The Washington Capitals acquired a top-shelf defenseman at the NHL's trade deadline. How will Shattenkirk impact their pursuit of a title?

First Wave(1-25)- Erik Karlsson, John Klingberg These two defenseman have emerged as the top elite options on defense as they are scoring close to a point per game clip. More surprising is Klingberg's quick ascent to premier status as EK has been the best for some time now. Having said that, hold on to both as they will fight for top honors all year long. Karlsson has the edge but Klingberg has the benefit of playing with Seguin and Benn.   Second Wave(26-50)- John Carlson, Justin Faulk I have been hyping Faulk for years now but he has finally realized all that fantasy potential. While it's ridiculously unrealistic for him to keep up his staggering scoring pace on the  power play, he should be a lock for 50, even 60. I would also hold onto to Carlson who has become the clear it powerplay QB on an explosive Washington team. No Green means huge breakout for Carlson. It's that simple    Third Wave(51-75)-Brent  Burns, R Ristolainen, Ryan Suter, PK Subban, Roman Josi  I trust everyone on this list except the young Ristolainen. The kid is on his way to being a stud but can you trust him to keep up these numbers? Burns and Subban should be locks for 50+, while Suter has eclipsed 40+ a few times. Josi is just right here but expect Subban and Burns to move up to the upper tier before its all said and done. Fourth Wave(76-100)- Brent Seabrook. Dustin Byfuglien. Tyson Barrie. Andrei Markov Kevin Shattenkirk. Shea Weber  Many heavy-hitters in this group which should easily post better numbers moving forward, so you should target in buy lower situations. The only one I would not consider in the buy low category would be Seabrook. He is more of the sell high variety.

SMC 11-22-2015 Good morning everyone!  The cold, crisp air of autumn has finally arrived making a hot cup of coffee taste even better. Lots of non-scoring on Saturday night with 5 shutouts in 11 games. Rangers’ Rick Nash with a hat trick!  You just knew he was due to break out sooner or later. Flyers are playing for the top pick in the June 2016 NHL Entry Draft it seems. I can see Big Z being traded from the Boston Bruins by the trade deadline.  Loui Eriksson before that. Maybe all that Ben Bishop needed was to play the NY Rangers to get his season on track. Tampa has had a lot of injuries and everyone will tend to forget about them this year and they will get healthy, make the playoffs and be a threat with all the talent they possess. That Jaromir Jagr never seems to get old.  5 shots on goal last night against the Rangers and he even scored a goal. Aleksander Barkov is back from injury and has 2 goals and an assist in 3 games back. The Pittsburgh Penguins have problems and if they don’t shore up their defense, they may miss the playoffs.  I don’t think Sidney Crosby will like that very much. San Jose’s D-man Brent Burns had 7 SOG last night against the Pens.  Who does he think he is, Alex Ovechkin? Kessel, Hornqvist, and Letang had 5 SOG or more and Sid the Kid and Malkin only had one apiece.  That’s not gonna cut it. Washington scored 7 goals last night against Colorado in only 32 SOG.  The Avalanche’s goaltending is not as good as previously thought. Columbus and Anaheim slowly but surely creeping back up the standings. The race for the President’s Cup will be very interesting this year. I think everyone can forget about St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko now that Kevin Shattenkirk is back from injury and in mid-season form already. I am thinking that Detroit Red Wing Teemu Pulkkinen can start to put up some decent numbers now that the team is sorta back to full staff.  Plus he is playing with Tomas Tatar and Brad Richards. What is going on with Jonathan Drouin? This goaltending sharing policy on Dallas is killing fantasy players but doing wonders for the actual team. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are an insane scoring duo!  I didn’t need to tell you that, did I? One would’ve thought that the way the Minnesota Wild were playing of late that they would’ve been the team that was shutout on Saturday and not Nashville. Ryan Suter is having himself a year, isn’t he? It’s nice to see the Sedin twins have a game like they did against Chicago every once in a...

