Need Some Fantasy Hockey Help? Try the Thrashers

When you start looking for some fantasy hockey help at the All-Star break, the last place you would probably start with would be the Atlanta Thrashers. Outside of Ilya Kovalchuk, I doubt many people would think Atlanta has much to offer at first glance.

However, if you're in search of some players that may come at a fair price, Atlanta isn't a bad place to start. Now, depending upon whether it's a keeper league or not may make prices vary from league to league, but it's still worth checking out the Thrashers' roster.

Bryan Little (C):  Little is showing flashes this year of why the Thrashers made him the 12th overall pick back in 2006. His 20 goals this year while missing several games due to injury place him ahead of fantasy stars like teammate Ilya Kovalchuk, Eric Staal, Evgeni Malkin, and Patrick Elias.  

Due to his age in a keeper league, Little may not come cheaply, but in other formats you may be able to catch other owners sleeping on this young star who should continue to put up numbers in the second half.

Todd White (C):  The 34-year-old White may not be able to keep up the blistering pace he's on so far, with 44 points in 48 games, but he's playing on a talented line and should continue to get a decent number of assists the rest of the year.

Rich Peverley (C):  Peverley is the new kid on the block. So far he's looked outstanding playing alongside Kovalchuk, and with Kovalchuk suddenly scoring the way he was expected to before the season began, Peverley may be a hidden gem. 

His numbers in the minors were solid, and so far he's put up eight points in five games for the Thrashers.

At Left Wing you have Slava Kozlov. Kozlov seems to have resurrected his old self this year with 42 points in just 46 games.

In keeper leagues, Kozlov's price probably won't be high due to his age, so if you're in need of a solid LW, and you don't want to pay too much, Kozlov could be a nice pick up going forward as the race heats up to determine the champion in your league.

Finally, you could take a run at Kovalchuk. He's putting up points again at a nice pace, and seems to be clicking with Peverley. The price for Kovalchuk may not be at its lowest point of the year, but he's worth the risk if you think the chemistry with Peverley is for real and not a two or three game fluke.

Keep in mind that the Thrashers players come with a downside. Most of them are not going to get you an advantage in the +/- category, although Little has been on the positive side for most of the year. 

The Thrashers porous defense will make sure of that.  If you're looking for offensive upside though, you may want to give one of the aforementioned players a try.

As far as the rest of the Thrashers go, proceed with caution.