Every week our Fantasy staff will evaluate the landscape around the NHL and how it pertains to Fantasy owners in Fantasy Stockwatch.
 | Bobby Ryan, C, Anaheim  Ryan will forever been known as the kid who was picked behind Sidney Crosby in the 2005 draft, but at least he is starting to meet expectations. Ryan has been one of Anaheim's top skaters in recent weeks with five goals and 10 assists in his last 13 games. He has finished below even just one time in that stretch. His power-play time has also increased dramatically as Teemu Selanne has been sitting on the bench with an injury. Ryan always had the potential to star on the NHL level and we are finally starting to see his potential realized. |
 | Marian Gaborik, RW, Minnesota  Let's just get this one out of the way. Gaborik might be the most disappointing Fantasy player of the year since he is expected to deliver less than 20 games for Fantasy owners in 2008-09. In case you missed the earth-shattering news, Gaborik is set to undergo hip surgery and be out at least 10 weeks. Minnesota is hoping Gaborik will return for the final 13 games of the season, but if they are out of playoff contention, they might not push it. Gaborik was coming off a career-high 83 points and 42 goals in 2007-08. He stayed healthy for the most part and was able to play through a nagging hip injury last season. Not the case this year. It gets even worse for Gaborik -- a soon-to-be-free-agent -- since he was hoping to cash in with a big-time contract in the offseason. |
 | David Booth, LW, Florida Every time Booth touches the puck at a home game, a rain of what seem like boos hail from the stands. However, it's quite the opposite for the fan favorite. The Florida faithful simply shout Booth's name every time he goes on the offensive and with good reason. He has put together a five-game scoring streak (four goals, four assists) and still leads the team with 16 goals despite missing the first few weeks of December dealing with a shoulder injury. He is just in his third NHL season, but Booth is looking like a breakout star in 2008-09 under first-year coach Peter DeBoer. |
 | Philippe Boucher, D, Pittsburgh Like Gaborik, Boucher has battled a slew of injuries throughout his career and has only dressed for 30 games this season due to various ailments. It has really cut into his production with just five points (two goals) and hasn't been the impact offensive player the Penguins had hoped for when they traded with Dallas in mid-November. Boucher has just two goals and no assists in 15 games with Pittsburgh. He did some of his best work playing alongside Sergei Zubov in Dallas and seems a bit lost in his new surroundings. |
 | Brian Rolston, C, New Jersey The Devils brought Rolston in during the offseason to bring his playmaking skills to the team's top scoring line. What they didn't plan for was an ankle injury four games into the season. Rolston sat out 18 contests before returning Dec. 4. He got off to a sluggish start with no points in his first six games, but has since scored five times over his last 10 appearances. Rolston is starting to once again look like a 30-goal scorer, but with no assists since opening night, he still doesn't have what it takes to be a high-end Fantasy option. We, as are the Devils, are just glad to see him back at 100 percent, however. |
 | Jordan Staal, C, Pittsburgh It if seems like we are picking on the Penguins, it certainly isn't on purpose. They are just going through a rough patch right now and some of their key players -- like Staal -- are feeling it. Staal is in the final year of his entry-level contract and is trying to get a deal done with Pittsburgh. But he is not giving himself much leverage with his recent slide of seven games without a point and nine games without a goal. Staal is also at minus-10 for his last 17 outings. He has been bounced all over the place in 2008-09, but has settled in on the third line over the last few weeks. We miss the rookie Staal, who scored 29 goals (seven short-handed) and finished at plus-16 in 2006-07. |
 | Andrei Kostitsyn, LW, Montreal Most skaters tend to gravitate toward a player like Alexei Kovalev, but not Kostitsyn. In fact, he has done some of his worst work this year playing alongside the wily veteran. So in recent weeks coach Guy Carbonneau has moved Kostitsyn off Kovalev's line and it has paid off. Kostitsyn has five goals and six points in his last five games. Being away from Kovalev has allowed Kostitsyn to be more aggressive offensively and let his hard shot rip at will. |
 | Tyler Arnason, C, Colorado Let's talk about wasting a golden opportunity. When Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny both went down with long-term injuries, a spot on Colorado's top line opened up for Arnason. After four games centering Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk, Arnason recorded no points and was dropped to the third line by coach Tony Granato, who shifted Wojtek Wolski from the left wing to center. Arnason has failed to break 20 goals since notching that feat in 2003-04 with the Blackhawks and has been on the decline the last two seasons in Colorado. |
 | T.J. Oshie, C, St. Louis The 2005 first-rounder has battled a nagging ankle injury since early November and missed 24 games because of the issue over two separate occasions. He finally returned to the lineup Dec. 30 from his latest absence and hasn't slowed down. He has one goal and two assists in three games since returning and has bullied his way to the top line between David Backes and Keith Tkachuk. The former University of North Dakota standout has seven points in 15 games this season and is doing well to get back on track after injury robbed him of a good chunk of the season. |
 | Tobias Enstrom, D, Atlanta Enstrom has taken a big step back offensively in 2008-09 after posting 38 points as a rookie in 2007-08. Granted, he wasn't much of a scorer with five goals and has never been in his career. But Enstrom posted 33 assists last season and showed solid passing skills from the blue line. He signed an extension before the season and the addition of new faces ( Ron Hainsey, Mathieu Schneider, Zach Bogosian, Nathan Oystrick) has really changed the complexion of Enstrom's game. He is still logging well more than 22 minutes per game, but his power-play time has dwindled since December and Enstrom has taken on a more defensive role. It shows in his numbers. He hasn't scored since Nov. 6 and has no points in 10 games. |
You can e-mail us your Fantasy Hockey questions to DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Stockwatch in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.
