Fantasy Hockey Roundtable

12/19/2009 1:18 PM -  Ian Gooding

  

 

Which of the following struggling centers is most likely to find his scoring touch by the end of the season? The least likely?

Pavel Datsyuk, Vincent Lecavalier, Eric Staal, Olli Jokinen, David Krejci

 

 

I have a hard time believing that Pavel Datsyuk will continue at his current pace and only score about 17 goals this season.  Datsyuk has been one of the most consistent players in the NHL in terms of overall production, scoring between 27 and 32 goals in each of his previous five seasons.   Yet, when it comes to his game-by-game numbers, Datsyuk’s goals tend to come in bunches.  Last season he had five three-game goal scoring streaks to go along with four goal scoring slumps that lasted seven or more games.  This season he’s only scored goals in back-to-back games once, and never three games in a row.  He also only has one multi-goal game, compared to the six he had last season.   He’s due for a hot streak and his numbers will start to look familiar once he has it.

I wouldn’t be surprised if all the players listed do improve as the season progresses, but I think David Krejci is the least likely to redeem himself.  He started the season behind the eight ball because he spent his summer recovering from hip surgery and sometimes players just never bounce back from that.  Even if his summer workout program hadn’t been disrupted, I have a hard time believing he would have duplicated the 22 goals and 73 points he recorded in 2008-09.  Krejci probably would’ve been a classic example of a young player regressing after a monster breakout season and the surgery just amplified that.

Ryan Dadoun, Rotoworld.com

My money is on Vincent Lecavalier regaining his scoring touch. Mostly because it seems coach Rick Tocchet is coaching game-to-game, trying to keep his job. I think a new coach will ignite Lecavalier. And if the Lightning happen to move Lecavalier, the change of scenery will also probably do wonders for his stats. So basically, left to his own devices, I don’t think Lecavalier will hit 15 goals. But given how unstable things seem to be in Tampa, I think any change could inadvertently help Lecavalier score.

I don’t think things will turn around for Eric Staal. He’s got no one around him in Carolina and you can see it in his numbers. Also, perhaps more interestingly, Staal is getting plenty of shots off, so it’s not like he doesn’t have the opportunity to score. The shots he’s taking just aren’t lighting the lamp. And that seems to signal he might have lost a step or two.

Steven Ovadia, RotoRob.com

The player that seems to be showing the most signs of breaking out of his goal-scoring funk is Vincent Lecavalier. Vinny has only eight goals this season, but two of them were scored on Tuesday against Nashville. Overall, his 31 points in 35 games isn’t bad, but it’s the goal scoring that has people down. The Bolts have no shortage of offensive weapons to surround Vinny with, and their recent play shows that they will need to be an offensive-minded team if they are going to win.

The chemistry between Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla that was expected when Jokinen was acquired last season simply has not been there. Flames coach Brent Sutter seems to juggle his lines a lot while attempting to spread his scoring out over three lines, so it’s not as if Jokinen and Iginla play together all the time. But with just seven goals this season, Jokinen looks like a far cry from the 91-point player that he was with Florida in 2006-07. This season appears to be a continuation of a downward trend when it comes to Jokinen’s production.

Ian Gooding, fantasyhockey.com

I believe that once the Red Wings get healthy, that whole team is going to start scoring; therefore, Pavel Datsyuk is going to break out.  He’s got a tremendous supporting cast, but there have been a lot of injuries in Detroit that have slowed them down. The assists are really starting to come to him now, as are wins for Detroit. 

I would have liked to have taken Eric Staal, but Carolina and crew has hardly shown signs of life this season.

Kevin Orris, fantasypros911.com