Yahoo Fantasy Hockey: Why Alex Ovechkin is a stud, Eric Staal a dud

Dobber launched his fantasy hockey website DobberHockey back in 2005 and has been Puck Daddy's resident fantasy hockey 'expert' since 2009.

In a week and a half we have the NHL trade deadline, which is often pretty close to the trade deadline in a lot of fantasy leagues. Two weeks after that - a lot of head-to-head leagues have their playoffs. I took a look at a report (via FantasyHockeyGeek.com) that gave me the top performing skaters (categories: G, A, +/-, SOG, PPPts, HITS) through Jan. 1. The results are surprising. Then again, the Maple Leafs were 13th in the NHL with 45 points in 38 games and look at them now. Can anything really surprise us after that?

Both Tyler Seguin (13th) and Mathieu Perreault (12th) are out long-term with an injury. In both cases it's a real shame. For Seguin, he had a real shot at the scoring title, which would get him into conversations that have words like "Crosby" and "Ovechkin" in them. For Perreault, he's always been in a skilled player with some upside, but most fantasy owners pegged him as a streaky energy player. Here he was, on his way up the scoring list and into 'top player' fantasy status, when suddenly he suffers this "significant" lower-body injury and is out for the season. Will he get that magic back next season?

Nick Foligno at 23 is also a shocker, when you consider that many figured on January 1 he was overachieving and a slowdown was imminent. Apparently not. But the biggest shocker of all isn't a name that is on this list, but rather a name that is not. Sidney Crosby is nowhere to be found. In fact, you have to scan the list all the way down to No.64 before you find No.87. Crosby has just 34 points in his last 40 games.

Studs...

These fellas are wielding a hot stick. Take that into consideration when you go after them in trade talks...

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (15-15-7-22, plus-2, 14 PIM, 42 Hits, 81 SOG, 9 PPPts) - As you already noted in the chart above, Ovy has been showing us exactly why he is the best fantasy hockey player to own in rotisserie and head-to-head formats. And if your confidence in him wavered at all back in December and you traded him, then your lack of patience cost you the win. You don't trade Ovechkin. Ever. You trade "for" him.

John Tavares, New York Islanders (3-4-3-7, plus-3, 2 PIM, 17 SOG, 1 PPPts) - In the absence of Kyle Okposo, Tavares has found chemistry with Josh Bailey and Anders Lee. It will be interesting to see which of his new wingers get pushed aside when Okposo returns. Or will Okposo find himself a new center?

Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars (15-13-13-26, plus-6, 6 PIM, 44 SOG, 6 PPPts) - While he'll never be mistaken for Johnny Hits-a-lot (incredibly just one recorded hit in those 15 games), Spezza has been a juggernaut offensively. And the injury to Seguin has only improved Spezza's short-term outlook.

Duds...

Somebody wake these guys up – their fantasy owners are counting on them...

Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes (9-1-2-3, minus-3, 0 PIM, 27 SOG, 0 PPPts) - Staal is legendary for his second-half surges in which he comes out of his midseason 55-point pace to finish with 65 or 70. We're still, uh, waiting for that to kick in this year.

James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs (16-2-2-4, minus-16, 2 PIM, 17 SOG, 1 PPPts) - It would be a shame to drop such a good, proven player who is in his prime. But JVR is hurting fantasy teams. Not just a little. A lot. He does have a goal in each of his last two games, so perhaps he's coming out of it.

Patrick Sharp, Chicago Blackhawks (9-0-1-1, minus-7, 2 PIM, 21 SOG, 0 PPPts) - Sharp is way too good for this slump to continue at such an extreme. However, he's stuck on a line with Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith, so when he does come out of the slump his production will be mostly power-play based. And that will make his overall production rate somewhat lower than it otherwise would be.

The Wire...

Mostly short-term grabs here, but as always some potential steals...

Frans Nielsen, New York Islanders (3-2-4-6, plus-4, 2 PIM, 3 SOG) - With the influx of quality forwards on this year's Islanders squad, Nielsen has been relegated to a checking line for the most part. But he's one of those players who still manages to get his points and seems a safe bet for 50 despite nearly two fewer minutes of ice time per game than last season. Just 22% owned.

Colin McDonald, New York Islanders (6-2-3-5, plus-3, 40 Hits, 13 SOG, 4 BLKS) - The offense is probably going to dry up, and soon. But that hit total is eye-popping and alone is reason enough for a waiver claim.

Kevin Klein, New York Rangers (5-1-6-7, plus-2, 16 Hits, 4 SOG, 7 BLKS) - This is getting ridiculous. It's Kevin freakin' Klein we're talking about here. But he already has 25 points (a career high) and is on pace for 37. He's also close to his career high in hits, and his blocked shots are on pace to top 140. He's not getting any power-play time, so it's hard to believe that the production will continue, but we've been saying that for months now.

Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators (5-2-5-7, plus-2, 10 Hits, 11 SOG, 2 PPPts) - Unbelievable that he's still just 8% owned, Stone is on pace for 54 points. He has 26 points in his last 32 games. The rookie is the real deal, and the only risk he poses for fantasy owners is his propensity to get injured. Stop hanging onto that "big-named" bum in hopes of a turnaround and pick up Stone right now. This isn't a recommendation, this is me grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking some sense into you.

Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets (10-5-4-9, plus-9, 2 PIM, 31 SOG, 8 Hits) - Atkinson seems to have figured out at even strength, but despite getting plenty of power-play time, none of those nine points have come with the man advantage.

Kevin Hayes, New York Rangers (6-3-4-7, plus-6, 4 Hits, 17 SOG) - It's almost embarrassing that a player 6-2, 205 manages just 44 hits on the season. But what's not embarrassing is the production. And that's been steadily rising as the season wears on.

Andrew Hammond, Ottawa Senators (1-0-0, 2.00 GAA, 0.955 SV%) - Hammond will never be mistaken for a top prospect. But sometimes the situation creates a decent short-term fantasy option, especially with goalies. Craig Anderson has perennially been day-to-day with his injury, seemingly "close" to a return for two weeks now. I don't trust for a minute that we'll see him before the end of February. And Robin Lehner is also out "day-to-day". I don't like Ottawa's track record with that term, so Hammond could be a decent pickup for those in desperate need of a goaltender.

I read the end of my waiver recommendation and I suddenly realize that all of them are based in the Eastern Conference. This wasn't by design, it's just one of those things. So I took another look through my "who's hot" report and couldn't really come up with a better player in the West. Ah well, let the west coast hate mail begin…

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