Peter Mueller has been unreal since joining the Colorado Avalanche. His biggest contribution, though, might be the jump-start he’s given the Avalanche power play, which has clicked in the 40 per cent range since he came on board. That means that other players like Milan Hejduk and John-Michael Liles – Fantasy hits-and-misses all season long — will get the trickle-down effect. Just beware of Mueller’s inevitable letdown, it’s bound to happen sooner or later.

Did John Tavares find his mojo with a five-point night? Time will tell, but my hunch is that it’s a blip on an up-and-down rookie season. For keeper situations, it’s not something to be worried about. Steven Stamkos is your latest proof that a mediocre rookie campaign might not mean anything in the second year. There’s a good chance that Tavares will finish the season better than his awful recent stretch, but don’t look for him to suddenly ignite everything he touches.

Several Olympians have gone cold since the NHL season returned, and it’s much more than just a few-day bump to get their feet back in it. The entire Sharks team has gone MIA; Team USA’s Patrick Kane has had a rough stretch, and Rick Nash – who played so well for Team Canada — is battling a nagging injury. Did the Olympics sap too much out of them or cause them to lose their focus? It’s possible, and there was always reason to be cautious following the Olympic break. If the Olympians on your roster are slumping, don’t hesitate to be cautious and have them ride the pine for a little bit. Remember, they’re people too and that means that their focus could have gotten knocked around with such a big tournament.

No Brian Campbell in Chicago, and Brent Seabrook’s noggin got knocked into the third row. What does that mean for the Blackhawk power play? Just about every defenseman will get a shot at the power play, even a rough-and-tumble journeyman like Nick Boynton. In Thursday’s game against the Kings, Boynton had 2:24 of power play ice time, the second highest for a Chicago defenseman. The Hawks have tried the four-forward system off and on through the season, and with Campbell and Seabrook out, that’s another thing to keep an eye on.

As the Thrashers go, so does Nik Antropov. If you track Atlanta wins with games where Antropov has points, there’s a pretty striking connection between the two, even when Ilya Kovalchuk was still around. The Thrashers (and Antropov) have been streaky all season, and right now they’ve shaken off a six-game funk that took them out of the playoffs. Will they make a final push? I’m betting that they’ll play better over the next two or three games, which means that Antropov should put up some decent points before the final Atlanta death march.

It might be too late to pick up a free agent in many Fantasy leagues, but if you’re still got time, check out Mathieu Schneider in Phoenix. The Coyotes desperately needed some help on their league-worst power play, and Schneider was brought in simply to be a power play specialist. The old fellow’s still got some gas in the tank, as Phoenix is riding him for about 20 minutes a night, including special teams. With the Coyotes on a hot streak, Schneider’s definitely worth a look.

News and Notes

Big-name injuries galore: Ryan Getzlaf, Seabrook and Evgeni Malkin. All of those guys are day-to-day, so be sure to check out how the depth chart shifts — and how it will shift back. More goaltending trouble in Philadelphia as Michael Leighton hurt his ankle, meaning that everything falls on Brian Boucher’s shoulders. Cristobal Huet has missed some time from the flu in Chicago, though the Hawks could just be lying because of Huet’s awful play as of late.

The trade deadline has passed, but the biggest moves happened well before the Olympics. Still, enough moves happened to affect depth charts all around, and if you’re in the stretch run of your Fantasy league, you know that it’s all about secondary scoring. Hey, isn’t that how the NHL works too?

The Phoenix Coyotes have gotten by so far on a very structured, defensive system, but GM Don Maloney knew they needed help scoring. Exit underachieving Peter Mueller, enter…underachieving Wojtek Wolski. Wolski’s pure talent is undeniable, but he lacks consistency and grit. Can Dave Tippett beat some sense into him? It’s a risk, as Tippett doesn’t exactly have a reputation of working well with young players. However, Wolski is getting time with Shane Doan and at least to start, he’s been given an opportunity to shine. Just watch his ice time closely from game to game — if his production drops, then beware the short coach’s leash.

On the flip side, Mueller is going to play for Joe Sacco, a guy who’s gained a reputation as a player’s coach that works well with young guys. Mueller should thrive in this environment, and he could definitely be a good sleeper pick for some secondary scoring.

Joe Corvo was brought in to Washington to provide additional depth, both from an offensive and a defensive standpoint. Corvo’s numbers weren’t that great in Carolina so far this season, but he’s being given every opportunity to work with Washington’s high-powered offense. Corvo’s getting time both on the power play and shorthanded, and so far is seeing about 20 minutes a night. He should get points simply by being on the Washington power play.

Secondary scoring? The Atlanta Thrashers are looking for primary scoring with Ilya Kovalchuk now in New Jersey. Clarke MacArthur’s teased 25-goal potential in Buffalo and now he’s going to get a chance to be a go-to guy in Atlanta. However, coach John Anderson is still sharing his minutes around, meaning that MacArthur’s minutes are being equaled by guys like Maxim Afinogenov and Rich Peverly. In other words, it’s scoring by committee.

One of the most surprising things about the trade deadline is the fact that Philadelphia didn’t acquire a goaltender. With Ray Emery’s injury being worse than expected — so bad, in fact, that Emery’s career may be in jeopardy — it’s time for Philly to start looking at alternatives. Oh wait, the deadline passed and there are none? Okay then, well…it’s up to career backup Michael Leighton to carry the load. Yes, Leighton’s start has been impressive, but in most cases like this, there’s a reason why these guys never manage to solidify a number one position (see the Martin Biron file). In that case, picking up a guy like Brian Boucher may not be a bad move if you need depth goaltending, as there will almost certainly be some point where Leighton wears out his welcome and the Flyers will have no other choice than Boucher.

The other big story of the week is, of course, the Olympics. Now that the tournament is over, one has to wonder how much the intensity and fatigue of such a short tournament will wear on the best players in the game. For younger guys like Nashville’s Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, there should be some carryover momentum. You’ve also got guys like Pavol Demitra, who proved everyone wrong and was the best forward in the tournament. As for older guys like Brian Rafalski, who is still getting around 20 minutes a night, there should be some hesitation about putting them on their starting roster. Think about it this way: you’ve essentially inserted a playoff series with a huge emotional letdown into the season. When guys are at that point when their body starts working against them, it’s natural that those high-intensity games will have some overrun.

News & Notes

Patrice Bergeron may have won Olympic gold but he also tweaked his groin in the final game of the tournament and is day to day. People speculated that Columbus’s Derrick Brassard was on the move because he was scratched from a game early this week, but it turns out to be an upper-body injury instead. If you haven’t heard, don’t expect Sheldon Souray back this season — the hand he injured in a fight against Jarome Iginla is now infected and will keep him out of the lineup (but unfortunately, still on Edmonton’s payroll).

Ilya Kovalchuk is now a New Jersey Devil, though it’s yet to be seen how he’ll work under Jacques Lemaire’s defensive-automoton system. Kovalchuk doesn’t have the best work ethic, so it’ll be interesting to see how they clash. However, what does it mean for the Thrashers? Maxim Afinogenov, who is Facebook friends with Kovalchuk, will be affected negatively without having his buddy there. However, Kovalchuk’s ice time will have to go somewhere. Bryan Little, who’s seen a massive drop from his 31-goal year last season, and rookie Evander Kane will be looked upon to step up their game in Kovalchuk’s absence.

The Kovalchuk fiasco has also overshadowed the return of oft-injured (but talented) goaltender Kari Lehtonen. Lehtonen’s doing an AHL conditioning stint right now, but he’ll be back with the big club in a few days. If you want to be preemptive about things, pick him up now and stick him on your bench. Word has it that Lehtonen’s being actively shopped, most likely based on the results of his AHL trip. Goaltending is always in demand, and wherever Lehtonen goes, he’ll get the chance to be a starter.

It’s hard to believe that a trade involving a former Conn Smyth winner who won a Stanley Cup a few years back could be overshadowed, but everyone’s so hot and bothered about Dion Phaneuf in Toronto that most people forget about Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Here’s the key thing to remember: in Fantasy, starts are king. Even if the team loses, you should still get points for shots. Giguere and his $7 million contract are going to get the bulk of Toronto’s remaining starts, so pencil that in, despite the inevitable losses.

Speaking of starts, let’s move a little northeast from Toronto up to beautiful Montreal. Jaroslav Halak, he of the many trade rumours, has gotten most of the recent starts for the Habs, and why not? Halak’s proven himself to be more consistent than Carey Price, and Jacques Martin must ride the hot hand right now with the playoff races so tight.

Olli Jokinen, the former 90-point centre who plays like a 60-point forward, is now on Broadway, and he’s had his chance to line up with Marian Gaborik and Vaclav Prospal. He’s not a John Tortorella-type player, though, and I imagine that this marriage won’t last too long before Torts starts shuffling Jokinen around. However, he’s bound to have one or two big games in his first handful — most guys do after a big trade. Wait for this moment, then unload Jokinen while his value is peaking.

