Fantasy Spin: Panthers like Jagr on power play

Jaromir Jagr has had a remarkable NHL career, but he has not played well this season.

Jagr, 43, was traded to the Florida Panthers on Thursday, perhaps making him fantasy relevant again. His ice time with the New Jersey Devils was diminishing and he didn't have a point in eight games with the Devils before the trade. But a fresh start with new linemates could help him become productive yet again.

In a 5-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, Jagr (50 percent owned in Yahoo leagues, RW) skated on the top line with Jonathan Huberdeau (37 percent owned, C, LW) and Aleksander Barkov (8 percent owned, C). He had 17:09 of ice time, which is more than he had played in his previous 12 games with the Devils, including a whopping 5:24 on the power play. Jagr had three shots, and although he didn't score, he did what he does, which is create chances for his teammates.

Playing with young skilled players, Jagr should find the back of the net more often. His increased ice time is also a reason why he should be considered as a pickup.

-- David Clarkson (5 percent owned, RW) made his debut for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Playing on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno, Clarkson had 16:13 of ice time, including 3:11 on the power play. Clarkson averaged 13:52 of ice time, including 1:56 on the power play, with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. He had two shots, four hits and two penalty minutes Saturday.

Clarkson hasn't had a point in 10 games, the second time this season he's gone double-digit games without scoring. He has 10 goals, 15 points and 92 penalty minutes this season. Clarkson is also minus-11 with 93 shots on goal.

Clarkson isn't worth owning yet, but he could be if his scoring touch returns on a new team with new linemates.

-- The Carolina Hurricanes traded two defensemen and acquired one this week. Tim Gleason and Andrej Sekera were dealt to the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings, respectively, and Jack Hillen headed to the Hurricanes. Hillen (less than 1 percent owned) had two shots in 17:18 of ice time in a 5-3 win against the New York Islanders, and several of the Hurricanes' other defensemen figured into the scoring. Justin Faulk (74 percent owned) played on the first power-play unit and scored a goal in 4:45 of power play time. Michal Jordan (less than 1 percent owned) also scored a power-play goal, getting 2:19 on the man-advantage, mostly on the second power-play unit.

-- The Detroit Red Wings' Darren Helm (6 percent owned, C) sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators and did not return. Helm has 13 goals, 29 points and 127 shots on goal.

After the injury, the Red Wings used Justin Abdelkader (24 percent owned, LW, RW) and Stephen Weiss (2 percent owned, C) on the top line. Abdelkader had an assist and has 31 points this season to go along with 43 penalty minutes, 10 power-play points and 104 shots. He likely should be owned no matter what line he is playing on.

-- The Minnesota Wild's fourth line continued to excel in a 3-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche, combining for two goals and three assists. For the second straight game, Erik Haula (less than one percent owned, C, LW) had a goal and an assist. Justin Fontaine (1 percent owned, RW) has nine points in his past eight games (four goals, five assists), and Kyle Brodziak (5 percent owned, C) has three points in two games.

-- Ottawa Senators rookie goalie Andrew Hammond (24 percent owned) continued his recent run of excellent play, making 28 saves in a 4-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks. He is 5-0-0 and hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of his starts. Hammond has a .957 save percentage and a 1.31 goals-against average.

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