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Fantasy owners can often focus far too much on the positives of a player with elite production in a single category. They'll look at the nightly box scores to see a player produced a high level yet again, only to be left in shock come Sunday when realizing they're about to lose their weekly matchup.
The issue with a lot of these players is they'll produce at a high level, but in only the one category. Without contributions of any consistent type in other areas, they can often do more harm than good with a regular spot in a lineup.
Trading their elite production in one specialized category for a more well-balanced player who can contribute something in several different areas is a strategy beneficial to long-term success. Here are the players you should be trying to move:
C Alexander Wennberg, Columbus Blue Jackets
Wennberg's 13 assists are just one back of Edmonton Oilers C Connor McDavid for the league lead. Wennberg has two goals to McDavid's five, but has registered just 15 shots on goal, while McDavid has 46. With 17 hits through 14 games played, Wennberg has 14 more than McDavid in three fewer contests.
Additionally, just three of Wennberg's assists have come at 5v5. Of those three, just one was a primary assist, while six of his eight assists on the power play have been of the secondary variety, per Corsica.Hockey. The power-play points have been a nice bonus in leagues where those are counted but such a lopsided influx is not sustainable.
LW Matt Moulson, Buffalo Sabres
Moulson has six goals and two assists on the season but five of the goals and both assists have come while on the power play. His subpar play at 5v5 has led to a minus-5 rating and he has just 10 hits in 16 games. He has only one minor penalty.
Both of his power-play assists were primary, and he should remain featured on a special teams unit but with the Sabres drawing a pedestrian three power plays per game, he won't have enough opportunities to sustain his early production.
D Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers
Representative of his entire team, McDonagh carries the most name value in any potential trade. Five of the top-10 skaters in plus/minus rating play for the Rangers. The Rangers lead the league with 72 total goals in 17 games played, 16 more than the Montreal Canadiens in the same amount of games.
The Rangers have a team shooting percentage of 13.07 percent at 5v5. Only one other team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, has a success rate over 10 percent. The Rangers led the league last season with a percentage of 9.01.
Plus/minus is inherently highly variable. With the Rangers already facing drastic regression in their goal scoring, look to sell any player not contributing in multiple categories.
LW Matt Martin, Toronto Maple Leafs
Only a true commodity in banger leagues, Martin has routinely ranked among the league leaders in hits for several seasons. Unlike previous seasons when he was able to also provide some level of offense, he has just one assist through his first 16 games with the Maple Leafs. He is averaging one shot on goal per game and playing a career-low 10:19.
Unlikely to fetch anything in a trade, Martin can be dropped in favor of someone with a similar hit count but who is also bringing production elsewhere. Only one other player - Ottawa Senators D Mark Borowiecki - has 50 or more hits and fewer points than Martin.
RW Derek Dorsett, Vancouver Canucks
Dorsett ranks fifth in the league with 33 penalty minutes through 13 games. Unlike Dallas Stars W Antoine Roussel and Maple Leafs C Nazem Kadri ahead of him, he hasn't provided much offense. Dorsett has just one goal and three assists on the season, while averaging less than two SOG per game
He is a minus-6 on the season, failing to register a plus-rating in any one game. If owners in banger leagues are routinely rolling him out whenever the Canucks are playing, they are doing more harm than good to their team. He can freely be dropped.
G Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers
Talbot is two back of the league lead with eight wins on the season. The Oilers 2.71 goals per game of support have largely kept him afloat. Talbot's 2.66 goals against average ranks 24th among qualified goaltenders while his .914 save percentage ranks 18th.
He does have two shutouts on the season, but owners should be trying to flip him for a goalie like Robin Lehner of the Buffalo Sabres, who has better stats, but just four wins due to a lack of goal support.
