NHL Stock Watch: Chad Johnson rising, John Carlson falling

UPGRADE

Chad Johnson, G, Flames: He’s been hidden for a while, backing up stars and then buried under the Buffalo avalanche last year (though he somehow posted decent stats). Lo and behold, Calgary’s No. 1 goalie wasn’t who we expected. Granted, no one expects Johnson to keep the 2.06 and .930 percentages he’s currently rolling with; some regression is reasonable. But given that Johnson has better career numbers than Brian Elliott, this changing of the guard shouldn’t come as a major shock. Just because Johnson is a journeyman doesn’t mean he can’t play, and the blue line in Western Canada seems awfully deep, too.

Connor McDavid, C, Oilers: Is there finally a cure for Edmonton Disease? Who wouldn’t want to play with this kid? McDavid hasn’t wilted under the pressure of the C, jumping out to the scoring lead (and an NHL-best 23 assists) through 25 games. His shots are up a tick, his ice time over 21 minutes now. And heck, he’s up to 11 goals without the benefit of a power-play marker. There is no greater commodity in a keeper league — at this point, I’m wondering if I should offer Ovechkin-plus in mine.

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Sam Reinhart, C/RW, Sabres: With Jack Eichel back in the fold, Buffalo’s offense could get interesting. Reinhardt and Evander Kane, his linemates, are a good place to start for fantasy purposes. Reinhardt is working on a three-game scoring streak, and has been a little unlucky with his puck luck this year (shooting percentage down four percent). It’s not too late for Reinhart to put together a growth season in his sophomore year, and you can grab him in 71 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Patrick Maroon, LW, Oilers: It’s Canada Day on the Stock Watch, I suppose. Maroon’s 28 PIMs put him on the radar if you’re looking for goon points, and he’s more than willing to shoot the puck (56 shots, seven goals). You won’t get any power-play time here, but so long as he’s hitting and shooting, we’re content. Maroon is unclaimed in 86 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Ryan Sproul, D, Red Wings: He’s rostered in less than one percent of Yahoo leagues, so don’t play the “I can’t pick up any of these guys” card. Sproul is averaging two shots a game, he has five points in 13 starts, and he’s even made two penalty appearances this week. Detroit’s a team desperate for young blood at the blue line; I think Sproul has a defined role for the rest of the year.

DOWNGRADE

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning: One of the better backups in the league, sure. A potential star down the road, I’ll sign off. Better than Ben Bishop? Let’s hold off on that. Vasilevskiy was given two consecutive starts on the road this week and was pelted for nine goals on 54 shots. Bishop owners can finally exhale.

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Zdeno Chara, D, Bruins: He’s still a robust plus-12 on a team that’s nothing special; he can still mark opponents with the best of them. But Chara’s offense has dropped off, and he might not get past 100 shots by year’s end. Chara is also dealing with a lower-body injury and might miss a few games. Approaching his 40th birthday, he’s scarcely a fantasy option any longer.

John Carlson, D, Capitals: Washington, shockingly, has a Bottom 5 power play this year, and the Caps have decided that Carlson is part of the problem: he’s been dropped from the No. 1 unit. Carlson was drafted as a Top 10 defensemen at the front of the year, but he’s barely inside the Top 300 when you crunch overall fantasy value through a couple of months (no goals, eight piddly assists). When does a lousy start become a lousy season? You have my permission to sell at a loss.