Sleeper Watch

• Tweet

• Tweet

Now is the time of the year where everyone is looking for that special player to take the place of an injured star, a poor draft choice, or that struggling sniper. Waiver wire barren? No one responding to your trade offers? The answer might be right there on the waiver wire.

While many of us know that line combinations change as much as the weather, Nils Ekman seems to be the latest player to reap the benefits of playing alongside Joe Thornton. While Jonathan Cheechoo has filled in nicely his role as Glen Murray, it looks like Joe’s cousin, Scott, has been removed from the top line in San Jose in favor of Ekman. No one knows how long this will last but the early returns look solid. Two and a half games on the top line has netted him one goal and four assists, including three power play points. In the least, he is easily worth dropping that player who is always benched or who has been slumping so long that you are falling in the standings. It is also nice to be able to take advantage of his LW/RW dual eligibility. In my opinion, there are still a lot of centers available in all leagues, but solid wingers are hard to come by. Being able to get one player to play both wing positions is an added bonus.

While it might be a little early to jump on the bandwagon, winning your league is about taking chances rather than holding onto struggling players too long. Now might be the time to take a chance on Ekman before the rest of your league wakes up.

Rate this article: (No Ratings Yet)  Loading ... Questions or comments for Jason? Post them in the Cafe Forums! Want to write for the Cafe? Check out the Cafe's Pencil & Paper section!