Thoughts on the Anaheim injuries/trade talk, Crosby’s slump and a secret WW pickup…

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With two more points last night, give Michael Del Zotto 11 in his last 12. This is easily his best run in over three years and it certainly bodes well in terms of a future recovery. I doubt he’ll be the player we were certain he would be when he was a rookie. But if he can make it to 40 points this year, there’s promise. He’s an RFA this summer so the Flyers still have his rights, which is a little unfortunate given their ‘Big 3’ on the way up.

Shayne Gostisbehere and Samuel Morin will be fantasy studs, while Robert Hagg will be minute-munching two-way guy who habitually flirt with 35 points. I suspect we’ll see Gostisbehere next season, and the other two in 2016-17, which makes Del Zotto’s window of opportunity a small one. He needs to be the coach’s darling now and secure his job. None of this healthy scratch stuff.

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My buddy Cam Atkinson has quietly posted nine points in his last 10 games. He always seems to tease us with a strong final six or seven weeks of the season. It’s the first 20 weeks that he needs to work on. He’s on pace for 37 points, but I suspect he’ll get to 42 or 43 which would be a career high. Baby steps, I guess. I’d consider next year to be his fourth year breakout, though technically he played two too many games in 2011-12 to fit my definition to the letter.

Curtis McElhinney has won four of his last five games and the game that he lost saw him facing 44 shots. He’s quietly adjusted his stats to a decent level. Bobrovsky is looking at a return I’m guessing around Sunday, March 1, which would mean McElhinney is good for another six starts. Or call it five, with the back-to-back games this weekend.

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With the assist last night, Kris Letang has pulled into sole position of second place among defensemen, two points behind Mark Giordano and a point ahead of Brent Burns. The difference is, he did it in 51 games, while the other two have played 57 and 59 respectively. If he stays healthy, he’ll most definitely win this race. And if he leads all defensemen in scoring, does that give him the Norris? Sometimes that’s enough. But in his case, he would have to win by a mile. At least 10 points.

Letang owners, did this have you worried?

Letang returned to the game, ended up playing nearly 27 minutes. Seems to be okay…but what do you think of Ovechkin’s slash (36 seconds into clip for best view)? No penalty called.

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Sidney Crosby has been shut out of eight of the last 12 games. Remember when he had 24 points in the first 13 games? Very un-Crosby-like to see him with just 34 points in 40 games since then.

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Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin is going the other way. He has 14 points in his last nine games and has only been shutout once during that span. He’s slipped into fourth in NHL scoring and seems hell-bent to win the title this year.