The head coaches in the NHL are driving us up a wall during the early going of this season, particularly with youngsters in Colorado, New Jersey, New York, San Jose and Vancouver, just to name a few. That's why we need to be careful when heading to the waiver wire and grabbing the latest hot player, as we need more than just one or two games before dropping a player who has a track record for a less proven rookie.
Take for example Mason Raymond in Vancouver. Coach Alain Vigneault announced he would start the regular season on the top scoring line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. That was true - for the first period. After that, we saw Taylor Pyatt, last season's forward with the Sedin twins, take over and never look back. Meanwhile, Raymond was scratched for the next game and is now toiling on the team's third line. That drives us absolutely crazy, as we never know if or when a player like Raymond is going to skate. Vigneault continues to juggle his lines almost nightly and after an 8-2 beating against Philadelphia on Wednesday, expect further changes until the Canucks start getting it right.
Injuries have also opened up spots for players who were not even in team's plans. Coach Tom Renney shook up his lines following the injury to Sean Avery. Martin Straka was dropped to the team's second line and Renney inserted Marcel Hossa, who had been scratched for all of his team's games, onto the top scoring line with Chris Drury and Jaromir Jagr. Hossa went from Fantasy kryptonite to a star overnight. As long as he skates with the likes of Drury and Jagr, he cannot be overlooked. He also has a little more of a track record than some of these rookies we have been seeing move to the top.
If you are deadset on adding a younger player who is getting a lot of playing time, take a look at Los Angeles defenseman Jack Johnson. He had an assist in Dallas on Wednesday, his first point in four games for the Kings. He is getting plenty of ice time and that's key if you are going to grab a player with more potential than history.
Add of the week ... Martin Gerber, G, Ottawa: Gerber has gotten off to a blazing start in place of Ray Emery (wrist), who will be out a while longer with his bum wrist. All Gerber has done is re-emerge as a must-start in all Fantasy leagues, going 4-0-0 with a sparkling 1.73 GAA to lead the Senators into first place in the Northeast Division. The Swiss netminder is finally living up to his potential after struggling as the starter in Carolina and eventually losing his job to Cam Ward during their playoff run. Things weren't much better in Ottawa, as Emery snatched the job from him last year and never looked back. Strike while the iron is hot and jump on Gerber immediately. He is still only owned in 71 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, although we expect that be in the 90 percent range by week's end. Plus, who else has an offense supporting him like Gerber's Ottawa teammates? Most nights, he doesn't even need to be perfect.
Each Thursday we will highlight players who might be available in your league and whether you should consider picking them up off waivers based on their recent performances. The players chosen are based on the percentage of ownership in CBSSports.com leagues.
Add 'em
Ryane Clowe, W, San Jose
Owned: 31 percent
Analysis:
Clowe was recently promoted to the top scoring line by coach Ron Wilson
and will now be playing alongside Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton. Clowe
is a hard-nosed player who likes to mix it up in the corner, combining
offense with a solid amount of penalty minutes. Clowe is worth a look in
all Fantasy leagues that reward PIM, but be careful not to add him in
formats which discourage bad behavior. His trips to the penalty box will
nullify all of his offensive numbers.
Ruslan Fedotenko, W, N.Y. Islanders
Owned: 43
percent
Analysis: The Islanders have fired out of the gate
this season and players like Mike Comrie
and Fedotenko have been a huge part of that success. In three games,
Fedotenko has picked up a goal and five points with a plus-2 rating.
That's tremendous production, but keep in mind that his best season in
the NHL was a 26-goal, 41-point effort back in 2005-06 with the Tampa
Bay Lightning. Ride the wave now, but know that a long-term scoreless
stretch is likely around the corner based on his history.
Carey Price, G, Montreal
Owned: 36 percent
Analysis:
Price was outstanding in his NHL debut against the Penguins on
Wednesday, exactly 22 years to the day since Hall of Famer Patrick Roy
made his first start in Pittsburgh. He picked up the victory, stopping
26 shots and allowing two goals. While the Canadiens are not about to
hand him the starting job with Cristobal Huet
in the mix, coach Guy Carbonneau has shown a penchant in the past for
riding with the hot hand. Price is better used in Fantasy formats that
average points per game in a scoring period and long-term formats, but
if Huet struggles, Price's workload might increase.
Avoid 'em
Nicklas Bergfors, W, New Jersey
Owned: 12 percent
Analysis:
Well, that didn't last long. Sometimes with rookies, as we mentioned
above, it only takes a week or two before a head coach decides to pull
the trigger and move a rookie down after a big promotion. Bergfors was
promoted to the top scoring line, but a shoulder injury has hurt his
production. He has already been dropped to the team's second line to
skate with Zach Parise and Dainius Zubrus. The freefall might continue all the way back down to
the AHL if he doesn't get healthy and start producing soon.
Michel Ouellet, W, Tampa Bay
Owned: 29 percent
Analysis:
Ouellet and his linemate Jan Hlavac have
each struggled with Brad Richards on the
No. 2 line in Tampa Bay, as the Lightning are certainly not displaying
the type of offensive firepower and depth which we have grown accustomed
to in the past. Still, they are off to a decent start in the Southeast
Division. However, originally it looked as if Ouellet might be on the
top scoring line, but that never came into fruition. Now, the second
line cannot seem to produce in even strength situations. Perhaps an
assist on the power play on Wednesday for Ouellet will get him going,
but we doubt it.
Bobby Ryan, W, Anaheim
Owned: 27 percent
Analysis:
The Fantasy value of Ryan has taken a nosedive since his demotion to the
AHL. Apparently, the Ducks feel as if he can use some more seasoning in
the minors. A lot of Fantasy owners simply do not have the patience or
roster space to have him on reserve, but Ryan should still be kept in
long-term keeper formats. His banishment to the minors might only last
until the first long-term injury, but cut him for now in all weekly
leagues. We thought Ryan's spot with the Ducks was cemented with Dustin Penner having moved on to Edmonton in the offseason.
Others to monitor ...
Andrew Cogliano, C, Edmonton
Owned: 15 percent
Analysis:
Cogliano saw his three-game point streak come to an end on Wednesday in
Minnesota, but the rookie has exceeded Fantasy expectations already. He
is a big part of the Oilers plans, as they give their youngsters a
chance to show what they can do at the NHL level. He has posted a plus-2
rating in four games, but that category is the only area we expect to be
a trouble spot as we head down the road.
Mikko Koivu, C, Minnesota
Owned: 49 percent
Analysis:
Well, last week we were singing his praises. Koivu was expected to get
the start on the top scoring line alongside Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik.
However, coach Jacques Lemaire threw us all a curveball and the
unexciting Wes Walz found himself up top
with the two speedy Slovakians. Well, after a week of Fantasy owners
losing faith, Koivu was on the top line on Wednesday and was able to
jump-start Demitra and Gaborik. In fact, he had Demitra lobbying
publicly for Koivu to become a permanent fixture up top.
Fredrik Modin, W, Columbus
Owned: 21 percent
Analysis:
Modin appears to be in line to skate with Rick Nash and David Vyborny, as
coach Ken Hitchcock goes the route of Scotty Bowman and tries to mix and
match his lines. The tremendous coach loved to keep pairs of players
together and plug and play the third part of the line trying to find
combinations that worked. Modin appears to be next in line to skate with
the big boys, as Sergei Fedorov is no
longer getting it done. However, keep in mind that it might be temporary
if Modin doesn't get hot in a hurry.
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