In fantasy football, teams’ fortunes are oftentimes linked with how good or bad the running backs on that roster are. So it goes with fantasy hockey and goaltending. Good or bad, at this point people are stuck with whatever draft choices they’ve made. And while the obvious names continue to perform at a high level year in and year out, (Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Evgeni Nabokov), there are a number of heretofore overlooked netminders who’ve made some of their own noise. Highlighted below is a quintet whose numbers and circumstances merit potential trade inquiries or if you’re lucky, the opportunity to pluck them off the waiver wire if they’re still there.
NETMINDING SURPRISES
Dwayne Roloson (NYI) – Much mocked for awarding Rick DiPietro that ridiculously lengthy 15-year contract, New York Islanders GM Garth Snow earned back a great degree of credit when he signed the veteran netminding duo of Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron. With DiPietro rumored to be back between the pipes before year’s end, Roloson is making it difficult to be removed from the starter’s role given his high level of play. Through December 3, the 40-year-old Roli has lost only twice in regulation in 15 starts (9-2-5) this season including a stellar 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 23rd when he turned aside 58 shots.
Jon Quick (LA) – Caught in a bit of a goaltending controversy last year against Erik Ersberg, Jon Quick grabbed the reins firmly for a Los Angeles Kings squad that many are convinced will make the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-2002 season. Even though Quick went through a recent nine-game span where he posted a 3-6-0 record and a 3.00 GAA, his numbers this season are still impressive: 15-9-2/.900 SV % /2.67 GAA.
Ondrej Pavelec (ATL) – Woe unto anyone who ignored Finnish goalie Kari Lehtonen’s checkered injury past and insisted on drafting him. Even though his skills merit Lehtonen being a potentially borderline elite player, he’s been far too brittle to merit taking a chance on. Enter Czech goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who’s relegated the competition, (in this instance veteran Johan Hedberg), to the bench all while compiling an 8-5-3 record, 2.84 GAA and a sick .921 SV % to go with 2 shutouts.
Antti Niemi (CHI) – Even though Cristobal Huet is the incumbent starter for the Chicago Blackhawks, Antti Niemi bears watching given the success he’s accrued despite being used on a limited basis. In only six starts, the young Finn is 4-1-1 with a .921 SV%, 1.85 GAA and two goose eggs. Niemi is worth stashing if you have the room but if not, look for him in next year’s draft as he could very well end up transitioning into a starting position not unlike peers Pekka Rinne and Semyon Varlamov.
Antero Niittymaki (TB) – Coming over from the Philadelphia Flyers after spending the first five years of his career sporting the orange and black, Antero Niittymaki was expected to be the number two behind Mike Smith. Lo and behold, yet another Finn comes in and upsets the depth chart. As a result, Niittymaki and Smith have been splitting time for the past ten games. For the time being, the former Dallas Star appears to be the 1A option behind Niittymaki’s front-running position. Then again, if I had a goalie toting a 6-3-3 record, .931 SV% and a 2.18 GAA, I’d probably lean more towards using him as well.
DL DEBUTS
David Clarkson (RW, NJ) – The rough and rowdy Devils forward was felled by a Zdeno Chara slapshot during a 2-1 November 27 New Jersey win over the Boston Bruins. The end result was a laceration, a non-displaced fracture above the ankle, an overnight stay at a Beantown hospital and a stint on the IR that’s slated to run 4-6 weeks.
Milan Lucic (LW, BOS) – Just as he started to get on a roll after missing 14 games with a fractured finger earlier in the season, Milan Lucic is back on the DL after suffering what was thought to be a severe knee injury during a November 25 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Boston Bruins management was relieved to find out it was a high ankle sprain that will nevertheless keep Lucic out of action for a month.
Dainius Zubrus (C, NJ) – Always a streaky player, Dainius Zubrus seemed to finally be achieving some level of consistency given the amount of time Coach Jacques Lemaire was giving him on the top lines alongside Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise. Alas, a Kevin Klein slapshot that broke Zubrus’ shin guard also caused a hairline fracture in his patella. As a result of this broken kneecap, the thirty-one year old Soviet is going to be out between four to six weeks.
Jonas Gustavsson (G, TOR) – Prior to coming to his rookie training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs this year, Swedish phenom Jonas Gustavsson underwent minor heart surgery to correct arrhythmia. After the first period of a December 1st tilt against the rival Montreal Canadians, Gustavsson pulled himself from the game with an elevated heart rate. He has since underwent a second ablation procedure and should be back by Christmas. In the meantime, Joey MacDonald gets the starting nod over Vesa Toskala, who is still coping with groin problems.
