John Klingberg, Dallas- Wow, the 23-year old is following up his superb 40-point rookie seasons with huge numbers- 20 pts in 18 games. When you are out-scoring the likes of Karlsson and Subban, you know that the potential "elite" tag will come up. I would say given that 10 of his 20 points came on the power play and how explosive the Dallas offense is, there is little reason to believe he can't keep up a top-five pace. Klingberg looks like a special talent so maybe fantasy owners should treat him as such. ROAD TO ELITE   Brent Burns, San Jose- The Sharks sharp shooter is also making a case for top fantasy d status, collecting 14 pts in 18 games. His points have improved over last two years from 48 to 60 so is there another possible increase on the horizon? The fact remains that Burns is far and above the premier scoring presence on their blue line, so he will continue to log heavy minutes on the pp and top defensive pairing. Hold onto him as he has legit 70-point upside and you would be hard pressed to attain equal value in a trade. BLUE-CHIP STUD   Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota- The underrated blue liner is currently sporting a 6-game scoring streak, scoring 2 goals and 6 assists over that span. I would stash and possibly sell high if this point spree continues much longer. He doesn't get the pp minutes to sustain such a pace so his inflated fantasy worth will soon equate with his career norms. Closer to 30 than 50 for sure. DON'T OVERRATE   Michael Del Zotto, Philadelphia- Shane Gostisbehere has been getting the top power play minutes for Philly in Mark Streit's absence, but it should be MDZ that toy are targeting. He has the better track record plus was quite prolific over second half of last season.  I would pay special attention to how he is utilized over the next week or so, as a promotion to the primary power-play unit will do wonders for his fantasy value. SLEEPER ALERT   Tyson Barrie, Colorado - Despite the high end offensive talent, Barrie's name continues to spring up in trade rumor talks. He does have ten helpers in 15 games but the consensus has been that he hasn't been as effective as he was last season. His 53 points in 2015-16 landed him in the upper echelon of fantasy d-men, but many are starting to sour on him. I would absolutely try to pry him away from any disgrunteld fantasy owner as he will always be a force to be reckoned with, regardless if he stays on the Avalanche or not.  BUY LOW?

SMC 11-1-2015 Typical cloudy, cool November day as the hockey season shifts into the second month.  Nice to be inside with a hot cup of joe while thousands of people are running all through the 5 boroughs of NYC. It looks like Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist is coming to life after a somewhat disappointing second season.  It’s November and that means that Pavel Datsyuk is close to returning for the struggling Red Wings.  I looked and saw that the Dallas Stars are atop the Western Conference.  Getting Antti Niemi might be the most underrated off-season move. The Sharks started off hot and now are just floundering.  Didn’t mean to use the bad pun there. NY Islanders Frans Nielsen is a beast so far this season.  Let’s see if the change from October to November affects him much. If Alain Vigneault breaks up the Nash-Brassard-Zuccarello line ever again, he should be interrogated intensely. Happy to see Zuccs fully recovered from that scary incident that happened during practice in last year’s playoffs. The Devils are serving notice that they will be competitive.  Well, that’s until the injuries start taking hold. Los Angeles is for real after that extremely slow start.  And they are doing it without Anze Kopitar being involved much. Devils’ Lee Stempniak is usually a streaky scorer but he seems to be more aware of his surroundings with 6 of his 8 points assists. Stars D John Klingberg is not having any effects of the sophomore jinx as he leads all NHL defenseman in points with 11.  Well, actually tied with those two guys in Montreal and Erik Karlsson.  Some pretty decent company, no? I expected Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin to be atop the league leaders in scoring but a bit surprised to see Boston’s David Krejci up there at number 3. I didn’t realize that Nashville is 7-1-2 on the season.  They certainly have been quiet about it. Toffoli, Carter and Lucic oh my! Jake Muzzin should see his production increase with Christian Ehrhoff now sidelined for a bit. Pittsburgh’s offense has finally erupted with two straight 4 goal games.  Oh wait!  They played Buffalo and Toronto back to back. This is not the Tampa team everyone was expecting to see this season at 5-5-2.  Will Andrej Vasilevskiy cut into Ben Bishop’s playing time this season?  Brad Marchand is having himself a season with 5-4-9 in 8 games. Everyone, well mostly everyone, is expecting the Montreal Canadiens will win the President’s Trophy but the Washington Capitals will give them a good run along with the NY ...

