The Front Line: Rangers forwards rise in fantasy ranks

Every Tuesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey expert Matt Cubeta will provide you with an in-depth analysis of fantasy forwards in his weekly segment: "The Front Line." From updated rankings to players you should keep a close eye on and much more, Cubeta will be your fantasy forwards insider all season long.

Going into the season, five New York Rangers cracked my top 100 forward rankings: Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Ryan Callahan, Derick Brassard and Brad Richards. This probably doesn't surprise anyone, as all five players carried decent value coming into the season.

However, the Rangers struggled out of the gate, losing seven of their first 10 games, and all five players either disappointed when on the ice or found themselves on the sidelines due to injury.

But in late October, the Rangers started to make some changes to their lineup, specifically to their top two forward lines. They also got a key player back: Carl Hagelin. Since Oct. 29 (when Hagelin returned to the lineup), the Rangers have gone 6-1-0 and have looked like a completely different team. And it's no surprise Hagelin has been at the center of this resurgence.

Last season, when the speedy forward recorded a point, the Rangers went 14-2-1, when he scored a goal they were 8-1-1 and when he tallied at least two points, they were 5-0-1. Hagelin is a difference maker for the Rangers, and he could be one on your fantasy roster as well.

Fast forward to today and the Rangers quietly have six forwards ranked inside my top 100 (this excludes Nash, who's still out with an injury, and Brassard, who has slumped with seven points in 17 games).

As you can see in the table to the right, all of the currently ranked Rangers forwards have increased their value since the season began, and in most cases, it's all because of the recent play.

Let's take a closer look at the Rangers' top two lines, with their Yahoo ownership in parenthesis after each player's name:

Chris Kreider (9 percent) -- Derek Stepan (76 percent) -- Mats Zuccarello (6 percent)

Zuccarello was a healthy scratch on Oct. 24 against the Philadelphia Flyers, but on Oct. 29 Alain Vigneault decided to try something new out with him. Vigneault formulated this trio and they have been together ever since, combining for seven goals and 23 points in seven games. They have dominated play when they're on the ice and during those seven contests, not one of them has finished with a minus rating in any given game. Stepan and Zuccarello also see plenty of time on the team's top power-play unit, while Kreider is being used on the second group. In the past 14 days, Stepan is ranked third, Zuccarello is fifth and Kreider is 20th in Yahoo leagues. They are a unique line with Kreider providing speed, Stepan providing vision and Zuccarello providing playmaking.

Carl Hagelin (20 percent) -- Brad Richards (84 percent) -- Ryan Callahan (56 percent)

While this combination of forwards hasn't been intact as long as the previous set, they have primarily played together since Callahan returned from a broken thumb on Nov. 4. During that time, they have combined for five goals and 14 points in four games. In Hagelin's seven games since returning from offseason shoulder surgery, he has four goals, four assists, a plus-7, eight penalty minutes and 14 shots on goal. He helps in all facets of fantasy hockey except for points on the power play, where he is hardly used. Richards has turned his game completely around after disappointing during the lockout-shortened season and is showing he still has plenty left to offer to his fantasy owners. Callahan has battled through injury problems but still has seven points in nine games, with three of his goals coming on the power play.

The bottom line is all six of New York's top forwards need to be owned in far more leagues. And when Nash returns to the lineup (which could be nearing), there's going to be a seventh player that will be productive on Broadway -- we'll see how Vigneault fits him into the lineup, but he's one of the League's most dynamic forwards and is definitely a must-start player.

TRENDING UPWARD

Bobby Ryan

Right Wing - OTT

GOALS: 9 | ASST: 10 | PTS: 19
SOG: 49 | +/-: 10

Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks -- On Monday, Sharp was named the third star for the week ending Nov. 10 and now he's seeing a big bump in the fantasy rankings. Sharp has three goals and eight assists over his past seven contests and 67 shots on goal on the season, which ranks 10th in the NHL. He's been skating on a line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa and is finally producing like we expected.

Mike Richards, Kings -- After starting the season without a goal in his first 10 games, Richards has found the back of the net five times in the past seven. He now has 16 points in 17 games, and despite only having four penalty minutes Richards' power-play production (six points) has made up for that.

TRENDING DOWNWARD

Steven Stamkos

Center - TBL

GOALS: 14 | ASST: 9 | PTS: 23
SOG: 60 | +/-: 11

Marian Gaborik, Blue Jackets -- Gaborik is one of the streakiest players in the League -- almost everyone knows that. Unfortunately, he's in a cold streak with one assist in the past six games. Gaborik falls in the ranks for the time being, but he'll get hot soon enough and find himself moving back up.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oilers -- While Nugent-Hopkins has 13 points in 17 games, just three of them have come in the past seven contests. To make matters worse, he has yet to record a penalty minute and has a minus-12 rating. He's certainly capable of turning things around, but right now you're best off benching him.

KEEP AN EYE ON ...

Dustin Penner, Ducks -- A few key forwards fell out of the top-100 rankings thanks to the return of several formerly injured players (James Neal, Taylor Hall, David Perron, Loui Eriksson, Teemu Selanne and Scott Hartnell), but Penner was right on the edge of making the list and is worth grabbing in deep leagues. He's playing on Anaheim's top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and the trio has been as productive as anyone lately. Owned in 29 percent of Yahoo leagues, Penner has one goal and seven assists to go along with a plus-10 rating over the past six games.

