Blue Line Buzz: Regret Tracker

Regret is going for your fourth, fifth and (for the very brave) sixth servings of holiday food before realizing that there's still dessert.

Regret is drafting Mike Green, thinking he'll be able to revitalize his career in Detroit, since any man willing to take a risk on himself with a one-year contract has to work out and be the comeback story of the year. Regret is drafting Kris Letang, thinking that he can stay healthy and the Penguins can return to being an Eastern Conference force under new management.

Regrets, regrets and more regrets:

Dougie Hamilton, CGY… because the Flames would surely be able to find enough ice time for seven defensemen, and because obviously the Bruins didn't treat him well enough. Instead, we've gotten 13 points on the season and ice time that seems to crack the 20-minute mark less and less often.

Nick Leddy, NYI… because he was supposed to take over from where Johnny Boychuk left off last year, and because this is the guy for whom Garth Snow gave up the highly regarded Ville Pokka. Instead, he has zero goals and a minus-6 rating heading into the final week of 2015.

Jacob Trouba, WPG… because he was going to emerge as the alpha dog on the Jets' stacked blue line, playing an aggressive, mobile and physical style that Winnipeg seems to love. Instead, he's delivered seven paltry points on the season.

Cam Fowler, ANA… because he was just on the verge of that breakout season and would play a big role on a winning team. Instead, he has 14 points and a minus-11 rating for the cellar-dwelling Ducks and is dealing with an undisclosed injury that may force him to miss some time.

Justin Schultz, EDM… because he was finally supposed to bear some resemblance to an NHL defenseman, and someone had to get assists for the goals Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Jordan Eberle were going to score, right? Instead, Schultz has limped to four points, a minus-9 rating and just 29 shots on goal. It's gotten to the point where this guy either needs a change of scenery or to find a DeLorean so he can go back to 2012 and sign with a different team – whichever comes first.

But hey, the season's not even halfway over, so there's plenty of time to make for lost ground.

Happy New Year.

Last week's top five performers:

Mark Giordano, CGY – It was a short week, but he made good use of his time with back-to-back two-point efforts. The Flames' captain is now on a four-game scoring streak and is one point away from hitting 20 on the season. He's a good buy-low candidate if available.

Jake Gardiner, TOR – He had a career-high four-point effort in a 7-4 win against Colorado, again teasing the potential and talent we all know he's got. Gardiner should backbone of the Leafs' blue line along with Morgan Rielly for years to come, but is still waiting for that true breakout season.

Dion Phaneuf, TOR – He gets a bad rap, but he's probably been one of the Leafs' best players this season. That's not being sarcastic, either. Phaneuf's taken far fewer dumb penalties, played a much more composed game and generally flown under the radar a little, which used to be impossible for him. He led all defensemen with 16 blocked shots this past week and also collected two assists.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI – The Desert Dogs are winners in three of their last four, with Ekman-Larsson scoring three goals in that span. He does have a minus-9 rating on the season despite logging major minutes for the Coyotes, but remains one of the league's finest goal-scoring blueliners. Once Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Dylan Strome establish themselves as stars, Ekman-Larsson's going to put up a lot of points.

Justin Faulk, CAR – He's an elite defenseman playing on a mediocre team, and three points this past week now gives him 30 on the season, despite a minus-9 rating. Even when he doesn't score, like Ekman-Larsson, he's a focal point of the team's offense and fires a lot of pucks on net. Many fantasy leagues count shots on goal, and Faulk is a consistently high-end contributor in that category, which makes him even more valuable at his position.

Top five trending up:

Alex Goligoski, DAL – It's hard to believe that he's considered the elder statesman on a very young blue line, but he's certainly one of Lindy Ruff's most trusted. Goli doesn't put up a lot of points, but he's been on a roll recently, notching four assists in his last five games. If John Klingberg fades in the second half, which could happen given his lack of strength and experience, Goligoski may emerge as the Stars' most important defenseman.

