If ice-time and SOG are any indicators of fantasy success, this week's column will be a good complement in identifying a few trends moving forward. We'll examine several advancers and decliners, out West to help you get through that mid-season lull. (Part 1 here)

Advancers

Martin Erat – RW – Nashville – 28% Yahoo! owned

"Mr. Consistent" is a moniker that I've given to Erat, as he's tallied between 49 to 57 points, along with roughly 150 SOG for the last seven seasons. He's on pace to make it eight consecutive with numbers posted so far this campaign. Over the last two weeks he's picked up eight points, along with 11 SOG, all while averaging 17:18 overall and 2:21 on the PP. Another huge positive is that he's appearing in 51.3 percent of opportunities on the league's second-ranked PP.

Kyle Brodziak – C – Minnesota – 7% Yahoo! owned

A major beneficiary of the Mikko Koivu arm injury has been Brodziak. Since the injury Brodziak's been averaging a whopping 20:10 along with 1:19 on the PP. With the extra boost in ice-time, the points (four points in four games), and SOG (nine in four games), have seen significant increases in response. With Koivu still considered "week-to-week", Brodziak should continue to reap the benefits until his return.

Andrew Shaw – C –Chicago – 5% Yahoo! owned

Shaw busted onto the scene with seven points and 27 SOG in 11 contests since his recall from Rockford. He's been lining up alongside Marian Hossa and Marcus Kruger the last couple of contests, but with Patrick Sharp slated to return during this weeks' Western Canada swing after the ASB, Shaw will probably be relegated back to a third-line role alongside Dave Bolland and Michael Frolik. Don't expect his current numbers to continue, but maybe something along the lines of two points and nine SOG in every five games is reasonable.

Martin Hanzal – C – Phoenix – 9% Yahoo! owned

Hanzal recently returned from a facial injury and has picked up where he left off. Many "experts" have alluded to the fact that the Yotes play a much better brand of hockey with Hanzal in the lineup (18-15-5), than without (3-5-4). What piques my interest is the 19:38 and 2:33 on the PP along with the 3.33 SOG per contest numbers that he's posted since his return. In the past, I've brought up that Hanzal reminds me of a younger version of Ryan Kesler (at least from a defensive standpoint), now let's see if the offensive side of things follows suit in the final third of the season.

Jason Blake- LW – Anaheim – 7% Yahoo! owned

Blake's overall ice-time (14:17 and 1:34 on the PP), isn't all that appealing, but the SOG is where the interest really lies. During the last five contests, Blake has registered a whopping 24 SOG (4.8 per contest), against opposition goalies. The Ducks need to go 22-8-4 in the remaining 34 contests to have roughly a 50/50 chance of making the post-season. The chances are better if Blake continues his shooting trend.

Nate Prosser – D – Minnesota – 0% Yahoo! owned

Marek Zidlicky was recently healthy scratched during the last two contests, which opened the door for Prosser to gain a bit more responsibility (22:11 and 3:34) in the Wild lineup. There have been a few grumblings regarding Zidlicky possibly being moved at the trade deadline, which would open the door for Prosser to possess a top defensive pairing role for the final stretch of the regular season.

Roman Josi – D – Nashville – 0% Yahoo! owned

The news of Ryan Suter publically stating that he won't hold contract negotiations during the regular season has sent shock waves through many fantasy leagues. There have been a few discussions on the forum regarding this matter. The fact of the matter is that the trade value for Suter's services will never be higher than on deadline day. I understand that they gambled on Dan Hamhuis before and ended up very lucky landing Ryan Parent in an off-season deal, but I think they would be pushing their luck if they attempted repeat history. Anyhoo, when Suter missed three contests earlier this month with an "upper body injury", it wasn't the popular option of Ryan Ellis (16:23 and 1:42), but Josi (22:53 and 2:03), that garnered the extra responsibility. If Suter is moved, Josi could be the major beneficiary.

A comparison between Josi and a few other "notable" Swiss defenseman:

Trending: David Legwand, Dany Heatley, Cody Hodgson, Chad Rau, Tom Wingels, Justin Williams, Sam Gagner, M.E. Vlasic, Jared Spurgeon, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Stefan Elliott, Sami Salo and Ryan Ellis.

Decliners

Henrik Sedin – C – Vancouver – 100% Yahoo! owned

During the last two weeks Sedin has gone ice-cold with zippo points, a minus one rating, and just five SOG, which has earned him a Yahoo! rank of 679. If you look at his overall numbers 11 goals (tied for 119^th), 41 assists (ranked first), a plus 13 rating (tied for 37^th), 38 PIMs (tied for 116^th), 20 PPP (tied for third), along with 71 SOG (tied for 258^th), they're fantastic in certain categories (assists and PPP), but if you're looking to gain ground across-the-board, then it might be a smart idea to shop him for a player that might contribute in a few more areas. A packaged deal of something like Sedin and Tomas Vanek for Vinny Lecavalier and James Neal, might be appealing enough for the other owner to bite, but still end up in your favour.

Corey Perry- RW –Anaheim– 99% Yahoo! owned

If you break down the recent Ducks win streak you probably would have noticed that Perry has nine points, along with 34 SOG in the last 10 contests. But if you break it down even further, a lot of that production has been front-loaded. In the past five contests, he has registered just two goals, along with 14 SOG despite the Ducks outscoring their opponents 15-8 in that span. Your fellow poolies might think they're getting a major steal, but a deal of Perry for Marian Hossa or Tyler Seguin, might see you coming out as the winner come April.

Ryan Getzlaf – C – Anaheim– 94% Yahoo! owned

Ditto to the above two players.

Mike Richards – C/LW – Los Angeles– 90% Yahoo! owned

Well things certainly did not go as planned when the Kings landed Richards in a blockbuster deal in the off-season. Richards has just 26 points and 102 SOG in 42 contests for the Kings. I have an inkling that his sub-par play this season might be due to a lack of leadership responsibility. Since 2008, Richards was the captain of the Flyers and he led his team out onto the ice each and every contest. With Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Matt Greene assuming the leadership responsibilities, it has left Richards to be a "follower" rather than a leader. I don't know if that's the full story, just me putting some thoughts onto paper… With that said, you're probably not going to get full value out of him, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to insert him as part of a package deal to lessen the blow, rather than risking your season waiting for him to turn it around.

Keith Yandle – D– Phoenix – 97% Yahoo! owned

Last week, I wrote about how Oliver Ekman-Larsson is gaining more responsibility in Phoenix and is beginning to wriggle the number one blue-liner reigns away from Yandle. He has seen significant drops in two key fantasy areas. First, his PP TOI has dropped from 3:38 per contest to just 2:20. Secondly, his SOG per game average has slipped from 2.47 down to just two. Add that to the fact that Phoenix isn't a highly offensive team to begin with, which should see Yandle's offensive production slow down if this trend continues. Yandle still owns a "big name" attachment, which should help if you decide to utilize him for trade negotiations.

Mike Cammalleri – LW – Calgary – 62% Yahoo! owned

When you were a kid, have you ever tried fitting a square peg into a round hole? Somehow I think that's exactly what the Flames' coaching staff is trying to do with Cammy and Jarome Iginla. Despite spending 86.9 percent of his overall ice-time since the trade with Iggy, Cammy has just a lone point along with 10 SOG in five contests. I know there's usually an adjustment period for players to get accustomed to their new environment, but how long are you going to wait? Or is now a great time to strike while the iron is hot?

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