Why you want to buy Datsyuk and stock reports on other Eastern Conference forwards.

After covering forwards from Boston to Columbus last week, the “Real or Imagined” series continues with the focus on forwards from Detroit to New Jersey. Forwards will be given a recommendation to buy, sell, hold or waive based on a number of factors and there will be additional comments about players of interest. First, what they have done so far will be taken into account along with how things might play out in the coming months, both statistically and in terms of opportunity. But more importantly, the analysis will put everything in the context of each player’s value in one-year fantasy leagues with a primary focus on points-only settings but with an eye on the world of multi-category formats.

Note: There are instances where the line between “hold” and “waive” can be blurry. Sometimes forwards that fall short in offensive production offer multi-category appeal. In those cases they will get a “hold” recommendation.

Detroit

Player	GP	G	A	SOG	PPP	PPTOI	TOI	SH%	5on5SH%	Status
Henrik Zetterberg	33	6	20	75	11	3:11	19:25	8.0	8.9	HOLD
Dylan Larkin	33	12	11	94	1	2:03	16:56	12.8	11.8	HOLD
Tomas Tatar	33	11	11	77	7	2:29	15:07	14.3	8.7	HOLD
Gustav Nyquist	33	12	9	78	8	3:00	15:59	15.4	6.7	HOLD
Justin Abdelkader	33	11	8	59	6	2:50	17:40	18.6	8.5	SELL
Teemu Pulkkinen	24	6	5	45	3	1:36	12:25	13.3	6.5	HOLD
Pavel Datsyuk	18	3	7	48	1	2:37	19:30	6.3	7.2	BUY
Brad Richards	20	3	5	58	2	2:39	15:06	5.2	8.7	HOLD
Darren Helm	29	3	5	59	0	0:34	14:40	5.1	5.7	HOLD
Riley Sheahan	33	3	4	50	0	1:31	15:41	6.0	5.0	SELL
Tomas Jurco	12	1	1	12	0	0:22	9:00	8.3	8.3	WAIVE

Dylan Larkin – Sure, Larkin has some numbers that are high and due for regression, most notably his five-on-five on-ice shooting percentage. However, he is also due to cash in a few times on the power play as he has only found the score sheet once with the man-advantage. Whatever decline in production he might experience down the stretch should not be significant so there is no real point trying to sell high. After all, his true value lies in keeper leagues.

Justin Abdelkader – Abdelkader has been solid as the Red Wings’ gritty forward complimenting their skilled players. Unfortunately, his current goal-scoring rate is a red flag as his shooting percentage is up over 18 percent. Look for him to take a hit in this area and fall closer to the 40-point range when it is all said and done.

Pavel Datsyuk – Statistically, it is pretty easy to see Datsyuk is capable of much more than he has provided to date. His age makes him even more of a buy-low candidate. Too often owners are quick to write off veterans after any sign of trouble and it does not take much for a player’s perceived value to fall well below his true value. A declining Datsyuk is still very fantasy-relevant when healthy.

Florida

Player	GP	G	A	SOG	PPP	PPTOI	TOI	SH%	5on5SH%	Status
Jaromir Jagr	31	10	14	58	7	2:34	16:48	17.2	9.5	SELL
Jussi Jokinen	34	7	16	65	5	2:31	17:42	10.8	9.1	HOLD
Vincent Trocheck	34	10	11	60	8	2:29	16:30	16.7	8.6	SELL
Jonathan Huberdeau	34	4	17	75	7	2:35	18:33	5.3	7.8	BUY
Reilly Smith	34	11	8	67	5	2:24	18:00	16.4	7.6	SELL
Aleksander Barkov	24	7	11	65	6	2:41	19:31	10.8	7.5	HOLD
Brandon Pirri	34	7	11	82	7	2:19	15:14	8.5	6.0	HOLD
Nick Bjugstad	23	7	5	55	5	2:39	17:02	12.7	9.3	HOLD
Connor Brickley	21	1	4	12	0	0:09	8:51	8.3	7.8	WAIVE
Quinton Howden	29	3	2	25	0	0:08	10:50	12.0	8.5	WAIVE
Dave Bolland	25	1	4	26	3	0:47	14:06	3.8	6.4	BUY

Jaromir Jagr – At 43, Jagr has to be considered a risk each year especially in the second half. Besides the age factor, he also has a very high shooting percentage considering he has been hanging around 10 percent in each of the last two years. He is also not getting top-line minutes. Jagr might be difficult to sell but if someone buys into his name value then try to acquire an underachiever who is set to see better days.

Jonathan Huberdeau – There were high hopes for Huberdeau heading into this season after a big second half last year. To date, he is on pace for just 50 points, mainly due to a low shooting percentage. Look for Huberdeau to get back on track in the near future as he is getting 2.2 shots per game and is getting top-line minutes.

Aleksander Barkov – Barkov has had a strong year to date with 18 points through 24 games. Amazingly, he is doing so while not having any red flags among his numbers. This has the makings of a breakout year. If you own him then he is a must-hold. If his owner in your league is clueless enough to not believe in Barkov then by all means grab him.

Dave Bolland – Bolland has been a massive disappointment since signing in Florida and should not be considered in points-only leagues. That said, he still provides good peripherals and could be a nice depth center in the right deep-league format. Additionally, there is room for a bit more offense from him. Not much, but it all adds up in multi-category leagues.

