This article is part of our NHL Barometer series.
This week's article includes the top center in Columbus firing the cannon, a wizened veteran producing again on the Montreal blueline, the future #1 netminder in Tampa, Zib sidelined and a top producing D-man coming up small in Big D.
First Liners (Risers)
Alexander Wennberg, C, CLM – Wennberg took a step forward with 40 points in 69 games last year, taking advantage of additional ice time thanks to Ryan Johansen's departure. He now looks to be moving into an elite class, with 17 points in 17 games, including 10 on the power play. Coach John Tortorella is giving Wennberg more minutes, which could result in even more production.
Jeff Carter, C, LA – All the attention rightly afforded to Anze Kopitar allows Carter to operate under the radar. But fans of the NHL know just how good he is. The Kings' #2 center has scored at least 20 goals in each of the past nine seasons and is well on pace this season with with nine markers in 20 games. And with eight assists, another year of 50-plus points looks reasonable.
Jeff Skinner, RW, CAR – Skinner burst on the scene in Carolina with 31 goals and 63 points as an 18-year rookie in 2010-11. His production since has failed to match that total, but he has tallied 33 markers in a season and posted 28 on a weak 'Canes team last year. The club should be better this season, so additional reliance will be placed on Skinner. So far, he has met the challenge with eight goals and eight assists in 17 games.
David Perron, LW, STL – Perron peaked with 57 points as an Oiler in 2013-14, but ever since has been a shadow of his former self. Injuries and ineffectiveness have limited the veteran, with 36 points his high the past few seasons. Perron returned to the Blues in the summer and it's been a pleasant reunion, with 12 points in 20 games and has found the scoresheet in each of the last five contests.
Wayne Simmonds, RW, PHI – Simmonds moves between the first and second lines in Philly, yet he produces on both. The physical winger doesn't shy away from contact, actually looking for and relishing it while skirting the bounds of legal play at times. Simmonds has 10 goals and eight assists, half of each coming on the man-advantage, where he has historically been deadly.
Andrei Markov, D, MTL – Markov enjoyed a three-point game Tuesday against Ottawa, giving the 37-year old blueliner 13 points in his last nine games and 17 points in 20 games overall. He also recently posted a seven-game, 10-point streak. Markov will be a free agent after the season, and likely will garner heavy interest with another solid season.
Ryan McDonagh, D, NYR – The Rangers have been one of the early offensive juggernauts and their captain has been a major reason why. While McDonagh hasn't scored a goal, he has tallied 13 assists in 20 games, including a pair of helpers against Pittsburgh on Monday. Add in a plus-14, 20 hits and 32 blocked shots and McDonagh is contributing across the board, rebounding after a pair of down seasons.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB – Vasilevskiy isn't the starter in Tampa Bay…yet. Ben Bishop will be gone by the end of the year and then the job will be handed over to the young Russian. In the games he has played so far this year, Vasilevskiy – who showed in last year's playoffs how good he can be – is 5-1-1 record with a 1.43 goals-against average and sublime .953 save percentage, buttressed by back-to-back shutouts. Jump on the bandwagon now and reap the rewards in the future.
Antti Raanta, G, NYR – Sticking with the 'backup' theme, I turn to Raanta, and not because I am a Rangers fan. Nearly every time coach Alain Vigneault has turned to the dependable Finn, he has come through. Raanta is 5-0-0 with a 2.05 goals-against average and .938 save percentage, including a win over the Penguins on Monday. Henrik Lundqvist may be limited to 55 to 58 starts, leaving Raanta 24 to 27 starts, thereby making him a nice DFS target when available.
Others include Alex Galchenyuk, Kevin Hayes, Tyler Johnson, Nazem Kadri, Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Max Domi, Vincent Trocheck, Vladislav Namestnikov, J.T. Miller, Cam Atkinson, Phil Kessel, Matthew Tkachuk, Josh Bailey, Robby Fabbri, Charlie Coyle, Michael Grabner, Patrick Eaves, Nikita Kucherov, Filip Forsberg, Kyle Okposo, Marian Hossa, P.K. Subban, Brent Burns, Kris Letang, Dougie Hamilton, Zach Werenski, Alec Martinez, Ron Hainsey, Jake Gardiner, Connor Hellebuyck, Cam Ward, Steve Mason, Pekka Rinne, Jake Allen and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Training Room (Injuries)
Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR – Zibanejad, who the Rangers acquired this offseason for Derick Brassard, will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a non-displaced fractured left fibula. Zib suffered the injury Sunday after losing an edge and slamming skate first into the boards. The two promising pieces of news are that he didn't suffer an ankle injury and the fracture won't require surgery. After a hot start, Zibanejad had cooled off but still racked up 15 points in 19 games as the Blueshirts' top pivotman.
Sean Couturier, C, PHI – Couturier will miss the next 4-to-6 weeks with a sprained left MCL suffered Nov. 22 against Florida. His absence leaves a huge hole down the middle for Philadelphia, as the 23-year old is deployed in all situations as the Flyers' #2 center. Prior to his injury, Couturier had totaled five goals and three assists through the team's first 20 contests.
Others include Steven Stamkos (meniscus surgery, out four months), Anze Kopitar (upper-body injury, close to game action), Bryan Little (upper-body, day-to-day), Jack Eichel (sprained ankle, skating with the Sabres, no set return date), Michael Cammalleri (personal, unknown), Thomas Hertl (knee, placed on IR), T.J. Oshie (upper-body, week-to-week), Johnny Gaudreau (broken finger, out five more weeks), Taylor Hall (left knee, out three more weeks), Patric Hornqvist (concussion, sidelined indefinitely), Pavel Buchnevich (back/core, out two more weeks), Gabriel Landeskog (upper-body, has missed four straight), Marian Gaborik (foot, close to returning) and Zdeno Chara (lower-body, day-to-day).
Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)
David Desharnais, C, MTL – If you drafted Desharnais and expected a return to form, can we suggest you take up fantasy golf? He hit 52 points three seasons ago, but slipped to 48 the following year and plummeted to 29 last season. No reason existed to believe in a turnaround, as Desharnais is at best a third-line center and lately, his production lies below that. Move along, nothing to see here.
Reilly Smith, RW, FLA – Smith is off to a slow start, with his goal Tuesday marking his first point in seven games. Smith only had four goals and three assists in 20 games after posting 25 goals and 25 assists last year – his first in the Sunshine State. That performance earned the ex-Bruin a five-year contract extension, one that he is not living up to.
John Klingberg, D, DAL – Klingberg was a healthy scratch Monday due to missing a meeting but is slated to be back in the lineup Wednesday. When on the ice, his performance has been less than stellar. The Swede does have 10 points, which is way below his normal standards, along with an unsightly minus-9 rating. Compare those numbers to last year, when he notched 58 points and a plus-22, or his rookie season when he tallied 40 points and a plus-5 in 65 games.
Brian Elliott, G, CGY – Just when you think it couldn't get any worse for Elliott, it does. After making his first start in five games, he allowed four goals on 32 shots to take the loss against Buffalo. That defeat puts Elliott at three wins and nine losses with a 3.43 goals-against average and .882 save percentage through 12 appearances, with six straight losses. Look for Chad Johnson to continue to see more action, although many would question if Calgary should have paid up to get Ben Bishop instead of settling for Elliott.
Others include Patrik Berglund, Mikael Granlund, Carl Soderberg, Milan Lucic, Jaromir Jagr, Ryan Murphy, Michael Del Zotto, Cody Franson, Al Montoya and Petr Mrazek.
