NHL
Fantasy Hockey: Changing on the Fly, Volume 13
Buying John Tavares might be tough, but you should try to make a deal for him.

The All-Star break is over. Now we can get revved up for the final stretch-drive of regular season hockey before the playoffs. If your team is solid in the standings, then it’s time to look long term. If your team is battling it out for the final postseason berth, then every inch you can gain in every week is important. From here on out, I will try to cover both scenarios and help you win your fantasy hockey leagues.

In case you are new here and missed #CBJ G Sergei Bobrovsky suffered groin injury. This time right side. Last season was left side. "It's gonna be a while."

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 24, 2015

Bobrovsky has not lived up to expectations this year and his 2.85 goals against average and .913 save percentage puts him outside the top-30 fantasy hockey goaltenders this year. While he is out, look for #SJSharks reassign Dylan DeMelo & Tomas Hertl to the @WorcesterSharks. http://t.co/6i8i9t2gi3

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 22, 2015

The Sharks’ intentions are two-fold. First, sending down Hertl (and DeMelo) help them save space on their salary cap, and Hertl has suffered from the proverbial sophomore slump. In getting him some extra ice-time, against a weaker competition, the Sharks are hoping to jolt some energy into his disappointing season.

SeasonGamesGoalsAssistsPoints/Game
2013-143715100.68
2014-1548890.35

Regardless of their primary reason, it is clear that the plan is to recall Hertl for Thursday’s game against Anaheim. San Jose has been playing Hertl at center recently, and if they continue to give him time at the faceoff dot in when they recommence he could gain dual eligibility, which would make him more flexible and a more attractive addition to a fantasy roster. If you held onto Hertl this long, you are probably in a deep league and should keep him to see how this plays out; if he is on your waiver wire, keep a close eye on him. Maybe some time in the AHL is all he needed.

Add/Buy Tomas Plekanec, C – Montreal Canadiens (52%)

One of the mysteries of this year’s fantasy hockey season is why Tomas Plekanec is under owned. With 13 goals and 19 assists, Plekanec has been the second-most valuable forward on the league’s most popular team. One would think that fantasy owners would jump at a 0.71 point-per-game player, but they haven’t.

Montreal plays four games this week so here is your chance to grab Plekanec and ride him for the next little while. There shouldn’t be too much fear of regression, Plekanec’s 9.8% shooting percentage is right in line with his career mark of 10.7% and none of his advanced statistics jump out as “red flags,” everything seems normal.

Season (5-on-5)Points/60Shots/60iCorsi/60Point/Game
2014-151.839.6314.540.71
2013-141.297.5314.590.53
2012-131.679.5416.230.70
2011-121.417.6313.950.64
2010-111.969.2816.140.74

The biggest difference between Plekanec of this year and Plekanec of last year is how coach Michel Therrien is using him; Plekanec is seeing his Offensive Zone Starts increase back to previous levels and it is paying dividends for both him and the Habs.

Season (5-on-5)OZFO%
2014-1528.1
2013-1423.5
2012-1328.3
2011-1226.6
2010-1130.2

Drop Clarke MacArthur, LW – Ottawa Senators (43%)

Clarke MacArthur has had another mediocre season for the Ottawa Senators. With 13 goals and 11 assists in 45 games before the All-Star break, MacArthur is producing at a 0.53 points-per-game pace; that is definitely “ok,” but it is really nothing to write home about. During the past few years, MacArthur has flirted with fantasy relevancy but has never really been a consistent enough to earn a permanent roster spot.

SeasonGamesPointsPoints/Game
2014-1545240.53
2013-1479550.70
2012-1340200.50
2011-1273430.59
2010-1182620.76

The Senators only play two games in this shortened week and there are plenty of “Clarke MacArthurs” that can contribute around 0.50 points-per-game left on waiver wires. Think short-term with these players. If someone in your league scoops him up after you drop him, you’ll find someone else just as productive.

Add Andre Burakovsky, C/LW – Washington Capitals (4%)

Getting the opportunity to play with Alex Ovechkin is one of the most enviable opportunities that a player can receive. At the moment, Andre Burakovsky is the lucky member of the Washington Capitals to skate with Ovie and Nicklas Backstrom. Both Ovechkin and Backstrom make Burakovsky a better player and he sees more time on the right side of the puck when he is on the ice with them versus on the ice with other teammates.

Burakovsky 5-on-5Time on IceGF60CF60
with Ovechkin136:331.02522.26
without Ovechkin 286:240.97819.69
with Backstrom110:351.26624.26
without Backstrom312:160.89619.85

The Capitals play four games this week, so there is a lot of opportunity for Burakovsky to contribute immediately after the All-Star Break; he’ll be a good play this week.

Drop Jake Muzzin, D – Los Angeles Kings (51%)

Add the Los Angeles Kings to the group of teams that only play two games in the week following the All-Star break. That means you should probably jettison your borderline-useful Kings for this week and aim for quantity over quality.

While his 22 points in 41 games is a respectable 0.54 points per game, there is most likely an equal valued replacement on most waiver wires for Jake Muzzin. If you are battling for a playoff spot, just a few extra games played could make the difference between a win or a loss.

Add Paul Martin, D – Pittsburgh Penguins (4%)

Surprise, surprise, Kris Letang is injured…again. The Penguins haven’t announced anything official, but the thought is that Letang has suffered a concussion. The timeline for his return is immediately evident but with Olli Maatta and Simon Despres both hurting, that leaves Paul Martin as the only defenseman on the Penguins power play.

Martin is no longer an elite offensive defenseman, but there is a history of him quarterbacking power plays. Despite not having any power play points yet and only two goals and eight assists on the year, Martin should be a worthwhile add as long as he is the pointman on the man-advantage.

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