Since St. Patrick’s Day is just behind us and modern science tells us that everyone loves a theme column,* I thought I’d jazz Monday’s Daily Dose up a bit by asking: who’s been lucky and unlucky so far in 2013?
A quick note before I jump into this: just because someone is labeled “lucky” doesn’t mean that player lacks merit. It just so happens that things are going their way and might slow down eventually (maybe next month, maybe next season).
As grumpy coaches like to say, you have to be good to be lucky,* so keep that in mind. With that out of the way, let’s see:
THE LUCKY ONES
Chris Kunitz - It’s almost like this season is a reward for all the times he forechecked like a demon for Sidney Crosby’s line. He’s been a nice (but sometimes fringe) asset in fantasy in other years, but the linemate benefits are finally rubbing off on him. It doesn't hurt that he has a 28.1 percent shooting percentage - more than double his career average of 13 - either.
Jakub Voracek - There’s a strong chance that he’s “for real,” but I’d say there’s also a strong chance that his production would be far more limited without Claude Giroux. Credit him for running with the opportunity, though.
Paul Martin - It’s grim to discuss the potential beneficiaries from an injury, but if Kris Letang’s injury (more on that on page two) is serious, he could be the guy reaping the rewards of passing to Crosby & Co. He already has, to an extent; his 18 points ties Alex Pietrangelo and Andrei Markov.
Andrei Markov - Speaking of Markov, he - along with his owners and the Montreal Canadiens - are shockingly lucky that his health is intact. Can’t say I expected things to turn around for him like this after recurring knee problems.
Mike Ribeiro - Like Kunitz, we all knew he was a pretty valuable depth player, but he’s jumped up a level in his first season with the Washington Capitals. He’s had a reasonable amount of time with Alex Ovechkin on his line, yet that’s not as much of a boon as it used to be. The talent’s always been there, but he also shares a common trait with Kunitz in having an unsustainably high shooting percentage (27.8).
Jiri Tlusty - Apparently lining up with Eric Staal and Alexander Semin is a plum job. Kudos to him on an impressive season so far, however.
Marc-Andre Fleury - Talk about getting goal support …
Ilya Bryzgalov - Despite a .899 save percentage, Bryzgalov is tied for third with 13 wins and tied with Pekka Rinne for most starts (27) in large part because the Philadelphia Flyers employ Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher as backups.
Mike Smith - He gets to play in the Coyotes’ suffocating system and has made the most of his best nights; the big goalie has four shutouts yet he only has a .903 save percentage.
Jump for some unlucky players and news from around the league.
* - This might not be true.
Since St. Patrick’s Day is just behind us and modern science tells us that everyone loves a theme column,* I thought I’d jazz Monday’s Daily Dose up a bit by asking: who’s been lucky and unlucky so far in 2013?
A quick note before I jump into this: just because someone is labeled “lucky” doesn’t mean that player lacks merit. It just so happens that things are going their way and might slow down eventually (maybe next month, maybe next season).
As grumpy coaches like to say, you have to be good to be lucky,* so keep that in mind. With that out of the way, let’s see:
THE LUCKY ONES
Chris Kunitz - It’s almost like this season is a reward for all the times he forechecked like a demon for Sidney Crosby’s line. He’s been a nice (but sometimes fringe) asset in fantasy in other years, but the linemate benefits are finally rubbing off on him. It doesn't hurt that he has a 28.1 percent shooting percentage - more than double his career average of 13 - either.
Jakub Voracek - There’s a strong chance that he’s “for real,” but I’d say there’s also a strong chance that his production would be far more limited without Claude Giroux. Credit him for running with the opportunity, though.
Paul Martin - It’s grim to discuss the potential beneficiaries from an injury, but if Kris Letang’s injury (more on that on page two) is serious, he could be the guy reaping the rewards of passing to Crosby & Co. He already has, to an extent; his 18 points ties Alex Pietrangelo and Andrei Markov.
Andrei Markov - Speaking of Markov, he - along with his owners and the Montreal Canadiens - are shockingly lucky that his health is intact. Can’t say I expected things to turn around for him like this after recurring knee problems.
