This article is part of our Neutral Zone Wrap series.
Vacations should be treated as a luxury. When you have the chance to break away, make it worth your while. Do the touristy things and have some fun. Don't go to a happening city like New Orleans and spend half your time indoors playing in a Scrabble tournament. That is, unless you can run the table for most of the event and end up earning a nice bit of change simply for knowing useless words.
Like out-of-town trips, multi-category performers should be used whenever possible to maximize their fantasy value. You know the ones: decent in points, but also helpful with secondary categories like penalty minutes, hits, and blocked shots. Don't stash these types of players on your bench, hoping for better opportunities down the road. Use them as much as you can now; worry about position limits later in the season. After all, their value won't increase if left in the original packaging.
NHL organizations also value this commodity in their personnel, although some of the output will never be found on any scoresheet. While heart, grit, and desire can only be expressed as intangibles, they are important in determining overall worth. Skaters can be naturally gifted and physically able, but nothing will happen if they exert the minimum amount of energy and display a negative attitude. Strong in mind, strong in body.
Let's look at five more teams and see who can contribute in combination, who's one-dimensional, who's giving full effort, and who needs to try a little
Vacations should be treated as a luxury. When you have the chance to break away, make it worth your while. Do the touristy things and have some fun. Don't go to a happening city like New Orleans and spend half your time indoors playing in a Scrabble tournament. That is, unless you can run the table for most of the event and end up earning a nice bit of change simply for knowing useless words.
Like out-of-town trips, multi-category performers should be used whenever possible to maximize their fantasy value. You know the ones: decent in points, but also helpful with secondary categories like penalty minutes, hits, and blocked shots. Don't stash these types of players on your bench, hoping for better opportunities down the road. Use them as much as you can now; worry about position limits later in the season. After all, their value won't increase if left in the original packaging.
NHL organizations also value this commodity in their personnel, although some of the output will never be found on any scoresheet. While heart, grit, and desire can only be expressed as intangibles, they are important in determining overall worth. Skaters can be naturally gifted and physically able, but nothing will happen if they exert the minimum amount of energy and display a negative attitude. Strong in mind, strong in body.
Let's look at five more teams and see who can contribute in combination, who's one-dimensional, who's giving full effort, and who needs to try a little harder.
Most of the U.S. Northeast may be blanketed in snow, but the Avs are burying their opponents. The third season's a little more charmed for Nathan MacKinnon (six points, plus-4 and 43 shots in the last 10). So much for the belief Carl Soderberg (eight in nine) couldn't earn his five-year contract. Gabriel Landeskog (33 points, 48 PIM, 108 shots, 71 hits) is among the league's benchmarks for multi-tool forwards. At 36, Alex Tanguay (five in eight, almost two minutes of power-play time) provides more than enough. There have been couple bumps along the way (like a 3.28 GAA and .887 save mark through the first two months) for Semyon Varlamov, but he's settling in with four straight wins, leaving Calvin Pickard (2.40, .922 in seven appearances) to pick up whatever scraps remain.
A little energy resurgence is exactly what the Lightning needed. Two-thirds of the Triplets are intact, with Nikita Kucherov (28 points, including 12 on the power play, in 22 games) the class of the field. He couldn't break through early on, yet Vladislav Namestnikov (10 in eight, plus-10) is having no problems retaining a regular role now. Valtteri Filppula (11 in 12) is looking like his old Red Wing self, while Ryan Callahan (one in 11, minus-5) is a shadow of some former Ranger incarnation. Victor Hedman is a beast (10 in eight, 24 shots, 20 blocked shots); there's no better way to describe him. For all the promise he displayed in last year's playoffs (six points), Nikita Nesterov (five in 26 with Tampa, four in 10 with Syracuse) is struggling to keep up with the pack.
Maybe the Preds are looking ahead to hosting the All-Star Game, as their recent on-ice product (21 goals in 10) has looked weak. Wait a little while before anointing Ryan Johansen the savior down the middle (although a debut of nine in eight – including five power-play points – will do). Mike Ribeiro (four in 10, minus-3, down between 17-18 minutes) has lost his magic touch. Despite recent struggles and setbacks (three in 13 since returning from a lengthy lower-body problem), Mike Fisher remains a fixture in all situations. The Preds' 2014 first-rounder, Kevin Fiala, recently earned a promotion (and promptly scored his first NHL goal), but was soon scratched. Back on the blue line, the vacancy left by Seth Jones provides more room for Ryan Ellis (points in three of five) and a chance to shine for Mattias Ekholm (two goals Saturday, one on the man advantage).
The sky isn't falling, and the Pens aren't dead yet. Poolies were fretting over Phil Kessel and his initial inertia (six points in his first 11), but those fears have been forgotten to some degree (10 in 11, but only three goals in 14). Patric Hornqvist also opened quietly (four in 14 to start the season), but has turned around his fortunes (four goals, nine assists in 11). A bust in Anaheim (12 in 43, minus-10), Carl Hagelin (assists in three of four since arriving) gets an immediate boost in Pittsburgh alongside Evgeni Malkin. Conor Sheary has torn up the AHL (78 in 86 over two years), and he's once again trying to do the same in the bigs. Trevor Daley will never be the offensive upstart he was in Dallas (peaking at 16 goals and 38 points last season), but the latest numbers (four in five) look promising. With injuries to a couple D-men, the just-recalled Derrick Pouliot (23 in 37 down in the AHL) must use his offensive gifts properly or risk returning to the minors.
The Canucks shot out of the gates, but have settled closer to expectations. Radim Vrbata has been a popular guy when discussing first-half fantasy disappointments (22 in 47, but 162 shots). No Henrik Sedin (mystery ailment, back next week) or Brandon Sutter (out over two months with abdominal strain, should return Tuesday) means Jared McCann (scoreless in 10 of 11) temporarily slides into the top pivot spot while Linden Vey (four in five, bouncing between power-play lines) continues his regular duties. Alex Burrows (three in 27 with 20 PIM) has wandered through the lineup with very little direction. There's no debate as to Alexander Edler's reign among Canuck rearguards (20 points, 44 PIM, 75 hits, 102 blocks), leaving Chris Tanev (goal, five assists in 11) a distant second.
