This article is part of our Blue Line Buzz series.
Hutty!
After making the team out of training camp in his first pro season, Ben Hutton has been the biggest and best surprise out of Vancouver. Hutton's real talent is his poise with the puck, as he sometimes holds onto the rubber for an extra second so a passing lane can open, then delivers a tape-to-tape pass, or other times simply escapes with his skating ability.
In game 39 of his promising career, Hutton finally managed to score his first NHL goal off a Daniel Sedin pass intended for Jannik Hansen that floated through the slot before Hutton buried it with pinpoint accuracy past a sliding Jaroslav Halak.
With just 11 points and a minus-7 rating, Hutton doesn't seem to have much fantasy value, but considering his role seems to keep expanding – he played over 20 minutes in each of the last two games, the first time he's done so this season – he's worth taking a chance on if there's an extra bench spot.
He's no fluke, either, and based on advanced metrics he's been arguably the Canucks' best defenseman. Best of all? Hutton's PDO, which is a stat achieved by combining shooting percentage and save percentage and used to indicate puck luck with 100 being the long-term average, is just 98.3. This indicates that the pucks should starting bouncing Hutton's way and into the net more often, and if Alexander Edler or Yannick Weber continue to struggle on the power play, Hutton could be the one
Hutty!
After making the team out of training camp in his first pro season, Ben Hutton has been the biggest and best surprise out of Vancouver. Hutton's real talent is his poise with the puck, as he sometimes holds onto the rubber for an extra second so a passing lane can open, then delivers a tape-to-tape pass, or other times simply escapes with his skating ability.
In game 39 of his promising career, Hutton finally managed to score his first NHL goal off a Daniel Sedin pass intended for Jannik Hansen that floated through the slot before Hutton buried it with pinpoint accuracy past a sliding Jaroslav Halak.
With just 11 points and a minus-7 rating, Hutton doesn't seem to have much fantasy value, but considering his role seems to keep expanding – he played over 20 minutes in each of the last two games, the first time he's done so this season – he's worth taking a chance on if there's an extra bench spot.
He's no fluke, either, and based on advanced metrics he's been arguably the Canucks' best defenseman. Best of all? Hutton's PDO, which is a stat achieved by combining shooting percentage and save percentage and used to indicate puck luck with 100 being the long-term average, is just 98.3. This indicates that the pucks should starting bouncing Hutton's way and into the net more often, and if Alexander Edler or Yannick Weber continue to struggle on the power play, Hutton could be the one filling in.
Last week's top five performers:
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJ – Scoring machine! The two-way defender had three goals and an assist in his past two games, pushing his total to 23 points and playing a key role in the Sharks' five-game winning streak. San Jose is still streaky, but Vlasic is having a good individual season, as he's poised to crack 30 points for the first time since 2009. He's worth a speculative add just to see if he can keep scoring.
Victor Hedman, TAM – With an assist against in-state rival Panthers on Sunday, Hedman stretches his points streak to three games. He has seven points during the Lightning's five-game winning streak and remains a key cog in the team's fortunes. Though he hasn't been quite as effective as he was last year, the entire team has been unable to find its rhythm due to various injuries and off-ice distractions. He remains a steady defenseman worth owning in all leagues.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF – The Sabres have won three of their past four, a feat that would've been unimaginable last year, but this year hints at a team that's really starting to come together. A 4-1 win against Washington and a strong 3-2 win on the road against Minnesota were possible thanks to Ristolainen, who scored an assist in each of those two games and has 28 points on the season. He's a bona fide No. 1 defenseman in the making and should be one of the most sought-after blueliners in fantasy next season.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI – He had his four-game scoring streak snapped Saturday, capping off a week that saw him score two goals and three assists in just three games. OEL's minus-6 rating is the only blemish in what should be another top-notch season from one of the league's elite defenseman. If the Coyotes make the playoffs, Ekman-Larsson should be one of the strongest candidates for the Norris Trophy.
Shea Weber, NSH – The Preds stopped a five-game slide with a 3-0 win over division rival Minnesota on Saturday, thanks to Weber's two assists. He added another assist in a 5-4 loss to Winnipeg to bring his weekly total to three assists, but also added 10 shots on goal, 10 blocked shots and 11 hits, making him one of the week's best all-around performers.
