Blue Line Buzz: Hedman Pass

Injuries, injuries, injuries. They're as much a headache for teams as they are for fantasy owners and the timing couldn't be worse with just a few months to go left in the regular season. Depth is no longer a luxury as much as it is a necessity nowadays, and teams just can't assume they'll stay healthy for a full 82 games. The games are getting tougher and tougher, and the long schedules take no prisoners. This past week has been a nightmare for a few teams looking to stay in the playoff race.

The Habs lost a big piece in Jeff Petry (lower body), though they're quite lucky P.K. Subban has re-found his scoring touch. Petry's been criticized for not living up to expectations, especially for a strong-skating, right-hand shot who many believe has unrealized offensive potential. But he still plays a lot under Michel Therrien, who already leans on Subban and Andrei Markov a little too much, and his absence will put much more pressure on Nathan Beaulieu and Mark Barberio, two other defensemen who can supply a little more offense than Alexei Emelin or Tom Gilbert. Without Carey Price, the Habs will need to score a lot of goals to win games.

Vancouver recently lost its No. 1 defenseman in Alexander Edler to a fractured fibula and was forced to dress an ineffective Yannick Weber instead. It's true that Edler's been a frustrating player sometimes because of his immense talent but limited production, but anytime a team loses a guy who logs 20 to 25 minutes per game, it's going to hurt. Chris Tanev is a steady player, but it would be unfair to ask him to lead a defensive corps. If Dan Hamhuis is dealt, the Canucks will have to lean on Ben Hutton, because no one else on the team can carry the puck with as much poise. Luca Sbisa turns the puck over far too much, while Alex Biega and Matt Bartkowski are third-pairing defensemen at best.

The Blues may end up having to keep Kevin Shattenkirk with news of the knee injury suffered by Alex Pietrangelo, who's currently wearing the extra 'A' on his jersey. Pietrangelo's recovery is reportedly progressing faster than expected, but his absence leaves a huge void. The good news is that Colton Parayko continues to be a revelation this season, and he stands to benefit the most from Pietrangelo's absence.

Ryan McDonagh (concussion) continues to be out of the lineup for the Rangers, though he's been practicing. Recovery from concussions are notoriously hard to predict, so while fantasy owners have to wish McDonagh returns sooner than later, so far Dylan McIlrath and the rest of the Rangers' blueliners have managed to do without, maintaining their second-place position in the Metropolitan Division. McDonagh was having one of his best seasons before the injury, though; if the Rangers want to go deep into the playoffs, they will need their captain to guide them.

Ex-Ranger Michael Del Zotto (upper body) also finds himself out of the lineup, and the Flyers are thanking their lucky stars Shayne Gostisbehere (more below) has been such a productive member of their blue line. He'll be the biggest beneficiary in Del Zotto's absence, and it wouldn't be surprising if Dave Hakstol decides to keep Gostisbehere on the power play for the full two minutes to give Mark Streit a break once in a while. Andrew MacDonald has been called up to replace Del Zotto, but a minus-2 performance in just 17:40 of playing time may force the Flyers to make another call-up, with 6-foot-7 Samuel Morin or former second-round pick Mark Alt the likeliest candidates.

Last week's top five performers:

Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI – With a power-play assist Sunday against the Rangers, 'Ghost' is now the current record holder for most consecutive games with a point by a rookie defenseman, breaking Barry Beck's record set way back in the 1977-78 season with the Colorado Rockies. Despite starting in the AHL this season, Gostisbehere is making a run at the Calder Trophy for the league's top rookie and has arguably made a bigger impact than every rookie except Connor McDavid. Gostisbehere now has 31 points in 37 games with the Flyers, yet still remains on the waiver wire in roughly one-quarter of Yahoo leagues.

Victor Hedman, TAM – Hedman's 30th assist of the season in a 2-1 loss against the Blues on Sunday extended his point streak to three games and gives him seven points in six games for the month of February. Despite a slow start, the Lightning are just three points away from gaining second place in the Atlantic Division, which would help them avoid a tight wild-card race and ensure home-ice advantage in the playoffs. Jon Cooper's squad has a division-leading 18 wins at home so far this season.

John Klingberg, DAL – It's been a while since Klingberg made the list, but he's picked it up again after a relatively quiet January, scoring four points in three games this past week. The Stars have won every single game in February when Klingberg scores a point, with the only blemish a 5-1 loss to Chicago in which Klingberg was held without a point and finished with a minus-3 rating. With 47 points on the season and climbing, it's conceivable Klingberg finishes the season with more than 60, something Sergei Zubov was only able to do once in 12 seasons with Dallas.

Brent Burns, SJ – Chewbacca had two monster games this past week with back-to-back two-assist efforts against Arizona and Calgary. He continues to be the Sharks' best player this season; along with four assists in his past three games, he's also fired 18 pucks on net, giving him a total of 231, trailing only Alex Ovechkin's 266.

