ADD’EM 3/12/2017 DON’T YOU, FORGET ABOUT US! Sam Gagner (42.8%), Conor Sheary (55.3%), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (8.2%), Jaden Schwartz (53.0%), Nick Bonino (11.5%), Josh Bailey (37.2%), Gustav Nyquist (25.9%), Michael Frolik (19.0%), Oliver Bjorkstrand (3.5%) As we are down to just 5 weeks remaining in the regular season, we continue to roll out some hot players to assist you in your quest for the Holy Grail of fantasy hockey.  Since we crapped the end with last week’s suggestions, perhaps we can make amends this week.  We have some interesting names filling the lineup this week, some you know and some you might be surprised that they are on the list.  So let’s get down to it, shall we? A few players who haven’t really lived up to their fantasy owner’s past expectations can provide you with some decent production in short spurts and we hope they can stay hot for you in the upcoming week.  Sam Gagner and Jaden Schwartz have great offensive potential but they can never seem to provide that level of scoring on a consistent basis.  You just have to hope and pray that when they are in your starting lineup they are giving you something more than goose eggs.  Gagner has gone 2-4-6 in last 4 games an d has 9 points in last 9 games so he is in the zone for Columbus.  Schwartz has been such a disappointment fantasy-wise to me that I have lost all hope but his play of late will prove me wrong.  The St. Louis blue has 5 assists in last 4 games and a +4 so he is worthy of a slot in this week’s lineup.  Both Gagner and Schwartz have 4 games this week against with Columbus the easier opponents. A few others that fall into the same category are Nyquist, Bailey and Bonino.  All talented forwards that have never really displayed the type of offensive weaponry that exists in their arsenal.  Okay maybe Nyquist’s burst onto the NHL scene in 2013-14 with 48 points in 457 games was something to behold, but he’s never been able to regain that type of production until recently.  Following his 6-game suspension, Nyquist seems to have awaken with 5 points in his 3 games since his return to the lineup. Bonino had a hat trick against Winnipeg at the beginning of the week and he will be heading the summer as an UFA, so there is motivation for Bonino to light up the score sheet in hopes of a big payday which may come from Las Vegas.  It’s always nice to hit it big in Vegas.  NY Islander Josh Bailey was a former first round draft pick but never has performed like one.  5 points in last 4,...

W.W.O.R.D.  The Dog Paddle  11/26/2016 So the NNHL season is past the 1uarter mark and your fantasy team seems to be treading water with most of your top selections not carrying their own weight, the weight that you expected would carry you to victory from Day 1.  But what happens along the way can always be frustrating especially so early in the season.  Events like injuries, rookie sensations, line chemistry (both good & bad), and players just having off seasons.  In the case of my 3 fantasy teams, I am mired in last place in one, 3-3 in another and 2-4 with my last team with all three dealing with any combination of the aforementioned events. So what am I doing about it?  I am trying to hold faith in my core players and wait for them to gravitate to their normal averages, while the others are fill-ins unless something better comes along on the waiver wire.  In the case of your core players, sometimes they are battling an injury that has not been made public.  You are frustrated by their lack of production and for the life of you, you don’t understand why.  It could very well be they are hiding an injury, but since it is an unknown, you just have to keep your faith and hope that they will turn their season around and get close to career averages. If you have a key player lost to an injury for an elongated period of time, say 3-4 weeks or more, then there isn’t much you can do unless you can predict who will pick up for the lost production on the NHL team, but sometimes it is better to just take a chance on a top forward on a lesser NHL team.  In most fantasy leagues, teams shy away from certain teams because of their lack of production and their poor plus/minus numbers.  If their upcoming schedule looks favorable, then you just might want to take a chance on some of those players.  Those lost for practically the remainder of the season, i.e., Steven Stamkos, then you just have to hope that your bench can give you good results on a weekly basis depending on who you fill in the spot with. It’s a long fantasy season and it doesn’t feel good to be chasing the teams above from the start, but if you drafted well, you just have to let the players play and for the most part they will get you close to the production that you were expecting.  For those talented players who are not producing so far this season, perhaps the approaching New Year will give them the change they need to spark them. So if you see some players who aren’t living up to standards, perhaps...

