When many people draft their hockey team, they seek out the fantasy studs or players on their favorite team. Speaking as a person who has had a lot of success with fantasy hockey, I am here to tell you that not every round of the draft will be full of studs. Once you get to midseason you realize that some of your studs did not live up to their previous year.
The problem with most fantasy hockey teams is that they are not balanced. Everyone looks at goals and assists when drafting their team and when picking up free agents. In this article I am going to give you some players that will help you increase your other stats.
If your team is getting owned in PIMs every week, these players will help your team get back on track.
Chris Neil (OTT-RW) (10 g, 11 a, 6 +/-, 115 PIM, 5 PPP, 2 GWG)
This is a great player to have on your team. Normally when looking at a bruiser that spends more time in the penalty box then he does on the ice you find guys that don’t get many other points. Not only does Neil have 115 PIM, but he has 21 points in addition. He will definitely help you keep up in the PIM category and will even add a point here and there for good measure. The best part about Neil is that he is still available in most leagues.
Shane O’Brien (ANH-D) (2 g, 11 a, 7+/-, 129 PIM, 4 PPP, 2 GWG)
O’Brien is currently second in total PIM and is not a bad point getter for a defender. He has 13 points on the season and with the high powered offensive output of the Anaheim forwards, his +/- numbers should stay high. O’Brien is harder to acquire than Neil but definitely a good guy to pick up.
Any other D player with high PIM
There are many defensemen in the NHL that fight more than they score. If you have a defender that gets a serious injury or if your 4th defenseman is just not performing for you, I would recommend picking up a fighter. A defenseman is the best position to give up for a PIM man because there are few defensemen that put up enough points on a weekly basis to help your team.
Some of you fantasy managers have solid teams but are getting schooled because your good scorers have very poor +/-. Alexander Ovechkin is a good example of this type of player. No one will argue with his fantasy points output, but his -10 +/- leaves something to be desired. So here are some players that may help you bring up your +/-.
Matthew Lombardi (CGY-C) (15 g, 18 a, 18 +/-, 30 PIM, 9 PPP, 5 GWG)
He is a younger player (25) and he is developing into a key player for the Flames. He has 33 points in 49 games and his +18 +/- will help any team. His 5 GWG puts him in a tie for 4th most this season. He is a great pick up.
Robyn Regehr (CGY-D) (0 g, 12 a, 20 +/-, 44 PIM, 3 PPP, 0 GWG)
Not many people have heard of this guy, but he has 12 points in 47 games. Regehr would make a great 4th defenseman for any team. If your team is lacking in +/-, you can’t get much better than Regehr’s +20. He also has 12 points which is not bad for a defenseman.
