NHL Barometer: Risers & Fallers

This week's article includes Phil the Thrill, a pair of young D-men rounding into form, a hot backup in Colorado, Hedman sidelined and the end of the road for Double J,

First Liners (Risers)

Mikael Granlund, C, MIN – When you think about the Wild, Granlund is not the first name that comes to mind. But savvy fantasy players knew about him before his breakout last season when he tallied 69 points. Granlund isn't scoring at that pace this season, but he has picked it up lately. Granlund extended his point streak to four games and six points Sunday, and has 14 points — including six goals — in his last 10 contests.

Jordan Staal, C, CAR – Staal is far from an exciting player but is rolling lately. He scored a goal and added an assist -- both with the man advantage – Friday, extending his point streak to five games. Overall, Staal has 13 goals and 15 assists through 44 games, putting him on pace to finish with over 40 points for the fifth straight full season. While those numbers won't help you win most fantasy leagues, they have value in several formats.

Phil Kessel, RW, PIT – All Kessel has done in his career to date is score over 300 goals while leading Pittsburgh to back-to-back Cup championships. This season is shaping up – no pun intended – to be the finest of his career. Kessel tallied a goal and two assists Saturday, and then added a goal and assist Sunday. The sniper is on pace for his first 90-plus point season with 52 points in 46 games — 29 of which have come with the man advantage, which leads the league.

Micheal Ferland, LW, CGY – Ferland, a fifth round pick in 2010, has earned his way into a prominent role in Calgary. Playing on the top line next to Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, Ferland has already notched 19 goals through 43 games. The 25-year old winger has benefitted from a 19.6 shooting percentage, so some regression will be forthcoming. But Ferland should continue to see several good scoring chances due to his linemates, aiding his chances of remaining hot.

Thomas Vanek, LW, VAN – Vanek signed a one-year, $2-million deal with Vancouver last offseason. For the Canucks, it was a worthwhile signing, because if the team failed to contend for a playoff spot and Vanek played well, he could be dealt for future assets. This is what looks to be happening, as the veteran winger is having a solid campaign with 13 goals and 19 assists through 45 contests. Pay attention to where Vanek goes, as that will impact his future value.

Nikita Zadorov, D, COL – Zadorov has made the most of the chance afforded him when Tyson Barrie went down with a broken hand, notching five assists and a plus-3 rating in his last six games despite a lack of power-play time. He's now only two points shy of his career high of 15 points set as a teenager with the Sabres in 2014-15. Maybe the Avalanche will give him man-advantage ice time, but even if not, Zadorov is still worth a spot on many rosters.

Darnell Nurse, D, EDM – Nurse took a step forward with 10 points last season but has really blossomed this year. In the last four games, Nurse has three goals and four points, giving him six and 18 for the year. In addition, Nurse is on pace for career highs in PIM, shots and hits while already exceeding his prior best in blocks. Taken seventh overall in 2013, Nurse is delivering on the promise that made him that high of a pick.

Jonathan Bernier, G, COL – While Semyon Varlamov has been out with an injury, Bernier has been stellar. Bernier stopped 27 of 28 shots to earn the victory Saturday, extending his winning streak to five games with a 1.33 GAA and .960 save percentage. Go ahead and ride Bernier while Varlamov remains sidelined.

Mike Smith, G, CGY – Calgary's goalie stopped 38 of 39 shots Sunday, extending his winning streak to five. On the season, Smith is now 20-13-3 with a sub-2.50 GAA and .923 save percentage. His play is a big reason why the Flames are second in the Pacific Division. A change of scenery has made all the difference for Smith, who struggled the past few seasons with the Coyotes.

Others include Jack Eichel, Evgeni Malkin, Sean Monahan, Mathew Barzal, Aleksander Barkov, Joe Pavelski, Alex Kerfoot, Brayden Point, Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom, Patrice Bergeron, Henrik Sedin, Mathieu Perreault, Johnny Gaudreau, Ondrej Kase, Jakub Voracek, Max Pacioretty, Taylor Hall, Gustav Nyquist, Evgenii Dadaonov, Jordan Eberle, Patrik Laine, Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, Patrick Kane, Kyle Okposo, Brent Burns, Ivan Provorov, Mathew Dumba, Mikhail Sergachev, Jacob Trouba, Dougie Hamilton, Seth Jones, Thomas Hockey, Charlie McAvoy, Tristan Jarry, James Reimer, Sergei Bobrovsky, Jeff Glass, Devan Dubnyk, Tuukka Rask and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Training Room (Injuries)

Victor Hedman, D, TB – Hedman sustained an injury Thursday when his knee appeared to buckle while colliding with Calgary's Garnet Hathaway. The good news is that the injury is not season-ending, as Hedman will "only" miss 3-6 weeks. His absence robs Tampa Bay of its All-Star defenseman, who has tallied 33 points (six goals, 27 assists) along with a plus-24 rating in what has been a Norris Trophy-like campaign. In Hedman's absence, Mikhail Sergachev's role will increase.

Others include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (left shoulder, left Saturday's games Knights after being checked by Brayden McNabb), Artem Anisimov (upper body, placed on injured reserve 12/29, skated for 10 minutes Saturday), Josh Bailey (lower-body, could play Monday), Jaden Schwartz (ankle, out since 12/9, recovery on track, expected back in February), Sebastain Aho (left Sunday's game with an undisclosed injury), Nikita Zaitsev (lower-body, out two more weeks), Corey Crawford (upper body, no update provided, still sidelined) and Semyon Varlamov (lower-body, no timetable for return).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Tomas Plekanec, C, MTL – The days of Plekance being a scoring threat are long gone. As recently as two years ago, Plekanec scored 54 points in 82 contests, but he hasn't recorded a point in his last eight games and has just one his last 12. He also only has 44 points in his last 121 games. Look elsewhere for an offensive threat.

Jaromir Jagr, RW, CGY – Jagr was recently placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 31., but the Flames are looking for a mutually beneficial exit plan for the legendary winger. Time stops for no one, and after a relatively productive campaign last season, this season has been a nightmare for the Czech winger. With just seven points in 22 games, the end of Jagr's NHL career may have arrived.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, ARI – Ekman-Larsson is having a decent season point-wise, with 20 in 45 games. What lands him on the side of the ledger, beyond his recent slump, is a minus-40 rating (not a typo). Now, if OEL was averaging a point a game, it would be more palatable. But since he isn't, staple him to your bench.

Jake Allen, G, STL – Allen is having a fine season overall but has hit a bit of a skid lately. Allen has only played in two of the past six games, allowing five goals in each of those starts. Allen hasn't won since Dec. 23 and Carter Hutton boasts an 8-3-1 record, .940 SV save percentage and 1.84 GAA for the campaign. The Blues likely will lean on Hutton for a while until Allen finds his game, so his owners might want to bench him for the short term.
 
Others include Paul Byron, Curtis Lazar, Max Domi, Pontus Aberg, Sam Bennett, Benoit Pouliot, James van Riemsdyk (signs he is out of his slump with goals in two straight games), Brady Skjei, Alex Pietrangelo (no goals since November 9), T.J. Brodie, Thomas Greiss, Cam Talbot and Martin Jones.