SMC 4-5-2015 Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all on this pleasant Sunday morning.  The Hurricanes have some work cut out for them to be contenders next season, but they do have a good sore to build upon.  Remember that cam Ward is still only 31 years old. Claude Giroux must be playing with a nagging injury for half the season. I’ve been touting the Columbus Blue Jackets as the team to watch next season.  Well, they are ending this disappointing one with a 9-game winning streak at the moment. The Eastern Conference playoff teams should count their blessings that they won’t be facing these red-hot (and) Blue Jackets.  Congrats to Nick Foligno with his first career hattie.  He has had some breakout season. Pittsburgh has not been playing well of late but as long as they make the playoffs, everything changes. I’m thinking that David Savard is getting valuable ice time with Wisniewski gone to Anaheim.  He could be a great sleeper pick in September. The Winnipeg Jets are fighting tooth-and-nail for a playoff spot.  What city will have a blast if they make it? Bring ear plugs please. Alex Burrows-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin combined for 7 points.  No, this isn’t 2009-2010. Ottawa is keeping the heat on Boston, and now Pittsburgh. The New York Islanders shut out the Buffalo Sabres but they are going to have to tighten up their game when they play against higher level talent or it will be a short ride. Zach Parise has to be the quietest 30-goal scorer in the NHL. Danny DeKeyser has been a bit of an assist-machine of late with 5 in his last 6 games.  Keep an eye on him for next year.  One of those last round picks. Steven Stamkos pretty much ended the Florida Panthers season last night with 2 goals and an assist. What was once a very intense rivalry is now just two teams heading in opposite directions as the New York Rangers trampled the New Jersey Devils 6-1 and the lone Devil goal came with just under 4 minutes remaining and the game well in hand for the Blueshirts. The Rangers are atop the NHL at this point and they have games in hand on the ones they are competing with. 3 different Rangers had a part in the scoring showing their balance. I think Tyler Johnson should be getting his deserved ‘props’ from here on out. The Predators once looked invincible but since the point Pekka Rinne got injured, they haven’t been the same team. If it weren’t for missing time due to an injury, Tyler Seguin would have won the scoring title hands down.  Boston, what were you ...

Ottawa rookie goalie on fire; Dubnyk prevails over Rinne; Price remains right; and more... Every so often, a goalie comes out of the woodworks and changes the course of action for that luck NHL team, and in our case, fantasy squads starving for a clutch backstopper. Well, Ottawa's Andrew Hammond surely qualifies as he posted his second straight road shutout, this time against the Stanley Cup champs who had won eight straight. The Bowling Green product is currently living a dream during his call-up, collecting four straight wins with a 1.15 GAA and a .962 SP. With Craig Anderson basically already to go, you can be certain that Ottawa will ride Hammond as long as he remains unbeatable. So should you. Pick him up ASAP.. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens played a tidy game against the Columbus Blue Jackets winning 5-2.  Defense was the offense with P.K. Subban (G, 2A) and Andrei Markov (G, A) contributing to the road win.  The Habs will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time…. Buffalo’s Michal Neuvirth is 3-1-2 in his last six starts and was the recipient of 6 goals in the win over Vancouver last night.  Neuvirth is a decent number 2 goalie with the team playing better hockey of late…Chris Stewart, with a goal and an assist, is rumored to be on his way out, most likely to rival Boston.  It will be an interesting weekend with the trade deadline on Monday… The New York Ranger’s beat the Arizona Coyotes with 2 pair against the Yotes 1.  Both Chris Kreider (2 PPG) and Lee Stempniak (2G) were enough to get by Arizona who got two power play goals of their own from Sam Gagner.  This one wasn’t easy for the Blueshirts as Goalie Cam Talbot continues to play brilliantly in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist…Kreider shows glimpses of what is to come but hasn’t been able to provide the consistency just yet but his future looks bright…. While struggling at home lately, the St. Louis Blues continued their winning ways on the road with the 2-1 shootout win over Winnipeg. Not much to say here other than it seems no more Ondrej Pavelec in the Jet's goal for now. Thank gosh... The Monnesota Wild deliver a huge road win, 4-2 in Nashville, to further bolster their playoff chances. Don't worry about Pekka Rinne but remain thrilled about what Devan Dubnyk has done for the Wild goalie situation...

