Christmas is right around the corner and the holiday season in general is in full swing, so how could we not fit a stocking stuffer blog into the fantasy schedule? As you steal a few minutes here and there for your poolie roster, there a number of players out there that could fill various needs on your squad.
If you look over the past month of the season, few skaters have out-produced Florida’s Stephen Weiss. Since the November 14th game vs. NYI, the Toronto-born centre has come up with 10G, 10A, a +8 rating, 6 PIM, 5 PPP and 40 SOG in only 16 GP. He’s still popping up as an available free agent in the Q&A, although with each performance those instances are becoming more infrequent.
On the other end of the spectrum has been St. Louis forward Andy McDonald, who has been ice cold for most of the season. Better things could be on the horizon though and with a guy who has a proven track record and is likely eligible at both the wing and centre for you, he could be worth watching for the second half. He had a couple of points in the win over Calgary last night and even though that came against back-up Curtis McElhinney, there are some signs that he might be ready to start putting up points for desperate fantasy owners. If you’re comparing him with an average treat-of-the-weeker he should have an eventual edge because of his past history of producing.
Martin Havlat’s resurgence has been touched on in both the live blogging and yesterday’s blog over the past week, but it bears repeating: the guy seems to have his mojo back.
Steve Downie was a first round pick in of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2005 and he was a guy that had offensive upside with an edge, which can be a pretty valuable commodity in standard fantasy leagues. Well, over the past three or four weeks he’s been given a chance to fulfill that potential with a scoring line role in Tampa Bay and he’s doing fairly well with it. He’s taking advantage of some power play time and not only does he have four points in eight games this month, but he also has PIM in six straight games with 80 PIM on the year.
Did you catch the Flyers-Penguins beat-down last night? Plenty of fights and it turned into a one-sided Penguins victory, which the Flyers will attempt to avenge tomorrow night on home ice. A developing story with the Flyers over the past two games has been Daniel Carcillo though, who may have actually been Philly’s best player last night. He’s the reigning two-time PIM champ who had seen a sharp decline in his fantasy value early on this season with fewer trip to the sin bin, although that trend had been reversed heading into the recent incident that led to him being suspended by the league.
Contrary to what seems to be a popular belief since being talked to by new Flyers coach Peter Laviolette after the suspension, Carcillo has NOT been told not to fight anymore. The feisty winger does need to curb the stupid penalties which hurt the team and that could certainly lead to fewer 10-minute misconducts. But if Laviolette’s recent attempt to get Danny Boy more involved in the offence continues, then Carcillo’s fantasy value will actually be helped overall with increased points and shots. It seems highly unlikely that Mike Richards and Jeff Carter will remain on the same line for much longer (I’d be pretty shocked if they were together in the next game, honestly), but if Carcillo can keep a scoring line role and use his energy to hit, create open space on the ice and fight when necessary; then not only can he continue to be a good PIM source (where he’s currently trailing only Zenon Konopka league-wide), but he also won’t be the typical goon drain on every other stats category because he’ll be chipping in some points and more.
On a related note, Simon Gagne is apparently right on the verge of getting back into the line-up for the Flyers. His slow start (1G, 4A in 9 GP) combined so many injuries in the NHL this year and so few IR spots in most fantasy formats means it’s entirely possible that a player of his calibre was dropped to make room for a healthy, producing player. Even if he doesn’t start scoring right away, he’ll highly likely be a productive guy for the New Year and beyond.
Phil Kessel has generally delivered offensively for the Leafs and in most instances you’d probably happily take him onto your roster if someone offered him up for free, right? Well, did you know that teammate Niklas Hagman has actually slightly outscored him over the past month? Hagman has 9G, 5A and a +9 rating with 41 SOG in his past 15 GP, while Kessel has 8G, 5A, +6 with 61 SOG.
Kessel’s linemate, Alexei Ponikarovsky, is also worth considering if you’re looking for a free agent that can add some shots. He has eight points over his past seven starts, but has also fired off 95 SOG on the season with 21 in his past five outings. Matt Stajan, the centre of that trio, doesn’t have nearly as many shots. How could he with two wingers who shoot whenever they can? But Stajan still has 18 points and a +10 rating over his past 17 affairs.
Andrew Brunette has been having quite a season so far with 28 points in 33 GP. He’s generally on the first line with Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen and since November 10th, Brunette has come up with 3G, 14A and a +11 rating.
Martin Erat was playing so well that Barry Trotz moved him onto the first line with Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan awhile back. Erat has produced 7G, 4A and a +6 rating in 8 GP this month.
Kyle Okposo was the seventh overall pick from 2006 and in currently in his second full season, he’s certainly considered a top-end prospect with big offensive upside. He had a pretty solid October with 10 points in 13 GP, but then single-season owners generally punted him last month after only four points in 13 GP. The Minnesota-born winger has the hot hand again in December though, having tallied four different 2A efforts with 6 PPP in 6 GP.
Need some more ideas for helpful fantasy players? Every single one of these guys has been included in some fashion in the live nightly blogging found right here on Sportsnet.ca. It’s not only your source for a wide variety of stats, but you can also find fresh line combos from every single team and every single game… all season long.
Starting goalie info is included prior to the beginning of the games wherever possible. That’ll help you know when one of your goalies could be in line for a night off, which can help you manage your roster and maximize your goaltending GP. If you know a team is throwing in their back-up goalie, you might also be inclined to use an extra forward start against that squad. Live blogging resumes tonight with eight games.
Have you got a brief fantasy hockey question? Drop a line to chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com within 24 hours or so of any Q&A (to keep your league info relevant) and your email may be included in the blog, which will begin live at 3pm et/ 12pm pt on Mondays and Thursdays. One per person, please. Don’t forget to include your first name and hometown to represent!