antti niemi Archives | DraftBuddy.com

Before you know it, it’ll be time for all you hockey diehards to snap out of Olympic mode and back into NHL fantasy mode.

With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, so too are most fantasy leagues’ trade deadlines. Now is the time to cut dead weight and acquire the players who will produce down the stretch. We’ll provide our usual “Buy, Hold, Sell” candidates, as well as some advice regarding the remaining schedule.

The Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Atlanta Thrashers are tied for most games remaining at 22—something to consider when trading or scanning the waiver wire for skaters this late in the season.

For goalies, who typically rack up most of their points through wins and shutouts, home ice is particularly important. The Thrashers have the most remaining home games left at 14, while the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars are tied for second most with 12 contests left on home ice.

In the Eastern Conference, the Flyers have the easiest schedule over the last month and a half, with 14 matchups against teams not currently in a playoff spot. In the West, the Predators have the most favorable schedule, with 13 games against non-playoff opponents.

Here are some specific players to consider adding or dropping:

Buy

Antti Niemi, G, CHI—The Finnish rookie was starting more often than veteran Cristobal Huet heading into the Olympic break, and with a 17-4-1 record this season, the starts are well-deserved. The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the NHL’s strongest teams this season, so check your waiver wire for the 57 percent owned backstopper.

Steve Downie, RW, TB—He’s quietly putting together an impressive season, producing across a variety of fantasy categories. It helps that he and Steven Stamkos have developed some explosive chemistry.

T.J. Oshie, C, STL—Flashy with a bit of an edge, Oshie is another player who will put up numbers across the board. He had 8 points in as many games heading into the Olympic break, and his omission from Team USA could help feed the fire down the stretch.

Jack Johnson, D, LA—Though -12 for the season, Johnson was +6 in his last 6 games before the break, while also posting a goal and five assists. He’s been one of Team USA’s best defenders so far during the Olympics, and the experience he’s acquiring should serve him well in his return to NHL action.

Hold

At this point of the season, the only players you should be waiting on are goalies like Cristobal Huet and Semyon Varlamov, who may or may not receive quality starts down the stretch. Don’t waste time “holding” or “holding out” on skaters, unless you’re in a keeper league.

For keeper leaguers looking to rebuild for next season, Brandon Yip, Brandon Sutter, Jamie Benn, Tyler Bozak, Cal O’Reilly, and P.K. Subban have impressed of late and could be on the verge of a breakout season in 2010-11.

Sell

Tomas Kaberle, D, TOR—His four points in 10 games before the break isn’t terrible, but it’s not the explosive production we’ve seen from him previously this season. His ice-time has also been cut significantly since the Dion Phaneuf acquisition, and the Leafs have a slew of tough matchups down the stretch.

Wojtek Wolski, LW, COL—It’ll still be a career year for Wolski, but his numbers will be a far-cry from the pace he had going through December. Float him out there in an offer for Downie or Oshie.

Jason Blake, LW, ANA—He’s owned in an astounding 62 percent of pools, but I’d bet that there are better waiver wire players in each and every one of those pools. Don’t waste your time putting Blake on the trade block—you won’t get any offers. Drop him.

This is our last Stock Watch report of 2009, lucky number 13. Here is the latest batch of players to buy, sell or hold.

BUY

Niclas Bergfors, RW/LW, NJ – In deeper leagues, Bergfors is looking like a solid add if you’re in need of scoring. The 2005 first rounder was reasonably productive in the AHL last year, where he had 22 goals and 51 points in 66 games. With 16 points in his last 22 games with the Devils, he looks to have established himself well in a complementary offensive role.

Devin Setoguchi, RW/LW, SJ – To say that Setoguchi has underachieved so far this year would be a massive understatement. His season totals are certainly disappointing, but two lengthy stays on the IR have affected his rhythm. He was recently thrown back on Joe Thornton’s line as the Sharks attempt to spread out the offense a little. Look for him to rediscover his touch in a hurry.

Thomas Vanek, LW, BUF – This is as good a “buy-low” opportunity as you’re going to get for the goal-scoring Austrian. He’s on pace for a measly 53 points, and is currently day-to-day with what the Sabres are calling a minor abdominal injury.

We are getting to the point in our fantasy seasons where a lot of dissatisfied owners are looking to make major roster shakeups. Vanek is causing someone in your pool a lot of frustration, and you might be able to snatch him up at a bargain. The Sabres have been playing well, and if Vanek gets it going, they should be a major force in the East.

HOLD

Patric Hornqvist, RW/LW, NSH – Hornqvist lit it up last week, and was named one of the league’s three stars. His season totals are decent, if unspectacular, but he is on pace for a 23 goal season. He’s shown decent offensive ability in Sweden and in the AHL, so let’s wait and see if he’s worth an add in deeper leagues.

Jaroslav Halak, G, MTL – Brian Boucher just got hurt, and he probably wasn’t the answer for the Flyers anyway. Halak may not get moved, but at the same time, he is probably available as a free agent in your pool. If you’ve got someone you’re itching to drop, grab Halak and see if he gets traded in the coming days.

Antti Niemi, G, CHI – Poor guy. He’s played some spectacular hockey this season, and his stats are flat-out ridiculous – 1.76 GAA and .927 save percentage over 9 starts. He’s also posting some Cy Young-like numbers with 7 wins in those 9 starts. Unfortunately, he’s going to be hard-pressed to steal the starter’s role away from Cristobal Huet, especially when the latter is coming off back to back shutouts. Niemi probably won’t have trade value in anything but the very deepest of leagues, but could reward owners in a big way if he gets moved to a team like, say, the Flyers.

SELL

Vaclav Prospal, C, NYR – Over his last 12 games, Prospal is -5 with just five points; none of them goals. I mentioned him as a prime sell candidate here awhile ago, when I thought he had some value. He now has very little, and I don’t expect he will gain any down the stretch.

Zach Bogosian, D, ATL – It pains me to write this, since I really thought Bogosian was a prime break-out candidate this year. He seems to be stuck behind a glut of puck-moving defencemen for playing time (Ron Hainsey, Tobias Enstrom, and Pavel Kubina), and he’s only seeing a little over a minute of power-play ice time per game. That being said, he does have 8 goals, and might have some value as a throw-in on a bigger deal.

Stock Watch—Niemi, Downie and Keeper Targets

Week 13 Fantasy Hockey Stock Watch