Drew Doughty, LA – Doughty was held off the scoresheet in two of four games this past week, but still managed to score his 300th career point. Barring a collapse by the Kings or a late-season surge by Anaheim or San Jose, Doughty & Co. should have the division title locked up. Doughty has now scored at least 30 points in five of seven seasons in the NHL, but remains without a Norris Trophy win. He's a fantasy stalwart due to his dependability, but doesn't quite have the same offensive upside as Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban or Burns.

Top five trending up:

Dion Phaneuf, OTT – By now you've probably seen the replays; Phaneuf was horrendous in his Sens debut, who are playing on his strong side rather than this preferred right side. He's long preferred the right side because it's easier to get his one-timers off, but he's not really an elite shooter anymore (six goals in 124 games); rather, he's a second-pairing defenseman who probably has more physicality than offense to offer. However, his performance since then has been quite good, with three assists in two games; most importantly, he gives the Sens a decent second pair that takes some pressure off Erik Karlsson. Like Jay Bouwmeester, Phaneuf's value now lies in his durability and ability to eat minutes. His fantasy value could see a slight bump once he gets more comfortable.

Mathew Dumba, MIN – The Wild are having trouble scoring, but certainly not Dumba. The talented young blueliner had two assists in three games this past week, including 12 shots on goal and four hits. He's now played over 20 minutes in three of his past four games, and even if he's not going to be a major contributor for the rest of the season, he's a very intriguing target for fantasy owners next season. The best news after the firing of Mike Yeo is that interim head coach John Torchetti is familiar with Dumba, who scored 14 points in 20 games last season under him at AHL Iowa.

Dougie Hamilton, CGY – Show me how you Dougie! With three points in his past three games, Hamilton is finally delivering the goods, including a five-shot, five-hit game on the road against San Jose. Say what you want about the reffing in that game, but the Flames have been playing better of late. With Dennis Wideman serving a suspension, Hamilton's role has gotten bigger as expected. He still has a long way to go before convincing fantasy owners he's worth picking up, however, with just 24 points on the season.

Frank Corrado, TOR – Trading Phaneuf paved the way for Corrado to play more regularly, as he's been a healthy scratch for much of the year since getting claimed off waivers from Vancouver. The Leafs were unwilling to send him to the AHL because they would risk losing him on waivers and maintained they had a season-long plan for him, and it looks like that plan is coming to fruition with Corrado playing at least 15 minutes in each of his past three games, including a two-assist effort against Calgary.

Cam Fowler, ANA – Fowler notched two assists in an impressive 3-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago, his first points since returning from injury. Now that the Ducks have finally found their groove, Fowler should be a beneficiary on offense, especially if he can find a way to put more pucks on net. He has just three goals on 70 shots this season, giving him a shooting percentage of just 4 percent, so odds are he's going to find the back of the net more often.

Top five trending down:

Alex Petrovic, FLA – It's been a tough week for Petrovic, who lost three straight fights in the same game against Buffalo's Evander Kane and then a fourth to Nashville's Anthony Bitetto. He's a serviceable bottom-pairing defenseman, but for a guy who needs to assert his physicality in order to be effective, he hasn't been very effective this past week. He has some fantasy value when he racks up the penalty minutes, but nothing more than that.

Torey Krug, BOS – Krug hasn't scored since Dec. 5 and is going through the toughest stretch of his career as a pro. He has a minus-4 rating in his past four games and just two assists over his past 10 games. Zdeno Chara remains the Bruins' most productive defenseman, and although Krug still plays at least 20 minutes a game, Kevan Miller and Colin Miller are making a strong push for bigger roles. Krug has just 24 points on the season and will need to pick up his scoring pace if he wishes to reach the 40-point plateau again.

Matt Niskanen, WAS – Niskanen and Karl Alzner were stalwarts with John Carlson out of the lineup, but the veteran's has again taken a backseat upon Carlson's return. He has 23 points on the season, still a respectable total, but with Carlson back, Barry Trotz will ask Niskanen to be a shutdown defenseman once again, which lowers his fantasy value. He has just one goal and one assist in his past eight games.

Anton Stralman, TB – Despite being owned in over half of Yahoo leagues, Stralman likely isn't providing much value for fantasy owners. Since scoring two goals against Pittsburgh on Feb. 5, he's been held without a point, and he finished this past week with a minus-3 rating. Stralman's a strong two-way defenseman, but infrequent offensive contributions make him a dicey fantasy play.

Morgan Rielly, TOR – His lack of production will probably be short-lived, but Rielly hasn't quite picked up the offensive slack since Phaneuf's departure. He has just one assist in his past eight games, and while he's generating some offense and putting pucks on net, the bounces just aren't going his way. Still, with 23 points in 54 games, he should crack 30 this season for the first time in his career – and probably not the last.