Stock Rising- Tyutin, Visnovsky

Fedor Tyutin appears to be having a career year and Lubomir Visnovsky is two games into his NHL return after his “issue.”

Analysis: Fedor Tyutin is getting 23 minutes of ice time and plenty of power play minutes this year but he’s had that his past four years in Columbus. So… what’s different this year? Well, the twenty-nine year old is simply having a career year. Tyutin has 10 points in 13 games this season which is fourth most in the NHL among defensemen. He’s not a big penalty minute guy nor does he shoot a ton so he can hurt you a bit in those areas. His points production will decrease a bit but he has taken his game to another level this year. As of today he is outperforming Shea Weber and Brent Seabrook.

It doesn’t matter what you think of Lubomir Visnovsky as long as you can clearly see he still has some tread on those thirty-six year old tires. Yes, he had a down year with the Ducks last year but two years ago he was a 68 point defenseman with a plus-18. He has 2 points in 2 games with the Islanders so far who are one of the better offensive teams this year. Visnovsky already has over nine power play minutes as well so pick him up if he’s available in your league because he racks up points in bunches on the man advantage.

Buying Low- Lubomir Visnovsky

With a minus three on the year and zero points in two games, Lubomir Visnovsky’s season has not been productive.

Analysis: Impatient fantasy owners love to hype early season success and this year is no different. Just a few games in and Kris Letang is either the number one or two D-Man in fantasy hockey all of the sudden. I’m sorry, but can we wait until the end of the month before we start “crowning” people.

With Visnovsky we have a defenseman that will be playing 24-25 minutes per game on a team with some serious firepower. Visnovsky may not reach 68 points again this year but he contributes extremely well in six categories like few D-Men can. His ice time, goals, assists, plus/minus, power play points and shots will all be there for you by season’s end. Visnovsky remains a top seven defenseman and it’s worth a shot to go after this guy in a trade. With everyone on the Kris Letang and Dustin Byfuglien bandwagon, going after Visnovsky is a solid under the radar play.