This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The race for the top pick in the 2015 NHL draft (a.k.a., the "McEichel sweepstakes") has heated up over the past several weeks as teams rise and drop in the standings. As the halfway mark in the schedule approaches it looks like a three team race with Edmonton and Carolina being just ahead of Arizona to secure the most chances in the lottery to make the top pick. Interestingly, Buffalo has heated up and dropped out of the race a bit and while a number of other teams have pretty terrible records thus far it's tough to see Dallas, Columbus, or Colorado (all of whom had playoff aspirations) staying in it through the spring.
Carolina could certainly use a new franchise cornerstone as their core of Staals and Cam Ward hasn't paid off in much success recently, while the Jeff Skinners and Elias Lindholms of the team need more talent to play with. Looking up and down the Hurricane's roster it's actually tough to figure out how they aren't worse. Unfortuntately, with the salaries they are paying their veterans, including Alexander Semin, they will have a tough time dumping them for future-oriented assets.
The Coyotes are actually pretty competitive in the competition for worst record as goaltender Mike Smith has struggled for several years after a run of high performance and a solid playoff run convinced the Yotes he was a franchise goalie. While they have a few prospects that are interesting (with Max Domi leading the way), they have far more veterans who they should be trying to trade down the stretch, including Antoine Vermette, Keith Yandle, Lauri Korpikoski, and Martin Hanzal. They will build around Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mikkel Boedker, and Domi and adding a McEichel could help speed up the return to decency.
The Oilers are (kind of sadly) in the running for yet another first overall pick after making Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov a series of 1-1s in consecutive years. It's not clear whether either McDavid or Eichel is really what they need (i.e., another talented forward), but they also don't have the roster to get out of this race easily and embracing it seems like the most sensible thing to do. Given that this approach has yet to payoff leading to years of disappointment, it would be understandable if Oilers fans weren't pumped about winning this prize again, but amassing talent that can be retained relatively cheaply is really the only way out of their situation even if it feels like the franchise is digging up to get out of its hole.
Now, onto the preview of Sunday's games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Los Angeles Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Toronto Maple Leafs (James Reimer), 5:00 PM
Calgary Flames (Karri Ramo) at Chicago Blackhawks (Antti Raanta), 8:00 PM
New York Rangers (Cam Talbot) at Edmonton Oilers (Ben Scrivens), 9:30 PM
*Confirmed Starters
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Los Angeles Kings
Slava Voynov, D - Voynov (suspension) was fined $100,000 by the NHL for his impermissible participation in Tuesday's optional skate, Josh Cooper of Yahoo! Sports reports. (12/2/2014)
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leo Komarov, LW - Komarov may have suffered a setback in his return from a head injury, reports the Toronto Sun. "It's hard to tell," assistant coach Peter Horachek said when asked about a setback. "What is a setback? Everyone (with that type of issue) is a little bit different. We'll let it play out, let the medical staff and him do their thing. He's working hard, but you can't tell and you can't push it." (12/9/2014)
Roman Polak, D - Polak (ankle) skated with the rest of the Maple Leafs during Saturday's morning session, Jonas Siegel of TSN Radio 1050 reports. (12/13/2014)
Calgary Flames
Sam Bennett, LW - Bennett (shoulder) is hoping to resume skating at some point in January, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The FAN reports. (12/5/2014)
Ladislav Smid, D - Smid (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun reports. (12/13/2014)
Chicago Blackhawks
Corey Crawford, G - Coach Joel Quenneville said Saturday that he expects Crawford (foot) to return at some point in the upcoming week, Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago reports. (12/13/2014)
Edmonton Oilers
Boyd Gordon, C - Gordon (back) was placed on injured reserve Saturday. (12/13/2014)
Nikita Nikitin, D - The Oilers placed Nikitin (back) on IR on Monday. (12/8/2014)
Hot
Marian Hossa, RW – How Hossa doesn't have more admirers is a mystery. He is an incredibly solid two-way player who somehow seems to fly just below the mainstream radar. He is slowing down a bit in his mid-30s, but his slow start at the start of the season seems to have been a false alarm. Over the last month Hossa has collected 12 points in 13 games, including 4 on the power play, while putting 40 shots on net. Hossa should maintain his solid performance the rest of this year, but in the not too distant future owners may want to see if they can turn him into a younger asset with upside in dynasty and keeper leagues.
Kevin Shattenkirk, D – Shattenkirk is having a fantastic season, tied for second among defensemen with 24 points and a plus-12 rating. He's on fire right now with six points in his last five games while going plus-4. Shattenkirk has been incredibly consistent getting on the score sheet, not going more than four consecutive games without a point all season, which is remarkable for a defenseman. He has wracked up an outstanding 15 points on the power play, which seems to be something that he should be able to keep up throughout the year as Shattenkirk works on a big breakout year.
Cold
Anze Kopitar, C – While justifiably being considered one of the NHL's best all around players, Kopitar can be a frustrating player to own in fantasy. He never quite puts up the kind of offensive numbers his talent level would suggest that he should. This year is an acute example as he has just 13 points in 27 games and a minus-2 rating after being an incredibly consistent plus player throughout his career. He has just a lone goal and a minus-4 rating in his past five games and owners who spent a third round pick on Kopitar (ESPN ADP of 25.3) are no doubt infuriated.
Dennis Wideman, D – The Flames have been a huge surprise this year and are being led by their trio of impressive defensemen: Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Wideman. While Wideman's numbers for the season are strong – 10 goals, 18 points, seven power-play points in 30 games – remain strong, he's got 1 point and a minus-4 rating in his past four games. The risk for the Flames and fantasy owners in counting on scoring from D-men is the same – very few of them can sustain high offensive output over a whole season because they are inherently less likely to generate scoring chances. Wideman has reached even the 30-point mark in the last two seasons and he is the most likely of Calgary's big three to fade. Owners should test the market for him before his stock falls too much.
Recommended Pickup
Tyler Ennis, RW – On almost every terrible team in pro sports there is fantasy value to be had and Ennis is one such case in Buffalo. With 20 points in 29 games, including six on the power play, Ennis is on pace for a career high 59. He has been particularly productive of late with 13 points coming by way of getting on the score sheet in seven of his last 13 games. At his diminutive stature, Ennis may have periods where he breaks down due to the physical nature of the NHL, but if you're looking for value don't pass him by just because the Sabres stink.