What will happen in Columbus without Ken Hitchcock? Everyone knows Hitch is a demanding fellow who can be tough on young guys. Derrick Brassard’s rough sophomore campaign may not have much to do with Hitchcock (Brassard praised him in the media for helping him become a more NHL-ready player), but he’s got a clean slate now. Keep in mind that the interim coach is Hitchcock’s assistant Claude Noel, and Noel hasn’t done enough to really establish an identity, though the safest thing for a team in transition is to gradually change systems. Because of that, Noel may get his young guys to respond better, but don’t look for Columbus to explode offensively a la Washington or Chicago. It is, however, worth watching Brassard and even Steve Mason (he of the atrocious goals-against average).

News & Notes

The Red Wings are almost at full health with Johan Franzen getting his skating legs back. Mike Green is sidelined with a three-game suspension, but it gives him time to let his left knee heal. Teammate Semyon Varlamov is on the mend and should be able to return after an extended absence. In Chicago, Dave Bolland is back, but will be given a few games to get back into form, though Joel Quennville will give Bolland a chance to mesh with Marian Hossa.

Okay, maybe it’s time to put all those jokes aside. After all the rehabs, setbacks, and snarky comments about an undeserved contract, Rick DiPietro is back fighting for his starting gig. His stats so far? Two wins, one loss and no overtime losses with a .926 save percentage, a 1.96 GAA, and a shutout. Not bad for a guy who used to be a living punchline. You need a starting goalie? Here’s your chance, though things will probably turn into a .500 situation simply because DiPietro’s on the Islanders.

More goalie news: it looks like Marty Turco’s time in Dallas is coming to an end. While no team’s going to trust Alex Auld as a full-time starter over the long haul (that experiment failed too many times), he’s a good stop-gap solution as the Stars re-evaluate their goalie situation. Auld plays best in spurts, and he’s getting playing time right now. This produces two interesting solutions for the Fantasy owner: Auld, who’s probably overlooked by most people, can be a short-term boost. Turco is probably getting dropped in a number of leagues, and any starter has some value over the long haul if you get points for saves. Keep an eye on the Dallas situation, and if you need goaltending, think short-term with Auld and see if anyone drops Turco for a long-term depth goalie. Just don’t ask Auld to play the puck.

While Cristobal Huet isn’t embroiled in a goaltending controversy like he was last year with Nikolai Khabibulin, Antti Niemi – he of the many vowels — is proving himself to be a capable and reliable backup. Even Huet has remarked about Niemi’s recent play, and he’s a good short-term ride, especially with a packed schedule over the next two weeks. Huet has his ups and downs, and the goaltending situation has been a source of heartburn in Chicago every now and then, so it makes sense that Niemi will get a longer look than most backups.

Out west, I’ve talked about avoiding the San Jose’s streaky secondary scoring (try saying that five times fast). Ryane Clowe is the ultimate secondary Fantasy teaser, capable of scoring goals, getting PMs, and putting up a lot of shots on net, but about one-third of the time, and only in big chunks at a time. He’s starting to get hot again, which means his value should rise over the next dozen games or so. That would be a good time to package him in a trade for the stretch run.

Sticking in San Jose, Dan Boyle’s going to be out a few games. While there has been plenty of reason to stay away from Rob Blake this season, he’s shown some of his old form in the past few games and should only get more power play time with Boyle out. Beware of San Jose’s inconsistent power play, though — it’s fantastic on the road and mediocre at home. That should gauge when you play Blake.

Who would have thought the Phoenix Coyotes would still be going strong this far into the season? We’ve talked about streaky Radim Vrbata before, and he’s on another one of those rolls right now. Most Coyotes outside of Shane Doan and Ilya Bryzgalov fly under the radar, so you shouldn’t have a problem picking up Vrbata while he’s still on fire — and feel free to drop him when he starts to cool down. There’s a reason why the Coyotes don’t have a single guy eclipsing 40 points.

Speaking of streaks, look at one Tim Connolly. The Buffalo Sabres don’t quite have the sexy offense they did a few years ago when Daniel Briere and Chris Drury sold them a ton of merchandise, but Connolly is showing that when he’s healthy, he’s a stud. December and January have been extremely kind to Connolly; however, my Spidey-sense tells me that he’s peaking right now. He’s due for an injury or a slump, and his trade value is at an all-time high.

Ranger pundits thought the team had turned a corner with 14 goals in two wins against Montreal and Tampa Bay. These games, though, were sandwiched between three games where the Blueshirts only managed to pop in one goal. While it might be tempting to pick up a sleeper hopeful like Brandon Dubinsky, you’ve got better gambles elsewhere.

News & Notes

Eric Staal had a successful first game wearing the captain’s C; keep an eye out to see if this promotion elevates Staal’s game — and how it trickles down to the rest of his teammates…Remember how Bill Guerin’s stats took off after he went to Pittsburgh at last year’s deadline? It’s time to start scouting the lower tier for playoff-push trade bait…Are we ready to say Evgeni Malkin is back for good? I wouldn’t go that far yet, but he is trending upward and Malkin’s two point-less streaks of three games and four games should be a thing of the past thanks to the return of his confidence.

There’s no doubt that Tekken has come a long way since its clunky 3D polygon fighters first debuted on the PSone. After numerous official sequels and an off-shoot Tag Tournament game, gamers know what to expect with Tekken; the trick with each new title is for Namco to add improvements while keeping the essential controls and timing the same. This is where Tekken 6 succeeds. It’s still an acquired taste, but with so many modes and characters to choose from, the game is more robust — and accessible — than ever before.

Controls (4.5/5)

Namco’s motto must have been “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” during Tekken 6 development. If you’ve played the game before, then you know the controls, and that much hasn’t changed. Each face button corresponds to a limb (left and right arms, left and right legs), and the trigger buttons are programmable to combinations suited to your character (e.g., L1 can be right arm/left arm). Movement within the fighting plane is handled by the directional pad, not the analog stick, and true arcade-style fighters can purchase an additional joystick to get a sense of authenticity to their controls.

Crisp and reliable, the basics of Tekken are as solid as ever, though they take getting used to if you’re accustomed to Street Fighter-style buttons. The responsiveness of directional movement depends solely on the character you pick. Some characters move briskly and are based on fast-strike moves while others use more power-based attacks, and movements are adjusted as such. This balance (42 characters — the deepest Tekken roster ever) gives players the freedom to experiment with different styles and speeds, thus providing nearly endless replayability.

Because the controls are so responsive, precise combos can be pulled off with enough practice, and that’s where one of Tekken’s strongest attributes come through. In its customizable practice mode, players can pull up a command list and practice each character’s moves to perfection, either against a static dummy or one that plays like a CPU-controlled opponent. Every character has more than 100 moves or combos, and the trick comes down to the exact timing required to pull off combos. Timing, in fact, has a great deal to do with defense too, as well-timed button or pad presses can get your character out of a jam while falling or when your opponent attempts a hold.

For beginners, the learning curve may be steep, though the very helpful practice mode is willing to hold your hand until you get up to speed. It’s best to stick with one character until you’re comfortable with the general game timing and control scheme; after a few hours, you should have seen enough of the roster that you can select the fighter you want to perfect.

The only area where controls can drag down is when playing online on a lag-plagued connection. Since Tekken requires precise movements, don’t bother playing online unless you know your connection is consistent.

Graphics/Sound (3.5/5)

While Tekken’s graphics improve each generation, there’s no comparison to this generation’s leaders such as Metal Gear Solid 4 or Uncharted 2. The models simply aren’t detailed enough, though backgrounds are greatly improved over Tekken 5. Namco has added better lighting effects and background animations (such as helicopters zooming over the fighting arena), along with interactive arena objects (watch the sheep fly when you fight on a Scandinavian hillside). The fight animations are as smooth as ever, especially during the slow-motion replays following rounds. Thanks to the processing power of this generation’s consoles, additional animated details — flowing cloaks, hair movements, and yes, breast jiggling on female characters — have made it into the game.

The game’s audio is essentially the same as previous versions: fight sounds, an announcer, and generic music designed to go along with each arena’s theme. Each character has voiceover, though the lines are so sparse that it doesn’t matter if the delivery is actually good or bad. Character voices are recorded in their native language, so a lot of the post-match smack-talking is done by reading subtitles.

Gameplay (5/5)

For fight fans, Tekken 6 just might be the perfect combination of roster, styles, and gameplay modes. You can pick one of 40 unique characters to play and starting with offline modes, here are the other modes:

• Arcade mode: A replica of the Tekken 6 arcade game
• Ghost mode: A never ending series of battles where “ghosts” (character difficulty based on downloaded stats from online users) of various levels challenge you
• Practice mode: An in-depth way to perfect your moves, including fighting against any opponent (static or active) in any arena
• Campaign mode: A story-driven side-scrolling beat-em-up

Tekken 6 keeps your statistics, and each win earns you credits for purchasing character customizations (such as Halo-esque armor for Bryan Fury) along with a gradually improving battle rank. Your battle rank starts fresh with each character you play, and there’s a cap on how high you can go playing solely offline.

Playing against the computer may be great for practice, but Tekken 6 truly shines when it creates a virtual arcade for an unlimited amount of unique opponents. The game’s online mode offers two ways to play: ranked matches (for the international Tekken leaderboard) and quick matches (wins and losses don’t affect record). You can also set up custom games and invitations to play against your cross-country college buddies or members of your gaming clan.