Montreal

Player	GP	G	A	SOG	PPP	PPTOI	TOI	SH%	5on5SH%	Status
Tomas Plekanec	34	7	20	75 📢 advertisement:	9	2:57	18:53	9.3	7.2	HOLD
Max Pacioretty	34	14	12	139	7	3:14	18:49	10.1	5.8	HOLD
Alex Galchenyuk	34	7	14	66	7	2:27	14:39	10.6	7.9	HOLD
Brendan Gallagher	22	9	10	70	5	2:49	16:10	12.9	6.8	SELL
Dale Weise	34	10	8	80	5	1:37	14:35	12.5	8.8	SELL
David Desharnais	34	7	11	47	4	2:13	15:41	14.9	8.3	HOLD
Tomas Fleischmann	34	8	9	65	1	0:47	15:50	12.3	8.6	HOLD
Lars Eller	34	7	4	56	1	0:46	14:17	12.5	7.5	HOLD
Torrey Mitchell	23	5	5	25	0	0:06	12:04	20.0	6.0	SELL
Brian Flynn	34	4	5	48	0	0:06	11:54	8.3	7.8	WAIVE
Devante Smith-Pelly	26	3	5	30	0	0:08	11:40	10.0	8.3	WAIVE
Paul Byron	22	5	2	16	0	0:04	13:00	31.3	3.7	WAIVE
Sven Andrighetto	12	4	0	15	0	0:27	11:47	26.7	10.9	BUY

Brendan Gallagher – Gallager’s numbers look great but they were obtained before the Canadiens came back down to earth. Plus, he has historically not been a great point-producer. While he will remain a good producer in all formats upon his return, do not expect him to stay in the point-per-game range. Being an important player on a team that receives a lot of coverage might help his value on the trade market.

Dale Weise – The peak of Weise’s sell-high window has obviously passed already but there could still be time to cash out once he gets going again. He is getting more ice time than in past years and should eclipse his career-high of 29 points. But with 18 already in the bank, his production down the stretch would be quite mediocre even if he was to reach 35 points.

Sven Andrighetto – Andrighetto gets the “buy” label as more of a gamble than a sure thing. The fact he has been scratched the last two games does not help matters but he has had success this year with the Canadiens and the team desperately needs offense. Scoop him up if he can get back in the lineup and put a few points on the board. It could be enough to carry him to being a decent depth option in deep leagues for the second half.

New Jersey

Player	GP	G	A	SOG	PPP	PPTOI	TOI	SH%	5on5SH%	Status
Mike Cammalleri	34	12	20	95	9	3:09	19:41	12.6	12.2	SELL
Lee Stempniak	34	8	18	71	9	2:46	19:25	11.3	10.7	HOLD
Kyle Palmieri	34	13	12	84	12	2:25	16:34	15.5	7.1	SELL
Adam Henrique	32	13	11	68	3	2:54	20:04	19.1	12.1	SELL
Travis Zajac	26	6	9	39	6	2:24	20:08	15.4	6.5	SELL
Jordin Tootoo	33	2	4	43	5	2:00	12:58	4.7	0.7	BUY
Sergey Kalinin	32	4	2	32	3	1:28	12:45	12.5	4.5	WAIVE
Jacob Josefson	34	1	5	48	4	2:22	15:38	2.1	2.1	BUY
Patrik Elias	13	1	4	17	2	3:25	15:39	5.9	7.6	HOLD
Jiri Tlusty	22	2	2	28	2	1:04	13:52	7.1	3.6	WAIVE
Bobby Farnham	19	3	1	17	0	0:07	8:29	17.6	6.7	WAIVE
Stefan Matteau	13	1	0	16	0	0:37	9:15	6.3	2.2	WAIVE

Mike Cammalleri – The Devils have a few players who have benefited from luck but none more than Cammalleri. His on-ice five-on-five shooting percentage is very high and due for a drop. Not to mention, he has missed a lot of time over the years with injuries. He should remain the Devils’ best offensive player down the stretch but not at the point-per-game level.

Kyle Palmieri – Palmieri is in the midst of a breakout season as his 25 points are just six shy of his personal-best. However, continuing to produce at this clip will be very difficult. Not only is his shooting percentage very high, he is also relying very heavily on the power play for points. Nearly half of his output has come on the man advantage. With power plays usually going through stretches of hot and cold play, any prolonged drought would severely impact Palmieri.

Jordin Tootoo – Tootoo has been having a remarkable year from a fantasy hockey perspective. Not only is he doing well in peripheral categories, he is also a regular on the power play where he has scored five of his six points. In fact, his personal shooting percentage and on-ice five-on-five shooting percentage are both amazingly low at this point meaning he is capable of producing a few extra points. Do not consider him in points-only and be wary if your league counts plus/minus (Tootoo is league-worst minus-17) but in most multi-category settings he is a must-add for across-the-board production.

Jacob Josefson – To be clear, Josefson has proved this year he is not worth of consideration in points-only or any other offense-heavy format. Even if his percentages were normal it would not be enough to make him fantasy-relevant. Meanwhile, in multi-category leagues he has value provided the league has a lot of categories and includes faceoff wins. Chances are he can be had for cheap and could serve as a decent depth option in the second half.

*

Follow me on Twitter @DH_EricDaoust

UPCOMING GAMES

Dec 27 - 19:12	DET	vs	TOR
Dec 27 - 19:12	BUF	vs	CHI
Dec 27 - 19:12	CBJ	vs	BOS
Dec 27 - 19:12	N.J	vs	CAR
Dec 27 - 20:12	DAL	vs	MIN
Dec 27 - 20:12	STL	vs	NSH
Dec 27 - 21:12	UTA	vs	COL
Dec 27 - 22:12	S.J	vs	VGK