Which players in your league seem under owned given their recent play or change in situation? Let’s find out.
Evander Kane, LW, BUF
Because of cracked ribs and a five-game slump to start 2016-17, Kane did not record his first point of the season until Nov. 17. Combine that with his off-ice issues and Kane became waiver-wire fodder in many leagues. However, Jack Eichel’s return from injury five games ago should have you inquiring about Kane’s availability.
Since reuniting with his linemate, Kane has experienced the boost he needed to turn his season around, scoring three goals and two assists. Kane’s injury proneness makes him notoriously difficult to rely on as a season-long asset, but when healthy, the power forward can bring it in many peripheral categories, including shots on goal, hits, and penalty minutes.
Josh Bailey, LW, NYI
Up until Thursday’s game, Bailey had been on a tear with a six-game point streak. He should owe much of that recent success to playing on John Tavares’ line (more line combinations here). Also helping Bailey’s cause is time on the first-unit power play as well as overall ice time, which has averaged nearly 19 minutes a game this season.
Bailey has been one constant with Tavares all season. So if he doesn’t succeed, at least we can’t blame the lack of opportunity.
Tomas Plekanec, C, MTL
Plekanec’s season has been very underwhelming (just two goals and seven assists), particularly for a centre. But he has a major opportunity to turn things around now that fellow centres Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais will both be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks.
Because of the injuries, Plekanec moved up to the top line with Alexander Radulov and Max Pacioretty for Thursday’s game against New Jersey. Although Plekanec was held without a point again, he should have better days ahead if he can stick on that line.
Justin Schultz, D, PIT
Schultz seemed to be reverting back to his old Edmonton days to start the season, scoring just three points over his first 15 games. But as the Penguins offence has turned it up a notch (27 goals over the past five games), so has Schultz.
Over that stretch Schultz has three multi-point games, is on a five-game point streak, and has been a plus-10. The plus-minus in particular is a stat that Schultz never seemed capable of excelling at when he was an Oiler, which is evidence that his fantasy value has improved since moving to Pittsburgh. We’d like to see more power-play time (just two power-play points), but in pure points leagues Schultz can’t be ignored.
Ivan Provorov, D, PHI
Drafted one spot ahead of super rookie Zachary Werenski, Provorov is putting up decent rookie numbers of his own. Currently at 13 points in 29 games, Provorov has been heating up lately with four points over his past four games. A look at his recent game logs also shows that his ice time has increased, as he has received at least 20 minutes over his past 10 games – not bad for a rookie.
Unfortunately, he can’t break past the second power-play unit behind Shayne Gostisbehere. But he’s a viable option if you missed out on Werenski early this season.
Antti Raanta, G, NYR
The more condensed schedule resulting from the World Cup, combined with the high skill level of all goalies currently in the NHL, means that backup goalies are starting a little more often than before. One backup goalie that you can count on starting at least once a week is Raanta, who has been a reliable option when called upon.
The Rangers backup currently sports a 6-1-0 record, 2.05 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. There are other reasons to add Raanta to your team: He’s a solid streaming option when he starts (be sure to check Goalie Post for the latest updates), he’s a handcuff for Henrik Lundqvist owners, or he’ll just help your fantasy team more than a starter with suspect numbers.
