The Puck Stops Here: Problem Child Four, Junior Plays Hockey

Sean Avery has finished his treatment program and is playing hockey again. There are still a few hurdles until Avery gets back to the NHL, but he should definitely be on your radar. If you are comfortable with your spot in the standings and have room, Avery may be worth an add right now. Don’t expect immediate results, but look for it to pay dividends in March. When Avery eventually gets back to the NHL he will be worth owning. He can singlehandedly win the PIM every week.

The fact that Avery is playing again is intriguing; whom he is playing for is even more interesting. Avery had no chance of playing again in Dallas and Dallas has no AHL affiliate, so Dallas could choose to send Avery to any team that would take him. Who took him? The Hartford Wolfpack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. That’s right, Avery may find himself back in New York. New York expressed an interest earlier this year and he has found a way to their affiliate. Before returning to action, Avery must clear re-entry waivers. Whichever team grabs Avery from the re-entry waivers will only have to pay half of his remaining salary. I would imagine if nobody claims Avery, the Rangers definitely will. Avery would be a great fit in New York and would be optimal for Avery owners.

It seems as though one of the hottest goalie battles this year has finally ended. Pekka Rinne is now the starting goalie in Nashville and Dan Ellis is his backup. In his last 11 games, Rinne is 7-3-0 with a 2.03 GAA. He also replaced Ellis twice in that span of 11 games. Rinne has found consistency in net and is getting consistent starts. Nashville isn’t a great team but their biggest problem is offense not defense. Rinne is now a must add and should be started as a great third goalie and a solid second goalie.

In other goaltending news, Antero Nittymaki is making things happen for the Flyers. Maki should be considered the number one in Philly right now, but it is still a heated battle. Since the start of January, Maki has outperformed Biron and has earned the starting spot. A sage once said, “a goalie is only as good as the team around him.” For the most part, this is a correct statement. Philly is playing well, Maki is playing well, and things should only get better when Daniel Briere returns from injury.

Let’s move from goaltending battles to the hottest team in the NHL, the Dallas Stars. There are three names that especially standout and may/should be available in your league: Steve Ott, Jere Lehtinen, and Matt Niskanen. Steve Ott is the most likely to retain this kind of production, as he is a blossoming forward with a solid pedigree. It is also not surprising that he is the hottest of the three because of his ability. Niskanen may not keep up his current production, but he is certainly getting every opportunity to do so. He currently is getting top unit power play time and is playing over 20 minutes per game. Lehtinen probably won’t keep up this pace, but you might as well ride out the hot streak. Lehtinen is a smart veteran, but his best days are far behind him and those days weren’t amazing. For now all three should be owned, at least during the hot streak.

I dropped two players that added some controversy in one of my leagues, but I believe the joke is on my opponents. I dropped Shea Weber and Patrick Sharp. There is a better argument that I should have held onto Weber, but he has been very disappointing since his hot start. Weber started the season with 22 points in two months, but since December 1st, he has only ten points including a pointless streak since January 18th. He also is a minus seven in that same span. Nobody would roster a defenseman with those numbers, yet Weber remains owned based purely on his hot start. It’s time to cut bait. Patrick Sharp is similar, but has been even worse. Sharp had 24 points in the first two months, but since December 1st, he only has 15 points. As a forward, that is clearly too little production. Fantasy owners must realize that fantasy sports are a 'what have you done for me lately', and 'what can you do for me tomorrow' kind of game. Don’t let past performance drag your team down today.

I mentioned Jason Blake last week and he has continued his strong play. He should be on rosters in every league...Don’t worry too much about Steve Mason’s IR stint. He has been diagnosed with mono, but played with it for a month. Columbus expects him to play on Friday, hopefully this explains his lackluster stats over the past few week...I am currently watching the Sharks-Pens game and Evgeni Malkin is by far the best player on the ice. It is time for the best in the NHL conversation to switch from Crosby/Ovechkin to Malkin/Ovechkin.

As always, please feel free to leave comments or questions. Until next week, The Puck Stops Here.

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