Stockwatch: Oh Danny boy!

Detroit's Daniel Cleary and Carolina's Eric Staal are playing out of their minds of late while Vaclav Prospal is one of many in Tampa struggling mightily. Our Ross Devonport unveils his ups and downs in his latest Fantasy Stockwatch.

By Ross Devonport

Dec 15, 2008 at 10:06 pm ET • 5 min read

Every week our Fantasy staff will evaluate the landscape around the NHL and how it pertains to Fantasy owners in Fantasy Stockwatch.

	Dan Cleary, RW, Detroit Cleary had just two goals and four assists in his first 13 games this season before sitting out nearly three weeks with an eye infection. Since returning, he's simply been on fire with nine points in his last eight games. Many thought he would slip out of the top six when Tomas Holmstrom returned, but Cleary spent plenty of time during Saturday's win over the Coyotes playing with Marian Hossa and Johan Franzen on the second line. With so much talent in Detroit, Cleary's going to have to play at a super-high level if he's going to stay on the scoring lines and he might be playing a little out of his mind right now, but he's only owned in 32 percent of leagues, so he's definitely worth adding in deeper formats.
	Vaclav Prospal, C, Tampa Bay OK, so everyone on the Lightning, except for maybe Martin St. Louis, is having a down year, but Prospal has been just plain awful for the Bolts. He's on pace for only 47 points so far, which is pathetic for a guy who scored 71 points last season and 80 three seasons ago. Maybe that 55-point effort in 2006-07 was a sign of things to come, who knows. He's currently playing alongside disappointing rookie Steven Stamkos and Jussi Jokinen -- talk about an underachieving line if there ever was one. Down to 76 percent ownership from 96 to start the season, Prospal is worth holding on to in most leagues just in case Tampa Bay turns things around, but he shouldn't be starting anywhere at the moment.
	Milan Lucic, LW, Boston Lucic was good enough in the WHL (68 pts, 147 penalty mins) to completely skip the AHL and jump right to Boston last season, where he put up a respectable 27 points in 77 games. Now he's playing on the top line with the Bruins and making the most of his time alongside studs Phil Kessel and Marc Savard. He's one of those rare guys who is a physical specimen but still manages to combine scoring and penalty minutes. After a slow start this season, he really started picking things up in mid-November and now has 13 points in his last 15 games. Owned in 72 percent of leagues, he's worth grabbing in all formats if you have some dead weight on your bench.
	Chuck Kobasew, RW, Boston I had Kobasew as a stock up in late November when he went on a nice little run, but now he only has one assist in his last six games. He is still playing on the second line at the moment, but with the way David Krejci is playing lately, the Bruins might have to find some room for him on the scoring lines, and Kobasew could be the odd man out. All in all, I think I got a little too excited about the guy a few weeks ago, and he remains just a low-end option best left for deeper leagues.
	Eric Staal, C, Carolina Staal came into this season as clearly the most Fantasy-relevant Staal brother, but he got off to awful start and currently only has two points more than his younger brother, Jordan. But things are looking up for the eldest Staal since the coaching change in Carolina, as he has three goals and two assists in his last three contests. Staal averaged 84 points over the last three seasons, so the talent is clearly there. Now all new/old coach Paul Maurice has to do is continue to put Staal in the right situation to maximize his impact. He should be active in all formats for Fantasy Week 11 (Dec. 15-21), as the Hurricanes play four times.
	Tomas Kaberle, D, Toronto Kaberle began this season starting in 93 percent of Fantasy leagues, but now he's down to 73 percent, and for good reason. After averaging 59.3 points over the last three seasons, Kaberle had a nice spell in the first three weeks of November, but has done absolutely nothing either side of that stretch with four points in his other 18 games. He was singled out by coach Ron Wilson for poor play earlier this month and has been told to concentrate on his defensive duties rather than try to contribute on the offensive end. That doesn't bode well for his Fantasy owners, so you'd be better off benching him for now in leagues that have less than 12 teams.
	Nathan Oystrick, D, Atlanta After averaging 45 points in his last two AHL seasons, the rookie got off to a bit of a slow start in his first NHL campaign, but has really come on strong since he picked up his first point against the Maple Leafs on Nov. 25. Since then he has eight points in 10 games, which is a great pace for any blue-liner. OK, so he might drop down a pairing or two once Mathieu Schneider and Zach Bogosian come back, but he's made plenty of noise in keeper leagues over these last few weeks and might even be worth taking a flier on in deeper seasonal formats.
	Corey Perry, RW, Anaheim Considering he's playing on what is supposedly one of the top scoring lines in hockey, Perry has been very, very quiet of late with only two goals and three assists in his last 11 contests. We're not exactly sure what's up with him, as he should be at least contributing assists playing alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Kunitz, but he's just gone ice cold. You'd be better off benching him until he shows some life and ignore him in Fantasy Week 11 (Dec. 15-21) as the Ducks only play twice.
	Tomas Plekanec, C, Canadiens OK, Tommy boy, it's time to smarten up and prove to us that your 69-point campaign wasn't just a fluke. While you might think Plekanec should have a down arrow next to his name with how he's played so far (13 points in 29 games), he actually has a chance to shine over the next couple of weeks with Saku Koivu and Christopher Higgins out injured. Plus, the Canadiens play four times in Fantasy Week 11 (Dec. 15-21), so he'll get plenty of chances to shoot the puck. Get him active if you have him and cross your fingers.
	Mike Smith, G, Tampa Bay Poor Mr. Smith. I had this guy as a breakout pick this season, and he certainly must have thought he was in for a decent campaign when he saw all the talent the Lightning brought in during the offseason. Problem is, that talent was all on the offensive side of things and they haven't panned out. That's left Smith with a couple of sieves in front of him most of the time, and has led to nine straight losses for his Fantasy owners. Somehow he's still starting in 32 percent of leagues. You poor people.

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