The Anaheim Ducks have named Pat Verbeek as their new general manager. He will need to quickly decide whether the Ducks (currently occupying the #3 seed in the Pacific Division) should continue their playoff push or attempt to sell off UFAs-to-be Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and maybe even longtime Duck Ryan Getzlaf. It's not an easy decision to make, as the Ducks probably didn't expect to be in this spot entering the season. With the 31^st– highest payroll in the entire league (only Buffalo is lower), the Ducks could go in either direction.   

Writing about the trade deadline got me thinking: Check back to Dobber Hockey on Monday, March 21. That's Trade Deadline Day.

On a side note, the Little Ball of Hate (Verbeek's old nickname) is an example of how hockey nicknames aren't what they used to be.

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If you need to know which players are generating buzz, head over to Frozen Tools and check out the Popular Profiles. With regular-season NHL games are on hold because of the All-Star break, let's check out some players that have been making noise.

Mason Marchment

Let's be honest: Marchment is on this list because of one game: Monday night's 8-4 win for the Panthers over Columbus. And what a game it was for Marchment: 2 G, 4 A, +6, and 6 SOG. Marchment is in exclusive company as the only player to record a six-point game this season. While checking out his profile, you may have noticed two more interesting facts: 1) He finished that game with 12 points over a four-game span (he was held without a point the following night), and 2) He is now a point-per-game player (23 points in 22 games). Scoring is up, so 32 other players that have played at least as many games have a better point-per-game average than Marchment. That point-per-game pace is still remarkable from a player that you likely didn't have on your fantasy radar.

Is there something there with Marchment fantasy-wise? He has benefitted from recent line juggling, as he is now on a unit with Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell (more on him shortly). I would imagine this arrangement will stick for a while, which will help Marchment. Arguably now the league's strongest offense, Florida is deep enough now in that their top three lines are rosterable in most leagues, as opposed to the top two lines on the majority of teams. Obviously six-point games aren't going to be a part of his future, and regression should be expected on some significantly higher than expected advanced stats (17.4 SH%, 15.1 5-on-5 SH%, 4.8 PTS/60, 1109 PDO).  

If you're thinking about adding Marchment, consider it only for the short term. Prior to this season, he simply hasn't had any kind of track record when it comes to NHL production. He's more valuable in a bangers format, as he averages just over two hits per game. After all, he is the son of hard-hitting former NHL d-man Bryan Marchment.

Anton Lundell

Lundell had his own career game on Monday, recording five assists to go with a plus-6. Prior to that game, Lundell had not recorded more than two points in a single game in his brief NHL career. That five-point outburst vaulted Lundell up to a tie for second in rookie scoring. As well, Lundell also leads all rookies with a plus-25 ranking. Don't be surprised if Lundell forces his way in as a Calder Trophy finalist, particularly with the Panthers' offense moving in such high gear.

The Journey: Midseason Calder Survey

Because of his age, position, and the Panthers' depth, Lundell simply isn't going to get the looks on the top line and the first-unit power play. Florida's second-unit power play is nothing to sneeze at anyway, as Lundell is on the ice with solid scorers like Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe. Lundell's offensive zone starts are at 45%, which shows his defensive ability, but it's another reason that his short-term offensive upside is limited. Yet the fact that only three of his 32 points have been on the man advantage shows how productive he has been with the opportunities he has been given.

At this point, Lundell should be considered a solid depth piece in many fantasy leagues. The future looks very bright, so the Panthers may have no choice but to give him the top line and top power-play roles in the very near future. At that point he will need to be rostered in all formats.

One note about the Panthers: You'll need to wait a bit for further dividends from Marchment, Lundell, and other Panthers on your roster. They don't play again until February 16, which means that they do not play at all next week (the second part of the extended scoring period in Yahoo leagues and many other head-to-head leagues).

Matt Boldy

With an assist on Wednesday, Boldy now has 10 points in his first 10 NHL games. In addition, he has produced points in seven of those 10 games. Admittedly it's a small sample size compared to the other big-name rookies (eg. Lundell, Trevor Zegras, Lucas Raymond), but no rookie that has played at least as many games has scored at the same pace as Boldy.

Although this should come as no surprise given Boldy's strong start, Boldy was recently told that he will be staying with the Wild all season. Boldy has found a particular connection with Kevin Fiala, who himself is a frequent Frozen Tools search favorite. Keep in mind that Fiala's 11-game point streak closely matches when Boldy was recalled from the AHL. Fiala himself had gotten off to a slow start, so Boldy's callup is helping multiple players on the Wild.

Boldy looks like a player who could have been in the Calder Trophy discussion had he started the season in the NHL, but it's probably a little late for that now. His midseason callup should explain why he is rostered in just 20 percent of Yahoo leagues. That number clearly needs to be higher.

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Interesting tidbit from Thought 14 of the most recent 32 Thoughts by Elliotte Friedman:

Nashville's rise is led by its best: Vezina candidate Juuse Saros, Hart/Norris candidate Roman Josi, forwards Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund and Ryan Johansen. Duchene is on pace for 73 points, which would be the highest of his career. He's playing 18:50 per night, by far his biggest total since he signed there. Johansen is on pace for 61, way ahead of where he was the last two seasons. He's a different case — playing 16:35, down 22 seconds from last season and lowest since he was 20. Only Andre Burakovsky, Anthony Duclair and Jordan Kyrou have more points in fewer average minutes than he does.

None of Johansen, Burakovsky, Duclair, or Kyrou average more than 17 minutes per game. At 29, Johansen is the oldest player of that group of highly productive players. In his case, maybe less icetime is better? There are no doubt other factors at play, including linemates and matchups. Johansen was one player I largely ignored in my fantasy drafts because of the deep scoring at his position (C) and his declining production. That being said, he's also been one of my better waiver-wire pickups of the season.

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Fun fact about me: I briefly worked as a mascot years ago. Even got to play in a WHL Kamloops Blazers mascots soccer game during an intermission once. Even though this looks like a ton of fun (which it really is), it is also physically demanding. So don’t mind if I show a little respect for the larger-than-life characters that entertain us at NHL games. If you need your NHL fix, this is what you got on Thursday.

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For more fantasy hockey discussion, follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding