Happy New Year, everyone! If you made any resolutions this year, make sure one of them is to kick butt in your fantasy hockey league. To help you with that, let’s look at the hottest players in the league heading into 2017. The following players had explosive months of December:
1. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins – 21 Points
2. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins – 20 points
3. Justin Schultz, D, Penguins – 18 points
A surprise performer in the top three, Schultz scored as many points last month as he did all of last season. Schultz took advantage of a Kris Letang injury to take over the No. 1 role in Pittsburgh, helping to propel his explosive month. Letang is back so we should expect some slow down with Schultz, but with how explosive the Penguins’ offence is, there is room for more than one fantasy-relevant defenceman.
T4. Cam Atkinson, RW, Blue Jackets – 17 points
T4. Phil Kessel, RW, Penguins – 17 points
T6. Derek Stepan, C, Rangers – 16 points
T6. Chris Kreider, LW, Rangers – 16 points
The Rangers’ depth carried them through the early portion of the season as it seemed they would have eight or nine forwards score 50-plus points, but perhaps none who reach 70. They are starting to look top-heavy with the top line of Stepan, Kreider and Mats Zuccarello taking on the bulk of the scoring burden as the rest of the lineup has been hit by regression.
T6. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning – 16 points
This is the cherry on top of what has been a great 2016 calendar year for Hedman. Without him, who knows how far down the standings the Lightning might be? He looks like a top-four fantasy defenceman behind only Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson and Letang. He should also be in the Norris Trophy conversation.
T6. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Blues – 16 points
T6. Leon Draisaitl, C/RW, Oilers – 16 points
T11. Mikael Granlund, C, Wild – 15 points
T11. Charlie Coyle, RW, Wild – 15 points
If I had to choose one of these two Wild players to continue producing at a high level, I would certainly choose Coyle. He skates fewer minutes than Granlund, but that’s mostly because he doesn’t kill penalties. Coyle skates on the top line and top power play unit. Granlund does neither. Look for Granlund to slow while Coyle threatens for a 60-point season.
T11. Sam Gagner, C/RW, Blue Jackets – 15 points
T11. Brandon Saad, LW/RW, Blue Jackets – 15 points
T11. Jakub Voracek, LW/RW, Flyers – 15 points
T11. Max Pacioretty, LW, Canadiens – 15 points
T11. Artemi Panarin, LW, Blackhawks – 15 points
T11. Jonathan Drouin, LW, Lightning – 15 points
Drouin deserves a round of applause for his performance in December. Somehow, he dragged Brian Boyle and Valtteri Filppula to form a productive top line while the team has battled injuries. This is a Herculean effort that demands recognition.
T19. Patrick Kane, RW, Blackhawks – 14 points
T19. Eric Staal, C, Wild – 14 points
T19. Jamie Benn, LW, Stars – 14 points
T19. Tyler Seguin, C/RW, Stars – 14 points
T19. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, Flames – 14 points
T19. Brent Burns, D, Sharks – 14 points
T19. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Rangers – 14 points
T19. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, Sabres – 14 points
T19. Mikael Backlund, C, Flames – 14 points
What’s crazy about Backlund’s hot run is that he isn’t riding Gaudreau’s coat-tails. Sure, Gaudreau helps to tilt the ice but these two aren’t skating together. Instead, Backlund has teamed up with Michael Frolik and rookie Matthew Tkachuk to form an elite second line that has as much to do with Calgary’s surge up the standings as anything.
Those guys enjoyed the month of December, these next few did not:
Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Avalanche – 3 points
Marian Gaborik, LW/RW, Kings – 3 points
Shea Weber, D, Canadiens – 3 points
Aaron Ekblad, D, Panthers – 3 points
Nick Bjugstad, C/RW, Panthers – 2 points
Jake Muzzin, D, Kings – 2 points
Niklas Kronwall, D, Red Wings – 1 point
Steve Laidlaw is the Managing Editor of Dobberhockey. Follow him on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.
