Chris Nichols

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.

@Nichols_NHLPool on Twitter for timely NHL & poolie info, along with occasionally snarky comments.

Live blogging nightly: line combos, defensive pairings, analysis, statistical trends and more from every game on the NHL docket. Refresh the 'Live NHL Recap' page while the games are on to get new info as it is added.

Send in a brief fantasy hockey question, including all relevant league info, and it may be included in a future Hockey Hearsay blog during the week. One per person, please. Send it via Twitter for a possible response in the blog, or send via email (include your first name and hometown to represent!) if you'd prefer. chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

You've no doubt heard by now that Devils captain and RW Jamie Langenbrunner has been dealt back to the Dallas Stars. He'll apparently play his first game on Sunday.

Fire & Ice describes the conditional draft pick the Devils will get for the pending UFA forward as such: The pick becomes a second-rounder if the Stars win a first-round playoff series or if they re-sign Langenbrunner, a potential unrestricted free agent, before July 1. If the Stars don’t win a playoff round and re-sign Langenbrunner after July 1, the Devils still get the Stars 2011 third-round pick and will also get the Stars’ 2012 second-round pick and send their 2012 third-rounder to Dallas.

So, the only way the Devils don’t get a second-round pick out of the deal is if the Stars don’t win a playoff round and if Langenbrunner does not re-sign with the Stars at any point.

“Really, it’s a second-round pick,” Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said.

So, what will this deal mean from a fantasy standpoint?

When the Dallas rumour became really hot last night, I tweeted that the Stars have normally been rolling with a first line of James Neal, Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson along with a second unit of Brenden Morrow, Mike Ribeiro and Jamie Benn. Seemingly the best fit for Langenbrunner's veteran experience, especially come playoff time - where he really thrives - would be in Benn's spot on that second line.

That would put Benn on the third line with Steve Ott and Adam Burish, where Benn has also succeeded earlier this season - sometimes in a centre role too. All three of those guys can play the pivot role, actually.

This morning the Dallas Morning News, when running down the trade, speculated the same sort of scenario or either an L2 or L3 role. Again, just a best guess sort of thing.

On today's conference call, Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk said he sees Langenbrunner with Ott/Burish on L3.

If that's the case, then Langenbrunner will still have the chance to produce points - just not as many as a top-six role. But Dallas certainly plays its third line - Ott averages 16:29 TOI per game, while Burish is at 14:54. Langenbrunner was playing 18:33 with Jersey though. The upside here is that Langenbrunner will still see key power play time, as he did with Jersey. He has an excellent shot that can be used on the point if needed.

Ott and Burish each see around 2:00 of their totals coming from PK work. Langenbrunner also kills penalties well and has the same average time role per game on the PK. Can his PP role help push him up into the 18:00 range nightly, while still in a third line role? We'll see.

As is always the case, log on nightly to see the Live NHL recaps and you can see the line combos, PP times and more.

All in all though, Langenbrunner on L3 for Dallas is no more an improvement on his fantasy value than when Jersey turns its season around - at least somewhat - and stops being a +/- drain. I'd still bet that he ends up bumping Benn off L2 when either Benn's line hits a slump or Langenbrunner begins to get hot offensively.

The Washington Post says that as expected this morning, Alex Ovechkin is participating fully in practice after receiving a cortisone shot in his left arm following Tuesday's game against Tampa Bay, which prohibited him from handling the puck the past two days.

There is a new look to Ovechkin today though as he is skating on the right side of a line with Brooks Laich and Marcus Johansson in practice. Earlier this season, on Nov. 24 against Carolina, coach Bruce Boudreau put Ovechkin on the right side, rather than his usual left, in an effort to spark the captain. Ovechkin tallied three assists in a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes that game.

Both Matt Hendricks, who also received a cortisone shot this week, and Mathieu Perreault, who had some work done on his broken nose, are taking part in practice after missing Thursday's session with the team.

Here are what the lines look like at KCI this morning:

Semin-Backstrom-Knuble/ Laich-Johansson-Ovechkin/ Chimera-Beagle-Fehr/ Hendricks-Steckel-King or Hendricks-Perreault-Steckel

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said captain Sidney Crosby will miss "about a week," adding that he has to be "symptom free" before returning to the Penguins' lineup.

