So what better time to get ready for that final push to the playoffs and beyond than the 2-week fantasy hiatus that begins Valentines Day. That break from fantasy action will give all of you owners plenty of time to scout the best available players and make the necessary free agent signings to get your team the best finish possible.
Who's the best of what's left? Below are my top-5 players likely to still be free agents in your fantasy leagues. Each of them is under 50% ownership in ESPN leagues as of this posting.
5. Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW, TOR (47.7% ESPN Ownership)
With many of the forwards who started the season with the Maple Leafs off to Calgary and Anaheim, it would make sense that somebody would step up and take charge of the Toronto offense, right? Well, that person is Phil Kessel...but Ponikarovsky has always been a 50-60 points-a-year guy and his production could see a slight up-tick if he continues to see a bulk of his time playing with Kessel and seeing first line minutes and powerplay time.
Alexei currently sets at 19 goals and 41 points, but it is not too crazy to think he can add 20-25 more to that point total given the circumstances.
4. Jussi Jokinen, LW, CAR (35.0%)
If you were a Carolina Hurricanes forward early this season and your name wasn't Eric Staal, you were to be avoided like the plague. The 'Canes were dreadful early this year, and many forwards on the club were combining inconsistent offensive numbers with poor defensive end coverage. But since goalie Cam Ward returned in late December, the team has righted ship and many of its players are serviceable fantasy options.
Jokinen is a gritty player who is seeing plenty of top-6 time with the likes of Staal and Ray Whitney, and his point totals are vastly improved. He has 20 goals on top of 24 assists thus far and has even raised his plus/minus to +4, so he isn't even a liability in leagues that use that stat. His time on ice has been close to 20 minutes a game for the past 2 weeks, and he's fired 3 or more shots on goal in 6 of his last 8.
One point of concern if you do turn to Jussi is the trade rumors swirling around Whitney. When, not if, Ray is sent to a playoff contender, Jokinen will see more play with the inexperienced young talent the Hurricanes have, and his scoring could suffer a bit.
3. Brian Elliot, G, OTT (44.8%)
A couple weeks into this season many were singing the praises of Pascal Leclaire. He was the single most talented goaltender to play for the Senators in their brief history. After that honeymoon, however, most remembered why Leclaire had never met his expectations in the NHL: he was about as durable as a faberge egg.
Elliot has often been the one called upon to start for the Sens when Leclaire has gone down, and the results have been mixed. But fantasy hockey isn't about how somebody did earlier in the season, its 'what have you done for me lately'. And what Elliot has done has been absolutely brilliant between the pipes.
He just completed a run of 9 straight victories, over which time he only surrendered 11 goals. His win total nearly doubled and now sits at 19 on the season, and his save percentage and goals against numbers have been brought within the acceptable range for fantasy netminders. He will likely split time with Leclaire over the course of the season, but when he starts he will be a good bet to play well.
2. Tomas Fleischmann, C/RW, WSH (30.3%)
Its hard to say whether Tomas is having a breakout season (17 goals, 24 assists, 48 games played) or if he's just a benefactor of playing on a team with Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and Mike Green. Does it matter?
Fleischmann is putting up numbers that would have him in the top 30 in the league in scoring if not for some early season injuries. He is also spending time on the clubs second powerplay unit with Backstrom. Maybe the kids talented. Perhaps its just a points by osmosis thing. Either was he should very likely be a part of your team if he is still available.
1. Antero Niittymaki, G, TB (36.4%)
Finally, somebody is playing consistently enough in goal in Tampa Bay to be considered. Niittymaki had been playing in the shadows of incumbent Mike Smith for much of the campaign, but since the calenders flipped he has been a solid number 1.
The Finnish goaltender has started all but one game for the Lightning since 14-Jan and stands to start the majority of the games for the club the rest of the way. And with Tampa in the mix to make the playoffs after the catastrophe of last season, Niittymaki should make a fantastic play.
good post
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