The Man Advantage: Early Season PP Surprises

The Man Advantage: Early Season PP Surprises

Hello again all you hockey pool fanatics, and welcome back to another edition of The Man Advantage, where we give you the need-to-know in the ever-changing world of NHL power play squads.

This week, we take a look at the top players who are seeing more PP minutes than they are used to, compared to last season. These are guys who have not only become a bigger part of their respective teams' power play squads, but who are also having an impact in the points column. From a fantasy perspective, some of these guys could still be available in your leagues, so don't hesitate to check the waiver wire to see if you can grab them on the cheap.

Sami Vatanen, D, ANA: After eight games, the Anaheim Ducks sit atop the Western Conference with a 7-1-0 record. Of course, much of this has to do with goaltender Frederik Andersen, with his sparkling .951 save percentage and 1.32 GAA. However, the Ducks' power play has also played a major role, currently sixth-best in the NHL with a 25.0% success rate, and Vatanen, in turn, has been a major contributor in this department. With seven points in eight games - all of them coming on the PP - Vatanen currently sits tied for second in the NHL with Keith Yandle in PP point production - one point behind Sidney Crosby. Vatanen saw just 2:45 per game with the man advantage last season as part of the Ducks' second unit, but is seeing almost double that amount this year (4:31). He is currently teaming with Cam Fowler on the point, with the ever-dangerous duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf patrolling up front, along with rookie William Karlsson - another guy who is worth a look, averaging 3:33 per game with one assist. He is currently available in 46% of all Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

Nick Foligno, LW, COB: With injuries to the likes of Nathan Horton (back) and Brandon Dubinsky (lower body), Foligno has been thrust into the spotlight in Columbus, currently playing on the Jackets' top line with Ryan Johansen and Scott Hartnell. Four of his nine points have come on the power play this season (1G, 3A), where he is averaging 3:30 per game, compared to just 1:49 last year. Granted, Foligno's past history as a second-line guy suggests his current point-per-game pace may not be all that sustainable, however he's also never played this large a role before, either. As long as he continues to line up alongside Johansen and Hartnell, and keeps seeing big-time PP minutes, a 50-60 point season is certainly not out of reach. Foligno is currently available in roughly half of all Yahoo! leagues, so go take a look to see if he can be had in yours.

Trevor Daley, D, DAL: With the departure of Stephane Robidas and injury to Sergei Gonchar (ankle), Daley was expected to take on a bigger role in Dallas this season, and thus far he has done exactly that. Through eight games, Daley is averaging over four minutes more in total ice time than he did last season (25:13 versus 21:09) and almost two minutes more on the PP (3:14 versus 1:30). He already has three PP goals this season, matching his output from the last two seasons combined. Let' face it - any time you are skating on a PP line that features the likes of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza, the points are going to start finding you eventually. For now, many of you may also find Daley listed as available in your leagues, given he is currently owned in just 33% of all Yahoo! formats.

Damien Brunner, RW, NJD: With just 25 points in 60 games, Brunner was a bit of a bust last season, his first in New Jersey, after recording 26 points with Detroit in the lockout-shortened 2013-14 campaign. As such, he likely fell off many hockey poolies' radar screens this year, especially since he missed the first four games of the season as a healthy scratch. However, he's been a regular in the lineup for the past four games after subbing in for Martin Havlat on Oct 18 against the Sharks. His last two games, Brunner has recorded 18-19 minutes of total ice time playing on the second line with Patrik Elias and Michael Cammalleri, and he's been seeing a healthy dose of PP minutes as well, averaging roughly three minutes per game on the second line. Two of his three points - a pair of assists - have come with the man advantage this season.

Darren Helm, LW, DET: Helm, who averaged just 0:41 per game on the PP last season, was more of a checking-line winger for the Red Wings when he was healthy - which wasn't very often, considering he played just 42 games in a season marred by a groin injury as well as a concussion. So far this season, Helm looks to have put his injury issues behind him, and has been afforded a top-six role on the second line with Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar. In addition, he's been seeing significantly more time on the power play (2:40 per game), where he has contributed a pair of assists. The Wings actually have him playing down low, in front of the net, banging away at loose pucks and trying to chip in rebounds. Helm had just 20 points in his 42 games last season, and - provided he can stay healthy - he's on pace for roughly 35 this year, which would represent a career high. Seeing continued time on the PP will certainly help him in that regard. He is only owned in a scant 1% of Yahoo! leagues, so he is very much widely available.

Two guys to beware:

Johnny Boychuk, D, NYI: After being acquired from the Bruins earlier this month, Boychuk walked into a situation where the Isles didn't really have a true PP defenseman with Lubomir Visnovsky on the shelf with a bad back. So, Boychuk was handed the gig pretty much out of the gate and fared quite well over the next seven games - two PP goals and three helpers, averaging a solid 3:30 minutes per game alongside John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson and Frans Nielsen. However, Visnovsky returned to the lineup Oct. 23 against the Bruins and now appears to have supplanted Boychuk as the Isles' No. 1 PP defenseman once again. Visnovsky has typically been the first blueliner on the ice in man-advantage situations in the past two games, and recorded 2:39 in PP minutes Saturday against Dallas compared to just 1:15 for Boychuk.

Brock Nelson, C, NYI: Nelson was a hot waiver-wire pickup earlier this month after he scored a whopping seven points (4G, 3A) in his first three games, with three of those coming on the PP. He was also seeing first-line PP minutes over his first six games, recording 7:29 and 5:39, respectively, against the Penguins and Maple Leafs on Oct 18 and 21. However, since then, Nelson has seen his total ice time drop from roughly 17 minutes per game to 14 minutes, having been dropped to the third line. He's also been seeing second-line PP minutes of roughly 1-1:30 minutes his last two games. He did record a goal and an assist his last game (Oct. 25 vs. Dallas) but has not registered a PP point in his last six contests.