Hockeycentric Fantasy Focus: February 4th, 2010
For a non-trade deadline week, there was an abnormal amount of wheeling and dealing going down in the NHL, which has fantasy owners evaluating the fluctuating values of players on new clubs. In the coming weeks, it will be imperative to assess who moves where and what it means for your fantasy team.
Let’s take a look at last week’s notable player performances:
WHO’S HOT
F – Anze Kopitar – Last 4 GP, 4 goals and 2 assists
F – Nicklas Backstrom – Last 3 GP, 2 goals and 4 assists
F – Zach Parise – Last 3 GP, 2 goals and 4 assists
F – Shane Doan – Last 4 GP, 2 goals and 3 assists
F – Jarome Iginla – Last 4 GP, 2 goals and 4 assists
D – Jason Demers – Last 3 GP, 2 goals and 2 assists
D – Keith Yandle – Last 4 GP, 2 goals and 1 assist
D – Francois Beauchemin – Last 3 GP, 1 goal and 2 assists
D – Jay Bouwmeester –Last 4 GP, 3 assists
D – Drew Doughty – Last 4 GP, 1 goal and 1 assist
G – Jonas Hiller – Last 3 GP, 3-0-0, .981 SV%, 0.66 GAA, 1 SO
G – Jon Quick – Last 4 GP, 4-0-0, .946 SV%, 1.50 GAA
G – Ilya Bryzgalov – Last 3 GP, 3-0-0, .956 SV%, 1.33 GAA
WHO’S COLD
F – Niclas Bergfors – Last 13 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a -4 rating
F – Jay Pandolfo – Last 9 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a -4 rating
F – John Madden- Last 8 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a -5 rating
F – Radek Dvorak – Last 8 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a -1 rating
F – Steven Reinprecht – Last 8 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a -3 rating
D – Michael Roszival – Last 14 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a -2 rating
D – Mattias Ohlund – Last 14 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a -4 rating
D – Brent Sopel – Last 13 GP, 0 goals, 0 assist and a -4 rating
D – Braydon Coburn – Last 10 GP, 0 goals, 0 assist and +2 rating
D – Bryan McCabe – Last 10 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists and a +1 rating
G – Rick DiPietro – Last 3 GP, 0-2-0, 0.882 SV% and 3.03 GAA
G – Tuuka Rask –Last 3 GP, 0-3-0, .882 SV% and 3.05 GAA
G – Ondrej Pavelec – Last 2 GP, 0-2-0, .867 SV% and 3.06 GAA
WAIVER WATCH
Jason Demers has bounced between the Worcestor and San Jose Sharks this season, but seems to produce fairly consistently every time he is called up. He has two goals and two assists in his last three games.
Joni Pitkanen is on a hot streak, with nine assists in his last seven games. He is on pace to set career highs in assists and points.
After missing 45 games due to a concussion, David Booth returned to the Florida Panthers lineup this week. He recorded an assist in his first game back, and will need to produce for the Panthers in the absence of Nathan Horton.
DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT
Alaska native Brandon Dubinsky was showing signs of life in December and January, but only has one point in his last six games. Olli Jokinen’s arrival in New York doesn’t help Dubinsky’s fantasy value.
Veteran winger Pavol Demitra was supposed to be a viable fantasy option after returning from double shoulder surgery. Unfortunately he only has two assists in eight games. Don’t wait for him to start scoring.
Rookie netminder Jonas Gustavsson has been bumped from the starter’s position by newcomer J.S. Giguere. Head coach Ron Wilson planned to lean on Gustavsson for the rest of the season, but will now give Giggy the majority of the starts.
INJURY REPORT
It was announced Wednesday night that Mike Komisarek will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. There is no date for the procedure. The Leafs and Team USA will miss him. He will reportedly be replaced by one of Ryan Whitney or Tim Gleason on Team USA.
While it was only announced earlier this week, Zdeno Chara has been playing with a dislocated pinky finger for six to seven weeks. He has had the finger in a cast, and will not undergo surgery until the offseason.
Niklas Kronwall is listed as day-to-day after re-injuring his knee on Wednesday night against the Ducks.
Mark Stuart is expected to miss four weeks after undergoing surgery on his injured finger.
Originally expected to be out for the season, Mike Cammalleri will only be out until after the Olympic break. The Habs will miss his scoring touch, and the top line now looks something like this.
Mike Green is eligible to return February 5th after serving a three-game suspension for his elbow on Michael Frolik. He is also suspected to have a thigh injury, but is not expected to miss any games.
Formerly expected to be a valuable asset at the trade deadline, Sheldon Souray broke his hand in a fight with Jarome Iginla on Saturday night. He underwent surgery this week and is expected to miss 5-6 weeks.
ON THE MOVE
Matt Stajan: Playing on a line with Jarome Iginla should improve anyone’s production; Stajan was plus-1 with a goal in his second game with the Flames.
J.S. Giguere: Recorded a shutout in his first game as Maple Leaf, only the second time in Leafs history. Will get lots of starts, and could pick up some wins on an improved Toronto team.
Dion Phaneuf: His numbers are down this year, but he is determined to improve on a new team. Point totals may improve while plus-minus may decrease.
Niklas Hagman: Still on pace for 30 goals, a career high, will continue to see top-6 minutes.
Olli Jokinen: Gets a fresh start in the Big Apple with one of the league’s leading scorers, Marian Gaborik.
Ales Kotalik: Is having one of the worst years of his career. Proceed with caution.
Chris Higgins: No longer a 25-goal threat of old, he may continue to be an inconsequential fantasy item. Can hopefully turn it around in his new digs, and will get plenty of penalty killing time.
Ian White: At the very least, should improve on his plus-minus, which was decent to begin with on a minus team. Will get regular power play time as the Flames evaluate his skill and determine whether he deserves to be re-signed.
Check back every Thursday morning for the Fantasy Focus, and don’t forget to check out our line combos section, updated throughout the week.
