1.56 (C.K.)

0.68 (J.H.)

0.26 (C.K.)

0.39 (J.H.)

0.82 (C.K.)

2.33 (J.H.)

0.00 (C.K.)

0.18 (J.H.)

The numbers that jump off of the page are Kreider's PIM and Hits. For 2013-14 he was already in elite multi-cat company with six other guys (David Backes, Milan Lucic, Brandon Dubinsky, Troy Brouwer, Nick Foligno, and Martin Hanzal) who played in 65+ games while posting at least 0.5 points per game and averaging at least two Hits and one PIM per game; and yet he's managed to do even better in 2014-15 thus far, as he's currently the only NHLer in the top ten among forwards for PIM, the top 55 in Hits for forwards, and the top 125 for points among forwards. What's more – Kreider, at age 23, is much younger than any of these six other multi-cat studs, who range in age from 26 (Lucic) to 30 (Backes).

Despite not being in anything close to the same ballpark as Kreider for Hits and PIM, Huberdeau won't be a drag on your fantasy team in either area. And both are pretty comparable in the other categories, including in Shots and PP Points, where they're below average and Huberdeau – as with Ice Time – is struggling to climb back to what he posted as a rookie.

Huberdeau's main issue with Shots is game-to-game consistency, as he's had 13 contests in 2014-15 with 3+ SOG (posting ten points) but also 16 games with either zero or one SOG (posting five points). Meanwhile, Kreider's Shots not only are up slightly for 2014-15 compared to 2013-14, but in the nine games prior to the All-Star break he fired 3+ SOG in six of them. That bodes well for his production, since he's achieved even more pronounced success when he shoots often, with 15 points in 15 games for 2014-15 where he recorded 3+ SOG.

Luck-Based Metrics

Kreider's 2012-13 IPP at 5×4 isn't included because he didn't receive 50+ minutes of 5×4 Ice Time.

No alarm bells are going off, as each player's best season (2013-14 for Kreider, 2012-13 for Huberdeau) doesn't appear to have been influenced by unsustainable good luck. Also, the areas where good luck is occurring this season are offset by luck-metrics which still have room to improve.

For example, Kreider's PDO for 2014-15 of 1044 is 14 above what's considered the upper threshold of normal; however, both his IPP numbers are below 70%. Huberdeau has the opposite issue in that his IPP numbers are a tad high, yet his PDO could realistically improve. And both have a low Offensive Zone Starting % for a younger player. In short, their abnormally (but not unsustainably) higher luck metrics are accompanied by other metrics that could improve, for a net wash.

Value and Injuries

In Yahoo leagues, Huberdeau is C and LW eligible, whereas Kreider is LW only. Despite this, on average Kreider was the 40th LW eligible player drafted, versus 89th for Huberdeau. Moreover, although Huberdeau has one more point in one fewer total games than Kreider so far this season, Huberdeau is currently owned in only 38% of Yahoo leagues, versus a much higher 60% for Kreider.

Even taking into account Kreider's prowess in PIM and Hits, that still doesn't explain the ownership discrepancy. After all, Huberdeau has dual position eligibility and a fair number of Yahoo leagues are points only, in which case Kreider's PIM and Hits output are meaningless. I think the explanation lies largely in what I've referred to as the "Habs effect," where players on the highest profile NHL teams get a boost in perceived value due to a dedicated, widespread fan following and ardent local support. In short, many more people follow the Rangers compared to the Panthers and thus have Kreider on their radar versus Huberdeau (and that's despite Huberdeau's Calder win only two seasons ago).

What this means is if they're otherwise equal in actual value, Huberdeau would become the better own since – as demonstrated in the Yahoo draft and ownership results – Kreider has much higher perceived value and, in turn, will cost you an earlier draft pick or more to trade for.

As for injuries, although neither is ready to be anointed a Band-Aid Boy, each didn't manage to play even 70 games in 2013-14 and has missed a couple of games in 2014-15. This will be something to watch closely, as if it persists it could result in them being seen as damaged goods and thus not getting as much (and/or as productive) Ice Time.

Who Wins?

If you own either player, you should be optimistic about things continuing to improve, with legitimate breakouts for both being possible as early as next season. But in terms of who actually wins, for the rest of this season I like Huberdeau to outpoint Kreider. My reasoning is Florida is fading fade from playoff contention and will deal veterans before the deadline. And although that will hurt the team's scoring somewhat, it also means those – like Huberdeau – who remain will be leaned on more heavily and will factor more into the scoring, leading to better net production for them.

In other words, Florida has scored 107 goals in 44 games (2.43 per game), with Huberdeau tallying 25 points. Maybe in the team's final 38 games their scoring drops to 2.25 or so goals per game, but with Huberdeau factoring in the scoring on closer to 30% of those goals, instead of under 25% thus far. Doing the math, that would mean 86 Florida goals and 26 points in those 38 games for Huberdeau.

In contrast, I think as the season goes on the Rangers will lean more on veterans in hopes of sparking them for the playoffs, and might even add forward depth at the deadline. The likely effect on Kreider will be fewer opportunities and less Ice Time, and with those things, a slight drop in scoring pace.

Looking ahead, Kreider is already in elite multi-cat company. But the reality is that's a pretty poorly kept secret among poolies. And between fantasy owners being wise to his situation, and the "Habs effect" in play, Kreider will be costly to obtain, whether in the draft or via trade. Meanwhile, Huberdeau playing for a low profile team and being seen by many as having taken a step back since his rookie season splash has put him in what safely can be termed a "buy low" situation. Therefore, although both are likely to produce similar point totals in the next few seasons, I think Huberdeau is the better choice because of what he'll cost you to draft or trade for.