Football
Sean Allen, Special to ESPN.com 15y

Fantasy hockey blog: Cole a great pickup in Carolina

Everyone has their winners and losers from trade deadline day in the NHL. A strong argument can be made for the Calgary Flames, who certainly added the most talented player in Olli Jokinen, but watching the Carolina Hurricanes dismantle the Flames 6-1 on Friday and then come out and win 9-3 over Tampa Bay on Saturday does raise the question of whether Erik Cole was the better acquisition.

The addition of Cole allowed the Canes to ice two power-play units that are scary for any opposing special-teams players from top to bottom. On the revamped first unit, you have Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruutu and Cole with Anton Babchuk and Joe Corvo working the point. That means Sergei Samsonov slips down and bolsters the second unit housing Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney, with Matt Cullen and Joni Pitkanen on the point. The new power play managed to go 6-for-12 on Friday and Saturday combined.

It's home-sweet-home for Cole, who looked lost in Edmonton and became the second power-forward to fail as a regular linemate for Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky (Dustin Penner being the first). The notion when the Hurricanes dealt for Cole on Wednesday was that he would help Staal return to top form, and boy did that pay off quickly. Staal had three goals and two assists in Saturday's contest and two assists Friday.

While Cole himself is available in 30 percent of ESPN leagues, it's the trickle-down effect that we care more about in fantasy. First off, we have Tuomo Ruutu dangerously under owned in ESPN leagues at 35 percent. Playing with Staal and Cole both on and off the power play will help Ruutu push closer to 60 points this season, and he should be on a roster in every fantasy league. Matt Cullen is an option for deeper, more active leagues. Currently on a line with Whitney and Chad LaRose at even strength, he also garners value from working the point on the power play. Cullen has nine points going back seven games, including five goals.

Look for this Carolina team to build momentum as the final weeks roll by, and you should strongly consider some of the available options to plug any lineup holes you have. Even the deepest of leagues should be able to scoop up power-play specialist Anton Babchuk or even Scott Walker, who may be playing fourth-line minutes at the moment but should see his time increase as he is eased back from a concussion. He scored in limited minutes Friday and rested Saturday.

Ice Chips

If you are reading this and wondering how to add some scoring now that your league's trade deadline has likely passed, go to the wire right now and search for Tim Connolly. He is producing like a top-20 center now, and that means there is a place for him in every league. Connolly scored two and added two assists in Friday's contest and is available in 65 percent of ESPN leagues. … Speaking of tragically underowned players in ESPN leagues, the 51-percent-available David Booth had a hat trick and an assist in Florida's 5-3 win over St. Louis on Saturday. … Let's all take a deep breath and forgive Martin Brodeur for allowing six goals in two periods against the Islanders on Saturday. I mean, it may have cost head-to-head owners some categories this week, but Marty is still the fourth-best goaltender on the Player Rater over the past 30 days and has been back for only a week and a half. … Speaking of the Islanders, it's been mentioned here already that the kids on this team have no pressure on them anymore and will just play out the season with no training wheels. Sean Bergenheim notched a hat trick in Saturday's game, giving him seven goals in seven games. Mike Iggulden, Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini and Josh Bailey are among the other Long Islanders who should contribute to fantasy owners trolling the wire daily to max out their games played. … How about Rick Nash? His hat trick against Detroit on Saturday came with no assists on any of his goals. … Message to Detroit coach Mike Babcock: Seriously, man. Chris Osgood is done. Let it go. The veteran goaltender allowed seven goals on 23 shots in Saturday's contest with the Blue Jackets. Osgood's previous start was a shutout of St. Louis, but believe it or not, his goals-against average since the All-Star break (3.48) is actually worse than it was before (3.23). … Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster made his long-awaited return Saturday from a broken femur he suffered almost a year ago. Never the healthiest player (career-best 58 games played in 2005-06), he could be a low-key acquisition going forward. Thanks to his puck-moving skills, he has always been a specialist on the power play and could team up well with Marek Zidlicky if he can improve his ice time. … Mark Recchi is looking pretty good in a Bruins uniform and has found some chemistry with Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron set up a pair of Recchi goals in Saturday's 5-3 win over Chicago. … Just in case anybody was thinking of getting cute and picking up Martin Gerber now that he has the starting job with the Leafs, Saturday's 4-1 loss to Edmonton -- in which he faced just 17 shots -- should be a stark reminder of why the Senators waived him in the first place. The guy is a rebound machine and, if nothing else, should put Toronto in the running for John Tavares. … Steve Ott's recent contributions for Dallas are nothing short of a miracle, and it's time to stop looking this gift horse in the mouth. He is the No. 1 centerman on the Player Rater over the past 30 days and can still be had in 88 percent of ESPN leagues.

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