Are recently signed Matt Calvert and Matt Irwin ready for fantasy prime time …

For most fantasy hockey poolies, following the development of young players showing promise is extremely fun. Not only is it appealing to watch various hockey stories unfold, their outcome can be very impactful in fantasy land. In keeper leagues, you will hold on to certain players for several years with the hope that they will take the next step and become legitimate contributors on your squad. In one-year leagues, you will draft unproven players with upside that are flirting with fantasy relevance to try to uncover a hidden gem. If it works out it can make a big difference. If your commitment fails, you can simply move on to the next project on your waiver wire.

Today we will track the progress of Matt Calvert and Matt Irwin, two players that signed new contracts recently. Both have showed promise in recent years but appear to have plateaued in their current roles. A look into their current situations can help shed light on where they fall in the fantasy hockey value scale.

Matt Calvert

Calvert has been on the fantasy radar for many years. After posting 99 points with Brandon of the WHL in 2010, he turned pro and split the next campaign between the AHL and Columbus. In particular, his 20 points in 42 games with the Blue Jackets caught the eye of a lot of people. In 2011-12, he failed to follow up on his success and spent the majority of the season back in Springfield. Calvert followed up with decent numbers as a secondary scorer in the NHL but never managed more than 56 games or 24 points over a full schedule.