With many characters re-appearing after previous games, it’s natural that their move set offers some familiarity. However, Tekken 6 has put in just enough variation that move sets feel like a natural growth or offset of previous games, not exact copies. Old moves are timed differently to create new chain or combo possibilities, and even old standbys like Jin Kazama have new tricks up their sleeve. As for the eight new characters, they fully round out the roster with unique fighting styles to truly give something for everyone.

Because Tekken’s character list and move sets are so diverse, nearly every player has his or her individual style. Thus, even though you may play against Paul Phoenix twice in a row in Tekken 6’s online space, you’re bound to have an entirely different match thanks to the variations in fighting style and skill level. The characters may even look different, as everything from hair to footwear to belt accessories can be customized via purchases with game-earned credits. However, none of the weapon accessories (swords, guns, even a giant fan) affect the game, so there’s no chance that Tekken turns into Soulcalibur.

Your online competition is quite diverse, as Tekken 6 lets you prioritize how matches are made (skill level, location, connection quality), though you might not get your preference depending on who’s currently online. There’s nothing quite as disheartening as taking your measly 2-5 record up against someone with the rank of Marauder and over 1,000 matches played.

Overall (4.5/5)

While not a giant leap in graphics, Tekken 6 offers the most diverse roster of fighters to date in the series. An in-depth training mode, robust offline mode, and endless online matches make it a fight fan’s dream. With 42 possible characters to learn or play against, the combinations are limitless; tack on online mode against human opponents from all over the world and you’ve got a reason to keep coming back until Tekken 7. If you’ve moved away from the series for a few versions or always hesitated to try it, Tekken 6 is worth it for any fight fan.

With Nikolai Khabibulin probably done for the season, Fantasy owners are left scrambling for goalies. (AP)

Dear RotoRob,

Re: Goalie help

I am in a single-season, 12-team hockey pool. I have to dump Nikolai Khabibulin and use one of my two remaining waiver moves for the season (so I need it to count).

Who would you take? Jonas Hiller, Pekka Rinne, Jimmy Howard, Jose Theodore, Tuukka Rask, or Jaroslav Halak.

Steve

Hi Steve,

Howard is your first answer, without a doubt. While Chris Osgood is off whining to the Detroit press, Howard’s started the majority of games recently for the Wings (20 of the last 26). Even though the Wings are floating around the playoff bubble, they’ve still got a ton of upside this month with many of their injured players coming back soon.

My second choice would be Rinne. His numbers are ordinary compared to last season, but he’s in a 1A/1B situation with Dan Ellis. Barry Trotz was recently quoted as saying he trusts both guys, but Rinne has more raw talent than Ellis. If Trotz decides to stick with one guy, he might run with Rinne once his game stabilizes a bit. I think this situation is less volatile than the Anaheim goaltending situation, and the Predators are playing better as a team.

Your alternate pick would be Halak, as he played well enough to be recognized as the Habs’ Player of the Month for December despite the fact he is still considered Carey Price’s backup. Halak may generate some trade interest in the coming weeks; if that’s the case, he could wind up getting the majority of starts on his new team, although no one knows where that might be.

Hope that helps.

I always figured in the year 2010, hockey pucks would have laser beam trails and giant skating robots would duke it out following a goal. Now that 2010 is here, the only signs we have of those things come from bad flashbacks of the NHL On Fox broadcasts. If you’re not too hung over from your New Year’s Eve/Winter Classic partying, let’s peek in on what some in the hockey world have pledged as their New Year’s Resolutions.

• For Simon Gagne, he pledges that his New Year’s Eve hat trick was a sign of things to come. Someone’s gotta get the Flyers out of their doldrums, after all, and after being back for two weeks, Gagne should be back up to speed — until, that is, he gets hurt again.



• For Kurtis Foster, he pledges to continue his strong offensive play as a sleeper defenseman. Foster had zero points in his first 10 games of the season; since then, he’s been Tampa Bay’s most consistent blueline threat in the wake of Dan Boyle getting moved. Not bad for a guy returning from a career-threatening broken leg injury.
• For Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwemeester, they pledge (hopefully) to get over their Team Canada snubs and return to the point-producing form they’ve been drifting away from so far this season.
• For Andrei Markov, he pledges to keep up the torrid pace he’s had since returning from injury. With eight points in six games, Markov’s value is at an all-time high right now. With Roman Hamrlik and Brian Gionta returning to the lineup, the Habs look to have some key pieces in place as they battle through the mess that is the Eastern Conference playoff race.
• For Steve Mason, he pledges to play more like he did in 2008-09 rather than what we’ve seen so far in the 2009-10 season. Key point: Mason showed some return to form in some of the final games of the 2009 calendar year, as he only allowed one goal in back-to-back games against Detroit and the Islanders. Fantasy owners, take note — the slumbering giant may be finally coming to.
• For Phil Kessel, he pledges to shake off the inevitable return of reality and go back to the absurd surge that carried his start. After playing strong for his first six weeks, including driving the Leafs to a sniff of the playoff race, Kessel cooled off dramatically. The biggest thing working against Kessel is the lack of talent around him, something that would finally catch up after the initial adrenaline rush of post-surgery and post-trade excitement wore off. Welcome to Toronto, Phil; this is what it’s really like.
• For Patrice Bergereon, he pledges to use his Team Canada selection as a launching point to really get back into gear. Thirtysomething points isn’t shabby, but the Bruins need more from Bergeron, who’s shown point-per-game potential in the past. Some young players can hit an extra gear after the euphoria of a high-profile international tournament, and Bergeron is one to watch for this — especially with the impending return of Milan Lucic, which should throw a twist into the current forward lines.
• For Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton, they pledge to continue the torrid pace that shook off slow starts. Both Panthers appear to finally be living up to their potential, but their rise to point-per-game status has been left out amid Florida’s .500 record and general low profile. They certainly deserve more Fantasy attention, especially with Cory Stillman looking to get back in the lineup soon.
• For every Fantasy owner out there, you should pledge to keep a keen eye on the injury situation before, during, and after the Olympics. Remember, if players get hurt right before the Olympics, they’ll have an extended break to heal. If they get hurt during the Olympics, that means a top-flight player will be out and the depth chart shifts, so more opportunities will come for a third-line guy (as the second-line player suddenly becomes the defensive focus). If an Olympian gets hurt after the tournament, be wary of a slightly longer recovery as they’ve essentially gone through a playoff round.
• For the NHL, it should pledge to not let the officiating slide in the second half of the season and the playoffs as has happened the past two years. Please.
• For me, I pledge to start contributing to RotoRob in different ways with video game reviews. Exciting, huh? As this was written on New Year’s Eve, I hope you all had a fun and safe New Year’s celebration. Bring on the Olympics and the stretch run.

News & Notes

While the Kings got Ryan Smyth back, Justin Williams broke his leg and will be out a significant amount of time. Ryan Getzlaf’s self-inflicted leg laceration isn’t as bad as originally feared and he’ll be day-to-day rather than out several weeks. The Red Wings are hoping that time somehow speeds up, as January sees the projected returns of Henrik Zetterberg, Dan Cleary, Niklas Kronwall, Jason Williams, and Jonathan Ericsson–that’s like a whole new team right there!

The media might be focusing on the good stories this year, like the Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes. However, there are plenty of disappointing teams out there, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some Fantasy gems on those non-playoff squads. Let’s take a look at some of the best Fantasy players on some of the worst teams out there.

Carolina Hurricanes: Who would have thought that Carolina would turn in such a stinker of a season after going to the Eastern Conference finals last year? Injuries have played a big part in the Canes’ demise, but Tuomo Ruutu’s still putting together a pretty strong year with 10 goals and 12 assists so far. He’s also an even player, which is pretty incredible when you think about how spotty Carolina’s, um, everything has been. Eight of Ruutu’s points have been on the power play.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Much has been made of Steven Stamkos’ rise to prominence in his sophomore campaign, but that can overshadow the season that Ryan Malone has put together. Malone’s not just having a strong year, he’s on pace for a career year, and all of this is making a previously awful contract look pretty smart.

Toronto Maple Leafs: There’s no doubt that Phil Kessel is the key to the entire Maple Leaf team. However, here are a few guys to consider, too. Niklas Hagman’s already put up an impressive 15 goals while Alexei Ponikarovsky – the source of much heartburn over the years for Toronto fans — has a solid 25 points. On the blueline, Francois Beauchemin survived a terrible October (three points) to put in a pretty strong November/December; in fact, Beauchemin’s recovered to a point where he’s at .5 points per game.

Montreal Canadiens: There are two things pretty much everyone knows about Montreal. One, Scott Gomez is an unmitigated disaster, and two, Tomas Plekanec is flying high on a career year. Lost in that might be the resurgence of Marc-Andre Bergeron, who was initially signed as a stop-gap for the Andrei Markov injury. (Markov, by the way, is coming back early, and is scheduled to play Saturday night.) All Bergeron has done is put up a red-hot December and maintain better than .5 points per game.

St. Louis Blues: Yup, the Blues can’t score. In fact, you know things aren’t good when young defenseman Erik Johnson leads the team in scoring, despite name players such as Paul Kariya, Brad Boyes and Keith Tkachuk. How are the Blues still in the playoff hunt? A big part of it is goaltending, and the duo of Chris Mason and Ty Conklin has remarkably similar stats. In fact, those two Blue goalies average a 2.40 GAA and a .925 save percentage, making either one a reasonable pickup for goaltending depth.