Duncan Keith, Chicago- fantasy owners must be overjoyed to hear that the All-Star could be available to play over the weekend as he looks almost fully recovered from his meniscus tear in his knee. There is no sugarcoating how detrimental his absence has had in most fantasy leagues as he is tough to replace. I say get him back as soon as he gets into game action. Brent Seabrook could see a slight reduction in fantasy worth as he was gobbling up the extra minutes on special teams. Close to returning   Kevin Shattenkirk, St Louis-the return of another fantasy blue-chipper from injury has owners feeling better about their blue line production as KS is among the top 3-5 fantasy defensive options in the NHL. Last season saw Shattenkirk miss 26 games but he still put up  44 points in 56 contests. Safe to say, he is a difference-maker for that Blue's power-play and all fantasy teams aside. Start him ASAP   Cody Franson, Buffalo- have any of you cut bait already with the Toronto/Nashville castoff after a slow start to his Buffalo career? The truth of the matter is, that the offensive minded rearguard drives coaches crazy with his lack of commitment to the decisive zone. However, he has more than proven that he is s very valuable pp asset and that's what most fantasy owners care about. His seven points have all come over the last nine games so he is definitely on the rise. Don't sleep on him   TJ Brodie, Calgary- the youngster has played superb since returning from injury, collecting 4 points in 7 games while logging over 24 minutes a night. The surplus of scoring defenseman for the Flames does lessen our expectations for Brodie, but it's not like new acquisition Dougie Hamilton is lighting it up. For now, Brodie will be relegated to 2nd pp minutes but that could change in a hurry. On the rise   Tobias Enstrom, Winnipeg- four points over the last five games doesn't make up for a huge scoring slide by Enstrom over the last few years. However, two time 50-point d-men don't grow on trees and he can still go on decent streaks. Never the quickest starter, the "pick up and stash" option could be the way to go with the 31-year old. Don't expect him to revert back to his elite point days but he could surprise moving forward. On the rebound?

SMC 11-8-2015 If anyone hasn’t noticed yet, the Buffalo Sabres are going to be a tough opponent this year. Especially once Robin Lehner returns and gets into mid-season form. Rasmus Ristolainen is going to be a force for the Sabres power play someday soon. Along with Jake Eichel and Sam Reinhart amongst others, this team will be quite competitive for some time. The LA Kings seem to be on a mission this year which doesn’t bode well for the Western Conference. The window of opportunity of getting any Anaheim Duck player on the cheap is quickly closing with the 4-game winning streak.  They dug themselves a bit of a hole but they are the team who can overcome that in a hurry. Anze Kopitar is going for the CY Young award this season with 5 goals and an assist at this point in the season. Panther fans are still waiting for that late season magic displayed last year with the arrival of Jaromir Jagr.  Growing pains with young talent will always be the case no matter what. Tyler Toffoli with 7 points in past 6 games has arrived.  Mike Condon is almost a splitting image of Carey Price, but not really. Who would’ve thought that the Philadelphia Flyers were going to shut out the mighty Winnipeg Jets?  And can Michal Neuvirth get a win without shutting out the other team?  All three of his wins have come by shutout. Toronto keeps losing but they are playing better.  Just looks bad seeing all those red ‘L’s in a row. Nazem Kadri with 7 SOG still couldn’t beat out Mr. SOG Alex Ovechkin who had 8. Kris Versteeg is leading the Carolina Hurricanes in points with 10.  Shame on you Eric Staal. St. Louis has started Jake Allen 6 games in a row and he has won 5 of those.  Looks like he is ready for full-time #1 duties. Remember Magnus Paajarvi?  He played last night for the Blues.  That’s the second game he has played this season. This Colton Parayko is something else.  Scored on the PP even though Kevin Shattenkirk returned to the lineup last night. Since Filip Forsberg isn’t grabbing the headlines like he did last year, some owners may think he doesn’t have it this season, but he still has 8 points in 13 games.  One good streak and he is on his way.  Buy low? No Parise?  No Problem says Devan Dubnyk.  Just let me go back in time to a year ago and play like I know I can; a 1-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning. No small feat. I think Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov is ready to break out. The NY Rangers know what they had in their grasps last year and are determined to get back ...

