Blue Line Buzz: D-Men of the Week

The biggest domino in Kevin Shattenkirk hasn't fallen, but that hasn't stopped teams looking for defensive depth to act quickly, with the Predators and Kings making minor league swaps this past week.

Nashville's blue line was supposed to be strong this season, but that hasn't been the case with injuries to P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Petter Granberg. David Poile made two moves this past week to bolster their depth, claiming Brad Hunt off waivers from St. Louis on Tuesday, and then swapping winger Max Gortz for Anaheim's Andrew O'Brien after Adam Pardy, who was signed in late November to a one-year contract, suffered an upper-body injury that will force him to miss an indeterminate amount of time. The 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Hunt is an intriguing addition, as he's an offensive defenseman who has scored 209 points in 287 career AHL games, and in nine games with the Blues this season has managed to score five points. He could make his Predators debut as soon as Tuesday against Buffalo, and if he does he'll be the 12th defenseman they've used this season. However, Hunt's offensive opportunities may be limited with Peter Laviolette preferring Subban, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis as his power-play options.

The Kings also bolstered their defensive depth by acquiring Cameron Schilling from Chicago for center Michael Latta. It's a trade that makes sense for both sides; the Blackhawks need more depth down the middle and the Kings are making an effort to provide Darryl Sutter with an option that could be better than Tom Gilbert or Kevin Gravel. Schilling, 28, has not played an NHL game in two seasons, but was a late cut from camp and has scored 17 points in 40 games for the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate.

Though none of these moves are considered significant, the fact that teams are identifying needs and addressing them quickly means that teams can no longer remain idle and hope a solution from within the organization presents itself. With just one month to go before the NHL trade deadline, the pressure is on.

Studs of the Week:

Adam Larsson, Oilers – With a three-assist game in a 7-3 win against the Flames, Larsson now has 12 points in 48 games, putting him on pace to set career highs across the board. He's been a far more productive two-way defenseman since moving to Edmonton, and through 48 games has already registered 50 shots and 143 hits, compared to the 65 shots and 163 hits he compiled over 82 contests a season prior. It still remains to be seen exactly who won the Larsson-Hall trade, but there's no doubt Larsson has been a positive addition to the playoff-bound Oilers. He's only 24 years old and should continue to get better.

Matt Niskanen, Capitals – The Caps have won 10 of their 11 games in 2017, with the only loss coming from a wild 8-7 overtime loss to the rival Pens, and Niskanen has contributed eight points, five of which have come in the past three games. Despite a slow start, Nisky is now just seven points away from matching last year's total of 32, and is on pace for the second 40-point season of his career. The Caps need him to continue his strong play with John Carlson (lower body) out of the lineup.

Justin Schultz, Penguins – Schultz finished with 18 points in 15 games in December and has continued to score with eight points in seven games in January, providing plenty of offense from the blue line in Kris Letang's absence. Mike Sullivan's trust in Schultz continues to grow, and he averaged 22:59 this past week, a huge increase from his season average of 18:59. He's just one power-play point shy of tying Letang, too.

Ryan Ellis, Predators – No Josi, no problem. Despite criticism of being far too undersized for his position, the 5-foot-10 rearguard has been dynamite of late, scoring three goals and two assists in his past three games, all of which were road wins. He's averaged nearly 27 minutes per game this past week with the Preds winning six of their past seven games and has arguably been their MVP this year.

Dustin Byfuglien, Jets – Big Buff contributed four assists in two games as the Jets snapped a four-game losing streak, and also finished with 13 shots on goal. He's found all sorts of ways to stuff the stat sheet this year, and is a big reason why the Jets are still in the thick of the playoff race.

Duds of the Week:

John Klingberg, Stars – The good news is that no matter how horrendous the Stars' season gets, Klingberg's not going anywhere. He continues to log big minutes for Lindy Ruff's struggling squad, but other than a seven-goal outburst against the Rangers, the Stars have scored just four goals in three games, including a 3-0 shutout loss to the similarly struggling Islanders. Despite being on pace for a 40-point season, Klingberg hasn't been the big difference-maker everyones expected him to be.

Torey Krug, Bruins – After scoring a goal in three straight games, Krug has managed just one point during the Bruins' four-game losing streak, including a minus-3 performance in a 4-0 shutout loss to the Islanders. The situation in Boston, despite sitting in a playoff position in the Atlantic Division, is getting dire, and as Claude Julien says, they're unravelling and not talented enough to coast through games.

Sami Vatanen, Ducks – After beginning the year with six points in nine games, Vatanen has just two assists in 11 games in January, and was an embarrassing minus-4 in a 5-3 loss to Minnesota last week. He hasn't scored a point in six straight games, and it's a good thing the Ducks' defense is pretty deep, but they need more from their No. 2 guy.

T.J. Brodie, Flames – Sure, he managed to notch an assist in a 7-3 loss to Edmonton to snap an eight-game scoring drought, but also registered no hits, blocked shots or takeaways while skating to a minus-2 rating. He's getting quality ice time but not doing a lot with it, and it's as if Glen Gulutzan has no choice but to play him because he doesn't trust Dougie Hamilton at even-strength. The Flames are fighting for their playoff lives and desperately need Brodie to get it going.

Recommended Pickup:

Jacob Trouba, Jets – It's amazing how little attention he gets despite his all-world talent and ability to impact the game at both ends of the ice. Even with 17 points in 34 games, including seven in 10 in January, Trouba is owned in just 31 percent of Yahoo leagues despite being a reliable contributor in multiple categories, including shots, blocked shots and hits. He's averaged over 27 minutes per game this past week, including 31:07 in a one-goal loss to the Kings.

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