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

DALLAS STARS Lindsey Ruff hopes that the upcoming season, his 3rd as Dallas head coach, will have a happier ending than last as the Stars failed to get into the playoffs. Despite having the 2nd best offense in the NHL, inconsistent goaltending plus shoddy defensive play were the main factors behind their underachieving effort. Free agent acquisition G Antti Niemi and D Johnnu Oduya were brought in to fortify both areas of weakness while a potent scoring attack got even scarier with the addition of Patrick Sharp. On paper, the Stars are full of high level fantasy options as the team looks ready to maintain a spot amongst the elite offensive units. Whether this translates into team success could be another story.   Goalies One big question facing many fantasy owners is how to deal with the newly created two-headed monster in the crease with Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. Both have been capable # 1's in recent years, but Lehtonen's clear regression last season led to adding Niemi. A muddling fantasy situation for sure given that the Stars have minimal shutout potential and both will be in the running for the top gig until one stands out to Ruff's liking. If you have already taken two starting goalies, picking up one or both of these underachievers could be a worthwhile late-round gamble.   Defense The emergence of rookie John Klingberg as a scoring machine really swayed many fantasy leagues but the question remains whether he can continue to build on his numbers or suffer a sophomore setback. A loaded staple of elite forwards on the power-play plus Trevor Daley out of the picture and you would think that Klingberg will get loads of chances to rank up points. Think 40-50 pts. with the potential for a lot more the following season. Alex Goligoski is a threat to steal premium power-play time but had been inconsistent at best. Still, the offensively skilled rearguard warrants mid-round consideration as he is a safe bet to collect 35-40 points while playing top-four minutes for this high scoring outfit.    Forwards  On top of the fantasy food chain, you will find Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn ranked as high as 1-2 by many fantasy owners, but for the sake of our purposes, let's consider them safe top 5 selections. This electrifying duo can be good for  200 combined points if all the cards fall right. The addition of Patrick Sharp was supposed to bolster the second line, but he is being tried on the top line early in camp.. Look for a huge rebound season for Sharp ...

DALLAS STARS Lindsey Ruff hopes that the upcoming season, his 3rd as Dallas head coach, will have a happier ending than last as the Stars failed to get into the playoffs. Despite having the 2nd best offense in the NHL, inconsistent goaltending plus shoddy defensive play were the main factors behind their underachieving effort. Free agent acquisition G Antti Niemi and D Johnnu Oduya were brought in to fortify both areas of weakness while a potent scoring attack got even scarier with the addition of Patrick Sharp. On paper, the Stars are full of high level fantasy options as the team looks ready to maintain a spot amongst the elite offensive units. Whether this translates into team success could be another story.   Goalies One big question facing many fantasy owners is how to deal with the newly created two-headed monster in the crease with Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. Both have been capable no 1's in recent years, but Lehtonen's clear regression last season led to adding Niemi. A muddling fantasy situation for sure given that the Stars have minimal shutout potential and both will be in the running for the top gig until stands out to Ruff's liking. If you have already taken two starting goalies, picking up one or both of these underachievers could be a worthwhile late-round gamble.   Defense The emergence of rookie John Klingberg as a scoring machine really swayed many fantasy leagues but the question remains whether he can continue to build on his numbers or suffer a sophomore setback. A loaded staple of elite forwards on the power-play plus Trevor Daley out of picture and you would think that Klingberg will get loads of chances to rank up points. Think 40-50 pts with the potential for a lot more the following season. Alex Goligoski is a threat to steal premium power-play time but had been inconsistent at best. Still, the offensively skilled rearguard warrants mid-round consideration as he is a safe bet to collect 35-40 points while playing top-four minutes for this high scoring outfit.    Forwards  On top of the fantasy food chain, you will find Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn ranked as high as 1-2 by many fantasy owners, but for the sake of our purposes, let's consider them safe top 5 selections. This electrifying duo can be good for  200 combined points if all the cards fall right. The addition of Patrick Sharp was supposed to bolster the second line, but he is being tried on the top line early in camp.. Look for a huge rebound season for Sharp who has ...