Edmonton Oilers: While Nikolai Khabibulin might be recovering from injuries, Jeff Deslauriers isn’t doing too bad for himself. In fact, Deslauriers put together a pretty good run, going 8-5-2 after an up-and-down start.

Minnesota Wild: After an awful start, Todd Richards has got his team steadying the ship, just in time for hopes of a playoff push after the New Year. While Martin Havlat has been an absolute disaster, Andrew Brunette keeps chugging along with a strong 28 points in 33 games.

News & Notes

Injury updates: Can Detroit stay injury free in any way possible? The latest casualty is Henrik Zetterberg, who sustained a shoulder injury after a clean check from Tampa’s Mattias Ohlund. Up in Ottawa, Jason Spezza will be lost for a long time. This might actually help Fantasy owners who’ve been wasting games hoping for Spezza to return to form. David Booth has finally returned to non-contact skating with his teammates. With Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton heating up, Booth might be carried by strong team momentum when he finally returns.

Line change updates: Wade Redden’s riding the pine in New York, which is all well and good, but you should have dropped or benched Redden dropped a while ago now. The Bruins will try putting Michael Ryder with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm, and Jesse Winchester will try to fill Spezza’s skates by starting between Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek. If you’re looking tor goaltending help, keep an eye on where Jaroslav Halak may wind up, as word is that Montreal is shopping him.

In Anaheim, Jean-Sebastian Giguere’s fighting for his job as an NHL starter (and perhaps auditioning for a trade elsewhere depending on what the Ducks want to do with Jonas Hiller). Since November 23, he’s started five games for Anaheim with a record of 3-1-1. The Ducks are looking for anything to spark consistency right now (besides Corey Perry’s insane point-scoring streak), and they have equal half-confidence in Giguere and Hiller. Ride Giguere until the Ducks hit another snag, then don’t be surprised if Hiller plays for a few games.

Speaking of goaltending, how about that dynamic duo in Atlanta of (drum roll please) Ondrej Pavelec and Johan Hedberg? Pavelec has a save percentage of .920 and Hedberg is cruising along with a .930 mark. Not too bad, and things are bound to get interesting when Kari Lehtonen eventually gets back on the ice. Lehtonen’s still out indefinitely, and the speculation is that he could be dealt in another month. However, now’s the time to assess the situation. Pavelec is all the buzz in the NHL right now; when Lehtonen is on the mend, it’s time to analyze Pavelec to see if he’s a flash in the pan or a long-term solution — or if Lehtonen will get moved, similar to the Pascal Leclaire/Steve Mason situation from last year.

Sticking in Atlanta, it’s time to toot our own horn about Tobias Enstrom, who we mentioned in our draft kit despite the fact he had a mediocre sophomore year. With a solid 19 points in 25 games, Enstrom hasn’t hit any extended slumps this season and is a healthy +9. Now if he’d just shoot the puck more…

Have you been benching Devin Setoguchi since he returned from injury? If so, it’s time to start playing him again. With Setoguchi having put a few good few games under his belt, coach Todd McLellan has started shifting him around rather than keeping him on the fourth line to get his conditioning back. When Setoguchi is healthy, he’ll most certainly replace Manny Malhotra on San Jose’s second line, and McLellan may bump him back up with Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley if he wants Patrick Marleau on a separate line for depth.

Even though the Maple Leafs have played better since the arrival of Phil Kessel, there has to be concern for goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, who left a game this week due to his recurrent heart condition. Now Gustavsson’s going in for heart surgery, and while he may only be projected to be gone a week, the heart is one body part you don’t want to mess with. If the Leafs had any sense, they’d play this one extremely cautious, and that means giving Vesa Toskala more starts as he tries to prove that he’s NHL (and UFA contract) worthy.

Okay, so we’ve all heard about how Sidney Crosby’s been on a ridiculous tear lately. And I’m guessing that you won’t be able to steal Crosby away in your league. That’s fine, but don’t forget those who benefit by osmosis. Bill Guerin’s probably available in many leagues, and he’s probably worth picking up for a short-term fix while Crosby rides his surge.

In Detroit, the up-and-down Red Wings have gone with Jimmy Howard for several starts in a row. As Mike Babcock tries to right his ship, look for Howard to get a chance at playing a bigger role, as his play has evolved over the last few weeks. In general, he looks sharper and more confident, and you can’t blame a guy when the puck deflects in off his own teammates like they did against Edmonton.

It’s time to catch up on secondary stats. Pavel Kubina may not be Fantasy gold when it comes to goals and assists, but he has a reasonable 12 points in 24 games. More importantly, if you’re looking for +/- help, check out Kubina, who’s probably available on the waiver wire. He is second in the league in +/- and has shown time and again that he’s a reliable shut-down guy.

Need PIMs from a guy getting a regular shift? Go with the guy with the best name in the NHL: Tampa Bay’s Zenon Konopka, who is the only NHL player to break the 100 PIM mark so far — by about 30 PIMs, no less. Konopka won’t help elsewhere, as he’s only got two assists on the season. The best PIM/point combination so far? Vancouver blueliner Kevin Bieksa, with 12 points and 68 PIMs.

News & Notes

The Calgary Flames welcomed Rene Bourque back from injury this week while the Ducks lost Teemu Selanne and his power play goals to a broken hand late Thursday night. Rob Blake is back with the Sharks, which means Kent Huskins is bumped to the second power play unit. Even though Huskins has got plenty of power play time, he has zero (0, as in nada) power play points. Go figure. Alex Semin is back after a seven-game layoff, and we’ll see how the Caps fare without Washington’s other Alex for a few games. Anze Kopitar’s stats have nosedived recently, and his goal-scoring drought is getting ugly down in LA.

It’s difficult to knock a guy for having 18 points in 19 games, but there have been plenty of people criticizing the play of Vincent Lecavalier. When you’re looked upon to pop in 50 goals each season, having just three at the quarter pole isn’t exactly going to justify a bazillion dollar contract. Still, Lecavalier’s Fantasy owners should take some solace in the fact that three of his last four goals came in the last two weeks (okay, that’s still a stretch). However, Tampa’s scoring is starting to spread around — it’s not just the Steven Stamkos show anymore. With more scoring depth coming through, that can only make things better for Lecavalier. Yes, you can put your first-round pick back in the lineup.

As for teammate Alex Tanguay, he was dead and buried not too long ago. Maybe he thought the season started in November because he’s a point-per-game so far this month. Hey, that’s kind of how he used to be all those years in Colorado, right? Since the Fantasy hockey world has pretty much forgotten Tanguay, he’s worth a gamble as he’s out of Rick Tocchet’s doghouse and back in top-six and power-play duty.

Let’s move even further south with a quick look at the Panthers. While Steven Reinprecht is leading Florida (3-2-1 in its last five) in scoring, he’s not the reason why the Panthers are putting up strong goal totals. Even with David Booth on the shelf, the Panthers are putting the puck in the net. The big catalyst for that? Check out old man Cory Stillman, who has 10 points in his last eight games. Oh, and he’s only got 13 points total — that’s a hot run.

Kristian Huselius missed about two weeks due to injury, but he’s come back strong. In three games since his return, he’s got three goals and three assists — and he’s pushed the Blue Jackets to wins in all of those games. Perhaps more importantly, Columbus tallied three or more goals in each of those, something the Jackets struggled mightily to do last year.

The Buffalo Sabres are one of the surprise stories early on this season, and Tim Connolly is a big reason why. The crafty centre has played all 18 games and is averaging close to a point-per-game. You may think that this means it’s safe to hold onto him for the long term, but the savvy thing to do is to move him while his value is at an all-time high. He’s the perfect support player for a major trade.

Sticking in Buffalo, maybe Thomas Vanek finally woke up. The $7-million man was beyond awful in October (just five points, or about $1.4 million per point) but has kicked things up in the past week, putting up five points in the past four games. Unfortunately, only one of those were goals, but any tally on the score sheet is better than none.

Speaking of hot weeks, it looks like ex-Sabre Maxim Afinogenov decided he was happy in Atlanta. Since last Friday’s tilt against Los Angeles, the man named after a men’s magazine has put up seven points in just three games. Toss in the game prior to the LA matchup, and Maxim’s riding a four-game goal streak.

Didn’t we tell you that Ryane Clowe was incredibly streaky? In October, Clowe put up four total points. So far in November, he’s had eight points in nine games. Not to get all mathematical on you, but Clowe’s had a history of performing like a sine wave — equal parts up and down. Look for him to hit one of his usual cold streaks soon, but you can move him while his value is up.

Looking to get points by osmosis? Phil Kessel’s had a successful start to his Maple Leaf career. Matt Stajan, he of the career-high 55 points last year, has been in on more than half of Kessel’s goals or assists. Gotta love it when a pure goal scorer elevates a career checker, huh?

