NHL Barometer: Risers & Fallers

This week's article includes the second year being the charm in Winnipeg, a hot rookie winger in Hockeytown, it's Reimer or it's wrong for the Sharks, Florida without its top center and a Cup winning goalie struggling a bit lately.

First Liners (Risers)

Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, WPG – Dubois got the trade he wanted out of Columbus last season, but life wasn't greener in Winnipeg, as the pivot put up just eight goals and 20 points in 41 games for the Jets. Likely taken later than he normally would go in fantasy drafts due to last year's poor campaign, Dubois is making those who have him rostered look brilliant for that selection. The 23-year-old center notched his 10th of the season Friday, exceeding the nine he scored in 46 outings last year. He's at 10 tallies, six assists, 54 shots on net, 18 PIM and a plus-7 rating through 18 games, centering the second line while skating on the top power-play unit. 

Mikael Granlund, C, NAS – Like Matt Duchene, Granlund didn't inspire excitement in most leagues as his point total had dropped for four consecutive seasons. But like Duchene, he has been Lazarus, resurrecting his career this season. Granlund notched a goal Sunday on the heels of a pair of helpers Saturday and four apples Thursday to give the ninth overall pick from the 2010 draft 15 assists with four goals in 18 games. The scoring pace will slow, but Granlund is likely worth a look in most formats. 

Andrew Mangiapane, LW, CGY – Mangiapane continues to roll, especially on the road. He extended his goal streak to four Sunday and has racked up 14 of his 15 goals on the road following Sunday's game. The winger has been one of the breakout stars early this season. He's up to 17 points, with a Cy Young-esque line, 48 shots on net and a plus-6 rating through 19 game while working his way up to the second line recently. After notching 17 and 18 goals the last two seasons, Mangiapane is poised to blow through that mark this season.

Lucas Raymond, LW, DET – Raymond, selected fourth overall in 2020, got right back to his scoring ways, adding an assist Saturday after seeing his four-game point streak end Thursday. The Swede is up to 19 points (seven markers, 12 apples), 48 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating through 19 games. Raymond was originally expected to start the year in the minors, but he played his way into a spot during training camp and has not looked back, skating on the top line with Dylan Larkin.

Roope Hintz, LW, DAL – Your window to roster Hintz, especially inexpensively, let alone at all, has likely gone out the window. Hintz tallied twice shorthanded Saturday, giving the Dallas winger five goals and an assist in his last six games after a ridiculously slow start. With Jason Robertson back from his injury and Hintz finding his game, the Stars should be a dangerous team. Prior to this outburst, Hintz, who had 43 points last season, had posted just one apple in 10 games, showing how cost he was.

Cale Makar, D, COL – I don't normally profile top-flight players, but occasionally they warrant some love as well. Makar is on fire, producing multiple points in five of the last six games. He's up to seven markers, eight assists, 39 shots on net and a minus-2 rating in 13 appearances. Scoring at a point-per-game pace is no surprise for Makar, as he had 50 points in 57 games as a rookie and 44 in 44 games last season. On a stacked Avalanche team, Makar should continue to light the scoreboard with abandon. 

James Reimer, G, SJ – To say Reimer's performance the first portion of the season has been surprising doesn't do enough justice to the word. He was relatively solid the last two seasons in Carolina, but little was expected from him in San Jose. Reimer has posted a sub-two goals-against average and .940 save percentage while splitting time between the pipes with Adin Hill. He has shown some cracks in the armor, allowing at least three goals three times in his last six starts but is still worth a look as a third goalie in many leagues.

Jonathan Quick, G, LA – Quick's performance declined the last several seasons, as he notched the three highest goals-against averages and save percentages in full seasons of his career the last three years. Expected to cede more of the playing time to Cal Petersen, Quick has been alternating starts with the young netminder lately due to his strong play early this year. The 35-year-old is 4-4-2 with a 1.88 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in 10 appearances as he looks to build on his likely Hall of Fame resume.