Ottawa stays close, looking at Columbus’ future, Dubnyk loses and some hot Flames. Boston has done well to keep some distance between them and the two teams chasing them for the last wild card spot in the East but Ottawa is keeping the pressure on as they have gone 8-1-1 and are just 5 points behind with 15 games left in the regular season.  Ottawa beat a tough Islanders team by a score of 2-1 with Andrew Hammond providing stellar goaltending one more.  They need to continue to ride the hot hand of Hammond until they are eliminated as they are winning with him in net…. Believe it or not, Dallas still has a shot in the West at a wild card spot and with Tyler Seguin back, if they can go on a bi of a hot streak, they just might be able to sneak in.  They now have won 5 of their last 6 by beating the Washington Capitals last night by a score of 4-2.  Seguin just makes that Stars team so much better and he ended up with the game-winning power play goal in the 2nd period….With defensemen John Klingberg and Trevor Daley still out due to injury, Alex Goligoski (PPA) is getting a boatload of time so continue to put Gogo in your fantasy lineup…. Poolies got a good look at the future of the Columbus blue Jackets last night as they beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in a shootout.  Rookies Mark Dano (G, A) and Alex Wennberg (2A) had two point nights and should be counted on more heading into next season.  They should complement rising stars Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen to make this team a playoff contender if goalie Sergei Bobrovsky can remain healthy for a season.  Bobrovsky didn’t have one of his better games but he was playing on back-to-back night….One of the hottest players in the NHL right now is Oiler Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who had another 2 assists last night to give him 11 points in past 8 games.  I hope he isn’t the type of player who plays better when things aren’t on the line because he is loaded with talent….Jordan Eberle is another Oiler who has been on fire of late with a goal and an assists last night giving him 8 points in last 4 games and 31 total points in 31 games since the turn of the calendar. The Flames keep rising and have gone 6-3-1 in past ten games.  Last night they beat a sinking Toronto Maple Leaf team 6-3 with Sean Monahan & Johnny “Hockey” Gaudreau having –point nights each.  Monahan has really raised the level of his game of late with 9 points in past 6 games after a 10-point February.  Get him in your starting lineup as he is becoming one ...

The trade deadline came and went with a few high profile fantasy defenders finding new homes such as Keith Yandle and James Wisniewski. Both are certain to see their fantasy value shoot up as they have joined two elite teams, respectively the New York Rangers and the Anaheim Ducks. But we don't need to tell you that, given how obviously elated their fantasy owners are that their new digs are now more fantasy-friendly, As we move away from the more obvious, let's focus on a couple of under the radar defensemen who are clearly more fantasy relevant now than they were on March 2. The addition of Marek Zidlicky to Detroit gives them a right handed shot from the point which means he should get plenty of power play time moving forward. The 38-year old had his share of offensive struggles for New Jersey this season with 23 points in 63 games, but was a 42-point producer in 2013-14. With 6-plus 40-point campaigns during his career, the Czech rearguard has an extensive scoring pedigree to draw from and has some gas left in the tank. When the Wings rolled out their overtime power-play unit during last night's game, Zidlicky joined Niklas Kronwall with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. The end result was a clutch overtime game winner, courtesy of the newcomer and an encouraging sign that he could be a very vital part of the offensive mix for the Wings during the stretch run. With only 30% ownership across the board in ESPN leagues, Zidlicky is definitely worth a gamble in most formats as he is poised to play a big role for playoff-bound Detroit. On the opposite side of the veteran spectrum, the trade of Wisniewski to Anaheim may have signalled the beginning of the David Savard era in Columbus. While amidst only his second full season, the 24-year old has scored 10 goals and collected 25 points in 63 games. His offensive upside has been marginally tapped as the youngster is now poised to be the main successor on the team's top power-play unit. Jumping on Savard's bandwagon before his numbers become too legit to ignore would be a shrewd move for any fantasy owner, especially in keeper formats. It's also safe to say that Jack Johnson has flat-out fell short of being that no.1 pp quarterback, so it's Savard's opportunity to steal the thunder. And we say he does it.. Parting shots: Speaking of Wisniewski, he will pay huge dividends on the higher-octane Anaheim squad, but injuries might keep him out 1-2 weeks longer. When he returns, look for him to benefit greatly ...

