February 19, 2015
steve laidlaw
2015-02-19
Michalek and Stone hot for Ottawa, Chara is toast, Yak-City reaches six and more…
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Some serious rumours floating around out there. It is that time of year. Pierre LeBrun warns not to put too much stock in the Blackhawk rumours you read in his latest rumblings blog.
I tend to agree. They've got a window to win this year. They aren't moving a core piece unless they get a godfather offer. For instance Patrick Sharp, who has been toiling on the third line recently, well he'll be just as tradable at the draft as he will be at the deadline so there's no reason to rush it if you're Chicago. For Sharp owners, this may actually be a bad thing.
He had another scoreless game last night, his fifth in a row and seventh in the last eight. The Chicago Sun Times is optimistic that Sharp will be the latest Blackhawk to break out of a funk after Marian Hossa did so recently but I'm not so sure. Hossa's breakout came at least in part due to Sharp getting pushed down in the lineup. In a perfect world they'd both be rolling at once. This ain't that perfect world.
No points for Patrick Kane last night either. That's only back-to-back games for him so not officially a streak yet. Two tough opponents in Pittsburgh and Detroit as well. They've got a visit from the road weary Avalanche coming tomorrow night, which should get him back on the board.
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That Darren Helm is wielding a hot stick for Detroit. Five goals and eight points in the last eight games for him. I'd be curious to know whether this is the result of a minutes bump or if the bump is the result of his hot streak. He's up to over 17 minutes per game here in the third quarter of the season on the rise from 15:42 per game in the second quarter and just 12:57 in the first.
No real spike in power play time for Helm either. He's at just 1:02 per game in the third quarter, on par with his season average. Some of his minutes are up due to increased usage on the penalty kill but that's not going to help a player's offense much, even a lethal penalty-killer like Helm.
It simply comes down to Helm skating more minutes at even strength with Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar and making the most of it. Can't begrudge him for that. He's on pace for his best season yet and if he hits 40 points he might even be able to boast relevance outside of the deepest leagues.
I do wonder how Johan Franzen's absence impacts all this. The Mule is still out with a bad concussion and doesn't appear close to a return. He'd muddy things for quite a few Red Wings if he returned but right now I can definitely see him being a nonfactor for the remainder of the year.
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Nice start by Andrew Hammond, making 42 saves against the Canadiens for his first career NHL win. I don't want to deride the guy after his special night but I really just do not believe in him. Is he capable of putting together a short run of relevance? Sure. Why not? An extended run is just unlikely though, even with neither Robyn Lehner nor Craig Anderson ready to come back as of yet. I look at his AHL stats (dreadful) and I just cannot support him.
I have totally been asleep on this, Milan Michalek has sprung to life the past month or so. Since January 10 he has eight goals and 13 points in 15 games. No surprise how this happened. Michalek's power play usage has basically doubled from where it was in December up to over two minutes per game. He has four power play goals in this stretch. Michalek is also seeing an extra minute of ice time at even strength the past month or so. Clarke MacArthur's injury only helps to solidify this renaissance for Michalek.
Mark Stone has 19 points in the last 20 games, all since New Year's. Only 8% owned in Yahoo! pools. Three points last night probably spikes that up a little but if you are a fan of playing the trends in leagues with a large number of moves, this is one to jump on.
By the way, Michalek is only 5% owned. Some bargains out there for the taking, especially if you're an idiot like me clinging to Jeff Skinner in a one-year pool.
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That being said, Drew Doughty is a nice cure-all for the Kings to use for half the minutes of every game. The Ducks simply don't have a comparable option. They need the depth in Anaheim.
Ryan Getzlaf has scored in just two of eight games since the All-Star break (four points total) and missed two games as well. Slumps up and down this roster right now.
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It's time for the return of the Jeff Schultz Memorial Trophy power rankings! As always, the "Schultz" is a made-up trophy handed out to the defenseman with the highest plus/minus who fails to record 30 points on the season. This is given out to commemorate that one season where Schultz was relevant simply because of his astronomical plus/minus rating.
Our would-be 1-2 of Anton Stralman and Kevin Klein have scored their way just about clear of eligibility for this trophy with 28 and 25 points respectively. Not impossible but it seems highly unlikely that either one will fall short of 30 at this point. As such we've got some even less heralded characters at the top. Check out the rankings:
1. Kevan Miller – Plus-20
Currently out with a shoulder injury Miller might actually be benefitting from sitting out while the Bruins struggle to hold on to the final playoff spot in the East. Miller has put up his total in just 41 games making him not only our leader but also the most efficient "Schultz" option available.
2. Marc Staal – Plus-17
A regular partner for Klein, Staal is reaping the plus/minus benefits of Klein's ludicrous production without coming close to becoming a legitimate scorer himself. Finally a shutdown defenseman who wants to stay that way!
T3. Jason Garrison – Plus-16
This one is tricky. At 22 points Garrison is on pace to clear 30 on the season. He's also done so in the past and has enough of a reputation for his huge point shot that poolies naturally seek him out even if he lacks consistency. Only three goals thus far for Garrison however. The only thing really keeping him relevant is that strong plus/minus, so we'll keep him eligible.
T3. David Rundblad – Plus-16
Was scratched last night in favour of Kyle Cumiskey who skated all of 6:24. If Rundblad isn't a Jeff-Schultz-All-Star, I don't know who is.
T5. Mattias Ekholm – Plus-14
T5. Jonas Brodin – Plus-14
T5. Ian Cole – Plus-14
8. Paul Martin – Plus-13
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Interesting stuff in Elliotte Friedman's latest 30 Thoughts:
25. Nill did discuss whether or not the Enroth acquisition was a sign the team is unhappy with Kari Lehtonen.
"I've really liked his past 10-20 games," he said. "He's going through a change. We're trying to improve defensively and you go from 40-45 shots against per game to 25… two or three Grade A chances, from a whole lot more. Dominik Hasek went through that in Detroit. All of a sudden, you are only giving up one chance and it's a breakaway or a one-timer. It's a mind-set you have to prepare for."
Dallas went through a phase where shots against were dropping, but the last four games the Stars are allowing an average of 37. Enroth will push Lehtonen. He's a fiercely competitive guy.
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Sean McIndoe celebrates the greatest trades that never happened.
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Justin Bourne discusses the five steps to transitioning for newly traded players.
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Our pal, Anatoliy Metter has a bunch of defensemen under 25% owned worth snagging in your league.
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They keep the Tatar sauce mid-shelf:
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You can follow me @SteveLaidlaw.
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