Fantasy Spin: Replacement options for Ducks' Perry

When fantasy owners drafted Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry, they got a one-of-a-kind player, incapable of being sufficiently replaced by any single forward off the waiver wire. Perry leaves his fantasy owners with a huge gap to fill as his tremendous contribution in goals, assists, points, plus-minus, penalty minutes and shots on goal will be dormant with the Ducks announcing Tuesday that Perry will miss three to four weeks with a knee sprain.

In what is the equivalent of trying to catch a great white shark with a bent paper clip attached to a string of dental floss, the following right wings can be picked up in larger and smaller Yahoo fantasy hockey leagues, with hopes that they can lighten the heavy burden created by Perry's absence.

Steve Downie, Pittsburgh Penguins (owned in 31% of Yahoo leagues)

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No longer the multi-category threat he once was a few seasons ago with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Downie is the poor man's option for replacing Perry with dual eligibility in Yahoo leagues at left and right wing. Don't expect Downie to give you anywhere near the offensive numbers that Perry provides, but your PIMs will definitely get a boost. Considering that Downie has recently been getting playing time with the NHL's best player, Sidney Crosby, due to a rash of injured Penguins players; there is reason enough to look on the bright side. Downie is coming off a two-point effort Monday against the New York Rangers, his first since Nov. 18 against the Montreal Canadiens, so he's worth scooping up if you play in a smaller league.

Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks (owned in 15% of Yahoo leagues)

Taking a teammate of an injured player is usually a safe bet and Silfverberg has been heating up recently with two goals, two assists and a plus-four rating on a four-game point streak. The PIMs will be virtually non-existent with Silfverberg, but his 75 SOG through 29 games this season has him tied for second on the team in that category. He has shown enough flashes of offensive capability in season's past to take a chance while you wait for Perry to get healthy. The dual-eligibility in Yahoo leagues at left and right wing is also a plus.

Mika Zibanejad, Ottawa Senators (owned in 6% of Yahoo leagues)

Another case of trying to strike while the iron is hot, Zibanejad is in the midst of a four-game point streak with four goals and three assists. Zibanejad also has eligibility at two positions for Yahoo leagues (center and right wing), so he will give owners flexibility and allow for the option of adding a supplemental forward during Perry's absence if there is room on their respective roster.

Kyle Palmieri, Anaheim Ducks (owned in 2% of Yahoo leagues)

His 19 PIMs this season are misleading, as 15 of those were picked up due to boarding and game misconduct penalties on Nov. 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks, but Palmieri does boast a goal and two assists in his past two games and could see increased ice time with Perry out. Palmieri should only be considered if you play in much larger leagues, but selecting a teammate of Perry could provide short-term help.

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