Others include Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin, Nazem Kadri, Martin Necas, Boone Jenner, Logan Couture, Jake Guentzel, Seth Jarvis, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Troy Terry, Kaapo Kakko, Kirill Kaprizov, Tage Thompson, Phil Kessel, Johnny Gaudreau, Jake Guentzel, Anthony Duclair, Jordan Eberle, Brandon Saad, Andre Burakovsky, Alex DeBrincat, Artturi Lehkonen, Jaden Schwartz, Cam Atkinson, Oliver Kylington, Mario Ferraro, Hampus Lindholm, Vince Dunn, Brandon Montour, Ryan Suter, Devon Toews, Jake Oettinger, Cam Talbot, Darcy Kuemper, Ilya Samsonov, Daniel Vladar, Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner. 

Buy Low

Scott Perunovich, D, STL – Perunovich, the 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner and two-time national champion at Minnesota-Duluth, racked up 20 points in 12 AHL games to earn a promotion to the Blues this week. Skating on the third pair and second power-play unit, Perunovich picked up a helper on Robert Thomas' goal in his second career NHL gamet. With Torey Krug manning the top man-advantage contingent, Perunovich won't have an inordinate amount of pressure to succeed initially, but the pedigree and upside warrant a look in most formats. 

Training Room (Injuries)

Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA – Barkov, injured in a knee-to-knee hit by Scott Mayfield on Tuesday, is week-to-week with an apparent left knee injury but won't require surgery. The Department of Player Safety, an oxymoron, only fined but did not suspend Mayfield for the hit. Prior to the injury, Barkov had nine goals and eight assists in 15 games. Sam Bennett is getting the opening shot at stepping into Barkov's spot on the first line, though Carter Verhaeghe could also factor in the mix. 

Others include Brayden Point (shoulder, injured Saturday, out indefinitely), Brock Nelson (lower body, injured Sunday), William Karlsson (foot, injured reserve, out to mid-December), T.J. Oshie (foot, missed 10 games, played Saturday), Ryan Ellis (lower body, sidelined for 4-6 weeks but won't require surgery) Darnell Nurse (broken finger, injured Thursday, out 2-3 weeks), Ryan Pulock (lower body, sidelined for 4-6 weeks), Shea Theodore (head, injured Thursday, did not play Saturday) and Carey Price (knee, skating with a member of the Habs training staff).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Mason McTavish, C, ANA – Like William Eklund, McTavish, who showed he could play at an NHL level, was reassigned after nine games played to avoid burning a year off his entry-level contest. McTavish, the third overall pick this past year's draft, picked up two goals and an assist, but the Ducks have evidently decided that logging big minutes for Peterborough in the OHL will be the best thing for the 18-year-old forward's development. McTavish likely will dominate the OHL, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him establish himself as a full-time player for Anaheim in 2021-22. 

Adam Erne, LW, DET – Erne hasn't produced a point since earning a goal and an assist in an Oct. 27th win against the Capitals. Expectations for Erne rose significantly after he produced 11 goals and nine assists through 45 games of the 2020-21 campaign. However, the third line comprised of Erne, Vladislav Namestnikov and Michael Rasmussen has been inconsistent at best, especially with Erne averaging only 13:37 of ice time in his middle-six role. Consider other options in general or from the Red Wings if dead set on rostering a Detroit player.

Jordan Binnington, G, STL – Binnington has struggled recently, suffering four consecutive losses while allowing 15 goals on 122 shots before notching a win Monday. Ville Husso has been solid when between the pipes, so if Binnington continues to struggle and Husso plays well, the Blues could turn to the rookie netminder more frequently. Binnington's goals-against average has risen steadily since he came out of central casting to carry the Blues to their first Stanley Cup title in 2018-19. A change in net is not imminent, but a few more poor starts and a short-term swap could be in the cards.                                                                                                                       

Others include Rasmus Asplund, Bo Horvat, Dustin Brown, Anthony Beauvillier, Tim Stutzle, Keith Yandle, John Klingberg, Thomas Greiss, Alexandar Georgiev, and Thatcher Demko. 

Sell High

Alex Goligoski, D, MIN – Goligoski continued his red-hot scoring pace, notching his 11th assist of the season Sunday. The 36-year-old blueliner is skating on the top-pair while manning the point on the second man-advantage unit. Goligoski, taken in the second round in 2004, signed a one-year, $5 million deal with Minnesota this offseason after five years with Arizona. He has 12 points in 15 games, but likely will slow at some point, as you have to go back to 2013-14 to find the last time Goligoski topped 40 points.