9 Players to Hold

Fantasy Stock Watch: 9 players to hold onto.

So far we’ve had some buy lows and some sell highs but there is another option of course: which is to simply hold or go long. Some players who are having hot starts are the real deal. It’s likely that a couple will fall off their torrid pace just a tad but it’s also likely that a few are having a true breakout season.

1. Zach Parise – New Jersey Devils
Analysis: Drafted 17th overall in the extremely strong 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Parise was a top NCAA player who is now having a “breakout” season. While it may seem odd to say a player who’s already had two straight 30+ goal campaigns is breaking out, it’s likely that Parise raises his own status to match some of his draft year compatriots and reaches closer to the upper echelons in terms of scorers. Look for Parise to notch around 40 goals and possibly score at over a point per game pace throughout the season, for he’s already the Devils’ best player at this point.

2. Mikko Koivu – Minnesota Wild
Analysis: Saku’s younger brother has been highly touted for a while now. He’s now finally coming into his own as a bona fide #1 center. Koivu’s hot start is no fluke as he’s got a lot of talent. Even with superstar Gaborik out with an injury, Koivu and his linemates continue to tear it up. It’s possible that his pace will slow a bit and normalize as the weeks go by but he’s certainly not a pretender. Look for Koivu to have a very nice season.

3. Shea Weber – Nashville Predators
Analysis: Another product of the ridiculously strong ’03 draft, Weber had a tough go last season. Injuries hurt his production big time and postponed what many people thought was going to be a breakout year for him. Well, one season later, Weber’s picked up where he left off in 2006-07. He’s currently got 5 goals and 7 helpers in only 11 games played and while his pace will definitely fall off–as not too many D-men in recent memory have held a PPG pace throughout the entire season–Weber certainly seems like he’s going to try to give it a shot. He’s got an absolute cannon for a shot and is willing to lay someone out with a huge hit if he so chooses. With Zidlicky gone to Minny, Weber’s the #1 D-man in town, at least as far as the PP is concerned.

4. J.P. Dumont – Nashville Predators
Analysis: Dumont was drafted 3rd overall by the NYI back in 1996. It’s been quite a while but Dumont is finally showing why he was worthy of such a high draft slot. Dumont is a very underrated scorer but has finally found a home playing alongside Jason Arnott on the Preds’ top line. He also plays PP1 and it’s very likely that he’ll surpass last year’s point total of 72 and hit the point-per-game mark. Hold on to Dumont, as he’s not a fluke. If you’re looking to trade him, make sure you get a comparable player in return. Dumont may not have the name value that some other strong wingers out there do, in terms of fantasy hockey, but he’ll get the production for your team, and that’s all that matters in the end. Upgrade if you can, but do not sell him short.

5. Phil Kessel – Boston Bruins
Analysis: Once briefly considered by some to rival Crosby for 1st overall in their draft year, Kessel is finally showing what he can do early in this season. The Bruins have two VERY good playmaking pivots in Savard and Bergeron and Kessel will benefit greatly from this, especially on the power play. Kessel has blazing speed and a knack for goal scoring, as evident by his lack of assists so far. However, no fantasy hockey manager ever minds when their players are potting some goals. Kessel’s still quite young, only turning 21 just a few weeks ago, so Kessel can still improve even further. His goal scoring pace may slow down, but don’t expect him to go completely cold; he’s got the talent.

6. Paul Kariya – St. Louis Blues
Analysis: Kariya is a veritable wise old man compared to some of the other players on this list. Kariya’s been around for a while now but he’s still got the hockey sense and can mount his fair share of points. While he probably will never regain the scoring touch he had for Anaheim, Kariya can still dish out some assists. Currently over a point-per-game pace, as with a couple of the others mentioned here, it’s possible that Kariya’s pace may slow just a bit but it won’t be much. The Blues are a young and energetic team with some very talented players that Kariya plays with, along with some other wily vets that can provide the leadership and also the scoring help, that will bring along some of their young guns.

7. Filip Kuba – Ottawa Senators
Analysis: Kuba was a serviceable lower d-man on fantasy hockey teams back when he was on the Wild. His stock went up a bit in TB, as he potted some more points when he got it going. Now in Ottawa, he is the #1 offense guy from the Sens’ blue line and runs their strong PP1 unit. With talents like Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson out on the ice with Kuba, it’s no wonder he’s putting up so many points. Kuba is averaging over a point-per-game at this point. Obviously this won’t keep up the entire season, but if Kuba can maintain at least a steady production, he could easily hit at least 55 points this season and be one of the most surprising fantasy d-men this season. Hopefully you had enough foresight to draft him or pick him up early on, if he was available, as it looks like Kuba should have a very good season.

8. Joe Pavelski – San Jose Sharks
Analysis: “Little Joe”, as he’s affectionately called in contrast to “Big Joe” Thornton, is putting together a nice stretch of games so far. He has a solid 5 goals and 5 assists in 12 games so far. Pavelski centers San Jose’s second line with Michalek and Cheechoo on what could be a first line on some other teams. He also gets decent ice time, including power play minutes. Assuming he sticks on the second line with his talented teammates, which at this point, there is no reason to believe otherwise, Pavelski should be able to put up very solid point totals for a second line center. He’ll certainly improve on his 40 points last year so if you were able to nab him in your draft, it’s likely it was late and thus is looking like a steal. Definitely hold him if you have him. There are some players who are tough to trade, especially based on name value, and unless you’re haggling with another knowledgable player who happens to like Pavelski’s situation, it’s unlikel that you’ll get good return on any trade involving him. Hold onto him if you can.

9. Todd Bertuzzi – Calgary Flames
Analysis: The much maligned Bertuzzi seems to be having somewhat of a resurgence this year with the Flames. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever reach the lofty totals he and Naslund amassed back before the lockout for the Canucks, he’s scoring goals at a decent clip thus far with 7 in 12 games. The overall pace won’t keep up but Bertuzzi could be a solid bet for a second winger this season, as opposed to the past few years where he’s been terrible in comparison. Assuming he stays injury free, Bertuzzi should be able to provide good all around fantasy production. Then again, if you’re wary of injury prone players, then he could actually make a nice sell high selection, if you can get a more reliable player in return.

Long story short, unless you can get fair value or even greater value in return, don’t sell these guys short. They should probably stay close to their current respective paces, or at least fall slightly, at the most. If you can sell for an upgrade, by all means do. Again, though, some of these guys are the real deal and should be able to put up some good numbers for your team so don’t have any qualms about holding onto them.