Fantasy Hockey Player Notes:
C Nick Bonino, Anaheim Ducks: With twenty-three points on the year and eleven on the power play, how much longer can owners ignore Nick Bonino. If he had eligibility on the wing he would be a must add.
C/LW Antoine Vermette, Phoenix Coyotes: An afterthought in the fantasy game, Vermette has shown flashes in the past. He contributes across categories and could flirt with 25 goals. You could do a lot worse.
C/LW Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils: Still widely available, Elias is a proven fantasy commodity who always produces offensively and shouldn’t hurt your plus/minus rating.
C/LW Chris Kreider, New York Rangers: Available in far too many leagues, Kreider is getting prime top six offensive minutes and has high-end offensive upside. He is a well-rounded fantasy asset.
C/RW Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers: Playing with Taylor Hall is reason enough to add Gagner, but the slippery pivot can play and should be a solid option from here on.
LW/RW Kris Versteeg, Chicago Blackhawks: Firmly entrenched in the Hawks’ top six, there is a lot of upside for Versteeg going forward, especially if he remains on a line with Patrick Kane.
D Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers: If you’re looking for offensive production from your defense roster slots, look no further. Just don’t expect Timonen to help your plus/minus.
D Simon Despres, Pittsburgh Penguins: The young blue liner is widely available and an injury riddled defensive corps in Pittsburgh will allow him ample opportunity to shine.
D Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs have been a mess of late, but Gardiner is playing above it. He has four points and a plus four rating in the past week.
The Week at a Glance
Thursday, December 12th – Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators: Buffalo kills at less than eighty percent and the Senators are trending in the right direction with the man advantage, a nice matchup for Ottawa at home.
Thursday, December 12th – Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues: The Blues are among the league’s best teams in all facets of the game, but their top power play should tee-off on a reeling Leafs’ penalty kill.
Thursday, December 12th – New York Islanders at Phoenix Coyotes: This matchup will likely fall under the radar, so don’t sleep on the Coyotes top power play unit. The Islanders are the league’s most favorable matchup.
Friday, December 13th – Washington Capitals at Florida Panthers: The Second best Capitals facing the third most favorable Panthers. Although, the Cats are fiercer at home, this is still a Capitals stack night.
Saturday, December 14th – Chicago Blackhawks at Toronto Maple Leafs: If the Leafs’ penalty kill free fall wasn’t bad enough, the Hawks are improving with the man advantage. Scary stuff for the Buds.
Saturday, December 14th – Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders: The Habs convert over twenty percent of the time and you should always pick on the Islanders, at least until they prove they something.
Sunday, December 15th – Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals: Expect a lot of offense, but note the Capitals penalty kill and Flyers power play are trending in opposite directions. There could be value in the Flyers’ camp.
Sunday, December 15th – Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens: Montreal is a top power play unit and the Panthers can’t kill penalties, this is the type of mismatch you’re looking for.
Monday, December 16th – Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins: The long week continues for the Leafs. Expect another rough evening whenever they’re short a man. The Pens scored three power play goals the last time these two played.
