This article is part of our The Man Advantage series.
Christmas is over, and 2016 will be soon be in the history books. As we head into 2017, here are some players who have been excelling with the extra man over the last month...
Jason Spezza, C, DAL – Spezza is the kind of player you sometimes take for granted. He's been around for a lot of years, and he's good, but not great. That may be why you can find him available in a surprisingly large number of leagues (although the fact he missed a few games may have played into that as well). What Spezza has always been, though, is a power-play performer. He's had over 20 points with the man advantage in each of his last three seasons, and he has 10 this year. Four of those have been in the past 10 games, and seven in his last 14, so now that he's healthy, it looks like he might hit that 20-point mark again.
Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJD – Last year, Palmieri came out of nowhere for a breakout season that included 23 power-play points. This season, he has unsurprisingly regressed a bit, but he still possesses tangible value. He's got nine points with the extra man, and six of them have come in the past month. Beyond that, three came in his last five games, so right now, the power play is serving him well.
Mikael Backlund, C, CGY – A few under-the-radar Flames have been excelling on the power-play recently. Both
Christmas is over, and 2016 will be soon be in the history books. As we head into 2017, here are some players who have been excelling with the extra man over the last month...
Jason Spezza, C, DAL – Spezza is the kind of player you sometimes take for granted. He's been around for a lot of years, and he's good, but not great. That may be why you can find him available in a surprisingly large number of leagues (although the fact he missed a few games may have played into that as well). What Spezza has always been, though, is a power-play performer. He's had over 20 points with the man advantage in each of his last three seasons, and he has 10 this year. Four of those have been in the past 10 games, and seven in his last 14, so now that he's healthy, it looks like he might hit that 20-point mark again.
Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJD – Last year, Palmieri came out of nowhere for a breakout season that included 23 power-play points. This season, he has unsurprisingly regressed a bit, but he still possesses tangible value. He's got nine points with the extra man, and six of them have come in the past month. Beyond that, three came in his last five games, so right now, the power play is serving him well.
Mikael Backlund, C, CGY – A few under-the-radar Flames have been excelling on the power-play recently. Both Kris Versteeg and Troy Brouwer have six over the last month, but Backlund is right behind them with five. Overall, he only has six, and he's never had more than 11 in a season – so yes, the track record isn't here. On the other hand, he's averaging 2:03 per game with the extra man, which is the second most of his career.
Mark Letestu, C, EDM – Here's an odd one. Edmonton is seemingly loaded with young offensive talent, and he's a 31-year-old journeyman that's making a significant impact. He has five power-play points, and they have all come in his last 12 games. Letestu did have 12 power-play points last season, but it still feels weird to trust him, especially since he currently has a 15.2 shooting percentage.
Dion Phaneuf, D, OTT – Phaneuf got hot on the power play before the break, so perhaps it is worth mentioning that again in case you forgot while chestnuts were roasting on an open fire. He notched a power-play point in each of his three games before the break and has six over his last 10. Phaneuf has eight power-play points already, which means he is one away from tying his total from last season. Perhaps he'll hit the 15-point mark like he did in his last full season with Ontario's other team.
Jake Gardiner, D, TOR – Speaking of Toronto, Gardiner's ownership is on the rise, and his recent power-play success may be a part of that. He's averaging 2:40 a night with the extra man and has six power-play points in his last eight games. Overall, he has eight, and it definitely seems like he will at least match the 12 power-play points he managed last year.
