Mike Ribeiro C, Nashville- The 34-year old has found life on the Predator's top line an easy transition in comparison to his tumultuous season with Arizona last year. With 22 points in 26 games and 9 in his last ten, Ribeiro has clicked with Neal and Forsberg from Day one. While he is on pace to close in on his career-high of 83 points, he will probably fall short and be a reliable 65-70 point center moving forward.
Aaron Ekblad D, Florida- What else is there to say about Florida's 18-year old prodigy who has collected 17 points in 26 games. The defenseman has flashed the ability to have a Tyler Myers type of rookie season, when he captured the Calder Trophy with a 48-point campaign. Ekblad's supporting cast is made up of mostly young talented forwards who are still far from producing consistently, so expect many peaks and valleys in his scoring production. Huge keeper league upside though..
Brandon Saad LW, Chicago- The 22-year old has been thriving on the top Chicago line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, but he could lose his spot this week with Patrick Sharp returning. With five points in his last four games, Saad has been one of better Blackhawk forwards, so he is worth a gamble. Plus playing for a contract! A little risk-reward here, but has legit 60-point upside if playing in the top-six.
Nick Leddy D, NYI- Coming off a two-assist performance on Saturday, the 23-year old is benefitting from injuries to the top three blueliners on the Island. Yeah, Lubomir Visnovsky might be back this week, but can you really trust him? Take a flier on Leddy if you need defense, considerig he has been on the top power-play unit with John Tavares and company.
Michael Hutchinson G, Winnipeg- In the case of the youngster, he has produced far superior numbers than the starter Ondrej Pavelec (1.62 to 2.30 GAA/.942 to .915SP) while owning an impressive 5-1-2 mark. Pavelec has gone cold many times and been yanked from no.1 duty, so with the team playing so well, maybe Hutch has the chance to usurp the starting job at some point. If your goaltending is struggling, keeb tabs on this guy.
ADD'EM:RIBEIRO A HOT PRED primepucks.comSun 12/7/14 8:12 PM