Andrei Markov- It's time to remind ourselves that the best fantasy tandem in defense resides in Montreal as the 36-year old continues to put up numbers comparable with the more heralded PK Subban. Markov had seemingly put his knee issues aside and has formed a dynamic duo with Subban in the Hab's top power play unit. He has collected 13 points in the first 14 games and while he could be a great sell high candidate by mid season, another 50-point season is well within reach.  No End In Sight   Dion Phaneuf- Once upon a time Phaneuf was the talk of all fantasy leagues but with the deterioration of the Leafs came a huge downgrade in his fantasy value. With Phil Kessel shipped out to Pittsburgh, there was little reason to believe that Phaneuf can repeat past glory and get even close to 40 points. Well, 7 points in his first 9 games amidst an overall poor showing from the Leafs indicates that the veteran is flourishing under new coach Mike Babcock. I am not sold on him yet but the new regime is treating him like their star player and that might bring out the best in the underachieving veteran.  Don't Sleep On Him   Ryan Murray- Another two point effort leaves the 22-year old Columbus rearguard with four points in five games. Obviously, coach Tortorella loves him and is known to ride his favorites. Things could change but like I have already said, Murray's situation looks like the perfect recipe for a breakout.  Busting Out?   Tyson Barrie- It's amazing that after a slow start aided by a three game suspension, the youngster has managed 7 points over the first nine games. So it's a bit misleading given that five came over the last two games, but this guy is as prolific as any Scoring dman in NHL. You need to keep him active at all times as Barrie is capable of giving a weeks worth of production in one game. Fantasy Elite   Kevin Shattenkirk- the All-Star defender is on the verge of returning to the Blue's lineup which may come as early as tonight against Chicago. His return would be a huge boon to all fantasy owners who hadn't been able to replace his elite production on their active rosters Colton Payrako fantasy value about to drop!

Colton Payrako, St. Louis- With much of the rookie talk centered on the super hyped forwards in Year 1, it's time to take notice of the towering defenseman in St. Louis who is off to a fabulous start with 6 points in 9 games. While logging over 23 minutes of TOI including power play, he has displayed a huge shot and also very liable in the defensive zone. His uptick in fantasy value is largely aided by Kevin Shattenkirk's absence due to injury but nevertheless, his sleeper potential makes him a top waiver wire target. SLEEPER ALERT   Mike Green, Detroit-- Why is he on the list? That's because he is hurt again. Let me know if this is news to you? Off to a slow start in his new team, Green is already not available to help your fantasy team. Last years numbers represented a comeback of sorts but he still missed a handful of games. That will never change. Not on the Capitals. Not in the Wings. Not anywhere. Huge fantasy risk. BAND-AID BOY   Ryan Suter, Minnesota- Eight points in his first nine games is more then most fantasy owners had expected of the 30-year old Wild blue liner, but it's also important to point out that just a few years ago, he looked poised for elite status. He followed his '11-12 career high totals of 46 points with two sub-40 pt efforts in three years, failing to live up to the hype. Having said that, his scoring pace will slow down but with the Minny offense looking more lethal then in recent years and Suter getting bulk of pp time, 50+ pts is not out of the question. VETERAN REBOUND   John Klingberg, Dallas- Man, this sophomore defender definitely has some bite to his game as he is currently rolling with a five game point streak. That now gives Klingberg eight points in nine games. So far, so good in avoiding the sophomore jinx after leading all defensives rookies last season with 40 points in 65 games. Alex Goligoski has become a distant fantasy option on the Dallas blueline as JK is getting all the big minutes.  RISING STAR   Brian Campbell, Florida- The Florida rearguard has seen his scoring regress over the last few season but as his three point effort last night can attest to, he can still be a valuable fantasy asset. As his fantasy value downright plummeted in most drafts, I was plucking him in the late rounds. It's tough to get your hands on d-man that late with true 40-or potential.  VETERAN REBOUND

