Five for Fantasy: Whitney springing leaks for Oil
By Michael Hurcomb | Fantasy Writer Follow MichaelWhat is the outlook for Ryan Whitney down the stretch?
Whitney is doing his best to put a positive spin on bad situation, but the veteran defenseman was one of the biggest losers from a Fantasy standpoint at this year's trade deadline.
Aside from the fact the Oilers are terrible in all facets -- including offense (2.43 goals per game) -- another concern is Whitney's health.
He said his surgically-repaired left foot -- which cost him 33 games to start the 2008-09 season -- is fine, but he added he is battling an issue with his right foot. He said it's nothing too serious where it will be a major factor, but we beg to differ.
Whitney has totaled four goals, 29 points and a minus-6 rating in 67 games between the Ducks and Oilers this season. He has no goals and one assist in five games since joining Edmonton.
These numbers are a far cry from the 40-50-point threat Whitney was as late as the 2007-08 season. His poor offensive production and miscues on defense is why Anaheim put him on the trade block -- a little more than a year after Pittsburgh traded the 27-year-old blueliner to the Ducks.
The injury issues are a big reason why Whitney has had such a tragic turn in his career. Not only does he need to fight a physical battle but a mental one as well. He is looking to end the year on a high note and build off that moving forward. It's good Whitney is trying to psyche himself up, but being mentally prepared is only half the battle.
Whitney would be in a better situation if Sheldon Souray wasn't out for the rest of the year. Whitney really thrived in Pittsburgh playing alongside Sergei Gonchar. The pressure wasn't always on Whitney to produce, and we have seen with the likes of Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski the type of positive mentoring role Gonchar has on the younger talent.
Tom Gilbert won't be a bad defensive mate for Whitney, but he is even in the midst of a down campaign. Whitney, who is expected to shoulder most of the power-play burden with Lubomir Visnovsky in Anaheim, might have been better off playing alongside Denis Grebeshekov, but he was dealt to Nashville at the deadline.
Couple the injury issues with the presence of a struggling team and it spells disaster for the Olympian.
Outside of Duncan Keith, which Blackhawks defenseman stands to gain the most due to Brian Campbell's injury?
Two-time MVP Alex Ovechkin has put the Blackhawks in a dicey situation with his questionable hit from behind on Campbell, who could miss the remainder of the season with a reported broken collarbone and broken ribs.
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| With Brian Campbell sidelined, the 'Hawks will need someone to step up in a big way. (Getty Images) |
Campbell was a good puck-moving blueliner, and while finding a similar replacement is unlikely, I look to Kim Johnsson to gain the most from Campbell's unfortunate situation.
Johnsson is still new to the Windy City after coming to Chicago in the trade that sent Cam Barker to Minnesota in February. However, he scored a goal in his first game with Chicago and has begun to log heavy power-play minutes.
It is also worth noting that Johnsson has been below even in just one of eight games with Chicago (plus-7). He was only a plus-3 in 52 games with Minnesota.
The 34-year-old Swede is not on the upswing of his career, but let's not forget that Johnsson was a very good offensive player early in his career. He had three straight seasons of double-digit goals from 2001-04 and was also a regular 40-point threat.
The move to Minnesota really hurt his career because not many players thrive offensively in Jacques Lemaire's defensive system. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville doesn't have a one-dimensional coaching scheme, and Campbell's injury is the perfect opportunity for Johnsson to tap back into his past productivity.
Is Lee Stempniak worth adding in Fantasy?
Raise your hand if you thought Stempniak getting traded from Toronto to Phoenix at the March 3 deadline was insignificant?
Everyone's hand should be raised, including Coyotes general manager Don Maloney.
Maloney felt Stempniak would be a nice secondary scoring option and be a presence from the wing to help make up for the loss of Scottie Upshall (knee). But what Stempniak has done has been totally unexpected.
