hey folks. Sorry for the delay today, but our ADDEM piece for this week will be available in the morning. News on Alex Edler being fantasy relevant again, as is the whole top line on the Islanders as the team is rolling since the Jack Capuano firing. Evander Kane could be seeing his full scoring potential playing alongside Jack Eichel, while a few hot Coyotes could be on the move come the trade deadline. Stay tuned...

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!

SMC 3-22-2015 Spring has sprung and the snow is melting and the coffee is brewing.  Grab a cup and settle in. What an amazing story it will be if the Ottawa Senators manage to get into the playoffs!  Alas, Florida will also have an amazing story to tell this summer but I don’t think they will earn a spot. Come June, can you imagine the Cup Finals pitting one rookie goaltender in John Gibson against another in Andrew Hammond?  That would be mind-blowing! All season long I thought the Winnipeg Jets should have just stuck with Michael Hutchinson in net and sit Ondrej Pavelec as Hutch was the better net minder.  However, Pavelec has re-established himself as a bona fide No. 1 NHL goalkeeper again. There have been a lot of great NHL stories this year as we have mentioned a few above but what about New York Ranger’s Cam Talbot taking over for an injured Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers not missing a beat? Carey Price can definitely lock down the Hart with his spectacular season.  And if it weren’t for Pekka Rinne’s injury and subsequent cold streak, we might have had a battle between them for the MVP. Enough with the goalies, right?  Wait.  One more. Devan Dubnyk, last year’s whipping boy has transformed into an elite NHL goaltender as he now has started 30 straight games and has a 22-6-2 record.  Wow!  That’s wild! LOL Vladimir Tarasenko is a beast as he scored his 35th with an assist and had 8 SOG, 2 PIM.  The Blues will be fun to watch for a few years with Jaden Schwartz and VT teaming up. Some hot lines of late: Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler, Pouliot-RNH-Eberle, Simmonds-Giroux-Voracek, Stafford-Scheifele-Wheeler Watch out for the Columbus Blue Jackets next season as they should be playing close to full health unlike this season. Barring a late surge, and not that they have been eliminated, but it’s not looking good for the LA Kings to defend their crown.  There will be a collective huge sigh of relief from the Western Conference once that becomes official. If you take a look, it appears Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler may be coming around as he had 8 SOG last night and 3 points in last 3 games.  He does have the talent, but last year messed him up I think. Boston just may be the best team to not make the playoffs this season.  It happens. Patrice Bergeron is probably one of the most under-rated fantasy hockey players around. Ottawa is just driving hard and making that push and it’s coming from every player in their lineup, not just one or two hot players....

A few key injury news to mention coming out of last night's NHL action- Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman suffered a hand injury that will keep him out for at least four games. If the talented Swede is out for an extended period of time, this would represent a huge blow to the Lightning and fantasy owners. Hedman was on fire to start the year with three goals and four assists in five games.. St. Louis center Paul Stastny left last night's game after getting hit from behind by Martin Hanzal and is considered day-to-day. He was also off to a flying start with his new club, having collected four points on the season. Starting with the late games first, another electrifying performance by Lightning star Steven Stamkos (2G/1A) led Tampa Bay in knocking Vancouver out of the undefeated ranks. RW Ryan Callahan produced instant results after being moved to the top line, chipping in with a goal and assist. With five points in five games, the ex-Ranger's captain has found offensive chemistry playing with the Bolts and should be good for 50-55 points if he keeps playing big minutes.. Goalie Ben Bishop served up a huge win, stopping 30 of 32 shots and improving his record to 3-0 with a 1.71 GAA and a .933 SP. Proving that last year's 37-win effort was no abberation, only injuries can prevent Bishop from maintaining his elite fantasy status.. Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler scored a goal and an assist in a losing cause, improving his totals to three points in four games. With Kevin Bieksa currently replacing him on the primary power-play unit, the talented defender gave his new coach something to think about with the solid effort.. MORE COMING..