Darroll Powe (C, PHI) – Even as Claude Giroux continues to underperform through a maddening sophomore slump and fellow rookie James van Riemsdyk enjoys a pleasantly surprising first season in the NHL, Darroll Powe was thought to be a compliment to the latter given the six goals he’s already scored through 19 games this year matches the total he put in the net during 60 games last season. Instead, Powe is on the shelf for the next four to six weeks with a severe shoulder strain.
Ales Hemsky (RW, EDM) – The Edmonton Oilers currently lead the league with 146 man games lost to injury. That total was added to with the news that leading team scorer Ales Hemsky will be laid up with a season-ending shoulder injury caused by a check from behind into the boards by Los Angeles Kings center Michal Handzus.
Cory Stillman (LW, FLA) – With David Booth on the IR indefinitely with a concussion, teammate Cory Stillman was picking up the offensive slack for the Florida Panthers, tallying six goals and four assists in an eight-game span. Unfortunately, during a 2-1 November 20th win over the Detroit Red Wings, got sidelined with a knee injury that Panthers management initially feared would require surgery. Instead, a strained knee ligament was diagnosed and Stillman is expected to be out until Christmas, although there are rumblings that he might be able to return as early as December 9th.
Chris Neil (RW, OTT) – A bona fide PIMS machine, Ottawa Senator Chris Neil was carrying 76 through 22 games before getting run down by Andrew Peters during a November 25th 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The resulting knee injury will have Neil sidelined for the next 10 to 14 days.
Pascal Leclaire (G, OTT) – If ever there was a magnet for injury, it’s Pascal Leclaire. When he landed on the disabled list while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, backup Steve Mason stole the starting job, won the Calder Cup as Rookie of the Year and made Leclaire the NHL’s answer to Wally Pipp. Signing with the Ottawa Senators this year was supposed to be a fresh start and just as Leclaire was recovering from a recent lower body injury, he had the misfortune of being getting his cheekbone fractured by a wayward puck while sitting on the bench as a backup during a November 23 game against the Washington Capitols. The former Blue Jacket underwent surgery and is not expected back until Christmas.
WAIVER WIRE FLIERS
Mike Rupp (C, PIT) – Scooped up by the Pittsburgh Penguins over the summer, Mike Rupp has fit in nicely on the fourth line. Rupp has already equaled his career high for goals with eight to go with +5 plus/minus rating and 34 PIMS. Bumped up to the third line after Matt Cooke was suspended for a pair of games, the former New Jersey Devil managed to collect four points including his first career hat trick, making it very difficult to end up pushing him back down the depth chart.
Joey MacDonald (G, TOR) – As mentioned above, Toronto Maple Leafs starter Jonas Gustavsson is recovering from minor heart surgery while Vesa Toskala is still battling through groin ailments. Into the void steps former Islander backup Joey MacDonald, who kicked his current starting stint off with a shared 3-0 shutout with Gustavsson on December 1st after the latter left the game early. MacDonald promptly followed this up by backstopping a solid 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets two days later. Owners desperate for goaltending help should pick up the Nova Scotia resident and ride him until Gustavsson returns around Christmas.
Eric Fehr (RW, WAS) – With Alexander Ovechkin out with a day-to-day knee injury, Eric Fehr has benefitted, scoring four of his seven goals this season during a three-game span. Skating on the second line with Tomas Fleischmann and Brendan Morrison, Fehr is also logging time on the second power play unit and should definitely be ridden while he’s hot given the degree of scoring acumen that’s to be found on the Washington Capitols.
Brian Elliott (G, OTT) – Like Joey MacDonald over in Toronto, Brian Elliott will be racking up some starts for the Ottawa Senators thanks to Pascal Leclaire’s misfortune. Leclaire’s recovery from facial surgery means he’ll be out until Christmas and with the Sens’ high-powered offense, expect Elliott to notch more than a few W’s in the win column.
Steve Downie (C-RW, TB) – I touted Steve Downie way back in my first column despite his rep as an agitator who was seemingly serving a 20-game suspension every other week. So while I’m suffering arm strain while patting myself on the back, understand that Downie stepped up for the Tampa Bay Lightning and played the role Sean Avery once had a copyright on—someone who plays on the edge of the rules while still contributing on the scoresheet. Bolts coach Rick Tocchet has been rewarded for the faith he’s had in his fellow former Flyer with the 3 goals and 7 assists Downie has accrued while playing on the third line. In addition, the Ontario native’s inclusion on the second power-play unit has yielded 5 points to go with the expected 50 PIMS you’d expect from someone with his kind of temperament.
Byron Bitz (RW, BOS) – Normally a fourth line player, Byron Bitz has caught the eye of Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien, who loves Bitz’s hard-nosed style of play and tenacity. As a result, Julien kicked Bitz up to the top line alongside recently returned playmaking stud Marc Savard and Marco Sturm. Far from a longtime play, Bitz’s relevancy is obviously linked to his station on the depth chart. As such, monitor the situation and act accordingly when the time comes.