* TJ Oshie has been a dominant offensive force for the St. Louis Blues since the start of December, so it's time for fantasy owners to take notice. His four-point night, including a "hat trick", helped seal the fate of the San Jose Sharks in the 7-2 rout. He is currently sporting a five-game point streak and has racked up 17 points in the last 16 games. His line, with Alex Steen and David Backes, is rolling, but the return of Jaden Schwartz will also get the Tarasenko unit probably back to their early-season dominant form. Start Oshie now while he is smoking hot... *In his first game donning a Pittsburgh Penguin uniform, David Perron lined up with Sidney Crosby and scored a goal on his first shot. Awesome fairy tale stuff, eh? Well, the Pens got smoked 4-1 by visiting Montreal and should expect a transition period while Perron acclimates to his new high-end teammates. He should get top power-play minutes in the short-term but that could change when Patrick Hornqvist returns in a few weeks. Anyway you slice it, huge boost in fantasy value for the suddenly relevant Perron.. *A wild high-scoring affair in LA, as the Kings rallied for three goals in the dying minutes to sent the game against Nashville into overtime only to lose 7-6 after a goal by defender Roman Josi in the extra frame. Don't worry, both Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick still rock in goal! It was just one of those games.. *In case you have not received the memo, Winnipeg goalie Michael Hutchinson is indeed for real. After allowing six goals over his last two starts, "Hutch" settled down by stopping 20 of 21 Toronto shots in the 5-1 blowout win. I feel confident in saying that the youngster's superb numbers (10-3-2, 1.81 GAA, .937 SP) are not flukish and that he will be the starter over Ondrej Pavelec down the stretch.. *Now for the not so obvious- Sam Gagner is actually playing good hockey for Arizona and might warrant short-term fantasy consideration. The underachieving forward scored twice while adding an assist, improving his numbers to 8 points over the last five games. He has clicked big-time with Martin Hanzal, so he might be worth a starting nod for the next few weeks before he goes ice-cold again... *Huge applause for future HOFer Jaromir Jagr becoming the oldest player in NHL history-42- to collect a "hat trick". Pause. Reality check. 25 points in 40 games. His best fantasy days are behind him, but he will occasionally blow up for a few big offensive outbursts.. *The Dallas Stars are...

My first order of business in passing along any words of waiver wire wisdom is the following: pick up Johnny Boychuk ASAP if he is somehow still available. The window is rapidly closing as the Islander's recently acquired defenseman has set the world on fire with one goal and four assists in two games. Having inherited the position of power-play quarterback on a unit that features John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, Boychuk is breaking out right before our eyes. On to a more realistic list of waiver-wire candidates that should be available and should help you get off to a quick start: Brock Nelson C, New York Islanders: Speaking of hot starts, Boychuk can only be outdone by the prolific Nelson, who has begun the year as the Isle's second-line center and the down-low presence on their primary power-play unit. In two games against lowly Carolina, he managed three goals and three assists, benefiting greatly from a hot NYI unit on the man-advantage. If he can stay in the top-six and continues to rack up top power-play minutes, the 22-year old can be an early-season steal. Cam Atkinson RW, Columbus: With a myriad of injuries to key Columbus forwards, the speedy winger will continue to get a boatload of front-end minutes on the top line and power-play. With three goals in two games, Atkinson is off and running toward what should be a true breakout season for him. Maybe he actually catches up to Ryan Johansen in terms of scoring potential. If he is available, grab him immediately. Tyler Bozak C, Toronto: Not a sexy name in fantasy circles, but you need to get plenty of fantasy consideration when you are flanked by Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk on your line. The underrated Bozak has started the season in grand style, scoring three goals and adding a helper in three games despite Kessel not playing great yet. When Kessel starts to roll, you know Bozak will rack up plenty of assists and remain a decent 4th-5th fantasy forward. Antoine Vermette C, Arizona: Coming off a 24-goal season, the talented pivot finds himself in a solid position as the top-line center to be among the Coyote's premier offensive contributors. With a goal and an assist against Los Angeles on Saturday night, he could get on a serious roll. While we doubt he challenges his career-high of 65 points set five years ago as a member of the Blue Jackets, he can get close to the 50-55 point mark. There is some decent value here as he has quickly supplanted Sam Gagner as the no.one center in the 'Desert...

