Here are several players who benefit greatly from what linemates they play with and their general situation. This can also include players who get substantial power play time, more specifically, on the top power play unit for their team.

Occasionally, such players are sometimes called “sponges” or some other similar derivative. Such a player would lose a lot of their value if they were moved off the line that they’re most productive on or if they lose their PP time. This is not to say that they are a bad player or would become useless per se, it’s just that a possibly substantial amount of their value comes from their situation. An example of this would be Jonathan Cheechoo. The year the Sharks acquired Joe Thornton, Cheechoo hit 56 goals to lead the league. The year after, the duo of Thornton-Cheechoo didn’t have that same spark and the lines were constantly shuffled by then coach Ron Wilson. Cheechoo still managed a very respectable 37 goals that year (06-07) but then last year only had 23 goals. Basically, if he’s consistently on Thornton’s line, he’d in theory consistently produce at a very high level. Cheechoo at the moment is still a serviceable player but nowhere near the level that he was at in the 2005-2006 season.

The antithesis of a sponge-type player would probably be a guy like Ilya Kovalchuk. In 05-06, Kovy, like Cheechoo, put up a 50+ goal season with 52, and 98 points overall. That same year, Kovalchuk’s centerman was Marc Savard, who is one of the best passers in the league; Savard himself had 97 points, with 74 assists. After Savard left for Boston the following year, there was a lot of talk about Kovy’s numbers taking a bit of a dive. With no truly good pivots for the Thrashers, people assumed Kovalchuk would surely lose some value. This was the case, but only to a certain extent, as Kovalchuk still put up 42 goals in 2006-2007. However, last year in 07-08, Kovy put the doubts to rest as he put up another 52 goal campaign, again with no regular top centerman. The moral of the story is, Kovalchuk doesn’t really rely on other players for his points. He can do it all himself if necessary.

1. Devin Setoguchi - San Jose Sharks
If gooch gets taken off Big Joe’s line for an extended amount of time, for whatever reason, his value will most likely take a huge dive. Right now, Setoguchi is enjoying quite a ride, with 11 goals and 11 assists so far through 20 games so far. He’s clearly a talented guy himself. He was taken 8th overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft, so he’s definitely highly regarded. Setoguchi isn’t a slouch, in terms of individual talent, but obviously, Thornton is just such a tremendous player who can make amazing passes and draws a lot of defensive attention on himself and thus is able to free up his teammates to get in better spots. Surely just playing with a player of Thornton’s caliber makes Seto’s chances of producing go up, not to mention his other linemate, Marleau, who is a great player in his own right. So if Seto gets moved off the top line, his production would assumably drop big time, especially if it’s to the 3rd line or lower. Not saying that it’ll happen any time soon (or at all), it’s just something to keep abreast of.

2. Derick Brassard - Blue Jackets
From the handful of Jackets games I’ve watched so far this season, Brass has been the best CBJ player night in and night out, even when he has the flu. Yes, even better than Rick Nash. Initially, Brassard started off playing lower minutes alongside fellow rookie Jakub Voracek. They still put up their fair share of points even though Coach Hitchcock wasn’t giving them the time they probably deserved. In fact, even though by ice time, theirs was probably the 3rd or 4th line, they still were the best line out there along with Jason Chimera. Lately, Brassard’s play has finally been recognized and he’s been promoted to the top line and centering Nash and Huselius. At the moment of this writing, Brass has 19 points in 18 games, good enough to continue to lead rookies in scoring. Even if Brassard gets moved off a pairing with Nash, he’ll still probably produce. He’s simply a very talented player out there and it’s obvious. However, he’ll probably put up points easier and more consistently playing with a guy like Nash for sure, so keep an eye on the situation out in Columbus.

3. Kris Versteeg - Chicago Blackhawks
Versteeg is obviously a pretty good player. You don’t just fall into 16 points in 17 games in the NHL. However, his linemates are two of the very best young players in the game: Kane and Toews. Versteeg is definitely showing good chemistry with the two sophomores and they’re consistently scoring out there, even strength. Still, you have to be wary of what would happen if Kris were to have any type of slow down and potentially get taken off the top line. Clearly, things are good when they’re good but getting through the really tough times is what separates the very best players from everyone else. Versteeg so far has yet to see what would be really considered a rough patch. If you think Versteeg truly has what it takes, then he may be a diamond in the rough and could be a good player to hold onto. His situation is really solid right now but who knows what could happen down the road. If you’re uneasy about the situation at all, Versteeg could be a pretty decent sell high candidate. Look to acquire a similarly producing player who you know will produce no matter what line they’re on.