The Buffalo, N.Y., native has scored in four of five games since donning a Phoenix jersey and has at least one point in each contest. He has a six-game point streak stretching back to his last game with Toronto. He has six goals, two assists and a plus-7 rating in that span.
Stempniak has been a huge disappointment since breaking out for 27 goals and 52 points in his second NHL season in 2006-07 with St. Louis. His recent hot streak just pushed him up over 20 goals for the first time since then, but his overall play has been spotty until his most recent trade.
Maloney parallels Stempniak's recent resurgence to the level he played at during his early years in St. Louis. He calls the 27-year-old forward a "tenacious player" and willing to work in the dirty areas for his points.
Stempniak adds Phoenix has been a really good fit for him, as he has gotten a fresh start since leaving Toronto.
"These are easy guys to live with," he said. "We've developed some good chemistry."
The biggest coup for the Coyotes has been Stempniak's contributions to the league's worst power play. That's what is going to make Stempniak a viable Fantasy option down the stretch. He has already scored twice on the power play since his arrival, and Phoenix has no reason to stop feeding him man-advantage minutes since the previous method wasn't working.
Give us a Fantasy sleeper for the final push?
I think these next few weeks are going to be very vital toward the development of Maple Leafs left wing Nikolai Kulemin.
Here is a kid that came to the NHL in 2008-09 with a lot of expectations after being a late bloomer in Russia. Kulemin scored in two of his first three NHL games, and it appeared he was on his way to NHL stardom like fellow Metallurg alum Evgeni Malkin.
Unfortunately, Kulemin couldn't keep pace. The 6-1, 183-pound winger finished with only 15 goals and 31 points in 73 games as a rookie.
The book on Kulemin is that he is a fast skater with an accurate shot, but most folks didn't believe he would develop into more than a third-line presence. Dave King would probably disagree.
King, who was Kulemin's former Russian coach, arguably has been the most instrumental person in 23-year-old forward's development. He instilled the work ethic in Kulemin and is a reason why the Russian forward works hard in the dirty areas for the puck and plays well with his teammates.
Kulemin was often overshadowed in Russia by Malkin's presence, but now is his time to showcase his skills and silence the critics who don't feel he is a top-six forward.
Toronto has cleaned house since February, which included the departures of left wings Alexei Ponikarovsky and Jason Blake. That has opened up more scoring chances for Kulemin on the left side of the ice, and he is taking advantage.
Kulemin has produced four goals and seven points in his last five games. He has also been even or better for seven straight games (plus-4).
Kulemin has been skating on the top line with Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel, as well as seeing increased power-play minutes. The opportunities appear to be there for Kulemin to make some noise.
Who is the better long-term keeper prospect: Jimmy Howard or Tuukka Rask?
Howard deserves a ton of credit this season for keeping Detroit in the playoff race. If it wasn't for his stellar presence in net and ability to step up in the place of Chris Osgood, then we might not even be talking about Detroit having a chance to add to its postseason glory.
Kudos also to Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, who made the decision to let 2008-09 backup Ty Conklin flee to St. Louis and replace him with the much-cheaper Howard, who paid his dues for many seasons in the AHL.
With that said, I still feel Rask is the better long-term Fantasy keeper.
My biggest concern with Howard is that he has yet to ink a long-term contract and has a few big-time prospects -- Daniel Larsson and Thomas McCollum -- nipping at his heels. Also, what's to stop Detroit from signing a marquee free agent since both Howard and Osgood have expiring contracts next season?
As for Rask, he does have Tim Thomas standing in his way. However, Boston seemed eager to move the 35-year-old goalie at this year's trade deadline since Rask proved to be a viable and less expensive option in net (Thomas is due to make $5 million a season through 2012-13).
Also, I feel Rask is the better prospect. He performed well during his time in the Finnish league. He outperformed Howard in the AHL and has slightly better numbers in most categories than his Detroit counterpart.
The Red Wings and Bruins have already made great investments in both goalies, but it just seems Boston might be more inclined to make the 23-year-old Rask a franchise netminder than Detroit will do the same with Howard.
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