Winnipeg @ Boston Ottawa @ Buffalo Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay Carolina @ Nashville Edmonton @ St. Louis Pittsburgh @ Dallas Minnesota @ Colorado RAY'S PICKS G: Pekka Rinne-NSH D: Kevin Shattenkirk-STL D: Anton Stralman-TB LW: Jonathan Drouin-TB LW: Valeri Nichushkin-DAL RW: Nikita Kucherov-TB RW: Troy Brouwer-STL C: Tyler SEguin-DAL C: Steven Stamkos-TB  

If you're an avid sports fan, regardless if its fantasy related or not, then you always love trades and trade rumors. Trade rumors spur your analytical mind to delve into the basis of the trade for the parties involved to see if the trade even makes sense. And when the trades do make perfect sense, or they are clearly beneficial to one of your favorite teams, that will surely elicit a smile from your face because you have recognized the brilliance in such a thing. I came across a few trade rumors lately from various sources and have to say they are pretty interesting indeed.  One such rumor, courtesy of Sportsblog’s TheHockeyPress, which has been mentioned a little bit this off-season, is the New York Rangers trading of defenseman Keith Yandle, whom they acquired at the trade deadline in March.  Yandle is one of the steadiest, top-scoring defenseman in the NHL year after year and should return a solid player in return, or even a package of prospects and picks if that is the way they want to go, especially is building their farm system back up.  But we are talking about a particular trade rumor and this one involves the Edmonton Oilers.  Nail Yakupov’s name has been mentioned since the approach of last season’s trade deadline as a tradable player from their roster to help bolster their defense.  Yakupov  is a valuable asset that could surely result in an even up swap of the offensive-minded players, but perhaps the Rangers are trying to wiggle a little something more out of the Oil being that they may be desperate to start winning sooner than later.  There is even mention that the Rangers are trying to pry Jordan Eberle away from the Oil. The Hockey Press states that the Oilers want this done before the start of the season, but I don't see New York having to do anything until the trade deadline. If Edmonton budges, then Eberle will be donning the blue jersey come October.  Perhaps the rumor is just that, a rumor.  There was also a rumor regarding Kevin Shattenkirk of the St. Louis Blues being traded for an Oiler.  Didn't the Edmonton Oilers sign free agent defenseman Andrej Sekera and trade for Griffin Reinhart of the NY Islanders during the off-season?  The Oilers are in need of a top offensive defenseman and perhaps they will receive that in Sekera, but it makes sense for both teams to see how the season unfolds first before trading away important components of their rosters.

Sorry for the brief thoughts this week but as the season winds down, the time to track down fantasy gems is running out. However, I do have a few key points to make: Fantasy hockey will be getting back another elite defender as Kevin Shattenkirk will be returning to the Blues lineup on Saturday. Considering he had collected 40 points in 49 games and was quite arguably the defensive fantasy MVP at the time of injury, his return could really help owners during the final stretch run. Or could It? Alex Pietrangelo has begun to thrive on the power play so Shattenkirk's return could disrupt the former's scoring touch. However, it is more likely that Shattenkirk will be eased into the lineup to fully assure his best form for the postseason. The good thing is that while other d-men on playoff bound teams could be rested over the final few games, Shattenkirk will be getting substantial ice-time as an audition for the playoffs. I love him asa final week start.  It might be time to take Vancouver's Alex Edler seriously down the stretch as a relevant fantasy option, given that his scoring had increased simultaneously during the Canucks current playoff run. While currently on a four-game point streak, the 28-year old's overall offensive production is light years away from his career high of 49 points set in 2011-12. Last season, Edler represented one of the biggest fantasy busts on the blueline, totaling 22 points in 63 games. With new coach Willie Desjardins at the helm, things were supposed to change but here we are late in the season and he has 23 points in 66 games. It's pretty tough to trust starting him at this point but given the paucity of legitimate scoring blueliners left on the waiver wire, he could provide a decent boost at your 3rd or 4th spot.  That's all for this week. Enjoy the final few weeks, my fantasy friends!