No one’s really scoring much in Phoenix, but if you’re looking at riding a hot hand, streaky Radim Vrbata’s got four points in his past four games. That’s a lot for Phoenix’s standards. Vrbata’s one of the few Coyote forwards that offers some Fantasy value, but not in the way you might think. While the entire Phoenix team is struggling to put up goals, at least Vrbata’s trying as he’s in the top 20 in shots on goal.

News & Notes

For all those people who drafted Booth, you’re gonna have to wait a little longer as his concussion issues have forced him to stop exercising for the moment. Marc Savard is close to coming back to the lineup, and Atlanta sleeper pick Bryan Little returned this week. Who’s out? Brian Gionta, Ryan Smyth, Alex Goligoski, and Alexander Semin.

There seems to be some media buzz about the slow starts some superstar players are having. Sure, Pavel Datsyuk may only have a handful of points, but to suggest that he’s over the hill is kind of silly. Similarly, to think that Vincent Lecavalier isn’t going to start putting the puck in the net at some point is absurd. Datsyuk, Lecavalier, Ryan Getlaf, and others have all earned enough Fantasy cred to remain on your roster.

Benching them is fine, but I’d really only advise doing that if you’ve got a full slate of guys to play and need to make choices about your evening’s roster. If you’re just looking to conserve games, you might as well gamble on these guys putting up the eventual monster game that gets them back in the groove. Remember, coaches are relying on these guys to shoulder the bulk of the load, so they’ll often do whatever they can to get them going.

On the other hand, Fantasy leagues are often won or lost in the trenches — second-tier players that put up equal value as big-name guys. For a bunch of these guys, the early part of the season hasn’t been kind. Should you keep them or drop them? Let’s take a look.

Ryane Clowe: Clowe just got himself a nice fat contract during the offseason, though it looks like all it did was weigh down his hockey pants because he can’t get anything going. You could point to the loss of his usual centre Joe Pavelski, but that’s not really changing things too much as San Jose’s top six forwards have all played together in some form or another. Clowe is notoriously streaky, but starting out on a bad streak can only kill confidence. Drop him for now, though keep an eye open when Pavelski comes back.

David Booth: No one’s really scoring in Florida, but the Panthers are hanging their hat on Booth being their go-to guy. Other scorers have come back from worse, and what gives me faith in Booth returning to a 30-goal projection after an awful start is that the Panthers don’t really have many other choices. That ice time has to go somewhere, and Booth’s shown enough in his young career that he can score even in adverse situations. Hold on to him for now, but have him ride the pine for a while.

Alex Tanguay: Looking for a career revival, Tanguay seemed to put him in the best position to succeed by signing in Tampa. He looked like the ideal sleeper pick, but someone forgot to tell Tanguay to show up to the party. This top-heavy crew could surely get Tanguay going again, right? Well, that’s a big fat wrong, and there’s no point in waiting for him to come around as he’s going to be spending time on the third line for a while. Drop him and don’t look back.

Saku Koivu: Going to Anaheim made sense for Koivu; the Ducks needed secondary scoring and he wanted to play with fellow countryman Teemu Selanne. After Koivu had a pretty good season in Montreal (50 points in 65 games), you’d have hoped that the transition would be easy — he likes to pass the puck, Selanne likes to shoot it. It ain’t happening so far, even though Selanne has scored a handful of goals. Koivu’s upside was originally about 60 points, but a defensive system and a poor start are lowering those expectations. Feel free to drop him.

Sergei Samsonov: It’s not too often that you have everything go wrong at once, but that seems to be happening in Carolina right now. While you can feel safe that Eric Staal will return to form, mid-level forwards like Samsonov aren’t providing the secondary scoring that the ‘Canes need. Samsonov’s career has been maddeningly inconsistent to the point that any sort of slump should prompt you to drop him quickly.

Jonathan Cheechoo: For those of you hoping that Cheechoo would find new life in Ottawa, it’s simply not happening. While Senator fans seem to be pleased with the grit and hustle that he’s shown, that doesn’t help your Fantasy team. One good indicator with Cheechoo is his shots on goal — in his two good years, he averaged well over three shots per game. His shots have diminished each year and right now, he’s barely getting two per game. The one caveat about Cheechoo is that he’s notoriously streaky. If you bothered to pick him up, drop him now, but watch for him to score that first goal. When that happens, he might provide value for about a week or so.

News & Notes

The first rash of bad injuries have hit the NHL. In Boston, Marc Savard’s injury is going to put more pressure on Michael Ryder to produce. In Pittsburgh, no Sergei Gonchar means more power play time for Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang. Christian Ehrhoff is picking up the slack for Sami Salo out in Vancouver. For short-term issues, watch to see if Jonathan Toews misses any time from that nasty hit he took the other night and remember that there’s no exact timetable for Alexander Semin to return from his mysterious “illness/injury.” For Semin, though, remember that he likes to take his time in returning.

Ah, nothing like early season success to make everyone get all delusional about who’s going to have a dynamite season, right? Here’s a hint — while Alexander Ovechkin will have a great year, he’s not going to keep up his pace for 200+ points. This season’s seen its share of fast starts, and here’s a handful of guys that might still be available in your Fantasy league:

Brandon Dubinsky: I’m guessing Glen Sather’s happy he got Dubinsky signed in time for the season (with an assist to John Tortorella for insisting that the deal gets done). While off the radar for most “top-line centre” lists, Dubinsky’s shown immediate dynamite chemistry with Marian Gaborik and has provided a much-needed reliable scoring spark to the Rangers. How long will it last? Well that depends on…

Marian Gaborik: Okay, so every Fantasy guide on the planet mocked Gaborik for basically being as durable as a paper doll. I guess, then, we owe him some props for performing beyond expectations while healthy. Sure, go ahead and insert your own joke about the ticking injury time bomb. Many Fantasy owners have stayed away from Gaborik and, depending on the size of your league, he may be available. If so, get him, let him play out a few games, then stick him on the trade market — I still don’t trust him.

Radim Vrbata: Vrbata’s upside is 25 goals, but, as a streaky scorer, you might as well ride him while the Coyotes are playing well. He’s getting plenty of ice time for new coach Dave Tippett (17-19 minutes) and the guy loves to shoot the puck. If his head and heart are in the game, then Vrbata might be a sneaky depth player.

Keith Tkachuk/Paul Kariya: Check the calendar to make sure it’s not 1998 as Kariya and Tkachuk are pretending that the last decade didn’t happen. On a line together with Brad Boyes, these veteran wingers are showing that they still have it. Kariya is recovering from double hip surgery, but appears to be suffering no ill effects, while Tkachuk is playing with a chip on his shoulder (that’s a good thing). Will they keep it up for the whole season? It’s hard to say at their age, though Tkachuk’s rough-and-tumble game seems like it’ll take a harder toll on him.

Steven Stamkos: Wow, so Barry Melrose thought this guy needed a few years to be NHL ready? If you’ve caught any Lightning games so far, you can tell that Stamkos is playing as well — if not better — than All-Star teammates Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Part of it is speed and skill, but a big part of it is confidence — Stamkos knows he can compete at an elite level now. Because he only played well in the second half of last season, he fell in the rankings and he might still be available for centre depth.

Matt Carle: On his third team in just over a year, Carle’s getting plenty of power play minutes in Philadelphia. Is it his natural skill that’s shining through early in the season or is it a little boost coming from playing next to Chris Pronger? Who knows, though it’s difficult to tell whether or not Carle will sustain this for the long haul (hint: trade him when his value peaks).

Craig Anderson: The Avalanche goaltender might be battling a slight groin injury, but he’s already got overzealous fans in Denver calling him MVP. Let’s not go that far yet. His gaudy early-season numbers (1.00 GAA) will certainly raise eyebrows and it’ll also keep Peter Budaj (and his awesome Ned Flanders helmet) on the bench for a long, long time (son of a diddly!). At least, that is, until Anderson’s groin injury gets serious. Still, here’s betting the Avs come back down to earth, and with them, so will Anderson’s wins (his save percentage should be high, though).

Ilya Bryzgalov: Break up the Coyotes (no, not bankrupt the Coyotes), they’re off to a solid start. GM Don Maloney’s talked about how his team’s success needs to start in net, and Bryzgalov’s erratic season last year essentially torpedoed what was a squad battling for home ice at the All-Star break (really, they were — look it up if you don’t believe me). Two good games doesn’t qualify as a bounce-back season, but you’d rather have a good start than a bad one.

And now some injury notes:

Montreal loses its best defenseman in Andrei Markov, then signs Marc-Andre Bergeron in hopes of replacing Markov’s offense. We’ll give you an A for effort on that one, but somehow signing an in-limbo guy to replace the second-leading blueliner from last season seems to be a bit much. If you need someone who’s going to get a shot at power play time, Bergeron’s not a bad depth pick up. Someone has to fill those minutes up.

After getting Dany Heatley, San Jose locked in its second line with perennial All-Star Patrick Marleau playing next to emerging stars Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe. Pavelski suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury blocking a shot in the season opener against Colorado and had surgery a few days later. He’s out for a few weeks, which means it’s up to Marleau to carry the line by himself as Clowe hasn’t done anything yet.

On-again, off-again winger Erik Cole started the season the worst way possible — with a long-term injury. It’s not that much of a Fantasy hit, though, as Cole hasn’t put up the same numbers since coming back from his scary neck injury in 2006, so don’t fret this one too much if you have guys like Eric Staal on your team.