The Coyotes might have changed their name to "Arizona" but their team still relies primarily on defense and goaltending to win games. Their much-maligned offense suffered two tough losses when both Mike Ribeiro and Radim Vrbata bolted via free agency. They did bring in Sam Gagner, but their forwards figure to be the Coyote's weak link as they enter the 2014-15 season. Fantasy-wise, a few elite options prevail on defense, while the jury is out on whether Mike Smith can be counted on as a top fantasy goalie. Goalies The 32-year old Mike Smth will look to rebound after an uneven season where he posted a 2.64 GAA and .915 SP. Howver, he shined down the stretch prior to sustaining a knee injury, going 7-4-1 with a 2.19 GAA and a .924 SP. You can bet that coach Dave Tippett will make the defensive adjustments needed to tighten up the blueline, making life much easier for Smith. His huge year in '11-12 (38 wins, 2.21 GAA, .930 SP) is a perfect example of his potential, so there is legitimate top-ten fantasy goalie upside with Smith. Devan Dubnyk will serve as his backup after not an underachieving stint in Edmonton. If you firmly believe in Arizona bouncing back,  Dubnyk would serve a s a great late-round handcuff for Smith owners. Defense Fantasy owners will find two elite options on the Coyote blueline when drafting in the early rounds- Keith Yandle and Oliver-Ekman Larsson. The 28-year old Yandle led the team in scoring with 53 points and was tied amongst blueliners with 31 points. Consistently among the upper echelon of scoring d-men, he looks poised to make a run at his career-high of 59 points. Top five. No doubt. As for OEL, the Swedish sensation has improved his scoring clip in each of his first four seasons. After a 44-point effort last season, which included a career-high of 22 points on the power-play, Larsson is set to make a permanent move into the top ten, if not higher. He may fall a round or two after Yandle in your drafts, but don't count on it. View him as a legit no. fantasy option that should be taken off the board in the 3-4th rounds. Forwards The forward corps in Arizona represents at best mid-level talent, but 37-year old Shane Doan is still their most consistent fantasy forward to own. Critics will be quick to point that his 47-point season is a sure sign of an offensive regression, but he was off to a flying start (23pts/27gms) before succumbing to the Rocky Mountain Fever. With 11 seasons of 50+ pts in his career, Doan provides ...