Mike Ribeiro - Like Kunitz, we all knew he was a pretty valuable depth player, but he’s jumped up a level in his first season with the Washington Capitals. He’s had a reasonable amount of time with Alex Ovechkin on his line, yet that’s not as much of a boon as it used to be. The talent’s always been there, but he also shares a common trait with Kunitz in having an unsustainably high shooting percentage (27.8).
Jiri Tlusty - Apparently lining up with Eric Staal and Alexander Semin is a plum job. Kudos to him on an impressive season so far, however.
Marc-Andre Fleury - Talk about getting goal support …
Ilya Bryzgalov - Despite a .899 save percentage, Bryzgalov is tied for third with 13 wins and tied with Pekka Rinne for most starts (27) in large part because the Philadelphia Flyers employ Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher as backups.
Mike Smith - He gets to play in the Coyotes’ suffocating system and has made the most of his best nights; the big goalie has four shutouts yet he only has a .903 save percentage.
Jump for some unlucky players and news from around the league.
* - This might not be true.
THE NOT-SO-LUCKY
The Ottawa Senators - I was going to write “Ottawa Senators goalies” after noticing high save percentages but low win totals for Ben Bishop and Robin Lehner alongside Craig Anderson’s injury. Yet considering what happened to Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza, it’s probably best just to lump them all together.
The Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators - Among other teams that have had pretty bad injury luck too, even if their troubles haven’t been as dramatic as the Senators’ woes.
Evgeni Malkin - Two “upper body” injuries in short succession and a slightly less productive season than expected when he has been healthy. Bummer.
Ryan Kesler - Some will mark 2013 as the season when the former Selke winner officially earned the title “injury prone.”
Mike Green - His stock has dropped even more starkly than the Washington Capitals’ in the last few years.
Drew Doughty - Sure, he’s been off his game, but zero goals on 60 SOG? That’s kind of cruel.
Tampa Bay Lightning goalies - Maybe they’ve all just been bad over the years, but it’s starting to become a trend that netminders’ numbers go to die in Tampa. There’s a pretty dramatic difference between how Mike Smith’s career fared during his time with the Bolts vs. his Coyotes days, after all.
I’d list Corey Perry, but it seems like his wounds are self-inflicted more than unfortuitous.
OK, those are some of my favorite choices for lucky and unlucky players. Feel free to mention other standout examples via e-mail or Twitter.
COSTLY GAME FOR PENGUINS, BRUINS
The Penguins won on Sunday, but both teams would probably love to go back in time to avoid some potentially problematic ailments. Kris Letang* suffered what the Penguins are calling a lower-body injury (aggravated from an earlier problem) while David Krejci took a shot to the leg and needed help off the ice.
It’s too early to tell how bad those injuries are, but both are important assets this season, so this could be worrisome for the Bruins and especially the Penguins.
TRADE TALK
With the trade deadline coming up on the horizon, some trade rumors are starting to boil up.
People are at least posing the question that Martin St. Louis might ask the Lightning to trade him to a more immediate contender (or vice versa). Some believe the reeling San Jose Sharks are in “panic mode.” Naturally, Jarome Iginla’s name is coming up while people wonder about teams like the Dallas Stars, Buffalo Sabres and on.
With all apologies to Michael Ryder, Erik Cole and so on, it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a big trade. It would be fun to see some fireworks this year, although considerable parity might mess that dream up.
INJURY NOTES (full list) and QUICK HITS
Evgeni Malkin is skating again, but still no timetable for his return … George Parros and Ed Jovanovski joined the Panthers’ ridiculous cast of injured characters, but it seems like more important pieces Jonathan Huberdeau and Peter Mueller avoided a similar fate … Michael Ryder is day-to-day with a lower-body ailment … Ryane Clowe is day-to-day with a shoulder injury … Zack Kassian is day-to-day with a back problem … Tomas Vokoun is only getting spot starts, but he has won four in a row now … Maybe Ray Emery can grab a piece of the action again, as he’s starting vs. Colorado on Monday night … David Clarkson scored this weekend, so maybe he’ll snap out of his funk. Then again, he might have been playing over his head before, though.
* - On Friday, I originally labeled Kris Versteeg as Kris Letang. It’s a cruel coincidence that the next Daily Dose featured a for-real-this-time Letang issue. Argh.