F Antoine Vermette, Ottawa Senators
Vermette has been an iffy play all season long but has been hot as of late, scoring five points in his last four games. The forward has averaged over 15 minutes of ice time in his last four games and currently holds a plus/minus rating of +7. Netting one power-play assist earlier this week, Vermette has risen his point total to 37 points in 61 games played. Expect Vermette to eclipse his previous career high in points which he set last year at 39 in 77 games played.
Fantasy Take: Vermette is a good play at the moment due to his recent success, but owners shouldn’t expect much from the forward. Only use him as a lower end option.
D Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues
Although he began the season slowly, Johnson has picked up his play this month recording his first ever three game point streak. The defenseman’s plus/minus numbers have slipped this month, but his point totals have risen. With 10 points in his last 23 games, Johnson has vaulted himself into a reliable play at defenseman, and has also shown that he can be a presence on the power-play. Scoring four power-play assists this month, Johnson currently has 23 points on the year which leads all Blues defenseman.
Fantasy Take: No question Johnson will be a powerful fantasy force in a few years, but in only his first year, use the defenseman as a second or third option.
D Jaroslav Spacek, Buffalo Sabers
Spacek failed to score a point in all of January but has been on fire ever since the calendar turned to February. Scoring four points in his last four games, and eight points this month, Spacek has been one of Buffalo’s top producing defenseman. Receiving a ton of time on the power-play, Spacek has proven to be a great point man, recording five pp assists and one pp goal. Expect Spacek to be relied on more heavily if Buffalo chooses to ship out defenseman Brian Campbell.
Fantasy Take: At the position of defenseman, you could do a lot worse than Spacek. Although his season numbers aren’t great, he has gotten hot this month and is a good play in most formats.
F Brandon Dubinsky, New York Rangers
Dubinsky was very quiet in the first half of the season, but has seemed to found his form post all-star break, registering 18 points in his last 24 games. Scoring his second three point night of his career earlier this month, Dubinsky has been on fire this past week, scoring seven points in his last four games. Benefitting from playing with Jaromir Jagr, Dubinsky is enjoying a great second half to his rookie season and is on pace to surpass 45+ points.
Fantasy Take: Dubinsky is having a great February scoring 10 points in his last 10 games. Although he won’t keep up this pace, Dubinsky deserves a spot in your lineup for the time being.
For Illegal Curve, I’m Jonny Remis
