Every week our Fantasy staff will evaluate the landscape around the NHL and how it pertains to Fantasy owners in Fantasy Stockwatch.
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| | Mike Ribeiro, C, Dallas Three weeks ago I had Ribeiro as a down after his awful start to the season. But the 83-point guy from last year has shown big signs of life over the last couple of weeks with nine points in his last five games. He is up to 31 points in 34 games, and while his goal totals are still lacking a little, he has scored in back-to-back games and the goals will come if the Stars keep playing as well as they are. |
| | Jason Spezza, C, Ottawa The entire Senators team is having an absolutely awful season so far. Spezza is last of the big three in Ottawa with 26 points and won't get anywhere near to the 92 points he put up last season. His miserable 12 assists on the year and his league-worst minus-9 rating over the last three weeks show just how little he's helping out on the offensive side of things. I know it's hard to bench a guy as promising as Spezza, but there are far better options out there until he starts to pick up the pace. |
| | Jonathan Quick, G, Los Angeles Many people were, cough, quick to pick this guy up off the waiver wire on Saturday evening after he produced his second shutout in three games when he blanked the Coyotes. While he's likely to get shipped back to the minors when Erik Ersberg returns from injury soon, Quick did enough in Fantasy Week 12 (Dec. 22-28) to make him worth owning in deeper seasonal leagues and all keeper formats, as the Kings' goalie situation hasn't exactly been a concrete one in recent seasons. |
| | Daniel Girardi, D, N.Y. Rangers After a fast start this season, Girardi was starting in 74 percent of leagues at one point. Now, with just two points in his last 19 games, he's down to 37 percent. He's still getting more than 20 minutes of ice time in most games, but isn't featuring on the power play as much as he was and is spending more time on the penalty-killing unit. He's not worth starting in any format right now and shouldn't be owned in the 68 percent of leagues he is. |
| | James Neal, LW, Dallas Neal spent five games in the AHL early this season, but he's unlikely to be back in the minors anytime soon if he can keep up his recent pace with the resurgent Stars. He has five goals in his last four games and 12 on the season, which ranks him among rookie leaders. While Neal was getting over 20 minutes a game earlier this season, he is now down to more like 15 minutes, but is thriving alongside Mike Ribeiro and Jere Lehtinen. He's owned in just 10 percent of leagues and is a great addition in deeper seasonal formats while Dallas is hot. |
| | Alex Auld, G, Ottawa Auld cruised through the first two months of this season as the clear No. 1 in Ottawa, but he has now lost four straight games, allowing five goals in each defeat, while Martin Gerber has stepped up his play. Auld is still worth holding on to in deeper leagues just in case he wins back the starting job and the Sens start playing better hockey, but shouldn't be starting in any Fantasy formats at this time. |
| | Travis Zajac, C, New Jersey Zajac got off to a slow start this season with one goal in December, but he's been getting more and more involved in the Devils offense as the year has come to a close. He has 11 points in 12 December games, despite New Jersey's offensive struggles of late, and is getting a ton of power play time lately. He is now on pace for 61 points, which would be almost 20 more than his previous career best. Fantasy owners are noticing, as his ownership percentage is up to 45 percent from 13 to start the year, so grab the 23-year-old in deeper leagues while you still can. |
| | Jason Arnott, C, Nashville Arnott has two 70-point seasons in his last three, but he's going to be lucky to reach 50 this season if he stays as ice-cold as he has been. After 19 points in his first 20 games, Arnott's offensive output has simply dried up since the calendar turned to December, with just three points in 12 games during this final month of 2008. The Predators are one of the lowest-scoring NHL teams this season, and Arnott's numbers have really suffered. He should only be starting in deeper formats for the time being. |
| | Todd White, C, Atlanta White, who is centering Slava Kozlov and Bryan Little right now in Atlanta, has been a super-consistent Fantasy contributor for his owners this season and is on pace for a career-best 72 points. While the Ilya Kovalchuk line is struggling, the line White is centering has been producing big numbers lately with 23 points in the last six games. Get White active in much more than his current 44 percent while he's this hot. |
| | Christian Ehrhoff, D, San Jose Talk about a fall from grace. Ehrhoff had 16 points in his first 20 games this season, but then his offense suddenly stopped in late November. Now, he has not one single point in his last 15 games and is a minus-6 in his last six contests. He's still getting plenty of ice and power play time, but he is mired in a massive slump right now. While you shouldn't drop the talented 26-year-old by any means, you're better off just leaving him on your bench until he stops this ugly drought. |
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