NHL's Unplucked Gems: Midseason Fantasy Hockey Pickups

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CHICAGO - MAY 23: Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov #20 of the San Jose Sharks makes a second period save while taking on the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on May 23

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Unplucked Gems brings you a fresh batch of available free agents in a majority of fantasy hockey leagues. The available players are broken down to three categories: Must Haves, Space Available and Watchables.

(Check out our past Unplucked Gems archives and other features by Patrick Baker at Unplucked Sports. Follow us: twitter.com/unpluckedsports)

LW Tuomo Ruutu

PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 19: Tuomo Ruutu #15 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 19, 2010 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

This guy has been red hot since Christmas. Ruutu has six goals and 20 points with point-streaks of four and six games since December 26^th.

He sees plenty of power-play time in Carolina and plays a physical brand of hockey that makes him a favorite of the coaches. His penalty total is slightly down this season, but Ruutu will deliver across the stat-board for fantasy owners.

G Brian Boucher

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 13: Brian Boucher #33 of the Philadelphia Flyers stops a shot in the first period by the Boston Bruins on January 11, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Elsa/Getty Images

Don’t be afraid of the Philadelphia goalie tandem. The Flyers have plenty of wins to go around and Boucher is given more trust than rookie Sergei Bobrovsky.

I had to take a second look at his lower ownership numbers, so he’s probably available in your league.

RW Brad Marchand

MONTREAL, CANADA - JANUARY 8: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins skates during the NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on January 8, 2011 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Bruins 3-2 in overtime. (Photo

Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

It seems the more opportunities given to Marchand, the more he capitalizes on them. The Bruins second-year Center has been skating first-line minutes with Mark Recchi and Patrice Bergeron, and his numbers have jumped of late.

He has potted six points in his last eight games, and has been on the ice for important even-strength situations. Marchand even leads the league in short-handed goals with four.

RW/LW Tomas Kopecky

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 22: Tomas Kopecky #82 of the Chicago Black Hawks skates in a game against the Detroit Red Wings on January 22, 2011 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The Hawks defeated the Wings 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Oh, just another solid hockey player from the Blackhawks.

Kopecky saw his role increase after Chicago lost Patrick Kane and Marion Hossa with injuries. Now, Kopecky is sharing the ice with Kane and Hossa, and he is continuing to rack up points.

As an added bonus, he's eligible to play two positions.

G Evgeni Nabokov

CHICAGO - MAY 23: Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov #20 of the San Jose Sharks looks on while taking on the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on May 23, 2010 in Chicago,

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

If Nabokov reports to the New York Islanders, he could have real value.

The Detroit Red Wings were planning to claim the goalie off waivers, but the Islanders blocked that. Detroit would be more desirable from a Fantasy standpoint, but with DiPietro and his annual health problems, and improved play from the team, Nabokov could put up respectable numbers on Long Island.

Again, this hinges on whether or not he actually reports to the Islanders, so proceed with caution.

D Fedor Tyutin

COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 11: Fedor Tyutin #51 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates against the Phoenix Coyotes during a game on January 11, 2011 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

This Blue Jackets blueliner is enjoying a big January. Playing as the quarterback on the power play, he has eight points, including four power-play assists in the last nine games.

His recent point-streak was his first of the season, but there are no other big-minutes-defensemen on the roster for Columbus. It’s a risky addition, so assess the risk before adding the defenseman.