Stockwatch: Stamkos coming of age

What has happened to Ed Jovanovski and Jonathan Cheechoo at opposite ends of the Western Conference standings? Our Michael Hurcomb touches on that and the emergence of rookie Steve Stamkos in his latest Fantasy Stockwatch.

Every week our Fantasy staff will evaluate the landscape around the NHL and how it pertains to Fantasy owners in Fantasy Stockwatch.

	Sam Gagner, C, Edmonton The second-year forward is peaking at the right time for the Oilers, who are in the middle of a playoff race, and Fantasy owners, who are also vying for postseason glory. Gagner has eight goals, including a hat trick March 19 against the Avalanche, and six assists in his last 10 games. While the Oilers' top line of Patrick O'Sullivan, Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky has struggled mightily in the last few weeks, Gagner has been able to pick up the pace. It hasn't been a banner sophomore season for Gagner, who is 15 points behind his rookie total of 49. He has dealt with a few lingering injuries (ankle, concussion), but he finally seems 100 percent and living up to his first-round billing (sixth overall in 2007).
	Mikko Koivu, C, Minnesota The Wild received a bit of good news and bad news Sunday. The good news was that former All Star Marian Gaborik played in his first game Sunday against the Oilers since Dec. 23 because of a nagging hip injury that required surgery. The bad news was Koivu went down with a knee injury that could keep him sidelined the remainder of the season. It's a real shame since Koivu has been Minnesota's best skater in the absence of Gaborik, who has dressed for just seven games. Koivu has a career-high 44 assists and 62 points in 72 games, and was threatening as a point-per-game player for quite some time. Now, Fantasy owners who need the roster spot can likely cut bait with the fourth-year center since his return this season is questionable.
	Milan Michalek, RW, San Jose While San Jose has the names like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov, and the breakout seasons of Devin Setoguchi and Ryane Clowe have been much publicized, Michalek has quietly put together another solid campaign. He has been one of the Sharks' more reliable skaters since the calendar year hit 2009. Currently, he has scored in three straight games, but he has totaled 13 goals and 18 assists in his last 35 appearances. He has 52 points on the season and hasn't finished below even during any month this season (plus-15). Michalek has also managed 20-plus goals for a third straight season. Michalek usually doesn't get the credit he deserves because he is more like an old, reliable sweater and not the new, flashy leather coat.
	Patrick Lalime, G, Buffalo The veteran goalie really wasted a golden opportunity to make an impact with Ryan Miller sidelined since Feb. 21 by an ankle injury. Lalime started 11 of the 12 games Miller has missed, but has won just three times since then and has been pulled twice. He looked sharp early on by not allowing more than three goals in his first five outings and posting a .949 save percentage, but he is 1-4-1 in his last six starts with a 4.35 GAA and .865 save percentage. It gets even worse since Miller practiced in full Monday for the first time since spraining his ankle in late February and could be back in net as soon as Wednesday against the Panthers. It appears Lalime's time as a stopgap Fantasy option is expiring.
	Ray Whitney, LW, Carolina While Eric Staal and Erik Cole have stolen the spotlight in Carolina with the Hurricanes battling for a playoff berth, the veteran Whitney has really been a shining star in Fantasy circles. He has six goals and 11 assists in 11 March games, with five multi-point games in that span. He has 28 points and a plus-11 rating in his last 24 games and has managed 11 or more points in four of the last five months. Whitney also has 12 or more Fantasy points in four of the last five weeks. He has totaled 24 goals and 68 points -- two more than Staal. His 44 assists are also a team-high and 12 more than Staal, who is the most owned and started Hurricanes' player in Fantasy leagues.
	Jonathan Cheechoo, RW, San Jose It has really been an amazing run this season for San Jose in their first year under coach Todd McLellan. They are competing for the top seed in the Western Conference playoff chase and surprisingly they have gotten there with little help from Cheechoo, who has mustered up just nine goals and 24 points in 60 games. Cheechoo has really been on the decline since scoring a career-high 56 goals in 2005-06. He has always been a slow starter that picks it up in the second half, but we can't even say that in 2008-09. Cheechoo has two goals and four assists in 27 games since the All-Star break. He hasn't even scored in 15 games. McLellan has transformed San Jose into one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL and extremely efficient on the power play. But, Cheechoo has failed to cash in on the success.
	Steven Stamkos, C, Tampa Bay It has been a real treat to watch Stamkos develop as a player. The 19-year-old forward lost a lot of Fantasy fanfare early in the season when he failed to live up to the billing of being the top pick in the 2008 draft. Even with the coaching change, Stamkos still had issues transitioning from junior hockey to the NHL. Interim coach Rick Tocchet then put him on a rigorous conditioning plan in January to increase his strength, and here we are a few months later marveling as we watch the rise of a future NHL superstar. Stamkos has goals in seven of his last 12 games. He has eight total in that span to go along with five assists. He has 12 goals, including his first career hat trick, and seven assists in 22 games since the calendar hit February. Right now, he is thriving on a line with Ryan Malone and Martin St. Louis, and Tocchet would be a fool to break it up.
	Ed Jovanovski, D, Phoenix It took the veteran defenseman 12 years to crack 50 points, but Jovanovski finally reached that plateau in 2007-08 in his second year with the Coyotes. For that, his Fantasy value skyrocketed and Jovo became the 16th most drafted defenseman in 2008-09. Too bad he is barely hanging on to being a top 50 Fantasy defenseman (45th). The Coyotes have dropped to the cellar in the Western Conference and that has played a part in Jovo's destruction. It also has a lot to do with Phoenix trading the likes of Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton and Derek Morris, players Jovanovski thrived playing alongside last season. He struggled to begin the season before a breakout 12-point December. He has managed just 12 points over the last three months and has a minus-9 rating in his last 22 games. Jovanovski has lost his high-end Fantasy appeal.
	Brian Elliott, G, Ottawa The rookie netminder has made our Stockwatch a few times this season, but Elliott is once again on a roll after a dip in production. He has reeled off eight straight wins, posting a 2.33 GAA and .906 save percentage in that span. Elliott was removed from the starting job in late February when he struggled in net, but when Alex Auld went down with the flu, Elliott hoped back in net and hasn't slowed down. He is on a mission to prove he belongs in the NHL. Elliott is set to become a free agent in the offseason and it will be interesting to see if Ottawa brings him back after trading for the injured Pascal Leclaire at the March 4 deadline.
	Steve Montador, D, Boston We had a feeling at the trade deadline that Montador getting shipped from Anaheim to Boston would affect his Fantasy appeal, and it has. Montador has dressed for just five of nine games since being added to the Bruins' roster. He missed two games with the flu and has been a healthy scratch the last two contests. He has no goals and one assist since the trade and has logged zero power-play minutes. Montador has also taken just four shots. It's becoming clear Boston didn't add Montador for his offense and that could virtually render him useless in Fantasy down the stretch.

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