These rankings are based on expectations of the season going forward. The plus or minus for each player is movement based on our most recent rankings -- NR means not ranked in previous rankings. They are based on a standard fantasy league with these offensive categories: G, A, plus/minus, PIMs, PPP, SOG.

1	Sidney Crosby, Penguins (same)	51	Andrew Ladd, Jets (+5)
2	Alex Ovechkin, Capitals (+1)	52	Nazem Kadri, Maple Leafs (-6)
3	Corey Perry, Ducks (+2)	53	Brad Richards, Rangers (+12)
4	John Tavares, Islanders (same)	54	Mikko Koivu, Wild (-1)
5	Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings (+2)	55	Mike Ribeiro, Coyotes (-5)
6	Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings (+4)	56	Justin Williams, Kings (-4)
7	Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks (+1)	57	Patrice Bergeron, Bruins (same)
8	Evgeni Malkin, Penguins (-2)	58	Tomas Hertl, Sharks (+1)
9	Daniel Sedin, Canucks (same)	59	PA Parenteau, Avalanche (+1)
10	Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks (+4) DTD	60	Alexander Semin, Hurricanes (-6)
11	Phil Kessel, Maple Leafs (same)	61	Kyle Turris, Senators (+10)
12	Patrick Kane, Blackhawks (same)	62	Tomas Plekanec, Canadiens (+2)
13	Henrik Sedin, Canucks (same)	63	Ryan Callahan, Rangers (+13)
14	Chris Kunitz, Penguins (+1)	64	Radim Vrbata, Coyotes (-6) DTD
15	Zach Parise, Wild (+1)	65	Mike Richards, Kings (+9)
16	Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals (+3)	66	Kyle Okposo, Islanders (+9)
17	Anze Kopitar, Kings (+3)	67	David Perron, Oilers (NR)*
18	Logan Couture, Sharks (-1)	68	Cody Hodgson, Sabres (-5)
19	Matt Duchene, Avalanche (+2)	69	T.J. Oshie, Blues (-2)
20	Martin St. Louis, Lightning (-2)	70	Brandon Dubinsky, Blue Jackets (+7)
21	Bobby Ryan, Senators (+8)	71	Dustin Brown, Kings (-3)
22	David Backes, Blues (same)	72	Tomas Fleischmann, Panthers (-6)
23	Jason Spezza, Senators (same)	73	Loui Eriksson, Bruins (NR)*
24	James Neal, Penguins (NR)*	74	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oilers (-19)
25	Joe Pavelski, Sharks (same)	75	Pascal Dupuis, Penguins (-14)
26	Tyler Seguin, Stars (same)	76	Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche (-14)
27	Patrick Marleau, Sharks (-3)	77	Frans Nielsen, Islanders (+2)
28	Eric Staal, Hurricanes (same)	78	Mike Cammalleri, Flames (+2)
29	Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks (+9)	79	Chris Kreider, Rangers (+8)
30	Evander Kane, Jets (-3)	80	Daniel Alfredsson, Red Wings (-12)
31	Jamie Benn, Stars (+2)	81	Vincent Lecavalier, Flyers (-3)
32	Marian Hossa, Blackhawks (+4)	82	Jonathan Huberdeau, Panthers (-9)
33	Joe Thornton, Sharks (+1)	83	Brad Marchand, Bruins (-1)
34	Taylor Hall, Oilers (NR)*	84	Chris Stewart, Blues (same)
35	Alexander Steen, Blues (+4)	85	Paul Stastny, Avalanche (+1)
36	Claude Giroux, Flyers (-1)	86	Jakub Voracek, Flyers (-3)
37	Joffrey Lupul, Maple Leafs (-5)	87	Carl Hagelin, Rangers (+5)
38	Thomas Vanek, Islanders (-8) DTD	88	Wayne Simmonds, Flyers (-16)
39	Derek Stepan, Rangers (+5)	89	Nail Yakupov, Oilers (-8)
40	Marian Gaborik, Blue Jackets (-9)	90	Blake Wheeler, Jets (-1)
41	Ryan Kesler, Canucks (+1)	91	Alex Killorn, Lightning (-6)
42	Matt Moulson, Sabres (-1)	92	Bryan Little, Jets (+6)
43	Milan Lucic, Bruins (-6)	93	Mats Zuccarello, Rangers (NR)
44	Jarome Iginla, Bruins (-4)	94	Shane Doan, Coyotes (NR)
45	Gabriel Landeskog, Avalanche (+4)	95	Mikhail Grabovski, Capitals (-5)
46	James van Riemsdyk, Maple Leafs (-3)	96	Jaromir Jagr, Devils (-1)
47	Jason Pominville, Wild (+4)	97	Alexandre Burrows, Canucks (-4)
48	Jordan Eberle, Oilers (same)	98	Teemu Selanne, Ducks (NR)*
49	David Krejci, Bruins (same)	99	Sam Gagner, Oilers (-8)
50	Max Pacioretty, Canadiens (-5)	100	Scott Hartnell, Flyers (NR)*

* Appeared on injured list last week

Players that dropped out of previous rankings: Jiri Hudler, Alex Galchenyuk, Martin Hanzal, Brendan Gallagher, Mikael Granlund

Injured: Steven Stamkos, Rick Nash, Jeff Skinner, Jeff Carter, Brent Burns, Johan Franzen, Patrik Elias, Steve Downie, Nathan Horton

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