4. Bobby Ryan - Anaheim Ducks
Highly touted Ryan was taken 2nd overall in the same draft year as Setoguchi, right behind Crosby. Clearly he’s no sleeper, in terms of coming out of nowhere. Ryan was a salary cap victim to start the season, so he could not stay up. Fortunately for him, Beauchemin is lost to the Ducks for several months, which frees up space for Ryan on the team and he’s off to a quick start. Against the Caps, Ryan notched two goals and a helper and was probably the best Anaheim player out there throughout, even though they ultimately lost the game. Ryan also appears to be playing exclusively on the PP2 unit and not the top unit. This is because league leader in power play goal scoring Teemu Selanne plays on the PP1 and there’s little to no chance Teemu gets knocked off there. However, Bobby’s situation is best when looking at his even strength play time and who he’s with. He plays alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, two of the best young players out there right now. Not only that, they’re very both big, strong guys, and their style really allows them to punish the opposition not only physically but also on the scoreboard. This is a fantastic situation for Ryan, who seems to have a nose for the net himself. Look for Ryan to have a pretty good run, for at least the near future. He’s certainly a solid player to add if he’s available right now.

5. Ryan Smyth - Colorado Avalanche
Smyth, a heart and soul player and a real grinder who can score but has really not had the best production so far this season. Smyth was a better producer for the Oilers when he was there. He was the Edmonton captain and was definitely counted on to score his usual hard-nosed, in the trenches and high traffic, garbage goals. So far this season, though, he’s only got 10 points through 17 games. He’s on the #1 line at the moment, alongside one of the most underlooked playmakers in the league Paul Stastny who has fantastic on-ice vision, and a very good goal scorer in Milan Hejduk. Smyth has proven himself to be slightly injury prone the past few seasons, so that alone is reason to keep an eye on him. In their last game, the trio combined for a -9 rating with 0 points to show for it. The Avalanche are simply going to need more than that from their best line if they’re going to make the playoffs in the tight Western conference. There is a chance that if Smyth continues to underproduce that he may get moved off the top line, but we’ll see what happens.

6. Sergei Samsonov - Carolina Hurricanes
Samsonov potted his first goal just the other day (finally). It seems as though he’s still sticking on the top lines, even though he hasn’t produced well at all (only 4 points on the season). He usually plays with either Eric Staal or Rod Brind’Amour, both pretty good centerman to be playing with. He also gets solid ice time, including PP time. I personally had him on my team, expecting a resurrection from him, after being almost point-per-game last season when he joined the Hurricanes. Alas, it was not meant to be and I had to cut him loose after he pretty much did nothing for me. Perhaps now he’s shaking out of his funk and could possibly get it going (figures). Keep an eye on his production and if he starts to get it going, he could be a solid pickup, at the very least as a stopgap, in case he goes on a hot streak. Samsonov is still a fantastic player in terms of skill, but he’s just so unpredictable sometimes in terms of effort on the ice and actual production. Of course, this recent string could be just another happenstance, point-wise. If you have Samsonov and he continues to struggle, then don’t have reservations about cutting him loose, regardless of who he’s playing with.

7. Viktor Kozlov - Washington Capitals
Not to be confused with Thrasher Slava (who has 16 points), Viktor Kozlov is actually in a better situation but has less points so far with only 7. Viktor is currently on the top Caps line playing alongside last year’s MVP, Alex Ovechkin, and budding superstar-in-the-making Nick Backstrom. Arguably, you could not choose to have a better duo as your two linemates in the NHL as Kozlov does at this point. He started the season on this line but was taken off and things have been shuffled around lately for the Caps, especially with Alex Semin going down with an injury; Kozlov has also missed some time himself. Kozlov’s back with AO and Backstrom now and has a 3 game point streak going at the moment. Due to his mediocre production to date, it’s quite possible that Kozlov may be undervalued or even a free agent in your league right now. He could be a nice short-term pickup if he gets hot, which is entirely possible with the linemates he has.

The best thing to do with the players listed above is take note of their situation as often as possible. Look at if they get moved off their usual line or if they lose power play time. Ride ‘em while they’re hot, trade them or cut them loose if you don’t think they’re up to snuff. Again, a lot of what goes on in fantasy hockey is a case by case basis, so it’s ultimately up to each individual manager to figure out what’s best. Basically, just keep your eyes peeled.