Less than a week away from the games actually counting, a few youngsters continue to make their mark as decent late-round fantasy sleepers. Johnny Gaudreau strutted his staff last night, collecting three assists for Calgary while Sean Monahan led the way with two goals. While Mark Giordano should easily be the team's Fantasy MVP, much of the offense will run through these guys. Sure, Gaudreau still has to make the club on a permanent basis, but when you compare his skill level to the LW'ers ahead of him-Glencross and Raymond- he should be able to shoot up the depth chart. Draft him late and hope for a huge "coming out" party. As for Monahan, expect some sophomore jitters but he should be able to flirt with the 50-point mark.. Nikita Kucherov scored two goals for Tampa Bay in their 3-0 win over Florida. With the trade of Teddy Purcell to Edmonton, the talented 2nd-year right winger should crack one of the top two lines, greatly elevating his opportunity to put up respectable numbers. His 18 points in 53 games as a rookie could be tripled if the minutes fall right. Big potential here.. Don't ignore Mark Scheifele in Winnipeg, as he has been in beastly mode during the preseason. Another goal and all the power-play time he can ask for, as the 21-year old could make a big scoring leap in his second year..Coming off a sub-par year along with the entire Vancouver squad, defenseman Alex Edler is looking sharp so far with another dominant performance against Edmonton, collecting a goal and an assist. He is only a few years removed from a career-high 49-point season in 2010-11, so expect a bounce-back campaign closer to those numbers. Love him in the middle rounds as a tremendous undervalued fantasy bargain... With Sergei Gonchar out 3-5 weeks, Alex Goligoski gets a slight bump in fantasy value as he is all alone as a defensive scoring threat for the rising Stars.No disrespect intended for Trevor Daley, but he waits too long to get going.

Jordan Staal suffered a broken bone in his right leg during Carolina's game at Buffalo. Obviously, this is a huge blow to the team and fantasy owners alike. The exact timetable on how long he will be out of action has yet to be determined, so more news should come out shortly. A few more injuries to mention: Logan Couture got a bit banged up during San Jose's 4-2 split squad loss to Vancouver and was taken out of the game, albeit more for precautionary reasons.. Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler left his game with an upper body injury. We have him pegged for a nice comeback season.. Tampa Bay star prospect Jonathan Drouin will miss 3-4 weeks due to a fractured thumb. This means that he won't start the season alongside Steven Stamkos, buy you can bet that will happen sooner than later.. Pavel Datysuk is getting an MRI on his shoulder today, but for now is set to miss a week. Game Bits: Both Alex Stalock and John Gibson started the first games for their respective teams, San Jose and Anaheim. They both came up short as they allowed a combined 6 goals. There will be interesting goaltending battles for starting supremacy involving both, as Antti Niemi and Frederik Andersen hold the early edge entering camp. In Stalock's case, the road might be tougher but Niemi will be a UFA at season's end so the Sharks will be prompted to give him a serious look.. Another goal and an assist for Cam Atkinson, giving him four points in two games. The major breakout hasn't happened yet, but there is still time for the youngster.. Buffalo's Jhonas Enroth starts the pre-season on a high note with a 35-save shutout of Carolina... Jonathan Toews scores the game-winner in OT for Chicago over Detroit. What else is new? Always clutch and forever a consistent point-per-game guy. Very safe top-four round pick.. Joe Thonton starts his post-captain era in San Jose with two goals. Expect him to play with a chip on his shoulder as much of the team's collapse was blamed on his leadership or lack therof.

Barring any concussion issues, Edler is likely being held out for precautionary reasons. He is coming off of the worst season of his career, so I am sure he wanted to start the year off on a better note, but expect him to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Edler has been progressing toward his return recently and the assignment of Frank Corrado to the AHL suggests that Edler will return after a 16 game absence. Edler struggled in his first 27 games this season, he recorded just nine points (3G / 6A) and a minus-12 rating.

Edler will miss his 16th straight game with a knee injury that he suffered on December 3. He has been skating consistently with the Canucks and is nearing a return, but it won't be tonight. There is a good chance he is back for the Canucks' next game on Monday in Los Angeles.

Edler has missed five weeks with a knee injury, but appears close to returning to the lineup. The Canucks are off tonight, but are back in action tomorrow. Edler definitely seems like a possibility for Friday's game. Monitor his status during tomorrow's morning skate.