Michael Stone, ARI – If you had told me that midway through the season that Stone would have the same number of shots (76) as Victor Hedman and Dougie Hamilton, and more than Klingberg, Phaneuf or Goligoski, I would've walked away laughing. But it's true. Stone ranked 30th in the league last year with 144 shots, but now that he's on pace for 178, it would push him close to the top 10. He's an underrated target for some offensive development.

Brett Pesce, CAR – He left New Hampshire just last year, but has already entrenched himself on the Carolina defense. Pesce is fourth among rookie blueliners both in points (11 in 29 games) and in average ice time (18:46 per game). Faulk is the toast of the town and Haydn Fleury should be the next star, but Pesce could also prove to be a key contributor.

Nikita Nesterov, TAM – His ice time has crept up recently to a month-high 16:57 against Columbus after he played just 7:18 against Anaheim on Dec. 2. Things are looking a little rosier, but Jon Cooper has to keep giving Nesterov chances rather than rotating him as the seventh guy. He's got some offensive talent, but it just hasn't quite shown, with two goals in 16 games on the season.

Brendan Smith, DET – Oft-criticized for his penchant for making bad plays at the worst times, Smith is on a roll right now, with points in three of his past four games, increasing his season total to seven. He constantly flirts with being a top-four defenseman, but more often than not finds himself on the third pairing; he'll need that ice time to trend up to keep trending up himself.

Top five trending down:

Dustin Byfuglien, WPG – He has one goal in his last six games and put up a 10-shot performance against Edmonton, but the Jets have lost five of their last six and have scored inconsistently as a team of late. Sometimes, it's hit or miss with the big guy.

Victor Hedman, TB – After looking like one of the league's elite over the last two seasons, Hedman has gone quiet this year, with his offensive pace falling off significantly – just two goals and 18 points in 36 games. The whole team is in a rut, so it would be unfair to pin it all on Hedman, but the Lightning can't seem to find consistency from their stars.

Johnny Boychuk, NYI – He has two assists in eight games and just 13 points on the season, although those low totals shouldn't be too surprising. Boychuk is more of a defense-first defenseman, after all, and it should be noted that Nick Leddy (zero goals) has been more disappointing. The 31-year-old is still a defensive stalwart, but not really a scoring threat.

Marek Zidlicky, NYI – Jack Capuano elected to sit him for two straight games after the Islanders mustered just one goal during a three-game losing streak, even though he had an assist in two of those games. Perhaps his benching is a message to the power play, which hasn't been very good recently.

Alexander Edler, VAN – Like Boychuk, Edler is doing all he can to help his team win, but remains frustrating to fantasy owners with the lack of production. Vancouver's undisputed, do-it-all, No. 1 defenseman has helped his team to three wins in four games, but hasn't scored a point in seven games.

This week's top five recommended pickups:

Mike Green, DET – Odds are he gets at least a point over his next four games, especially with Winnipeg without Ondrej Pavelec, Pittsburgh without Marc-Andre Fleury, and Buffalo with no starter on the slate, right? Right? *crickets*

Ryan Ellis, NSH – Keep eyeing Saturday's date with Carolina for the Condiment Classic, otherwise it may be a tough week with the Rangers, Blues and Stars ahead, but a four-game slate gives you one more game for a weekly head-to-head matchup.

Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb, LA – The Kings will go through Western Canada on their upcoming road trip in an attempt to really put some distance between them and the rest of the sad-sack Pacific Division. McNabb has more offensive upside with the heavy cannon, but Martinez will surely end up playing more minutes.

Adam Larsson, NJ – The best part is that if he has a good week, he might worth keeping for a second week. Matchups against Carolina, Dallas and Ottawa present some scoring opportunities, and the talented two-way defenseman just recently snapped a six-game slide.

Dan Boyle, NYR – Old Man Boyle has points in three straight games and road dates against Nashville, Tampa Bay and Florida coming up. The three teams may be tough, but maybe some extra sun down south could give Boyle an even bigger boost.