Diamonds in the Rough
Every year, underrated or unknown talents emerge out of the darkness to deliver clutch performances for fantasy teams. In fact, fantasy championship teams are typically trademarked by one or two key acquisitions that add valuable depth to typically underperforming positions, such as a third goalie or a fourth defenseman. In this article, we will look at a few of these depth players that may make the difference on your team.
Antero Nittymaki, Tampa Bay – Nittymaki is owned in only 39 percent of Yahoo leagues and yet is poised to take over the title of number one goalie in Tampa Bay. In nine appearances this year, Nittymaki has posted a 5-1-2 record with a 2.05 GAA and a .937 SV%. Although Nittymaki started the year as a platoon netminder, it’s just a matter of time before he gets the bulk of the workload as his counterpart Mike Smith has struggled: 2-3-2 with a 3.64 GAA and .879 SV%. Nittymaki’s numbers have been improving for the past four years and he finally looks to be developing into a solid goaltender on a very talented and promising young team. In fact thus far, the Lightning are probably the league’s most improved team over last year: after finishing last year with the second worst record in the league, Tampa was 7th in the East going into the weekend, a remarkable turnaround. Their scoring is up slightly from last year, but most remarkably, their goals against has gone from 27th in 2008-2009 to a respectable 18th overall this year, allowing 2.88 goals against per game; their record is even better when Nittymaki is in goal. With a mixture of established superstars in St.Louis and Lecavalier, and promising talent in Stamkos, Hedman and Nittymaki, they look to make a run for the playoffs this year and Nittymaki should deliver a great performance for your fantasy team.
Jimmy Howard, Detroit – Howard has been kicking around the Red Wings’ organization for many years now, always hindered by the presence of solid veteran goaltenders such as Hasek and Osgood. This year however his only roadblock has been the aging Chris Osgood, who despite his strong play as of late, has been showing signs of slowing down. Consider for example that Osgood has posted a save percentage of less than .900 in 5 of 12 starts, hardly the type of performance you would expect out of a Cup-contending team. He is currently listed as day-to-day with the flu, and this may be the opportunity that Howard needs to seize control. In fact, Howard has done well in both his starts thus far, allowing only two goals on 58 shots, and even outplaying superstar Roberto Luongo in Thursday night’s game. Howard is still available in the majority of fantasy leagues, but this won’t last long. If you’re an Osgood owner, picking up Howard is an absolute-must, but even if you don’t own Osgood, Howard may be a budding fantasy talent on one of the league’s best teams.
Andy Greene, New Jersey – Who? Greene has been virtually invisible in even the deepest of fantasy leagues over the past few years. This year, and especially as of late, injuries to Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya have translated into increased ice time for the 27 year-old Greene, including time on the powerplay. Greene hasn’t disappointed: 6 points, 4 of them on the man advantage, with two game-winning goals to boot in five games. If you’re looking for some defensive depth in a deeper league, Greene looks like a solid short-term play, and is unlikely to be owned in the vast majority of fantasy leagues.
Ian White, Toronto – Despite Brian Burke’s preference for large, physically imposing defensemen, Ian White is slowly starting to make a case for himself as a top-six defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs. White has 10 points in 16 games thus far and the highest plus/minus rating of any Leafs defenseman at plus-2. In a recent vote of confidence, coach Wilson has indicated that White will replace the injured Mike Komisarek on the team’s top pairing for Friday’s game against the Hawks. This bodes well for White as he’ll be playing alongside the league’s highest scoring rearguard, Tomas Kaberle, and potentially with the likes of Jason Blake and Phil Kessel. If you’re looking to gamble with a fourth defenseman, keep White in your radar.
Rich Peverley, Atlanta – Peverley certainly wasn’t high on anyone’s radar coming into the season, but is certainly grabbing attention throughout fantasy leagues. Despite a slow start to his NHL career, Peverley seemed to find a niche after moving to Atlanta last year, scoring 35 points in 39 games. Thus far into the season he’s showing that that was no fluke, amassing 20 points in his first 15 games and most impressive is the fact that most of those came while Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta’s primary threat, was out with an injured right foot. Peverley has shown great chemistry with Nik Antropov and displays no signs of slowing down. If he’s not already taken in your league, he’s showing all the signs of a bonafide number two center and demands to be claimed.
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