The All-Star break coming up this weekend so it’s a good time for reflection in season-long fantasy leagues. Now is the time for fantasy owners to assess their teams, look for weaknesses, and start to plug holes as the stretch run.
There are also adjustments needed for those who aren’t really challenging for at least the top three in their leagues right now. Sometimes, drastic changes are needed, and that is what is included in this piece.
Here are players who have under-performed this year, and may be due for a big final 35 games or so. These guys could have a big production swing which makes them ideal trade targets for fantasy owners who need a bit of help and a lot of luck.
FORWARDS
Jeff Skinner (Carolina – Left Wing/Right Wing)
Skinner was a player I had mentioned as a potential bounce back earlier this year. Here is what fantasy owners need to know: In three 82-game seasons, Jeff Skinner scored 84 goals, and averaged a personal shooting percentage of 12 per cent. Skinner is on pace for under 20 goals and is shooting just eight per cent this year.
Patrick Marleau (San Jose – Left Wing)
All the problems that Jeff Skinner has are pretty much parallel for Patrick Marleau. This is player who was an annual 30-goal scorer, but needs a productive second half to reach 20 this year. Marleau has 21 shots on goal in his last five games, but just isn’t scoring. Maybe his slump lasts all season, but there is too much talent and too much prior production to ignore a possible rebound.
Phil Kessel (Toronto – Right Wing)
If there was ever a better time to trade for Kessel in fantasy, I haven’t seen it. Toronto is on a huge slide, and Kessel is shooting just 3 per cent this month (one goal on 33 shots) with a minus-10 rating. In fantasy, it’s very difficult to acquire top-10 talents, especially at this point of the season, but Kessel’s price is as depressed as it’s going to get.
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DEFENCE
Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis)
All the press this year has gone to teammate Kevin Shattenkirk, and for good reason – he is the top fantasy defenceman heading into the break. Pietrangelo, however, has multiple 50 point seasons to his credit. Pietrangelo’s plus/minus rating also sits at even despite his on-ice save percentage at five-on-five being neck and neck with Andrew Ference of the Edmonton Oilers. That makes me think Pietrangelo is in for a big second half, and will improve considerably from being a fringe top-30 defenceman.
Zdeno Chara (Boston)
Chara had a weird season for a defenceman last year, as he posted career-highs in goals and shooting percentage at the age of 36. A lot of this was because of his new power play role – playing the net-front presence. He’s still that net-front presence on the power play this year, but has just three goals in 28 games. Now that he’s healthy, and Boston is starting to find their form, Chara has potential top-10 defenceman upside for the rest of the season.
Andrej Sekera (Carolina)
There are a few Carolina players on this list, if only because I think the team is better than they’ve shown for most of the season. Andrej Sekera was a career 5.4 per cent shooter before this season; he’s shot at one-third of that rate so far this season. His lack of power play time of late is a problem, but I think he’s in for a goals and plus/minus rebound down the stretch of the regular fantasy hockey season.
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GOALTENDERS
Anton Khudobin (Carolina)
Whether it’s just showcasing him for a trade, or they’re giving him time to be their goaltender of the future, Anton Khudobin has gotten the call in goal in three of Carolina’s last four games. Since a disastrous October – as most Carolina players had – Khudobin is sporting a .926 save percentage. Even with October, his save percentage on the season is .916, and that’s better than names like Sergei Bobrovsky and Ben Bishop.
Jonathan Bernier (Toronto)
There are some growing pains going on in Toronto under new coach Peter Horachek. The good thing is they are limiting shots against. Fewer shots against leads to a lower goals against average almost uniformly. The only time it doesn’t is when a goalie posts an .877 save percentage for a month like Bernier did for January. Now is the time to buy low, and hope the Leafs’ turnaround begins.
*Some stats courtesy of Hockey Analysis, Hockey Reference, ESPN, and Yahoo.