Blue Line Buzz: Not Very En-Tyson

Buy-Low Candidates

With 21 points in 29 games, Zach Werenski has already set a new Blue Jackets record for points by a rookie defenseman and is well on his way to shattering two other franchise records: points by a defenseman (set by James Wisniewski with 51 in 2014) and points by a rookie (set by Rick Nash with 39 in 2003). Doubters will see a kid who's gotten off to a quick start with a second-half full of growing pains, but optimists will see what I see: an excellent two-way defenseman who has "franchise" written all over him.

Torey Krug is on pace for his fourth consecutive 30-point season, but for a player of his ability, it's certainly an underwhelming total. However, he's not the only Bruin struggling on offense (ahem, Patrice Bergeron), and his 58.2 percent Corsi For is the best mark among defensemen who've played at least 300 minutes, while his 98.2 PDO suggests some pretty poor puck luck. His 102 shots on goal are third among defensemen, so it's just a matter of time before the pucks start going in.

The Stars continue to be a bit of a mess, but really through no fault of his own, John Klingberg remains stuck in negative territory with a minus-7 rating through 31 games thanks to poor goaltending. More troublingly, he has just 15 points in 31 games; although that puts him on pace for close to 40 points, it would be an 18-point drop in production compared to last season. The underlying stats still look good, and as the Stars get healthy and find their groove while incorporating high-end youngsters Brett Ritchie and Esa Lindell, their offense should finish in the NHL's top 10, with Klingberg playing his role in the resurgence.

Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth combined to finish first in even-strength save percentage last year with an impressive .935 mark, but the same tandem (along with Anthony Stolarz, who's actually helped) has a .910 mark so far this season, fourth-worst in the league. That's masked just how good rookie Ivan Provorov has been – he has 14 points in 33 games with a minus-1 rating and currently leads all Flyers defensemen in ice time. Most are still enamored with Shayne Gostisbehere, but with Ghost's inconsistent defensive play and a recent hand injury, Provorov has a good chance to finish ahead of him.

Odds are that Troy Stecher and Ben Hutton are still sitting on your league's waiver wire, and even though both have played big roles for the Canucks this year, their responsibilities will likely increase with Erik Gudbranson out with a long-term wrist injury. Like all young defensemen, their play can be uneven from shift to shift, but both are excellent skaters who get pucks on net and take advantage of every passing or skating lane. Without Alex Edler (finger) and Philip Larsen (upper body), they're currently 1-2 in ice time and power-play time per game.

Sell-High Candidates

Shea Weber is an excellent defenseman, but he generally doesn't hit the scoresheet quite as often as Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson. He had a hot start to the season, but Weber has cooled off considerably since. Though he remains a good candidate to score 20 goals (he's nearly halfway there already), there are some cracks starting to show on the Habs' roster.

The Avalanche continue to be a dumpster fire this season, and Tyson Barrie isn't immune to it. Through 30 games, he has a respectable 13 points and 69 shots on goal, but his minus-18 rating is second worst in the entire league. The upside is that he's yet to score a power-play goal, so there's some potential positive regression there, but that plus-minus could get worse even if he starts getting it done on the man advantage, and Barrie alone can't improve the Avs' 21st-ranked power play. Sell him while his name still carries some weight.

Studs of the Week

Justin Schultz, Penguins – He's been excellent for the Pens all year, and I'm not being facetious at all. Miscast as a No. 1 defenseman when the Oilers signed him, Schultz has excelled under Mike Sullivan with a smaller role and less pressure, but he's also really stepped it up a notch since Kris Letang (lower body) was placed on injured reserve. Schultz bagged two goals and three assists this past week, and he owns 18 points with a plus-18 (!!!) rating for the season. Both Schultz and teammate Ian Cole make their Big Board debuts this week – I just couldn't ignore them any longer.

Victor Hedman, Lightning – The Bolts have lost five of their past six amidst criticism that they're too soft, but Hedman has rightfully escaped some of the blame with a goal and five assists in his past three games. Despite these accomplishments, three of Tampa's five losses have been one-goal games, and two of the losses came against lowly Vancouver.

Matt Niskanen, Capitals – The Caps were 3-0 when Niskanen averaged over 22 minutes per game and scored at least a point, but that streak was snapped Saturday, when he logged just 19:58 in a 2-1 loss to Montreal. A dependable defenseman, Niskanen isn't really known for his offense even though he's scored at least 30 points in each of the past three seasons, but he's been producing a lot, helping the Caps claw to within six points of the Rangers for the division lead (with four games in hand).

Justin Faulk, Hurricanes – He got off to a monstrously slow start, but Faulk has notched at least one point in four of his past six games, and he led all defensemen in shots on goal this past week with 16. He delivered a three-point, nine-shot effort in a ridiculous 8-6 comeback win against Vancouver, and has played at least 21 minutes in every game since skating just 18:37 against Tampa on Dec. 4.

Jake Gardiner, Maple Leafs – Morgan Rielly gets the spotlight and the praise, but Gardiner's also a very good skating defenseman in his own right. He's not franchise material, but he's a legitimate top-four blueliner with the ability to pitch in on the power play. Gardiner's currently on a five-game point streak with two goals and three assists, and he finished second among defensemen with 13 shots this past week, behind only Rielly (16) and Faulk (16).

Duds of the Week

Shayne Gostisbehere, Flyers – Is his hand bothering him? He sat out a 1-0 win against Detroit due to a swollen hand, and in the following two games, Ghost fired just four shots on net and failed to register a single point. With just 16 points this season, he's been a little disappointing, but Gostisbehere is still a top-flight fantasy asset.

Shea Weber, Canadiens – Kudos to him for toughing out a game after taking a slap shot to the leg, but he's now gone nine games without a single point. After a hot start that made Marc Bergevin look like a genius, Weber and the Habs have lost five of their past nine. Something tells me the second half of the season will be a lot tougher for Montreal.

Mark Giordano, Flames – The Flames were on a roll with a six-game win streak, then lost two straight games, getting outscored by a total of 10-4 with Giordano finishing minus-2 both times. Giordano's been far more effective than his numbers might suggest, and with just three goals and 12 points on 70 shots this season, it's just a matter of time before the puck starts bouncing his way.

Keith Yandle, Panthers – The front-office drama (with potentially more changes coming, as Panthers owner Vincent Viola has been nominated as Secretary of the Army by president-elect Donald Trump) has been the biggest story out of Florida this season, and the prognosis still doesn't look good; they have just two wins in their past eight games. Yandle had just one assist this past week and just three assists in his past 12 games. More like Keith Yawndle, right?

Mark Borowiecki, Senators – Bless his heart because he tries hard and sticks up for his teammates, but the hometown boy who played Junior A in nearby Smiths Falls and then in the NCAA with Clarkson was literally unable to stand up for himself when he took a spill and lost his steel against the Devils. The burly 27-year-old has just one assist in 30 games this season and 15 points in 177 career games, so he's rarely on the fantasy radar, but you can't help but watch this and just laugh.

Recommended Pickup

Anthony DeAngelo, Coyotes – Schultz, Gardiner (both featured above) and Ivan Provorov (featured last week) continue to be good pickups, but since getting recalled from the AHL, DeAngelo has seen his ice time increase from 17:52 against Nashville to 21:36 against Minnesota. He's a dynamic offensive defenseman who's still learning the nuances of the game, but as he continues to provide offense and run the Arizona power play, he seems more and more likely to nail down a consistent roster spot by the end of the season.

The Big Board

Notable omissions:
Kris Letang, PIT (lower body)
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI
Mark Giordano, CGY
Aaron Ekblad, FLA
Morgan Rielly, TOR