NHL Stock Watch: Seth Jones rising, Shayne Gostisbehere falling

UPGRADE

Seth Jones, D, Blue Jackets: You have to be patient with young defensemen, especially the bigger kids. Just because Jones was the fourth overall pick in 2013 doesn’t mean he was going to toy with the league right out of the box. We’re finally seeing a career breakout in Year 5, with Jones on pace for a 16-31-47 finish. Confidence manifests in other ways — Jones is on pace for new bests in blocks, hits and shots. This still looks like a future Norris Trophy winner.

Kyle Palmieri, RW, Devils: A high-energy guy, a forechecking maven, a pest to the opponent — and someone who can put the puck in the net every so often. Palmieri is third in penalty minutes over the last month, along with a 6-3-9 scoring line and 35 shots. He’s earned a permanent spot as New Jersey’s No. 1 right winger.

[New England vs. Atlanta: Hurry up and play Squares Pick’em before the Big Game]

Nick Leddy, D, Islanders: Like most of the fishermen, Leddy was meandering through the year, doing next to nothing, before a critical spike in January (3-9-12, plus-7). He was floating about the waiver wire in many leagues when the year turned over, but he’s been a Top 10 blueliner over the last month, pushing him back over 50 percent. Maybe it’s not too late for New York to bail out this lost season.

Jacob Trouba, D, Jets: It’s been hard to let go of that splashy rookie year we saw three years ago, but finally Trouba is starting to play like we expected all along. He’s second in defenseman shots over the last two weeks, and his shot rate is well over his career norm. The Jets focus on forwards with their power play, but Trouba deserves more time there.

Peter Budaj, G, Kings: With all due respect to Jonathan Quick, when you see Budaj’s splashy 2016-17 season, you appreciate just how deep and loaded the LA defense is. Budaj carries a .201 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage into the weekend — contrast them to his career marks of 2.66 and .906. Location, location, location.

Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Panthers: I tend to be pessimistic about fantasy commodities coming back from extended injuries, but Scooby Doo’s return from an Achilles injury was nothing short of miraculous — a game-wining goal, three hits, six shots. Maybe this is going to be an exception to the rule. You can add Huberdeau for nothing in about 42 percent of Yahoo leagues. Alex Barkov and Jaromir Jagr will make sure you see the puck.

DOWNGRADE

Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Flyers: It’s not that we want to kick a guy when he’s down, but why is the Ghost still owned in 84 percent of Yahoo leagues? The Flyers aren’t even dressing Gostisbehere these days, and he’s carrying that awful minus-19 rating. When he gets back on the ice, how can he possibly play with any confidence? We’re far past the point that a bad start is actually a lousy season.

Jason Spezza, C, Stars: An upper-body injury will cool him for a bit, not that Spezza was doing much to begin with (8-23-31, minus-12). The Dallas power play has kept him in some cushy assists, but he’s less interested in shooting the puck these days, and saddled with the worst shooting percentage of his career. You have permission to move on.

David Backes, RW, Bruins: He was generally a mainstream media pet in the St. Louis days, for some reason, and maybe the Bruins fell into that trap — hello, five-year, $30 million contract. Backes has given them a mediocre 11-11-22 haul, a minus-10 rating, and one crummy assist in his last 11 starts. We don’t care about names, we just want the numbers. You’re not getting anything here.

HOLDING STEADY

Cam Talbot, G, Oilers: His defense has let him down a bit during a three-game losing stretch, but Talbot’s 2.37/.920 output is far past what anyone had reason to expect. Talbot’s always had the right build and approach to be a quality keeper, he just needed a team to give him a chance. A little confidence and momentum goes a long way.