NHL Thursday: LandShark's Lineup and Skaters to Avoid on DS

by landsharkhockey Last Updated 2012-03-08 06:05:36

The NHL season is a long one. At this point in the year, just looking at a player’s year-to-date stats do not tell the whole story. Players rise and fall as the year progresses, and you don’t want to load up your Draftstreet roster with a handful of once-greats who have hit the wall. This week, I’ll focus in on the players who have dried up in terms of fantasy production over the last month or so. We’ll give a pass to those who have missed significant time due to injury and call out those without excuse for tying up our precious cap space.

Colin Greening (OTT)
Once again, I’m picking on a rookie. But this guy is 25 years old, so he can take it. Greening was having himself a fine rookie season, even winning fastest skater honors at the All-Star game. Since then, he’s disappeared completely, seeing his playing time slump to under 10 minutes a game recently. He has just 1 assist in the last 14 games, making him a non-factor in daily fantasy play. Don’t be fooled by memories of last fall. Winter has not been kind to Greening.

Victor Stalberg (CHI)
Through parts of December and early January, saw his role and production spike with the Hawks. Those days are now gone. He’s been held scoreless in the last 8 games and has just 1 point in his last 13. Similar story to the rookies, as he’s down to third-line minutes for Chicago. Move along…

Craig Smi†h(NAS)
Smith was a nice surprise early in the season, even scoring goals in his first two NHL contests. He had 7 goals a month into the season. He’s now up to 12. Over the last 13 games, Smith has recorded just 1 point. His time has significantly been reduced since the new arrivals showed up at the deadline. He logged a season-low 5 minutes in a game against the Sharks last week.

Todd Bertuzzi (DET)
At age 37, Bertuzzi is no longer expected to score each night, but once a month would be nice. He hasn’t registered a goal since February 4th. He’s averaging around 2 shots a game, despite seeing his fair share of ice time on most nights. If Detroit had better options, he’d be on the fourth line by now.

Brad Marchand (BOS)
Since serving his 5 game suspension in early January, Marchand hasn’t been the same player. The last 9 games have netted just 3 points. He’s riding a 4-game draught at the moment.

Brooks Laich (WAS)
Laich was enjoying a pretty good season through the first half. Since the coaching change took place in Washington, his role has been reduced, along with his fantasy value. Since Christmas, he has 10 points in 32 games. His ice time is all over the map, but rarely tops 17 minutes a game. Laich doesn’t have regular linemates to play with, which doesn’t help in forming chemistry.

Cody Hodgson (BUF)
Another rookie that seems to have tired out early. Hodgson was producing at an impressive clip through the first half of the year, despite earning very few minutes with the Canucks. His point production has slowed down considerably in recent weeks, with just 3 points in 16 games. He’s gone 5 games without a point now, including his first three contests with Buffalo. So much for a good first impression.

Jiri Hudler (DET)
Hudler continues to get playing time in Detroit, but the results just haven’t been there. Over the last 14 games, he’s been held scoreless 11 times. 6 of those games saw him held without a shot. That’s not a recipe for fantasy production.

Rene Bourque (MON)
How’s that trade working out up there in Montreal? In his last 9 games with the Flames, Bourque contributed 5 goals to the cause. Since putting on his Habs sweater, has managed just 4 goals in 22 games. His assist total since coming on board? 2. Apparently getting suspended and traded in the same week has an bad effect on a player.

Karl Alzner (D-WAS)
True he wasn’t drafted for his point production, but that didn’t stop him from being a valuable contributor early in the year. At this point, he’s starting fall into form as a “shut-down” defenseman. That would be 15 games now without a single point on the board.

Josh Gorges (D-MON)
Gorges was a go-to value pick early in the season. Lately, the captain has refused to participate in the offensive side of the game, going 16 games without a point.

John-Michael Liles (D-TOR)
I said I wouldn’t pick on guys who were hurt, but he’s been back from the concussion problems for 15 games now. During that time, he’s recorded 1 lonely point.

Tuukka Rask (G-BOS)
Rask hasn’t won a game since January 16. The Bruins have turned to him just 6 times since then with very bad results.

Corey Crawford (G-CHI)
Crawford has once again lost his gig to Ray Emery through a stretch of spotty play. He’s been one of the most inconsistent fantasy options in net this season.

NHL Thursday DraftStreet Roster: LandSharkHockey

So you know who I won’t be playing tonight. Let me fill you in on who I will be placing on my roster. First off, there are a ton of games on the schedule tonight, and no obvious goalie choices leap off the page. When this happens, I tend to go cheap. Bryzgalov and Brodeur seem acceptable and are on the lower end of the scale. I’ll pencil in Brodeur and go from there. In terms of teams to consider for stacking, I like Tampa Bay, New Jersey, Dallas and Edmonton, as they all face questionable defenses tonight.