Neither he nor Matt Cooke (family reasons) was available for comment before a 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre — a game in which Penguins centre Evgeni Malkin also appeared to tweak his left knee during an incident with Canadiens center Scott Gomez late in regulation.

Malkin returned to the game, failing to score in the third round of a shootout. However, he favored the left knee that forced him to miss four games from Dec. 4-14. He has been wearing a light brace on the knee since late-October.

"I was a little concerned we were about to revisit the same injury," Bylsma said, "but that doesn't look like it's the case."

Malkin was not available for comment.

The Tribune-Review notes that the case with Crosby, according to the Penguins, is that he was injured Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center in a blowout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. In that game, Crosby was hit hard into the boards by Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman late in the second period. He played six shifts in the third period.

Bylsma did not identify the play upon which Crosby was injured against Tampa Bay.

Late in the second period of the Winter Classic on Saturday night was when Crosby was blindsided by a hit from Washington's David Steckel — an act that was not punished by the NHL even though Steckel caught an unaware Crosby in the head.

Bylsma said Crosby "certainly saw doctors" after the Classic, adding that he wouldn't have played Wednesday night if the Penguins hadn't "thought he was OK to play."

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that after seeing Vladimir Tarasenko play in the gold-medal game at the World Junior Championships on Wednesday, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong acknowledged that the Russian forward could be playing in the NHL soon.

"When he does get over here, he'll push very quickly for an NHL job," Armstrong said, one day after Tarasenko netted the game-tying goal in an eventual 5-3 win for Russia over Canada in the final.

When Tarasenko will "get over here," however, remains the key question. The Blues' first-round draft pick last year is under contract with Novosibirsk Siber of Russia's KHL, and the Blues are not permitted to talk to him until the completion of his season. If Tarasenko makes Russia's roster for the World Championships, the Blues may not be allowed to talk to him until May.

"We're hoping to get him here for camp next year ... that's the goal ... or over here to train in the summer," Armstrong said. "We're just being law-abiding citizens and we're following that protocol."

Nonetheless, The Post-Dispatch writes, Armstrong left the junior championships Wednesday ecstatic about the future of Tarasenko, who had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and was a plus-8 in seven games at the tournament.

"I would say he was a top player in the tournament," Armstrong said. "The top players played very well, and I think he was in that group. I think he's got NHL skating, he's got strength ... now it's just taking his game to the next level.

"To me, it's very important when you have young players, how they play when the pressure is on and the lights are the brightest. He and his team found a way to get that job done."

Also from that article: T.J. Oshie made the trip to Toronto but did not return to the lineup. The plan was for Oshie to get more practice time as he mends from a broken ankle.

"He's a major part of our team and this is how you get back into it," Blues President John Davidson said. "When you practice at NHL speed like this, even if it's the day of a game, coaches can see it. They'll get a sense of when it's time to get him back in the lineup. Can he handle what these guys are doing? You just don't have him sit at home and one day play a game. It's got to be a process of him feeling confident."

The Tampa Tribune reports that the Lightning's 24-12-5 record represents the best start in franchise history and has the team in first place in the Southeast Division with 53 points. The team's first playoff berth since 2006-07 is well within reach.

The hot start occurred despite adversity. Tampa Bay played an unprecedented number of road games, including a stretch in which 15 of 21 games were on the road. The top two lines were hampered for nearly two months as forwards Simon Gagne, Vincent Lecavalier and Steve Downie missed a combined 46 games because of injuries.

"Steve Yzerman being in the league 27 years, saying it's the craziest schedule he's ever seen, I guess it was a little challenging," coach Guy Boucher said. "And getting all these injuries at the same time is very challenging, but I always find that in those challenging moments the team gets better."

It's been a learning process for everybody, a lesson in finding instant chemistry among those who were new to the team and those who endured the previous three seasons of turmoil.

"To me it starts with people," Boucher said. "That's what I'm relying on and that's what I'm impressed by. Hopefully, we can continue to progress.''

The Tribune notes several top moments through the first half, including:

Who meant the most?: Steven Stamkos generates headlines, but it's Marty St. Louis who writes the stories for this team – and Stamkos will be the first to say how important St. Louis is to his success. St. Louis is having another MVP-caliber season that likely will go unnoticed in the national headlines.

