James Neal out indefinitely
The Pittsburgh Penguins right-winger James Neal is expected to miss an extended period of time.
Prior to the Penguins season opener, Neal was a game-time decision. The former 40-goal scorer ended up playing, but left after seeing just 3:49 of ice time. Neal is going to be re-evaluated so they can get a firm timetable on how long their star forward is going to be out.
“It’s more week-to-week than day-to-day,” Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said.
While Neal is on the mend, Beau Bennett will get the first look with Evgeni Malkin and Jussi Jokinen. It is a tough break for Neal owners who could be without the winger for the first week or two of the season. On Yahoo! he is eligible for both left and right-wing, so lets take a look at some wingers that are worth picking up for time being.
Devin Setoguchi– RW (12% Owned) – Winnipeg Jets
Setoguchi has looked comfortable with Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane in his first two games as a Jet. Those two are young, gifted offensive threats and we know that Setoguchi has had his offensive moments in his career. He had a 30-goal season in 2008-09, followed by back-to-back 20 goal seasons and a 19-goal year. After scoring two goals and adding an assist on Friday night, it looks like the 26-year-old could make some fantasy waves this season.
Jamie McGinn – RW (5% owned) and Steve Downie – LW/RW (22% owned) – Colorado Avalanche
Through two games, McGinn has shown some great chemistry with rookie sensation Nathan MacKinnon. He capitalized on two fantastic passes from MacKinnon in the opener and also added an assist on Friday night. The former 36th overall pick scored 11 goals and had 11 assists (22 points) in 47 games last season, with a pivot much less talented than MacKinnon. As for Downie, he is the definition of a gritty hockey player. He will go to the dirty areas to score and throws his weight around which opens up the ice for his talented line-mates – Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly. After missing the majority of the 2012-13 season he started this year with a goal and an assist both on the power-play and had the game-winner. He is a former 20-goal scorer and on a line with Duchene, that could happen again in 2013-14.
Alex Chiasson – RW (7% owned) – Dallas Stars
Chiasson scored in the first game of the season which gives him seven goals in his first eight NHL games (dating back to last season). That is phenomenal production from the 2009 38th overall pick. The 23-year-old played 16:24 on the Stars second line in the opener. He plays with Ray Whitney, who is a great passer, so Chiasson should continue to score goals.