This article is part of our The Man Advantage series.
The calendar hasn't quite turned to November yet, but with each NHL team having played at least a handful of games, we are starting to get some useful information regarding power-play production. Perhaps some of these players can help your fantasy team, if early returns are any indication...
Matt Moulson, LW, BUF – Remember when Moulson scored over 30 goals for three straight seasons for the Islanders? He was a big time power-play contributor at the time, and even the next season, when he had 15 goals in 47 games, he scored eight with the extra man. Last year was rough for Moulson, as he only managed eight goals in 81 games. He's already halfway to that number in five games this year and, more notably, all four of those goals have come on the power play. He's only playing 13:11 per game total, but is getting time with the extra man, and that could lead to something of a renaissance for Moulson.
Alexander Wennberg, C, CLM – Wennberg had a sort of under-the-radar breakout season last year. As a 21-year-old, he had 40 points in 69 games, and 12 of them were on the power play. This year, he has five points in five games, and four of them are on the power play. It seems the young Swede is carving out a role for the Jackets, but he's still readily available in most leagues
Vladislav Namestnikov, C, TAM – Namestnikov got off to a slow
The calendar hasn't quite turned to November yet, but with each NHL team having played at least a handful of games, we are starting to get some useful information regarding power-play production. Perhaps some of these players can help your fantasy team, if early returns are any indication...
Matt Moulson, LW, BUF – Remember when Moulson scored over 30 goals for three straight seasons for the Islanders? He was a big time power-play contributor at the time, and even the next season, when he had 15 goals in 47 games, he scored eight with the extra man. Last year was rough for Moulson, as he only managed eight goals in 81 games. He's already halfway to that number in five games this year and, more notably, all four of those goals have come on the power play. He's only playing 13:11 per game total, but is getting time with the extra man, and that could lead to something of a renaissance for Moulson.
Alexander Wennberg, C, CLM – Wennberg had a sort of under-the-radar breakout season last year. As a 21-year-old, he had 40 points in 69 games, and 12 of them were on the power play. This year, he has five points in five games, and four of them are on the power play. It seems the young Swede is carving out a role for the Jackets, but he's still readily available in most leagues
Vladislav Namestnikov, C, TAM – Namestnikov got off to a slow start to the season with no points in his first four games. However, he has four in his last two contests, and three of those have been on the power play. Last year, he only had four points with the extra man, so there isn't exactly a track record of success here. He played 1:53 per game on the power play last year, though, so maybe he was just a bit unlucky, as hes spending similar time (2:05) with the man advantage in 2016-17.
Sebastian Aho, LW, CAR – There was some buzz about the 19-year-old rookie before the season began, and so far he's notched five points – all assists – while averaging 14:37 per game. There's nothing particularly notable about that ice time, but Aho has played 3:52 on the power play so far, tallying three helpers in the process. It's a good way to give a talented, but inexperienced, player a way to ease into the NHL. if the Canes keep giving Aho all this time with the extra man, he's sure to benefit.
Noah Hanifin, D, CAR – Hanifin, like Aho, was drafted in the 2015 NHL Draft. The difference is that Hanifin was the fifth overall pick in that draft and headed straight to the NHL. Last year, he had seven points on the power play, and was rather impressive for an 18-year-old. Now, he's ready for more responsibility, one assumes, and he already has three power-play points.
Damon Severson, D, NJD – It feels a little odd to see Severson among the league leaders in power-play points. He has four points this year, all of which have been assists with the man advantage. The 22-year-old had five power-play assists last season, and seven the year before in 51 games. He's also getting the most power-play time of his career at 2:40 per game. Perhaps this is partially because Adam Larsson is no longer around, or because he's been around the league for a few years. However, he's not a bad flier if you need help on the back end.
