Fantasy impact: Justin Faulk injury

Injury has put a damper on Justin Faulk's long-awaited hot streak for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Faulk is week to week because of a lower-body injury
sustained Friday against the Boston Bruins. The 24-year-old combined for nine points (four goals, five assists) and 35 shots on goal in his past eight games after starting the season with seven points in 22 games.

It's been a disappointing season for Faulk, who ranks 39th among defensemen in Yahoo's performance-based rankings after being drafted 19th at his position on average.
Fortunately, the Hurricanes have an impressive batch of young defensemen, led by Noah Hanifin (10 percent owned), Jaccob Slavin (2 percent) and Brett Pesce (less than 1 percent), to lean on in Faulk's absence. Faulk's most frequent defense partner has been veteran Ron Hainsey, but Slavin played more frequently alongside Faulk at even strength and on the power play of late.

Slavin (12 points, four power-play points) is a more attractive short-term fantasy option than Hanifin (11 points, six PPP). Even with Hanifin's minutes (16:58; 2:14 on power play) being more sheltered than Slavin's (23:12 to lead Carolina; 1:21 on PP), the latter has a better plus/minus (Slavin: plus-4; Hanifin: minus-8). Slavin has six assists (three PPP) in his past 10 games and leads the Hurricanes in blocked shots (71 in 33 games).
In terms of shot attempts ratio at 5-on-5, Slavin (plus-55; T-25th among D-men; minimum 30 games) is second among Carolina defensemen behind Pesce (plus-85, 11th).
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Jake Gardiner, TOR (41 percent owned)
Gardiner, hyped by NHL.com's fantasy staff in recent weeks, is still owned in fewer than half of Yahoo leagues. He has a point in seven of his past eight games, with two goals, six assists, a plus-4, five PPP and 20 SOG in the span. The 26-year-old leads Toronto Maple Leafs defensemen in goals (six), points (17), plus/minus (plus-6), PPP (seven) and is second behind Morgan Rielly (74) in SOG (60). Many thought Rielly would be the fantasy sleeper, but Gardiner sees the most power-play time among Toronto defensemen (2:40 per game).

Jared Spurgeon, MIN (21 percent owned)
If Matt Dumba (56 percent owned) is owned in your league, Spurgeon is a nice consolation prize, quietly providing steady category coverage for the Minnesota Wild. He is plus-22 on the season (tied for third in NHL) and has 55 SOG to rank among the top 175 overall fantasy assets (172nd). He is averaging 2:18 per game on the power play and is one of four Wild defensemen with at least 12 points (Ryan Suter, Dumba, Jonas Brodin).
David Savard, CBJ (14 percent owned)
Speaking of productive defensemen from a surprising team, Savard is plus-23 (second in NHL) and has six assists and 25 SOG in his past 12 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's behind Zach Werenski and Seth Jones in the power-play pecking order but is a regular contributor in penalty minutes (20) and hits (53). He plays big minutes (21:32 per game) on an underrated second pair with resurgent Jack Johnson and has thrived in a supporting role for the NHL-leading Blue Jackets.
Troy Stecher, VAN (3 percent owned)
Stecher is seeing the most power-play minutes by far among Vancouver Canucks defensemen this month (3:30 per game). The 22-year-old is relatively unknown in fantasy circles but has nine points in 26 games with four on the power play. He ranks 10th among defensemen in SOG per game (2.7), more than elite defensemen Shea Weber (2.6), Erik Karlsson (2.5) and Drew Doughty (2.3). Even with the Canucks in the bottom five of the League standings, Stecher is worth owning in deeper formats.
Other replacement options: Anton Stralman, TBL (40 percent owned); Dennis Seidenberg, NYI (10 percent); Nikita Zaitsev, TOR (8 percent); Dmitry Orlov, WSH (8 percent)