5 depth charts with decreased fantasy value

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To be a fantasy hockey lover is to be selfish. We draft players based on the hope their coaches put them in the best opportunities to succeed. In some ways it is antithetical to the real thing. Fantasy hockey celebrates the individual far more often and it will enrage Sidney Crosby owners if the Pittsburgh Penguins score four goals and he doesn't get one of them.

We're going to look at five depth chart situations currently suppressing upside of certain players. Perhaps coaches have good reason (likely) for assigning their lines the way they do, but this hardly matters to fantasy owners.

Boston Bruins PP Unit

The Bruins sit in the bottom six in terms of power-play percentage. Part of this is the infrequency of their power plays (3.04 per game), but it might also have something to do with the lack of LW Brad Marchand. Marchand's relatively recent offensive prowess may still be a surprise, but he hasn't gained much time with the man advantage. Only six of his 37 goals last season were of the PP variety.

This year, despite Marchand leading the Bruins in points (and PPP), the likes of C Ryan Spooner and RW David Backes have seen much more time with the man advantage. It hasn't worked. Together, Spooner and Backes have a combined six power-play points compared to Marchand's five in much less time.

Bumping Marchand to the top PP unit would be music to his owner's ears, but could potentially jump start floundering C Patrice Bergeron, who owns only eight points in 25 games. Keep breakout RW David Pastrnak with the group to take advantage of his scoring (23.1 shooting percentage) and Marchand's improved playmaking (17 assists in 28 games).

Buffalo Sabres' Infatuation with Brian Gionta

Out of necessity, perhaps, due to injuries rippling throughout the Sabres' roster, Gionta has skated a surprising 17 minutes per game. He's a better defensive player than offensive, so his minutes are not helping him provide much in the way of fantasy numbers, despite opportunity. Once upon a time, Gionta scored 48 goals in a season, but he hasn't been near point-per-game production since.

Since joining the Sabres, his time on the power play has also diminished. He doesn't have a point with the man advantage this season, as he's rarely been used in such situations. LW Matt Moulson, on the other hand, is having something of a rebound and is almost worthy of fantasy consideration. Six of his seven goals (he had eight goals in 81 games last season) are power-play goals.

Moulson has one fewer point than Gionta despite playing only 13.5 minutes per game. If Moulson were, theoretically, to get more time at a top line position, it would at least clarify if he is more than a PP specialist. That, or consider calling up Alexander Nylander for his first taste and toss him on the top line. The Sabres are better with C Jack Eichel, but they've still scored fewer goals than anyone else, limiting the team's fantasy appeal.

Save Matt Duchene and Mikko Rantanen

Corsica.Hockey has Duchene and Rantanen paired most often together alongside C Nathan MacKinnon - also known as the way it should be. Change and tinkering is always expected, and distributing scoring opportunity up and down a roster is largely ideal. Recently, however, MacKinnon has been skating with Ws Blake Comeau and Rene Bourque, and succeeding in spite of it.

Rantanen's overall playing time has increased, and Duchene has been touching 20 minutes per game of late. Sliding them onto the top scoring line once again would boost their already surging value. Maybe this scheme works better in reality, but no one is getting value from Bourque and it'd be a lot more appealing seeing MacKinnon score knowing it could mean collateral assists.

Give James Neal Stability

Solace can be slightly found in Neal's constant presence on the Predators' top power-play unit. Beyond this, he has mostly been skating with C Mike Fisher and W Colin Wilson at 5v5. For the most part, he has played on a line with C Ryan Johansen and LW Viktor Arvidsson, occasionally seeing LW Filip Forsberg substituted in for the latter.

As long as he's with Fisher and Wilson, he's boosting their fantasy value while they're pushing his down. The Predators offer a more balanced attack this way, but by splitting up their strongest talent, no line comes off looking elite. C Mike Ribeiro leads the team with 18 points, after all. Ideally, Neal lands back on a line with Forsberg, dropping LW Kevin Fiala to the third line.

Put Auston Matthews on the Leafs' Top Line

Usage and scoring show Matthews is easily one of the team's top three forwards. Only LW James van Riemsdyk has more points, though C Mitch Marner has just as many. Take away Matthews' opening night onslaught, his numbers have been good/not great. He has eight goals and eight assists in the 25 games since the debut.

His most common partners of late have been Ws Zach Hyman and Connor Brown, neither of whom have as many points as Matthews has goals. In a situation similar to the Predators' Neal, Matthews will elevate Hyman and Brown to be worthy of daily fantasy selection (on sparing occasion), but it does little to inspire confidence in Matthews proper.

Six of Matthews' points have come on the power play, where he is not hindered by Hyman nor Brown. Saturday also had him skating with RW William Nylander again, a common pairing separate from Hyman and Brown, resulting in a goal for Matthews and an assist for Nylander. If this becomes the norm, fantasy upside should rise for both.

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