Debate Team - Aleksander Barkov or Jonathan Huberdeau?
Each week, two of theScore's Fantasy experts weigh in on a contentious topic. This week: Which Florida Panthers young gun is the better option down the home stretch: Aleksander Barkov or Jonathan Huberdeau?
David Chernish: Though both Barkov and Huberdeau play alongside ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr on the Panthers' first-line, one of them has more value than the other, and I'm going to have to go with Huberdeau.
Nothing against Barkov, but Huberdeau is in his fourth year and showing plenty of promise down the home stretch, with three multi-point games and eight points over his past six outings.
Barkov, on the other hand, has recorded just one multi-point game and tallied five points in that same span. Huberdeau's fluid and imaginative playmaking ability (35 assists) puts him over the edge, and with his recent tear, the 2012-2013 Calder Trophy winner is the best forward fantasy play out of Florida not named Jagr.
Jason Wilson: Most season-long fantasy owners likely agree with you, though I'm not sure why. Both players are receiving an outstanding boost playing alongside Jagr, that much we can agree on. That, and both players would be welcome on my roster.
Huberdeau and Barkov will play off each other's strengths, which bodes well for both young guns. Barkov is more of a goal scorer - four in his last five games - while Huberdeau is developing into an elite playmaker. I'll take the goal scoring. Assists can be found at a discount in fantasy. Take a look at your waiver wire and you'll probably find Mike Ribeiro, who has 40 assists
Prolific goal scorers are far more difficult to find at a bargain. With Barkov still surprisingly available in a greater percentage of fantasy leagues, he has the most value relative to his situation. It's far more likely that you could snag Barkov off waivers entering the playoffs in a head-to-head league than it would be to get Huberdeau. Access combined with results makes him a killer play.
David Chernish: Picking up a goal scorer off the waiver wire in season-long fantasy for head-to-head formats is just as easy. The Bruins' Loui Eriksson, Hurricanes' Jeff Skinner and Blue Jackets' Brandon Saad are just a couple of options. All three of those players have scored 23 or more goals this season, the same amount as Barkov.
I will take a guy that is registering multi-point outings and piling up the assist column for my playoff run over a guy who is doing a little bit of everything. Huberdeau has two goals in March already, and is two more away from tying his career-high of 15, and combined with the Panthers fighting for the second place seed in the East, he will have plenty of opportunities to find twine.
Neither of them will kill you in plus/minus, but if I had to pick between the two, give me Huberdeau, who is set to destroy his previous career-high in assists (35).
Jason Wilson: I wouldn't credit Huberdeau's two goals this month as much of a selling point. Besides, both Eriksson and Saad are owned in more than 70 percent of fantasy leagues. Their worth is known. Saad has one more goal than Barkov, but Barkov has more assists. Sure, his numbers are a bit below Eriksson's total, but he's also played nearly 20 fewer games.
Which brings me back to Huberdeau. He has two more points than Barkov, this is true. He's also played 10 more games. It's fair to suggest that over the course of a full season, Barkov's overall production would eclipse Huberdeau's. Even if Huberdeau is feeding the goals a lot of the time, Barkov is still the one converting.
When it comes to daily fantasy, Barkov is clearly the better play. He's more likely to find twine, and since goals are weighted more than assists, Huberdeau has to do more to return value on a nightly basis. Barkov has 10 goals in his last 15 games. That is far more valuable in DFS than what Huberdeau brings to the table.
David Chernish: Barkov is by far the better daily fantasy play, but I believe Huberdeau has more upside than Barkov. The big selling point on Huberdeau is his high volume of assists. The goals will come with time, just ask Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom.
Is Huberdeau Backstrom-like this season? No. But you won't see Barkov dominating in just one stat column. The value with Huberdeau lies strictly in season long rotisserie and some head-to-head leagues that focus more on assists. He has the skill set that makes him more than capable of producing 50-plus assists, and if he continues his hot-streak and registers a handful of multi-points outings, he's likely to crush his current pace of 42 assists and 57 points.
As mentioned, the goals will come alongside Jagr and Barkov with Huberdeau taking roughly two shots per game. He's already got value in assists, and with his recent tear, I believe Huberdeau is in for a big finish.
Jason Wilson: My fantasy philosophy differs slightly from yours, it seems. I'm looking at Barkov as a depth option. He doesn't need to dominate a specific, solitary statistic to be valuable. The same goes for Huberdeau. If I'm going to put my focus on a one-stat player, it's going to be an elite goal scorer or playmaker in the early rounds.
I like Barkov because he's balanced. He scores and he adds assists. Neither is a weakness. I know every time he plays that I'm going to get value.
In the end, it will depend on your needs. Huberdeau will give the edge if you're short on assists. In a vacuum, though, I'd feel much more comfortable heading into the waning weeks of the NHL fantasy season with Barkov's balanced attack.