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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| | Rick Nash, C/W, Columbus We’ve been waiting for Nash to provide the kind of offense we think he’s capable of, and with a goal in each of his last three games, maybe this is it. He’s thriving since Derick Brassard was moved up to the top line, and now has 15 points in his first 18 games this season. If Nash can continue to get close to a point-per-game pace, he will become a must-start Fantasy option in all formats. |
| | Jason LaBarbera, G, Los Angeles LaBarbera is now pretty much the official No. 2 in Los Angeles thanks to the emergence of Erik Ersberg. The Kings gave LaBarbera the chance to prove he belonged in the top slot to start the season, but he's 3-51 with a 3.01 GAA and a .884 save percentage. With their lack of offense, the Kings can't afford to be letting in three goals a game and management has finally had enough. LaBarbera might be worth holding on to in deeper leagues that start two goalies as maybe a fourth option, but not much else. |
| | Ian White, D, Toronto White was a non-factor at the beginning of the season as he was scratched for 11 straight games thanks to the gluttony of defensemen in Toronto. But apparently he showed enough offensive potential in practice to be used in the forward rotation recently and has a five-game point streak. Like Dustin Byfuglien last year, White could be one of those valuable forward-playing defensemen, which makes a him a nice sleeper addition in deeper leagues right now -- especially the formats that reward blue-line points heavily. |
| | Antti Miettinen, RW, Minnesota We all were a little wary of Miettinen when he exploded out of the gate with seven points in his first three games, and we were right to feel that way. The Finn has only five points in his last 12 games since then, although he's not seeing any decreased ice time. He remains a top-six forward in Minnesota, but the Wild just play a style of hockey that leads to Fantasy mediocrity for most of their players -- they are tied for the league low in goals scored with 40, and they lead the league with only 30 goals against. Miettinen should be ignored in most formats now that he's back down to earth. |
| | Jordan Staal, C, Pittsburgh When Staal, the second overall pick in 2006, dazzled as a rookie two seasons ago with 29 goals, everyone thought this kid could be the next superstar. Unfortunately, Staal slumped last year to only 28 points total as Malkin and Crosby pushed him into the shadows. Now, with seven goals and an assist in his last six games, it looks like Staal is finally finding his role in Pittsburgh and is enjoying it. While he spends most of his time on the third line at the moment, Staal is thriving and is one injury away from a valuable promotion. He's only owned in 54 percent of leagues right now, so grab him while you can. |
| | Steve Bernier, RW, Vancouver Bernier started this season playing with the Sedin brothers on Vancouver's top line. Where is he now, you ask? Well, let's just say the most he sees of the Sedins on a nightly basis is when they skate by Bernier sitting on the bench. While he's still on the Canucks' top power play unit, Bernier is only playing about 14 minutes a game lately and has just one assist in six November games. Despite his struggles, he's still worth holding on to in deeper leagues as a low-end flier, but that's about it. |
| | Matt Stajan, C, Toronto If it seems like I've been mentioning Leafs players a lot lately, it's for good reason, as Toronto is one of the better scoring teams in the league right now, and that's the kind of team that produces solid Fantasy players. Stajan was only owned in four percent of leagues to start this season, but after 17 points in his last 12 games, the Ontario native is now owned in 38 percent. With the way the Leafs are putting the puck in the net lately, you could do a lot worse than starting Stajan in deeper leagues as a low-end Fantasy forward when he has three or four games. |
| | Kevin Weekes, G, New Jersey I resisted putting Weekes in my Stockwatch column when Martin Brodeur went down because I wanted to see what he would do in his first few starts. Well, it hasn't been pretty. Weekes has allowed three or more goals in his last three starts and you have to think the Devils are actively trying to find someone who is going to provide more of a reliable option for a team that isn't the most offensively gifted. Weekes is still worth keeping in deeper leagues simply because of his potential to start for a while, but you need to have a backup plan just in case. |
| | Martin Gerber, G, Ottawa I'm going out on a bit of a limb here, but current favorite of Craig Hartsburg in Ottawa, Alex Auld, has struggled a little in his last three starts and Gerber didn't look too bad in his most recent start on Nov. 7 when he allowed only two goals in a 2-1 loss. I wouldn't start Gerber this upcoming week, as the Sens only play twice, but his ownership is down to 53 percent right now, so he might be worth picking up as a future investment in case he shines in his next start or two and Ottawa starts to play better hockey. |
| | Fabian Brunnstrom, LW, Dallas All the early-season excitement over this kid has now dwindled with only two points in his last 10 games and a bunch of healthy scratches. He's probably better off seeing the ice in the AHL right now, so the Stars might lean toward sending him down in the near future. Don't drop him in deeper leagues though, as one injury to a Stars veteran, and he'll be right back up -- maybe even on a higher line. |
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