Top five trending up:
Jaccob Slavin, CAR – Featured as one of last week's defensemen trending upwards, Slavin's stock continues to rise with four assists in his past six games and played over 20 minutes in his fourth straight game. He now has eight points and 37 shots on goal for the season and very much worth keeping an eye on. Though he doesn't come with the same pedigree as Noah Hanifin or Ryan Murphy, NCAA products tend to have an easier transition to the pros in their first year, especially defensemen. Slavin and Vancouver's Ben Hutton have been two of the season's biggest surprises.
Sami Vatanen, ANA – It's about time Vatanen stepped up his offensive production. His goal Friday against Dallas snapped a 19-game drought, and now has two points in his past three games. With the Ducks starting to win more games, Vatanen should likewise starting scoring more often. Interestingly enough, Vatanen's PDO (see above) is the same as Hutton's at 98.3, which means that his scoring pace should pick up soon.
Justin Schultz, EDM – Perhaps it was time that Schultz heard his naysayers, because all of a sudden, the former Wisconsin standout is starting to score again. He has two goals and two assists in his past five games, even though the Oilers have just won once in their past five games. He's a right-hand shot who can really move the puck, making him a rare commodity in the NHL, but has had trouble breaking through and establishing himself as a legitimate top-four defenseman. If he can continue this pace upon Connor McDavid's return, he should be able to really pile up the points.
Karl Alzner, WSH – The fifth overall pick from 2007, Alzner has been overshadowed by John Carlson for much of his time with the Caps, but he's quietly built himself a strong resume with an iron-man streak that dates back to 2010. With 14 points this season, two of which came this past week, he's just eight points away from establishing a new career-high. Think of him as a Brent Seabrook lite compared to Carlson's Duncan Keith.
Adam Larsson, NJ – After splitting the previous season between the NHL and AHL, something clicked for Larsson, and now the former fourth overall pick is showing everyone why he was drafted so high in 2011. With three points in his past five games and 11 points on the season, he's starting to ramp up the production and should be able to match or surpass 24 points, his career-high that was set last season.
Top five trending down:
Kris Letang, PIT – Oh, no, it's happening again. After playing eight straight games and scoring 12 points in that span, Letang missed Sunday's game against Carolina due to a wrist injury despite playing 28:47 and scoring two points Friday against Tampa Bay. If he weren't getting hurt so often, he'd be near the top of the league in scoring among defensemen, but then again, the knock against Letang has always been his inability to stay healthy.
Erik Karlsson, OTT – He hasn't scored since Dec. 20 and has just one assist in his past three games, and the Sens have won just three of their past nine games, including two losses in which they allowed seven goals. But perhaps more concerning is the sudden dry spell on offense, with the Sens scoring one goal or less in four of those seven games. Karlsson remains near the top of the league in the scoring race, but there's no denying he's not off to a good start in 2016.
Kevin Shattenkirk, STL – Word on the street is that the Blues are willing and trying to deal Shattenkirk, who has just one assist in his past six games and a minus-10 rating on the season. Count me as one of those who think that might be a mistake, even with the emergence of Colton Parayko. You can never have enough dependable defensemen. Recent past injuries have to be considered when evaluating his play this season; normally, he's one of the best power-play quarterbacks in the league. The Blues have won three of their past four after losing five straight and may change their mind about Shattenkirk, or even Jonathan Drouin.
Andrej Sekera, EDM – He's still owned in nearly one-third of some fantasy leagues, which is perplexing for a guy who has zero points in his past four games, just 16 points on the season and a minus-12 rating. The Oilers realize they miscast Sekera as a top-pairing defenseman when they signed him, but he's not exactly helping the Oilers win games either. He's posting some of the worst Corsi and Fenwick numbers on the team.
Alexander Edler, VAN – Don't listen to the people who say Edler is overrated, overpaid or over-anything. Without him the Canucks wouldn't even be sniffing a playoff spot, but, yes, he can be a frustrating player to watch. He passes well, shoots hard and moves swiftly for guy that's 6-foot-3 and 215-pounds. However, he does take bad penalties and has a weird fascination for shooting at shin pads; he also hasn't scored a goal since Dec. 9.
