Welcome to the fantasy hockey stock market. Each week, we will look at three players trending up and three players trending down in the National Hockey League.
Three Up
Mathieu Perreault – C/LW – Jets – 13 Goals, 13 Assists, 60 Shots, 34 Games
The Winnipeg Jets are on their bye week, but will return to action on the weekend. When they get back, look to add Perreault, who has been an elite depth scorer. Even while he was skating on the fourth line, Perreault was offering consistent offence. Now that he is skating on the second line, he is producing at a point-per-game rate.
Eventually, the Jets will get Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry back in the lineup, which will push Perreault back into a depth role. However, he may remain relevant even then as one of the most efficient per-minute scorers in the league.
Andreas Athanasiou – C/LW – Red Wings – 9 Goals, 8 Assists, 84 Shots, 32 Games
The Detroit Red Wings speedster has spent most of the season buried on the third or fourth line, but has recently been jumped onto the top line with Dylan Larkin, creating a prolific duo with speed to burn. Athanasiou has skated over 20 minutes in six of the last seven games, scoring seven points and firing 31 shots in that stretch. That’s elite production. He should be relevant so long as his minutes stay up.
Danton Heinen – C/W – Bruins – 10 Goals, 21 Assists, 65 Shots, 37 Games
After a slow start, the Boston Bruins have the look of a juggernaut. They have high-end depth scoring, even as No. 2 centre David Krejci has missed time with injury. Heinen has been a major depth contributor scoring at a point-per-game pace since the end of November. Even if Heinen’s production on the third line slows a bit, he continues to see enough power-play time, including intermittent shifts with Brad Marchand and Co., on the top unit. That will keep him relevant.
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Three Down
Mattias Ekholm – D – Predators – 6 Goals, 15 Assists, 69 Shots, 42 Games
The reckoning has come for Ekholm now that Ryan Ellis is back from injury. Sure, Ekholm hasn’t yet ceded his spot on the power play to Ellis, but it’s only a matter of time, especially with Ekholm having failed to score in 11 straight games. Ekholm remains a stout defenceman with a big shot that makes him a threat for double-digit goal totals, but without top power-play minutes, he’ll struggle to score in the second half. Don’t be shocked if his current 40-point pace dwindles into the low 30s.
Vladislav Namestnikov – C/LW – Lightning – 15 Goals, 20 Assists, 96 Shots, 44 Games
This isn’t meant to be a referendum on the value of Namestnikov. He should still be owned in most every fantasy league. However, Namestnikov has been getting shuffled about the lineup of late, limiting his production. He has just two points in the last six games, having been dropped to the third line. No line stays together for all 82 games, so he’ll eventually be back on the top line with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, but the more this happens, the more his scoring will slip in the second half.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are also facing a long-term injury to Norris candidate Victor Hedman, which should steal a bit of punch from their transition game and lethal power play.
Jake Guentzel – C/LW – Penguins – 13 Goals, 10 Assists, 105 Shots, 45 Games
Guentzel’s run of elite play from March-June last year seems like a distant fever dream. That talent remains, but is being wasted centering the Pittsburgh Penguins’ third line. Now we have a new crop of youngsters being propped up by Sidney Crosby in Dominik Simon and Daniel Sprong. Barring a move for a legit third-line centreman, Guentzel might stick at the bottom of the depth chart, which will continue to suppress his totals. Of course, that elite potential remains. Any day he gets jumped back into the top-six, or Patric Hornqvist could get hurt thrusting Guentzel to the net-front on Pittsburgh’s killer power play.
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Steve Laidlaw is the Managing Editor of DobberHockey. Follow him on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.
