting your Fantasy team since he is still being treated as a No. 1 forward.

Avoid' Em

David Backes, C, St. Louis
Owned: 3 percent of leagues
Analysis: Backes has been red hot to start the new year. He had three goals in his first five games and is currently on his best run of the season -- a five-game points streak. He has one goal and five assists in that span. The fact that he is playing on the second line with Keith Tkachuk and Lee Stempniak has helped his game, but we're just not sold on the second-year forward at this time.

Watch' Em

Travis Zajac, C, New Jersey
Owned: 23 percent of leagues
Analysis: New life has been given to the Devils' second line and that has a lot to do with Zajac. He has scored a goal in six of the last eight games, including one in three straight contests. Zajac is also on his best scoring run of the season, but who knows how long this will last. The Devils pride themselves on defense and it might be only a matter of time before Zajac fades back into oblivion. He had just five goals in his first 28 games.

Braydon Coburn, D, Philadelphia
Owned: 31 percent of leagues
Analysis: A change of scenery has paid off for Coburn. The Thrashers' former 2003 first-round pick found his way to Philadelphia in February 2007 that sent the veteran Alexei Zhitnik to Atlanta. Coburn already has a career high 20 points and plus-10 rating in his first full NHL season. The Flyers are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now and Coburn has his hand in the cookie jar. He has one goal and five assists in his last seven games. Thirty percent of his points have come in the last two weeks. As soon as Philly goes cold, can we expect the same from Coburn?

Ryan Suter, D, Nashville
Owned: 37 percent of leagues
Analysis: Predators head coach Barry Trotz was unhappy with the third-year defenseman, so he benched him for two games in early January. Suter got the message loud and clear. He returned to the lineup Jan. 13 and has three assists to go along with a plus-4 rating in his last five games. He is on track for a career high 30 points, but now that Trotz has focused his attention elsewhere, there is an opportunity that Suter gets complacent again.

Viktor Kozlov, C, Washington
Owned: 29 percent of leagues
Analysis: We talked earlier about Nicklas Backstrom taking on a new role now that Michael Nylander is done for the season, but the Capitals have also leaned on Kozlov to help pick up the slack. Kozlov has moved to right wing on the top line with Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. He has since delivered consecutive two-goal games. Kozlov netted a career high 25 goals with the Islanders last season. He hasn't looked anything like that goal scorer until recently. He has half of his goal production in the last two games, but if he keeps up this pace, we might soon be talking about Washington's top line as an elite unit.

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