Special to Yahoo Sports
As we enter Week 14 of the NHL season, there are still too many players being kept who have little to no value at this time. This week there are four defensemen and one forward I consider droppable in most leagues. Let’s consider some players who are rostered in ample Yahoo leagues and who could be easily dropped.
Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils (78% rostered)
Hamilton tore his pectoral muscle and had surgery Dec. 1. Christian Dvorak also underwent the same surgery this past week and was ruled out for five months. If the surgeries were exactly the same — and Hamilton is still “a long ways away” from returning, according to coach Lindy Ruff — that would put him out of action for the rest of the regular season and the opening round of the playoffs. In redraft leagues, that should be the death knell to get rid of him. Hamilton was having a great year, with five goals and 16 points in only 20 games. Don’t forget about him next season, as he had 22 goals and 74 points in 2022-23.
Mattias Ekholm, D, Edmonton Oilers (48% rostered)
Ekholm has four goals and 15 points in 35 games this season. He had a four-game point streak from Dec. 19-28, but it was sandwiched between a five-game pointless streak from Dec. 8-16 and his current four-game streak without a point. He does have a pair of goals and an assist on the power play, but that came early in the season, as his last point with the man-advantage was on Nov. 26. Ekholm chips in with some hits and blocked shots, but there are better choices available in shallow leagues.
Justin Faulk, D, St. Louis Blues, (69% rostered)
Faulk has only two goals and 17 points in 35 games. He is currently on injured reserve with a lower-body injury that has cost him the last three games, and while he could return as early as Thursday, his offensive output has not been great this season. The Blues are a low-scoring team with a poor power play, which doesn’t help his cause. He is always good in hits and blocked shots, as well as shots on goal, but Faulk’s lack of production should allow you to drop him in all but the deepest of leagues.
Tyson Barrie, D, Nashville Predators, (42% rostered)
Barrie was a stud last season — that is, until he was dealt from the Oilers to the Predators on deadline day. With the trade, he lost his spot on the…