Around The Net

By George Kurtz on Friday, 20th November 2009

Today we’re going to look at 20 players who were probably selected in the first half of most fantasy drafts but have gotten off to a slow start and decide whether we should buy or sell these players.

•1. Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks: 1G, 11A -4 in 19 games. Could age finally be catching up to Niedermayer? Does he miss Chris Pronger? Perhaps he is just suffering the same malady that it seems most other Ducks are suffering, getting off to a slow start. Problem is a quarter of the season is over now and it’s getting close to either fish or cut bait. Niedermayer is still the power play quarterback in Anaheim and the Ducks have a potent offense if they ever put it all together.

Decision: Buy

•2. Brad Boyes, St. Louis Blues: 4G 7A -2 in 18 games. This is a shocker as big things were expected of both Boyes and the Blues. Boyes has led the Blues in scoring for two straight seasons so the offensive potential is there. He doesn’t have the talent around of him that some other top players have, so there will be slumps here and there, but they should not be for more than a few games. Six points in 15 games is not acceptable, but he has played better of late and hopefully will ride that momentum.

Decision: Buy

•3. Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild: 7-9-2, 2.69 GAA, 90.8 SV%. It’s not so much that Backstrom isn’t playing well; it’s that the Wild aren’t going to score enough goals to get consistent wins for him. Letting Marian Gaborik sign with the Rangers in free agency has left the Wild with little to no goal scoring. Backstrom is under constant pressure each and every game to give up no more than two goals, and even that wouldn’t assure him of victory.

Decision: Sell

•4. Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators: 1G 10A -1 in 16 games. One goal, are you kidding me. Defensive defensemen have one goal, how on earth does a first line Center have only one? Sure he is no longer playing with Dany Heatley, but Daniel Alfredsson is still a top player. Spezza has been accused before of not wanting to give everything he has each and every game, and he is dealing with some nagging injuries, but perhaps this is the start of his decline as a top player.

Decision: Sell

•5. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks: 2G, 20A, +3 in 19 games. There is nothing wrong with the point total as an 85 point pace would be more than acceptable but a 10 goal pace is not quite what we had in mind. That being said Getzlaf is coming off offseason surgery to repair an abdominal tear and may just now be rebounding into form. The Ducks have gotten off to a slow start and so has Getzlaf. I’m thinking Getzlaf has a much better chance of getting out of his.

Decision: Buy

•6. Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings: 1G, 6A, +11 in 19 games. Much like what was said about Niedermayer applies to Lidstrom as well. Has father time finally caught up with him, or is the lack of goal scoring due to the fact that the Red Wings have suffered more than their share of injuries and free agent defections? Even with the losses Detroit has suffered, Lidstrom is still playing on the first power play unit with superstars such as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg so he should be good for more than just one goal.

Decision: Buy

•7. Martin Havlat, Minnesota Wild: 2G, 6A, -14 in 19 games. Wow, is this what $30 million buys these days? Well, at least he hasn’t gotten injured yet. Havlat had major bust written all over him as soon as he signed that contract. The Wild seemed to rush to sign him after losing Gaborik in free agency. His injury history alone should’ve been enough to scare away most teams from giving Havlat a top money deal, and he is a complementary player, not the type who can do it all by himself.

Decision: Sell

•8. Olli Jokinen, Calgary Flames: 2G, 9A, +1 in 19 games. I’m not sure anyone can explain why Jokinen hasn’t taken off in Calgary. You would think having a superstar on your wing in Jarome Iginla would help your offensive production but it actually seems to have set Jokinen back. Perhaps he liked it better when he was the main man in Florida. In Florida the offense flowed through Jokinen and he was the player everyone looked to get the puck to, not so in Calgary.

Decision: Sell

•9. Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets: 7-5-2, 3.67 GAA, 87.9 SV%. Talk about a Goalie who has fallen off of a cliff. Mason won the Calder Trophy quite easily last season but now there is talk that Mathieu Garon could supplant him as the starter. How quickly things have changed. The problem now is Mason can’t afford any further below average starts if he wants a chance to get his starting job back.

Decision: Sell

•10. Alexei Kovalev, Ottawa Senators: 4G, 6A, -5 in 18 games. Kovalev has not even come close to replacing the offense lost when Heatley was traded. Kovalev has always been a streaky scorer, problem is he seems to need some time to adjust to a new situation and by the time he does it may be too late for your fantasy situation.

Decision: Sell

•11. Andy McDonald, St. Louis Blues: 6G, 6A, -1 in 16 games.

Decision: Buy

•12. Milan Michalek, Ottawa Senators: 8G, 3A, -2 in 18 games.

Decision: Sell

•13. Jonathan Chechoo, Ottawa Senators: 1G, 2A, -6 in 18 games.

Decision: Sell

•14. Brenden Morrow, Dallas Stars: 7G, 7A, -1 in 20 games.

Decision: Buy

•15. Francois Beauchemin, Anaheim Ducks: 2G, 5A, -9 in 19 games.

Decision: Sell

•16. Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils: 6G, 12A, +10 in 19 games.