Many fantasy insiders have tabbed young Valeri Nichuskin of Dallas as a breakout candidate in '14-15. The 18-year old played well above his years last season, collecting 34 points in 79 games as mostly a first-liner. While a point jump is expected as a sophomore, we all need to temper our expectations regarding this projected "Jaromir Jagr" clone. 50 points should be in his "wheelhouse", but power-play time will still be minimal. He should be a much bigger fantasy factor in 2015 and beyond.3rd overall pick Leon Draisaitl has been signed by the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-year, entry-level contract. After tearing it up in the WHL with 38 goals and 105 points in 64 games, the talented youngster could be in the running for a 2nd/3rd line center position with a strong camp. The departure of Sam Gagner has left a top-six void, but can journeyman Marc Arcobello land that spot? It should be an interesting competition to watch.According to the St. Petersberg Times, Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop hasn't healed fully from his post-season wrist surgery. While he seems very confident that he will be ready to roll by training camp, fantasy owners need to be wary of drafting him too early. Showing plenty of "wear and tear" late in his breakout season, it would be smart for Bishop owners to draft backup Evgeni Nabokov in the late rounds.BOUNCE-BACK COMING! Florida offensive rearguard Brian Campbell regressed last season with 37 points in 82 games, but a rebound to career norms is coming. Over his first two seasons with the offensively inept Panthers, he still managed 80 points in130 games. With their two best rising d-men, Aaron Ekblad and Erik Gudbranson, being more stay-at-home types and Dmitry Kulikov having vastly underachieved, Campbell should benefit the most from an improved offensive attack. Great mid-round value in most fantasy drafts.When is the last time that the New York Rangers have boasted two top fantasy options on the blue-line? The acquisition of Dan Boyle will provide a right-hand shot and a superior puck-mover on the power-play while a veteran presence that can help Ryan McDonagh move his offensive game to the elite level. Watch these two help each other stay fantasy relevant in '14-15. 40+ points from both guys? I say yes with confidence.

Many fantasy insiders have tabbed young Valeri Nichuskin of Dallas as a breakout candidate in '14-15. The 18-year old played well above his years last season, collecting 34 points in 79 games as mostly a first-liner. While a point jump is expected as a sophomore, we all need to temper our expectations regarding this projected "Jaromir Jagr" clone. 50 points should be in his "wheelhouse", but power-play time will still be minimal. He should be a much bigger fantasy factor in 2015 and beyond.3rd overall pick Leon Draisaitl has been signed by the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-year, entry-level contract. After tearing it up in the WHL with 38 goals and 105 points in 64 games, the talented youngster could be in the running for a 2nd/3rd line center position with a strong camp. The departure of Sam Gagner has left a top-six void, but can journeyman Marc Arcobello land that spot? It should be an interesting competition to watch.According to the St. Petersberg Times, Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop hasn't healed fully from his post-season wrist surgery. While he seems very confident that he will be ready to roll by training camp, fantasy owners need to be wary of drafting him too early. Showing plenty of "wear and tear" late in his breakout season, it would be smart for Bishop owners to draft backup Evgeni Nabokov in the late rounds.BOUNCE-BACK COMING! Florida offensive rearguard Brian Campbell regressed last season with 37 points in 82 games, but a rebound to career norms is coming. Over his first two seasons with the offensively inept Panthers, he still managed 80 points in130 games. With their two best rising d-men, Aaron Ekblad and Erik Gudbranson, being more stay-at-home types and Dmitry Kulikov having vastly underachieved, Campbell should benefit the most from an improved offensive attack. Great mid-round value in most fantasy drafts.When is the last time that the New York Rangers have boasted two top fantasy options on the blue-line? The acquisition of Dan Boyle will provide a right-hand shot and a superior puck-mover on the power-play while a veteran presence that can help Ryan McDonagh move his offensive game to the elite level. Watch these two help each other stay fantasy relevant in '14-15. 40+ points from both guys? I say yes with confidence.

THE ELITE 3 (The top three fantasy players to own in any position) 1. Ryan Getzlaf C, Anaheim   2. Corey Perry RW, Anaheim 3. Jonathan Quick G, Los Angeles GREAT BET TO REBOUND (Three players who are solid bounce-back candidates in 14-15') 1. Ryan Kesler C, Anaheim   2. Daniel Sedin LW, Vancouver 3. Mike Green D, Washington HERE THEY COME.. (Three players who should be breaking out with career seasons) 1. Logan Couture C, San Jose 2. Cam Fowler D, Anaheim 3. Taylor Hall LW, Edmonton SLEEPER ALERT (Three players who should be late-round fantasy draft bargains) 1. Sean Monahan C, Calgary   2. Sami Vatanen D, Anaheim   3. Mikkel Boedker LW, Arizona BUYER BEWARE (Three players who will be overvalued in most fantasy leagues) 1. Sam Gagner C, Arizona   2. Jonas Hiller G, Calgary   3. Marian Gaborik RW, Los Angeles