The Man Advantage: Future PP Stars

The Man Advantage: Future PP Stars
Mark McLarney, RotoWire Staff Writer

Hello all, and welcome back to another edition of The Man Advantage, where we look at the latest happenings in the NHL's ever-shifting power play landscape. This week, with the All-Star Break right around the corner, we pause and take a look at several of the league's up-and-coming PP stars. These are guys that may only be seeing modest PP minutes this season, but who are projected to become first-line studs down the road. For those of you in keeper leagues, take a look and see whether any of these guys are still available on your waiver wire.

---

Victor Rask, C, CAR: With 14 points in 45 games thus far, the 21-year-old Rask is on pace for a respectable 25-30 points in his rookie season. Even more impressive is that half of those 14 points (1G, 6A) have come on the power play, where he's averaging 2:27 in ice time as a member of the Canes' second unit. While Rask is currently centering the team's third line, coach Bill Peters did not hesitate to call upon him earlier in the season to play a top-six role when both Eric Staal and Jordan Staal were both on the sidelines with injuries. This just shows the amount of confidence the team has in Rask, which will only increase as the young center matures in age and gains more experience. From a fantasy point of view, poolies should keep a longer term perspective on Rask, and he should reward you in future seasons by developing into a first-line all-star.

Jori Lehtera, C, STL: Playing in just his first season in the NHL at the ripe old age of 27, Lehtera made a late arrival to the league this year following two consecutive 40-point seasons in the KHL. That said, the Blues wasted no time in thrusting Lehtera into a top-six role, where he currently centers the team's dynamite second line in between Jaden Schwartz and emerging superstar Vladimir Tarasenko. On paper, Lehtera is also the Blues' second-line PP center, but he is actually one of the team leaders in average PP minutes per game with 2:34, good for fourth on the squad. Lehtera has 30 points in 44 games so far this season, giving him a very good shot at cracking the 60-point barrier in his first NHL campaign. Only six of those points have come on the PP so far (1G, 5A), but given the quality of his supporting cast in St. Louis - and the fact that the Blues currently have the No. 1 ranked power play in the league (25.2%) - Lehtera should see increased success in man advantage situations, both this year and in seasons to come.

Damon Severson, D, NJD: After bursting onto the scene in October with seven points in his first eight games, Severson's production dropped off dramatically over the next six weeks, recording just five points over his next 24 contests. Add to that an ankle injury that has seen him sidelined since the middle of December, and Severson has done a good job of dropping off most fantasy poolies' radar screens the past couple of months. In fact, he may have been dropped outright in many cases. This, of course, represents a good opportunity for you to swoop in and pick him up on the cheap. We had a good glimpse of what Severson is capable of in the first month of the season, with six of his 12 points coming on the power play. In terms of ice time, Severson is averaging just over 23 minutes per game, and his average PP time per game of 2:37 ranks him fourth on the team, second among defensemen behind Marek Zidlicky. With 113 points in 135 games over his last two seasons at WHL Kelowna (2012-14), Severson showed enough game to jump right over the AHL and into the NHL this year, making him one of the best young defensive prospects in the game. Get in on the ground floor now, if you have the opportunity.

Kyle Palmieri, RW, ANA: While an assortment of injuries (ankle, shoulder) have limited Palmieri to just 22 games this season, he has made the most of his limited playing time by recording 13 points over that stretch (8G, 5A), lining up with Ryan Kesler and Matt Beleskey on the Ducks' second line. And while Palmieri is already on pace to surpass the career-high 31 total points he posted last season, it's been the power play where he has really excelled. After recording zero PP points in 71 games last season, Palmieri already has five this year (3G, 2A) and is on pace for double digits in that category for the first time in his career. Palmieri has always had speed and a sniper's touch, but has had trouble putting it all together - until now. And at 23 years old, he should continue to get better as he matures and develops.

David Savard, D, CLM: In just his second full season with the Blue Jackets, the 23-year-old Savard has already been promoted to a top-four role on the team's blue line. His average ice time per game has risen almost five full minutes, from 17:50 last season to 22:41 currently, ranking him second on the team to Jack Johnson in that category. In terms of power play minutes, he still plays the second unit behind Johnson and James Wisniewski, averaging 2:15 per game on the second unit. However, eight of his 16 points on the season thus far (3G, 8A) have come with the man advantage, and he has three game-winning goals to boot. Bottom line, there's just about everything to like about this guy - he's seeing more ice time, shooting the puck more (1.4 shots per game this year versus 0.9 last year) and scoring more. He should continue to develop into a solid No. 1 power play defenseman at this rate.

Jimmy Hayes, RW, FLA: Here's another good example of the old saying "what a difference a year makes." After scoring 18 points in 53 games last year - four on the power play - Hayes already has 20 points in 35 games so far this season, including five with the extra attacker. Granted, he's been a healthy scratch a few times this year, so he's still figuring things out. However, he's trending in the right direction. Last year, Hayes averaged 10:56 in ice time last season in a checking line role, compared to 14:33 this year in a top-six role as the team's No. 2 right winger. On the PP, he's still playing on the second unit, averaging roughly 1:48 per game, but he has one of the best shooting percentages in the league at 15.9%, something the team is trying to take advantage of by planting his big, 6-6, 221 frame directly in front of their opponents' net as often as possible.