Six-Pack: Johnny Gaudreau, come on down

Johnny Football isn't doing a thing for your fantasy football team. Maybe it's time to switch to Johnny Hockey.

It took a while for Calgary rookie forward Johnny Gaudreau to find the range this season. He didn't register a point in his first five games, causing some trigger-happy players to move onto the next name of the moment. But Gaudreau's rebounded nicely, with eight points over his last seven starts. And he's been especially dynamic over his last three appearances: a 1-4-5 line, 14 shots. Head coach Bob Hartley went out of his way to credit Gaudreau after the 2-1 shootout loss to Montreal.

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You'll have to fill the PIM column elsewhere – Gaudreau checks in at 5-8, 155 pounds. He's paid to handle the puck and maneuver around defenders, not to plaster opponents into the boards. But he's solidified on one of Calgary's scoring lines, and he'll probably see regular power-play time going forward. He's on my two most important rosters, which is the biggest endorsement I can give you. But he's still unowned in about 80 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Here are some other pickups to consider as we enter the second month of play.

-- Nikita Kucherov, LW/RW, Lightning (35 percent owned): It was never a matter of talent with Kucherov, it was a matter of opportunity. Note the 29-34-63 line he posted in 33 games in the QMJHL, or the 13-11-24 blitz through the AHL last year. Tampa Bay took it easy with Kucherov last year, which led to a 9-9-18 return over 52 games.

Kucherov's been blistering over his last five games, with five goals and four assists. The Lightning lead the league in scoring entering Monday's play..

The 21-year-old winger is part of Tampa's second line these days, skating with Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. That's a nifty place to set up shop, away from the top shadows that will focus on the Steven Stamkos line. Kucherov is also getting a look with the second power-play unit.

-- Dennis Seidenberg, D, Bruins (9 percent): He's picked up a point in three of his last four games, and his ice time is trending upward with Zdeno Chara on the sidelines. A solid plus-minus is just about a given on this deep roster, and Seidenberg isn't afraid to shoot the puck (27 shots this year, and 174 as recently as 2011-12).

-- Mike Richards, C/LW, Kings (14 percent): LA's poor start seems to have Richards in an ornery mood - he's picked up penalty time in five of his last seven starts. Whenever you can get PIMs covered without a major giveaway in the other categories, you have to consider a move. Richards also has points in three of his last four games, and the dual-position eligibility is always nice.

-- Jiri Tlusty, LW, Hurricanes (11 percent): I can understand why you might want to avoid players from the NHL's worst club, but let's acknowledge Carolina's power-play hasn't been bad (21.9 percent). It's a lack of man-advantage opportunities that's holding the Canes back. Tlusty already has four power-play goals and he's shooting the puck than ever before. And heck, a minus-3 rating isn't that bad given where Carolina sits in the standings.

-- Marco Scandella, D, Wild (11 percent): He's looked poised and confident over his last five games (1-2-3, 10 shots), and I suspect he might get a chance on the power play soon. Minnesota's off to a horrendous 2-for-31 start on the man advantage, and while no one is going to call for Ryan Suter's removal from the unit, I expect other chances to come about. Sometimes the bigger defensemen need extra time to develop; Scandella could be in the sweet spot at age 24. There's upside here.