This article is part of our The Man Advantage series.
This week we take a look at six players who have flown under the radar at various points this season -- or perhaps the entire time, in some cases. These are guys who are either coming back from injury, or who are seeing opportunities on the power play due to the injury of one or more teammates.
Johan Franzen, RW, DET: The Mule may have fallen off many poolies' radar screens last month while he was out six games with a groin injury, but he's been an absolute wrecking machine since his return, potting three goals and four assists in eight games so far in November. Five of those seven points have come on the power play (2G, 3A), making him one of the hottest PP performers the last two weeks, and one of the main reasons why Detroit has jumped 10 spots in the NHL's power-play rankings over that stretch (from 24th to 14th). Franzen continues to see top minutes on the Wings' first PP unit alongside Henrik Zetterberg, Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader, and lines up on the right point across from Niklas Kronwall. Franzen is widely held in most fantasy formats these days (70 percent Yahoo owned), but he could still be lurking on the waiver wire in a few shallower leagues -- go see if he can be had in yours.
Derick Brassard, C, NYR: This summer, Brassard was widely expected to open the season centering the Rangers' second line, with Derek Stepan getting the nod to anchor the top unit between Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis. However, Stepan suffered a fractured fibula during a conditioning test in September and wound up missing the first four weeks of the regular season. Brassard was subsequently promoted to the top line and has excelled in that spot, posting 11 points in the 12 games Stepan missed. Furthermore, since Stepan's return, coach Alain Vigneault has opted to keep Brassard where he is, and he's responded by posting another four points in his past six games. From a power-play perspective, Brassard continues to skate on the top unit with Nash and St. Louis, and with two goals and four helpers on the season, he is already a third of the way to the career-high 18 points he registered last year. Brassard has never hit the 50-point mark in his career but is well on his way to doing that this year, given his pace.
Tim Erixon, D, COB: With injuries to Fedor Tyutin (lower body) and Ryan Murray (knee), Erixon has been thrust into a top-four role on the Blue Jackets' blue line this season. He averages just 17 minutes of ice time per game, but he's seen upward of 19 minutes a night in four of his last six contests. On the power play, he's seeing first-line minutes of roughly 3.5 minutes per game, playing alongside Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell and James Wisniewski. Erixon is actually proving to be somewhat of a PP specialist, as all but one of his six points this season (1G, 5A) have come with the man advantage, making his especially valuable in leagues that reward for special teams points. If you're in a deeper league, consider giving Erixon a look as he is widely available (only 1 percent owned in Yahoo).
Riley Nash, C, CAR: Nash was used strictly in a checking-line capacity last season, averaging just 12:40 total ice time with not a lot of meaningful PP minutes (0:48 per game). This season, after second-line center Jordan Staal broke his leg during a preseason exhibition game, Nash was given the opportunity to assume a larger role, and with almost a quarter of the season gone, he has done exactly that. In 18 games, Nash is averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per night, including roughly 2.5 minutes on the second PP unit. He has 13 points in those 18 games -- more than halfway to the career-high 24 he posted last season -- with four points coming with the man advantage (1G, 3A). Keep in mind, however, with Staal expected back in early December, the window on Nash's second-line status is closing rapidly. Until then, squeeze every last fantasy point out of him that you can.
Jake Muzzin, D, LOS: Muzzin was largely invisible during the first month of the season -- partly due to missing the first six games with an upper-body injury. But even after he returned, Muzzin went pointless in his first seven games, along with a minus-4 rating. The last two weeks, however, Muzzin has really poured it on, with a goal and seven assists in six games. Three of those helpers have come on the PP, where he saw a season-high 5:25 Tuesday against the Panthers. Considering Muzzin recorded just five PP points last year and seven the season before that, it seems almost inevitable that he'll set a new high-water mark in that regard before this campaign is out. Assuming he continues to see PP time alongside the likes of Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty, he makes for a great waiver-wire pickup in most leagues (only 40 percent owned in Yahoo).
Sean Monahan, C, CGY: Monahan opened the season firmly in the second-line center position on the Flames' depth chart, averaging 17:05 in ice time and 2:40 on the PP over his first 11 games. However, an abdominal strain suffered by Mikael Backlund at the end of October has since presented Monahan an opportunity to jump up to the top line. In his last 10 games, Monahan averages more than 20 minutes per night, with 3:13 coming on the power play, and he has four PP points over that stretch (2G, 2A). What's even more impressive about the 19-year-old is he's improved his defensive game as well, cleaning up the ugly minus-20 rating he posted in 75 games last season, to a tidy plus-4 this season. Meanwhile, the ailing Backlund reportedly remains week-to-week with the injury, but even once he returns, Monahan has a good chance to retain the top-line pivot spot if he continues to play well. Fantasy wise, he makes for a great mid-season acquisition and is widely available in most formats, given his 35 percent Yahoo ownership rate.
