News: The Coyotes returned Marc-Antoine Pouliot to AHL Portland, the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Marc-Antoine Pouliot played in nine games with the Coyotes this season, tallying two assists.
News: The Coyotes returned Maxim Goncharov to the AHL, the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Maxim Goncharov has yet to play at the NHL level.
News: Chad Johnson was sent to the AHL on Friday, the Rangers' official site reports.
Analysis: Chad Johnson was called up a few days ago because Martin Biron was out with an illness. Now that Biron is better, Johnson will head back to the minors.
News: Matt Hunwick was a healthy scratch in seven consecutive games leading up to the All-Star break.
Analysis: It's hard to recommend a guy when he's watching from the press box every night. The Avs have eight healthy defensemen on the roster at the moment, and unfortunately for Matt Hunwick, he's low man on the totem pole. He shouldn't be on anyone's roster right now.
News: Daniel Winnik's assist during Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Minnesota was just his second point in the last 19 games.
Analysis: Daniel Winnik's meagre point totals (15 points in 51 games) don't come as much of a surprise considering his third-line role on the team. In fact, the bulk of those points came early in the season when he was playing alongside Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog, who have since been promoted to the Avs' top line. Nowadays, Winnik can be found lining up alongside guys like TJ Galiardi and Jay McClement, linemates who certainly don't carry the same kind of offensive upside. That said, Winnik should continue to hit the scoresheet on a very infrequent basis, so be sure you manage your expectations for him accordingly.
News: David Van der Gulik enters the All-Star break with just five points (1G, 4A) in 17 games.
Analysis: David Van der Gulik was fifth in team scoring at AHL Lake Erie last season (36 points in 48 games). However, that success has not yet translated to the NHL level, where he typically sees fewer than 10 minutes of ice time per night playing on the Avs' fourth line. His fantasy value may take a few seasons to materialize.
News: Kevin Porter has played in just 27 games this season, boasting just five points (3G, 2A) while averaging under 10 minutes of ice time per game.
Analysis: Kevin Porter has frequently been a healthy scratch this season, including in the four games leading up to the All-Star break. He's really just a depth forward at this stage of his career and doesn't play enough to warrant much fantasy consideration in most standard formats.
News: Calgary traded for Brian Connelly on Friday in exchange for Brendan Morrison, CalgaryFlames.com reports.
Analysis: Although he's 25, Brian Connelly is still a prospect who hasn't seen the NHL. He has been a fairly productive defenseman in the AHL as far as offense goes, however, totaling 36 points (five goals) in 44 games this year.
News: Chicago traded for Brendan Morrison in exchange for Brian Connelly on Friday, Blackhawks.NHL.com reports.
Analysis: Brendan Morrison had just 11 points (four goals) through 28 games in Calgary, but he's a candidate to see more ice time in Chicago.
News: Ryan O'Byrne has yet to register a point in the month of January, a stretch of 11 games. His last point came on New Year's Eve - an assist against Anaheim.
Analysis: Lucky for Ryan O'Byrne, he isn't expected to score much. He's considered a big, physical, stay-at-home defender who takes care of business in his own zone. For those of you in ultra-deep leagues, he won't help you in traditional scoring categories, but he does rank well in blocked shots (94 - good for tops on the team) and hits (second with 127).
