Hello and welcome back to Geek of the Week! In this week's article, I am going to examine three players that have struggled so far this season and determine if this is the players new norm, or if they are just getting unlucky.

The statistics mentioned do not include Sunday's games.

Jordan Kyrou – 27 GP, 5 G, 12 A, 17 PTS, 4 PPP, 88 SOG, 12 Hits, 13 Blks

In the last couple seasons, Kyrou has proven himself to be a point-per-game player, able to put up over 3 shots per game. This season, he is far short from a point per game and his shot numbers, though they are above 3 shots per game on the season, have taken a big hit lately. He's only averaged 2.63 shots per game the last two weeks. For someone who provides absolutely nothing in the peripheral categories, the offensive production is necessary to remain relevant in multicat leagues.

Kyrou is only shooting 5% on the season, his career low. This is bound to improve as his norm is around 14%, but with a lack of shots, it might not make such a difference. With less than 3 shots per game moving forward, he might only score 21 more goals this season, even if he regresses to a 14% shooting percentage. That would amount to around a 70-point pace moving forward and only a total of 62 points on the season. With almost no hits and blocks, this value is borderline droppable in most multicat leagues. There is a slight buy-low window, but I wouldn't expect a point-per game pace to return this season.

Timo Meier – 18 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 PTS, 3 PPP, 40 SOG, 21 Hits, 11 Blks

Meier has been a multicat stud in the past. When he was a Shark, he could be counted on to get 4+ shots, 2+ hits, and a point per game while averaging almost 20 minutes a night. That all changed last year when he was traded to the Devils. He still shot the puck a lot, averaging 3.5 shots per game and still provided the hits, but the points dropped as did his time on ice.

This season, the trend is unfortunately continuing as he is averaging only 17:17 minutes of ice time per game and has wound up on the second power-play unit and third even-strength line. His shots have dropped further to under 3 shots per game and his hits have dropped substantially, which is even more worrisome. Timo's shot and hit numbers in the past made it bearable for when he is not putting up points. The peripheral categories would still get filled. Not this year though. Since returning from injury five games ago, he has only 1 hit.

These numbers could be the new norm for Meier as his multicat stud days could be in the past. I would not be buying low here. Though, if he were to be placed on that first line and first power-play unit again with Jack Hughes, things could change for the better. Keep an eye on those lines.

Radko Gudas – 25 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS, 0 PPP, 33 SOG, 65 Hits, 55 Blks

The banger king of the past has fallen from his reign. After averaging over 4 hits per game the last few seasons, he is only averaging 2.6 per game this season, and only 2 per game the last two weeks! There is solace in the fact that Gudas is getting more blocked shots on Anaheim though, averaging 2.2 per game. He also has scored quite a few goals, more than his prior seasons already. This may be lucky though as he is shooting at a 12.1% rate. It is entirely possible he may not score another goal all season.

Gudas just isn't who he used to be on this Anaheim team. As a Gudas drafter, I've tracked him for most of the season now. I am finally ready to let go of him. Even with the extra blocks, he just isn't the banger stud of the past anymore. If you're chasing hits, there are better waiver wire options out there, like Jeremy Lauzon, Luke Schenn, Sammy Blais, or Brenden Dillon.

Hope you enjoyed! See you next week.

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