Who disappointed?: Tampa Bay acquired Simon Gagne hoping to create a dynamic second line. But Gagne was unknowingly banged up for the first eight games and missed the next 18 with a neck injury. With just three goals and seven points in 23 games, the talented winger has not lived up to expectations.

Who surprised?: While D Brett Clark has been a pleasant addition with seven goals and a steady presence, C Nate Thompson has stepped up to be a valuable role player as a penalty killer and reliable faceoff guy. His six goals are four more than his career total entering the season.

Best feel-good story: Rookie G Cedrick Desjardins waited five years to get his first NHL start. On Dec. 30, he beat the organization he played for those first five years as a pro, the Montreal Canadiens. Desjardins followed that up with an impressive overtime victory against the New York Rangers, allowing a total of two goals in his first two starts.

Biggest move: Tampa Bay strengthened it's biggest weakness in acquiring G Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders on New Year's Day. The 41-year-old goalie shutout the Washington Capitals in his team debut in the biggest regular-season game for this team in more than three years.

The Orange County Register observes that Ducks coach Randy Carlyle always has liked having movable parts among his top three lines for the Ducks, but this season has required more adjustment than a cranky thermostat.

There has been a steady rotation of names in the lineup and it presents a coaching challenge to find the right mix, particularly now that top-line centre Ryan Getzlaf is out until February because of facial injuries.

Bobby Ryan has taken Getzlaf's place at centre with mixed results, while the second and third lines have seen Brandon McMillan, Nick Bonino, Joffrey Lupul and newly recalled Dan Sexton on the wing. It hasn't helped that Jason Blake (shoulder injury, DTD, feeling better) has been out.

Carlyle liked what he saw during a recent three-game winning streak and will stick with Ryan at center as Sexton plays with Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne while McMillan is with Lupul and new centre Maxim Lapierre.

"That's really our only option at this point," Carlyle said. "Other people might think differently, but it's our decision as a coaching staff on what we think is the right combination."

The Register believes Sexton helps replace Blake with his speed. Lupul brings a finishing touch to the third line.

But that has been hard to come by as Lupul has had numerous linemates, including Blake, Bonino and Todd Marchant, since he returned from a back injury Dec. 5. He had not had extended time beside Sexton, and Lapierre just joined the team.

"You just try and do what you can," Lupul said. "I've never really been in this role before. It's definitely difficult for me. It's not, maybe, getting the ice time I would have liked, ideally. ... It's tough to play with new guys every night, but I'm starting to get the feeling that that's just how it's going to be. You just try and develop what chemistry you can."

“After this game, I know I can play in the NHL,” Isles goaltender Kevin Poulin told Newsday after making his NHL debut last night in relief of Nathan Lawson in a 2-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Poulin turned aside all 19 shots he faced. “We’ll see if I get another start but right now it’s just a dream come true.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay brought a team-scoring concept with him when he arrived in Atlanta. He squarely places the scoring onus on all of his players. It’s nothing new, just new to the Thrashers - who had relied heavily on Ilya Kovalchuk for years.

“I didn’t make it up,” Ramsay said of his approach. “It’s up to the players to take it upon themselves. We try to make sure they understand their personal responsibility for the welfare of the hockey team. That’s to be the best hockey player they can be. We try not to pigeon hole players, to spot them and tell them what they can not do. We try to encourage them as to what they can do, what they can accomplish.”

Stewart is one of the players not pigeon holed by Ramsay’s system. He came into the season with four career goals, in 105 NHL games, in parts of four seasons with Florida.

“It’s very new [for me],” Stewart said. “I don’t like going back to how it used to be. I used to have to dump the puck, go get it, cycle it for 20 seconds down there and get off [the ice]. If I didn’t get scored on, it was a good night. That’s how it was. It’s a bit of an adjustment. It’s a positive adjustment. You would rather be relied on as a guy to score and not as one to just kill the clock. It’s very gratifying and makes you want to play for [Ramsay] even harder.”

Kovalchuk averaged 42 goals a year in his eight seasons. Little said the Thrashers relied on Kovalchuk. When he slumped, they slumped.

“It shows the depth of the team,” Little said. “When one line is having an off night, another line picks up the team. This year we don’t have the superstar, 50-goal scorer but we’ve got so many good players who can score any night. In that way, it’s better.”

The AJC notes that entering Thursday’s NHL schedule, the Thrashers were fourth in the league in goals scored with 132. They trail only Detroit (138), Colorado (133) and Vancouver (133). Their 3.07 goals-per-game average is sixth in the league.

Stewart is one of six Thrashers players with 10 or more goals this season. He is joined by Dustin Byfuglien (16), Andrew Ladd (13), Evander Kane (13), Rich Peverley (11) and Bryan Little (10). The Thrashers are tied with Colorado and Philadelphia with six 10-goal scorers. The teams trail Detroit, which has eight.

The Thrashers are close to adding to their 10-goal scorer total. Niclas Bergfors has eight goals and Tobias Enstrom, Nik Antropov and Freddy Modin all have seven.

Also of note: @ajcthrashers tweeted this morning that Evander Kane will be out against the Leafs.

The Raleigh News & Observer relays that rookie defenceman Jamie McBain wasn't producing many points at the start of the season. But McBain said a personal turning point came during the Canes' two-game trip to Dallas and St. Louis for a back-to-back set on Dec. 10-11. He had a video session with the coaches, he said, and also something of a skull session, and it clicked.

"I was told to go out there and make sure I take care of my responsibilities in my end," he said. "As a defenceman that's the most important thing. Take care of my defensive responsibilities, and the points will come from there.

"That road trip, I just focused on my goal line out. From there, the points have come here and there."

In the 11 games since the Dallas/St. Louis trip, McBain has six points - the goal and five assists. In contrast, he had six assists in the first 28 games.

"Jamie is an incredibly poised young man for his age," defenceman Jay Harrison said. "He sees the ice extremely well. He has an incredible amount of patience, and he has an incredible amount of confidence in his game that allows him to make plays that guys his age have trouble making."

The News & Observer shows that Canes coach Paul Maurice has shown more confidence in McBain in the last month. He paired him with Tim Gleason a recent game. McBain, who has a plus-5 rating, had a season-high 24 minutes of ice time Monday against the Panthers at the RBC Center.

In each of the past three games, McBain has gotten more than 21 minutes - a first for him this season. Part of that is the absence of defenceman Joni Pitkanen, a big minutes eater who is out with an upper-body injury, but part of it is McBain's better play.

"I love it," McBain said, smiling. "I love being one of the guys being counted on to play those big-time minutes. That's something I've always loved - being that player that the coach can turn to, whether it's every other shift, just knowing I'm ready to go.

"Physically I feel great. I'm really learning how to take care of my body."

The article also points to what we're seeing more and more related to the improvement in on-ice performance: nutrition.

McBain credits off-ice work with Canes trainer Pete Friesen with helping improve his strength and stamina. He also has followed a nutrition plan given to him by Friesen.

"I'm playing 82 games, which is different than the 35 or so in college," McBain said. "Nutrition is a big part of feeling good and being able to play those big-time minutes. I feel strong, I feel fresh."

Tanya in Vancouver: "Chris, I have Sidney Crosby and Ryan Getzlaf out now and I need some short-term help. 9 teams in my league with all of the usual categories. Positions don't matter. They're my only two injured guys and the way our league works is that anyone who's hurt for any period of time can go on the IR, even if they're not in real life. Any suggestions for who I could use until they're back? Thanks and I love the blogs!"

Chris: Thanks for reading Tanya. Kind of hard for me to speculate on who might be a free agent in your league, but I'm guessing by the size that maybe someone like Sergei Kostitsyn is still available. He's been tearing it up since the start of last month. Mikhail Grabovski has been really hot with goals. Patric Hornqvist is picking up the pace finally. Alex Steen has been a point-per-game player for the last month or so. Assuming it's not a keeper league, someone like John Tavares might also still be available. His +/- has been fine lately and he's really been producing well lately.

If none of those guys is available, try reading through the Live NHL recaps from the past handful of days because theyr'e full of ideas on that front. You can also see whether that player is receiving first unit PP time and where they're lining up.