Hammond finally loses a game; Devils hang on in playoff race; Florida goalie trouble; and much more: The New Jersey Devils are hanging on to a sliver of playoff hope as they continue to push for a berth.  They may be too far behind but there is no giving up in Jersey.  Goalie Cory Schneider has been on top of his game of late and is the main reason why they are still alive, although barely.  The Devils took advantage of a Nashville Predator team that played the night before against the NY Rangers by scoring twice in the first 4 minutes and making them stand up as they won 3-1…Mike Cammalleri, with points in 6 straight games, and perhaps d-man Adam Larsson, 6 points in past 6 games, could be useful on your fantasy squad…. Calgary and Philadelphia are battling for their playoff lives and each did not disappoint last night with the Flames edging the Flyers 3-2 in overtime.   Calgary is holding on to the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division while the Flyers are trying to catch the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is better with Steve Mason back in net, but they need every point they can get and not getting the extra point may come back to haunt them in the end…. Sergei Bobrovsky was back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets but Braden Holtby (27/30 SV) and the Washington Capitals were too much for him in his return.  Alex Ovechkin continues to pour them in with 2 goals giving him 43 on the year as he has not be hindered by Head Coach Barry Trotz’ defensive style...   Steven Stamkos' eighth goal in the last games was all the Lightning needed to defeat the rebuilding Buffalo sabres 3-0. Ben Bishop fantasy owners were bummed out when learning of the last-minute news that Andre Vasilevskiy was starting and probably getting the easy win that were you were counting on. Well, he did one better by posting the shut-out so it was a bad break for Bishop's boys... It was double trouble in Florida as the Panthers lost both their goalies during the game against the hapless Leafs, who ended a 16-game road losing streak in the 3-2 win. Thankfully for Roberto Luongo owners, he was able to return in the third period but the Panthers lost a crucial two points in their playoff run.. Here's hoping that Phil Kessel's lengthy rant in defense of the much-maligned Dion Phaneuf(which I thought was sooo appropriate!) gets him going a bit after a long scoring slide. A power=play assist last night is a good ...

Hammond finally loses a game; Devils hang on in playoff race; Florida goalie trouble; and much more: The New Jersey Devils are hanging on to a sliver of playoff hope as they continue to push for a berth.  They may be too far behind but there is no giving up in Jersey.  Goalie Cory Schneider has been on top of his game of late and is the main reason why they are still alive, although barely.  The Devils took advantage of a Nashville Predator team that played the night before against the NY Rangers by scoring twice in the first 4 minutes and making them stand up as they won 3-1…Mike Cammalleri, with points in 6 straight games, and perhaps d-man Adam Larsson, 6 points in past 6 games, could be useful on your fantasy squad…. Calgary and Philadelphia are battling for their playoff lives and each did not disappoint last night with the Flames edging the Flyers 3-2 in overtime.   Calgary is holding on to the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division while the Flyers are trying to catch the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is better with Steve Mason back in net, but they need every point they can get and not getting the extra point may come back to haunt them in the end…. Sergei Bobrovsky was back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets but Braden Holtby (27/30 SV) and the Washington Capitals were too much for him in his return.  Alex Ovechkin continues to pour them in with 2 goals giving him 43 on the year as he has not be hindered by Head Coach Barry Trotz’ defensive style...   Steven Stamkos' eighth goal in the last games was all the Lightning needed to defeat the rebuilding Buffalo sabres 3-0. Ben Bishop fantasy owners were bummed out when learning of the last-minute news that Andre Vasilevskiy was starting and probably getting the easy win that were you were counting on. Well, he did one better by posting the shut-out so it was a bad break for Bishop's boys... It was double trouble in Florida as the Panthers lost both their goalies during the game against the hapless Leafs, who ended a 16-game road losing streak in the 3-2 win. Thankfully for Roberto Luongo owners, he was able to return in the third period but the Panthers lost a crucial two points in their playoff run.. Here's hoping that Phil Kessel's lengthy rant in defense of the much-maligned Dion Phaneuf(which I thought was sooo appropriate!) gets him going a bit after a long scoring slide. A power=play assist last night is a good ...

A few unlikely candidates rank amongst the top fifteen fantasy defensemen over thr last month. John Klingberg continues to make a name for himself in Dallas as he had wrested away top pp duties from Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley. With 12 points over the last 12 games, including 6 on the man advantage, the young Swede had delivered fantasy elite numbers and should be in all starting lineups while he is keeping it up. The rookie of the month for January hasn't slowed a bit in February, collecting 6 points in 8 games. The SEL product looks very polished during his first NHL stint, so his lucky owners should keep reaping plenty of dividends. On Long Island, 24-year old Travis Hamonic has been on quite the scoring tear with points in five of his last seven games. Very few fantasy owners would guess that the hard -nosed defender has been quite that prolific yet available in over 65% of ESPN fantasy leagues. The bottom line- the Islanders score a ton and the other more known offensive blueliners on the team-Visnovsky, Leddy, and Boychuk have underachieved greatly. With 21 points in 48 games, his career-high of 26 points should be blown away soon. I don't think this can last the rest of the season, but Hamonic is at least worth the gamble.  MORE TO COME TOMORROW- CHECK IN THE MORNING!