We’re back with more of the 2009-10 RotoRob NHL Draft Kit. While Hawk fans cringe over an injury to super soph Kris Versteeg, why not check out our sleeper picks?

What constitutes a sleeper pick? It really depends on what you need. Maybe you just need a goalie who will get regular starts or maybe you’re looking for a 35-point defenseman to round out your roster. This list is an amalgamation of risk/reward: guys returning from injury, looking to take the next step forward, or maybe just poised to rebound from a bad year.

1. Derick Brassard, C, Columbus Blue Jackets: Brassard had just 25 points last year as a rookie. Of course, that was in just 31 games, so there’s hope that this former first rounder will keep pace as he looks to complete his first NHL campaign. Brassard will centre Rick Nash, meaning that he’s got every opportunity to succeed. Nash is a lock for 35-45 goals, and if the chemistry returns between Nash and Brassard, Nash could top 50 goals and Brassard could hit 70+ points.

2. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D, San Jose Sharks: Dan Boyle is still the key defenseman on the Sharks, and Rob Blake is their other power play specialist. However, Vlasic’s role has increased with each season, and now it looks like San Jose will be giving him a greater power play role with Christian Ehrhoff shipped off to Vancouver. One key factor to look at: Vlasic’s shots on goal have increased with each season, from 66 to 72 to 104. His increased willingness to shoot the puck (no doubt influenced by Blake) shows an increasing offensive aggressiveness in his game.

3. Justin Williams, RW, Los Angeles Kings: When he’s been healthy, Williams has potential for 70+ points. In the only two full NHL seasons he’s played (for Carolina in ‘05-06 and ‘06-07), Williams put up 76 points and 67 points, respectively, both times eclipsing 30 goals. Since then, it’s been a pretty ugly stretch of seasons with less than 45 games. He didn’t do particularly well in his first dozen games in Los Angeles, but there is plenty of opportunity for Williams to play with some talented forwards in Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov. If Williams is healthy, he could be a major part of the Kings finally taking a big step forward.

4. T.J. Oshie, C, St. Louis Blues: Oshie gave Blue fans a tantalizing glimpse of the future last season with 39 points in just 57 games as a rookie. What was even more impressive was that coach Andy Murray felt comfortable enough putting the first-year NHLer on the penalty kill, where he wound up with four short-handed points. Oshie is looking to have a stellar second year, and while he’ll most certainly hit some bumps in the road, 60 points seems like a safe starting point.

5. Kyle Okposo, RW, New York Islanders: Assuming he doesn’t have trouble recovering from his Dion Phaneuf-induced concussion, Okposo should be able to build on a successful rookie campaign (18 goals, 21 assists in 65 games). In fact, he’ll have to in order for the Islanders to have any real success. The team’s fortunes are now in the hands of its young players (and Rick DiPietro’s hip). At the end of last season, Okposo was getting around 19 minutes of ice time every night, so you know that his coaches have faith in him. It’s really up to him to make the most of that ice time.

6. Zach Bogosian, D, Atlanta Thrashers: Defensemen tend to take longer to break in than forwards. For Bogosian, it took him a dozen games before he registered his first NHL point. After that, he put up 17 points in 35 games, including nine goals and a +11 on a disappointing Thrasher squad. Bogosian will be looking to take a big step forward with 40-point potential, but beware of the sophomore slump, especially for blueliners. There is a reason why Atlanta picked Bogosian third overall, but the reality is that most defensemen don’t really arrive until their fourth or fifth season.

7. Maxim Afinogenov, RW, Atlanta Thrashers: Injuries slowed down Afinogenov from his high-flying Sabre days, but the speedy Russian claims to be healthy and up for the challenge in Atlanta. As it stands, he won’t be playing on a line with Ilya Kovalchuk outside of the power play; his centre will be former Sabre teammate Slava Kozlov. Still, Afinogenov’s upside is huge — he’s only two seasons removed from a point-per-game year, though injuries remain a concern. Just hitting 30 years old, he has a few good years left in him if his head and heart are on it — as long as his body holds up.

8. Marco Sturm, LW, Boston Bruins: Who will make up for Phil Kessel’s 36 goals in Boston? GM Peter Chiarelli noted that Sturm — an effective two-way forward capable of 25+ goals — missed the bulk of last season. He’s healthy and motivated, and with the Bruins back in prominence after years of disarray, the entire team will be trending upwards. Sturm will alternate between first and second line duties, but he’ll also get time on both special teams.

9. Petr Sykora, RW, Minnesota Wild: This is the New NHL, where 25 goals doesn’t get you what it used to. Sykora can still score, and the Minnesota Wild need scoring, so it seems like a logical fit. New coach Todd Richards will give Sykora every chance to succeed, and while Sykora isn’t exactly the fleetest of foot, he obviously knows how to bulge the twine. He won’t put up a ton of assists, but given the right opportunity, another 25 goals seems totally feasible.

10. Chris Higgins, LW, New York Rangers: Higgins has played more than 60 games in three of his NHL seasons; in each of those years, he eclipsed the 20-goal mark. Now he’s a New York Ranger, a team desperately in need of an offensive spark. Coach John Tortorella loves his up-tempo style of hockey, so Higgins will be allowed to think offense first. Twenty goals seems par for the course, but given the right situation, 30 goals seems possible.

The 2009-10 RotoRob NHL Draft Kit rages on, today with the release of our right wing cheat sheet.

Usually, ranking Fantasy wingers tends to favour depth on the right side rather than the left. If you look at this year’s crop, the situation seems to have reversed, with more sure things lining up on left wing. You’ll see a lot of guys that may have more inherent talent than the players listed in front of them, but issues with inconsistency and health have lowered their rankings — I’d rather take a steady sure thing than a risk with only 10 more potential points.

As with the left wing cheat sheet, these positions are dictated by the Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey game, and your actual position listing may not match up based on what league provider you use. Also, watch during the season for a player to get converted to a dual position (such as a centre that soon becomes eligible for right wing after being moved around).

Last year’s rankings are in parenthesis.

1. Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames (1): Captain Calgary continues to do it all, though will he miss having Alex Tanguay or Michael Cammalleri to play with? Probably not, since he’ll get a full season of Olli Jokinen. Jokinen can be shifted to fulfill various roles, as Iginla still has good chemistry with Daymond Langkow. The Flames have less scoring depth this season, heightening the burden on Iginla. However, he’s never been shy about shouldering his load in the past. The only real question is how different things will be under old-new coach Darryl Sutter and his “recommitment” to defense.

2. Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning (5): St. Louis still put up 30 goals and 50 assists despite (a) playing on a team in absolute turmoil; (b) working with an injured Vincent Lecavalier; and (c) not having a steady third member of the line. That should all change this year, as Lightning coach Rick Tocchet is starting this season off with stability that was missing last year, Lecavalier’s shoulder is rebuilt and ready to go, and playmaker Tanguay should round a dynamic trio. There’s no reason why St. Louis can’t break the 90-point barrier.

3. Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks (NR): He’s dirty and he’s talented; he’s also not as good as centre Ryan Getzlaf. It doesn’t matter, though, as Getzlaf and Perry will be linked together all season long. Only 24, Perry still has upside, and breaking the 80-point barrier isn’t out of the question this year. The good news for Fantasy owners is that Perry also generates a huge amount of PIMs (100+ in the past two seasons) and he’s getting more aggressive when it comes to shooting the puck (up 83 shots last year).

4. Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals (NR): The other Alex in DC isn’t as skilled, as fiery, or as flamboyant. Nor is he a good fighter. That’s okay, though, as he’s still one of the best young forwards in the league. Injuries cut short his past two years, most notably last season where he was on pace to break 90 points. With the veteran presence of Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov gone, more of the off-ice responsibilities will weigh in on Washington’s two Alexes. I get the feeling that this won’t weigh Alexander Ovechkin down, but it might limit how much Semin grows in his fourth NHL season. He’s still a lock for 30 goals and 80 points.

5. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (7): You can bet your last 20 cents on Patrick Kane improving as he’s going into his third year. Though his point totals dipped slightly, his points per game was about the same between his stellar rookie year and his sophomore year. Here are the good trends to note: Kane took more shots on goal and his goals increased. In addition, he’s starting to (barely) fill out his wiry frame, and there should be no more sophomore jitters. Just beware the EA Sports cover boy curse and don’t ever, ever share a cab with the dude.

6. Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators (2): Now that Ottawa’s Big 3 have been broken up, the Senator offense starts with Alfredsson and centre Jason Spezza. Who lines up with them? Well, that depends. New acquisitions Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo offer different skills, and it’s unsure which will best mesh with the two. The Senators can’t nearly be as awful as they were last season, but one has to think that Alfredsson won’t replicate his 40-goal campaign from ‘07-08. However, without Dany Heatley there to finish, look for Alfredsson to be more aggressive in shooting the puck (unless Cheechoo rediscovers his goal-scoring ability and takes Heatley’s place).

7. Brad Boyes. St. Louis Blues (NR): People tend to forget about Boyes, but his numbers speak for themselves. Two years ago, he exploded 43 goals; last year, his goal total went down but his total points went up. With Paul Kariya claiming to be healthy, the Blues have a surprising mix of old and young forward talent that can be put together. Boyes offers both creativity and finishing abilities, and should put up at least 30 goals and 70 points in whatever configuration Andy Murray throws out there.

8. Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes (NR): Regardless of where the Coyotes actually play, Doan will still be the focal point of the franchise. It’s not too often you put up career numbers after 30, but he did just that. The Coyote attack actually has the potential to be better this season, even without Jokinen (that’s okay, though, as Jokinen never really meshed with the team). Doan’s numbers should stick around 75-80 points, especially if young players like Kyle Turris, Peter Mueller, and Viktor Tikhonov fulfill their potential.

9. Johan Franzen, Detroit Red Wings (NR): The Mule keeps scoring goals and putting up some (but not nearly as many) assists. Once again, he’ll be sporting this ratio, but 30 goals should be the bare minimum for Franzen. His assists, though, depend on his linemates, and Detroit’s missing a big chunk of its goal scoring from last season. In three of his four NHL seasons, Franzen’s missed around 10 games. Since he scores goals from ugly areas of the ice, this isn’t unexpected, but it could take its toll as Franzen reaches the other side of 30.

10. Devin Setoguchi, San Jose Sharks (NR): In his third NHL season, Setoguchi will most likely line up with Joe Thornton and newcomer Heatley. Setoguchi exploded out of the gate last year, then started to tail off following the All-Star break. Will he have a letdown season? Setoguchi’s speed and tenacity are perfect for coach Todd McLellan’s up-tempo system, and he’s got every reason to put up even bigger numbers. The only question is if he’ll succumb to the pressure following his breakout campaign.

11. Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks (9): If you don’t mind using an IR spot for Hossa at the beginning of the season, he will probably be a valuable scoring winger from mid-December on. Once he returns to the lineup, there’s a good chance that he’ll need about two weeks to get up and running again, and even then an off-season shoulder operation can really hamper your season (see: Lecavalier, Vincent) as it limits what strength training you do. Still, if you’re willing to put up with using your IR spot on Hossa, you can’t deny his talent in a loaded Hawk forward lineup.

12. Marian Gaborik, New York Rangers (4): Yes, he’s fast. Yes, he’s talented. And yes, he’s always hurt. If Gaborik’s muscles could be synthetically replaced, he’d be in the top 10 of NHL scorers every year. Instead, he’s become a bit of a running joke and a gamble. Gaborik will put up points when he plays, and John Tortorella’s up-tempo style will work well with the Czechoslovakia’s explosive speed. However, Gaborik’s already missed time in training camp because of a sore groin, so…well, if you draft him, you know what to expect. If you’ve got IR in your league, he’s a good pickup.

13. Jason Pominville, BUffalo Sabres (6): In three full NHL seasons, Pominville’s point totals have been 68, 80, and 66. The Sabres were middle-of-the-road in goal scoring last season, and a big part of their success depends on Pominville and other core players like Drew Stafford and Derek Roy carrying the load. If they all go up, their collective point totals will rise and Pominville will hit 80 points again. These aren’t the run-and-gun Sabres of the Chris Drury/Daniel Briere days, though, and a safe bet is probably 70-75 points.

14. Alexei Kovalev, Ottawa Senators (3): The great enigma goes to Canada’s capital, where he endeared himself to Senator fans by talking about how he wished he was still in Montreal. Way to exercise those PR skills, Alexei. It’s unsure where Kovalev will fit in, as the Senators have enough scoring forwards to mix-and-match their top two lines. Even if he plays with Alfredsson and Spezza, no one knows if that will be enough to keep Kovalev interested. A reasonable expectation is around 65 points, or what he put up last year. If Kovalev suddenly he decides he likes Ottawa (the capital building is a nice piece of architecture, after all), add 10 points to that.

15. Phil Kessel, Boston Bruins (NR): See Hossa’s description above (Kessel will be out until December following surgery as well). However, Kessel’s only had one good season whereas Hossa is a seasoned veteran. Buyer beware.

16. Martin Havlat, Minnesota Wild (NR): Surprise, surprise — Havlat wasn’t broken for most of last season and wound up leading the Chicago Blackhawks in points. Going to Minnesota, he’s essentially a replacement for Gaborik (both in terms of scoring and in delivering frustration over injuries). Havlat is shockingly more durable than Gaborik, and new coach Todd Richards wants an up-tempo style that would make Jacques Lemaire’s head explode. Havlat won’t have the same talent level as he did in Chicago, but when he’s healthy, he can produce at nearly a point-per-game and he’s explosive enough to create offense out of nothing.

17. Ales Hemsky, Edmonton Oilers (10): An immensely talented player, Hemsky’s dangling ability is reminiscent of Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk – minus the consistency and two-way play. His points per game across the past few seasons has been roughly 0.9, and there’s no real reason why that should trend any different. Keep in mind that two-thirds of those points will be assists.

18. David Backes, St. Louis Blues (NR): In his third season as an NHL regular, Backes finally broke through with 31 goals. In addition to putting up goals (and only 11 of his 54 points were on the power play), Backes gets shorthanded time and huge PIMs (165 last year). The Blues remain one of those bubble teams that can go either way; the question is whether or not Backes leads them to greener pastures or if the team’s success dictates his point totals.

19. Brian Gionta, Montreal Canadiens (NR): A long time ago (2005-06) in a galaxy far, far away (New Jersey), Gionta scored 48 goals. Since then, it’s been nothing but downhill: 25, 22, and 20 goals. He’ll be reunited with former New Jersey pivot Scott Gomez and here’s hoping that Gomez’s playmaking skills can bring him above the 25-goal mark. At least, that seemed to be Bob Gainey’s plan in bringing them both to Montreal.

20. Joffrey Lupul, Anaheim Ducks (NR): Lupul is back in Anaheim after being traded for Chris Pronger (again, as he was part of the original deal to Edmonton). Lupul had his greatest success as a Duck, scoring 28 goals. In his first Philly season, he was on pace to break that before injuries took out a quarter of his games. Now that he’s back in Anaheim, it appears like he’ll be looked at for secondary scoring and will probably rotate across lines depending on the new-look Duck forwards perform. Lupul may never be a 30-goal guy but he should be reliable for 25 in his old stomping grounds.

We’re back with more of the 2009-10 RotoRob NHL Draft Kit with the release of another cheat sheet. Here are the top 20 left wingers in Fantasy hockey.

When it comes to left wing, you’ll find that depth usually disappears after the top 10 guys or so. To make things even more difficult, different forwards are listed in different positions based on the Fantasy site you’re using. In some cases, sites will list them as two positions, thus allowing you to be more flexible with your games played.

In our case, this list is using the positions listed on Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey and is compiled based on stats, age, team, and other trends.

Ranking from last season are in parenthesis. Note that Patrick Marleau (also listed in our Centre Rankings) may play left wing or centre this season and is eligible for both in some leagues (he was last year in Yahoo!).

1. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (1): I should have made him No. 2 just to see what sort of reaction I’d get. This doesn’t need any explanation, does it?

2. Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers (3): Two words — contract year. Just starting the physical prime of his career, Kovalchuk has the opportunity to show the world that he’s worth big, big money. The Thrasher star will probably mix and match linemates again, but the early indication is that he’ll be playing with Nik Antropov. Here’s a better indicator: it took the Thrashers about half the season to figure out John Anderson’s system, and Kovalchuk scored more goals in the second half than the first.

3. Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils (NR): Parise’s just entering the prime of his career. With that in mind, look at his goal totals since his rookie year — 14, 31, 32, 45. Will he hit the mid 40s again this year? There’s no reason why not, and if your league counts shots on goal, you’ll love Parise. He increased his shot total by around 100 last year, and since his shooting percentage remained the same, his goal total spiked. Yeah, I think he figured it out…but the biggest concern is how his offensive instincts will be muted under Jacques Lemaire.

4. Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets (6): People are going to point to Nash’s relatively low assist factor as a detriment, but let’s see how the Columbus captain does with a full year of Derrick Brassard at centre. Also, while Nash’s shots on goal dropped last year (his shooting percentage went way up, though), he’s become a shorthanded threat ever since Ken Hitchcock challenged him to become a penalty killer.

5. Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres (9): Remember when we all scoffed at the ginormous offer sheet Kevin Lowe gave Vanek? All he does is score goals, especially on the power play where he got 20 of his 40. The Sabres are offensively challenged outside of Vanek (and hope that Jason Pominville or Derek Roy stay consistent), which explains the assist total. If the Sabres’ young core takes a collective step forward, Vanek’s overall totals should go up.

6. Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks (4): Love him or hate him (and mostly everyone hates him right now), you can’t deny the fact that Heatley’s a lock for 35 goals with an upside of 50+ goals. It’s more likely he’ll be on the upper part of that with Joe Thornton passing him the puck, but we’ll see if there’s any lingering fallout from Heatley’s summer of discontent.

7. Brenden Morrow, Dallas Stars (NR): Assuming Morrow is totally recovered from surgery, he’s a virtual lock for 30 goals, 70 points and 100 PIMs. You can’t really go wrong with that, though the other question is how Morrow will perform under Marc Crawford’s new system.

8. Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks (NR): Injuries marred a great season from Marleau, but it remains to be seen how he’ll react to having his captaincy stripped. The last time a coach threw him under the bus, he had one of his worst seasons ever. His relationship with Todd McLellan seems to be much better, and he’s matured as a player, so don’t look for too much of a dip from Marleau even as he plays with Ryane Clowe and Joe Pavelski on the second line (both guys with potential for 60-70 points). Bonus points here for his shorthanded presence.

9. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks (5): In the past four years, Daniel (you know, the better looking one) saw his point totals go from 71 to 84 to 74 and then 82. That would make this year’s projection to be about 76, wouldn’t it? The Canucks have a stronger, more offensively-oriented blueline, which should help Sedin’s power play totals. His power play numbers actually dropped last year despite his points going up, so if those can go back to previous levels, you’ll see his totals go even further.

10. Alex Tanguay, Tampa Bay Lightning (10): There’s plenty of reason to be healthily skeptical of a Tanguay resurgence, but here are two reasons why he should have a great year — Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Already dubbed the Next French Connection by Tampa fans, it remains to be seen how the trio will mesh. However, St. Louis and Lecavalier (now healthy after a mediocre season affected by shoulder surgery) are already dynamic as it is; adding a third skilled player should push them even further.

11. Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers (NR): Move Hartnell up a few spots if your league rewards PIMs. Though Hartnell will never be in the top 10 in scoring, he offers a pretty unique combination of toughness (100+ PIMs), scoring (30 goals), and special teams (both power play and penalty killing). And that hair…really, can we argue with that?

12. Simon Gagne, Philadelphia Flyers (NR): Based on pure skill, Gagne shouldn’t be lower than teammate Hartnell. Call me a cynic, but the fact that Gagne hurt his hip and groin (two injuries that usually linger all season) at Olympic orientation tells me that he won’t play a complete season. I expect total numbers similar to Hartnell’s (around 65 points), but without the PIMs or the number of games played, which also lowers shots on goal.

13. Alexander Frolov, Los Angeles Kings (8): Will this be the year for the LA Kings to break through with their young core? I hope so, because I’m really tired of asking that question every year. Frolov’s point totals have dropped in the past three years (71, 67, 59) — but the drop was much more noticable in his assists. Teammate Anze Kopitar’s numbers also dropped last season, but both should progress forward together, and that should take Frolov’s assists back up.

14. Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils (15): After two bad years, Elias returned to point-per-game form. However, I suspect that having Lemaire in the fold will deflate Elias’s point totals, but having said that, there’s no real indicator about their history together, as Elias was in the early stages of his career during Lemaire’s first tenure.

15. Ray Whitney, Carolina Hurricanes (11): At some point, Whitney has to slow down. Seriously. The dude is a few years shy of 40 and yet he remains close to the point-per-game range. But the bulk of these are assists, and Whitney’s primary trigger-man, Eric Staal, should match his 40-goal output from last year.

16. Mike Cammalleri, Montreal Canadiens (NR): I’m not totally sold on Cammalleri as a consistent 80-point guy. He usually gets around half of his points on the power play, and it remains to be seen how the revamped Montreal attack will gel. The only real certainty on the Montreal power play is blueliner Andrei Markov. The rest of it reminds me of Glen Sather’s cut-and-paste approach to assembling a lineup, which will make for an interesting chemistry experiment. I’m sure the Montreal media won’t be critical at all.

17. David Booth, Florida Panthers (NR): In his third full NHL season, Booth broke the 30-goal mark. With the ghost of Olli Jokinen gone from South Florida, all eyes are on Booth to be the Panthers’ go-to guy. Peter DeBoer has already stated that he’ll be looking at playing Booth with Stephen Weiss (61 points in 78 games) and Nathan Horton (45 points in 67 games); together, the trio should be able to elevate each others’ games.

18. Loui Eriksson, Dallas Stars (NR): Eriksson’s rapid emergence is reminiscent of Detroit’s Johan Franzen. With key Dallas forwards back in the lineup (Morrow and Brad Richards), Eriksson should see his numbers bump up. While his goal upside should be around 45, the bigger increase will be in his assist totals should his teammates stay healthy.

19. Paul Kariya, St. Louis Blues (NR): Most people will forget about Kariya after his injury-riddled 2008-09 season (only 11 games played — but 15 points). Kariya claims that both of his hips are healthy, and if that’s the case, it’s a safe bet that he’ll put up at least 65 points with an upside of 80. Look for most of those to be assists, though.

20. Milan Lucic, Boston Bruins (NR): In his third year, Lucic should eclipse the 20-goal and 50-point marks while still keeping up 100+ PIMs. The potential for a bigger breakout looks to be 30 goals, 65 points. That might be a bit high as power forwards tend to evolve a little slower than pure scorers, but look for Lucic’s power play totals and shots on goal to increase this season too.

We kick off the 2009-10 RotoRob NHL Draft Kit today with the release of our defencemen cheat sheet. Once we finish the cheat sheets, we’ll also be offering you sleepers to target, busts to avoid and our take on the rookies you need to consider this season.

Defencemen are a little bit of an enigma to draft for Fantasy purposes, though you can’t underestimate their importance. With forwards, there’s always a way to find a comparable second- or third-tier guy to fill in for a slumping player. With defencemen, there’s not. You’ll also find a glut of guys between the 35- and 45-point range, most of whom have the potential for more based on the forwards they work with.

In other words, once you get out of the top tier, it’s a grab bag. These general rankings are based on a combination of last year’s stats, power play time, teammates, coaching system, and general trends. If your league puts extra emphasis on, say, PIMs or power play goals, look at the stats and adjust the rankings accordingly.

Numbers in parenthesis represent last year’s rankings.

1. Mike Green, Washington Capitals (3): Is Green the second coming of Bobby Orr? No, definitely not — Green won’t revolutionize the game and Orr never had a public display of Jersey Shore Douchebaggery like Green’s see-it-to-believe-it website. Still, Green’s propelled himself to be far and away today’s most prolific scoring defenceman, thanks to an offense-first mentality, high-flying forwards, and a go-go-go playing style. Now, about that website…

2. Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh Penguins (6): Yes, Gonchar’s a year older and well on the wrong side of 30. Still, when you’re quarterbacking a power play with some dudes name Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, it’s hard to argue the point. The Penguins went from floundering to flying around the time Gonchar came back into the lineup last year; anyone think that that’s a mere coincidence?

3. Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings (1): Lidstrom must have Benjamin Button disease because the guy’s gotten better with age. His elite level of play at the age of 39 is something that is difficult to replicate in any sport (Ray Bourque was close, but he didn’t rule the ice the way Lidstrom does at the same age). The Red Wings should be hungry after losing a heartbreaking Game Seven to Pittsburgh, and while the team lost some scoring depth, Lidstrom will still be running the power play with the big guns.

4. Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks (7): People often overlook the rash of injuries that, at times, took out up to 10 regulars from the San Jose lineup during the middle part of the year. Coach Todd McLellan admitted to shifting to a more defensive style during that time, which means that Boyle would have had even better point totals if the Sharks had somehow managed to stave off half of those injuries. In his second season in San Jose, look for Boyle to take an even more important position on the team.

5. Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens (10): How does last year’s second-highest scoring defenceman slip to No. 5? Consider this: Montreal reloaded its forward lineup with players like Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta. Will they gel? No one knows, and if they don’t, you’ll see Markov’s power play point totals drop. He will get his points, but projecting them will be as difficult as predicting how the Habs will fare.

6. Mark Streit, New York Islanders (20): Oh Mark Streit, we ask for your forgiveness. Last year, we mocked you as a one-trick pony going to Long Island for big bucks. This year? Well, folks on Long Island seem to think of you as a bright light (not a lighthouse, though; that’s a different topic on Long Island) in an otherwise barren landscape. The Islanders’ youth should be better this year (we’ll see about John Tavares, though), meaning that Streit has nowhere to go but up.

7. Brian Rafalski, Detroit Red Wings (8): Something about the water at Joe Louis Arena shuts up naysayers and adds a good five years to careers. Rafalski’s point totals are virtually assured by playing with the talented Red Wings, though he doesn’t have the same aura of immortality that Lidstrom does.

8. Brian Campbell, Chicago Blackhawks (9): Please note that we are not — repeat, not — calling Campbell the eighth-best defenceman in the league. Anyone who’s seen him play knows that “defence” is in his job description merely by default. However, you can’t deny Campbell’s puck-rushing skills, and the addition of Marian Hossa makes this already high-scoring team even deadlier on the power play. And fortunately, Campbell doesn’t lose Fantasy points for bad turnovers.

9. Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers (5): Pronger goes as a high-scoring defenceman on a one-trick pony team to a high-scoring defenceman on a team stacked with forwards (if they stay healthy). This should create a natural boost to his point totals, and don’t forget the all important PIM points. There’s a reason why some Anaheim fans affectionately referred to Pronger as “Captain Elbows.”

10. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins (4): While never as flashy as some of his counterparts, Chara’s booming (and record-breaking) shot is feared by anyone who dares step in front of the net. He’s a lock for 45+ points with an upside of around 60 depending on how the Bruins fare, especially during the first few months when Phil Kessel is sidelined. One bonus about Chara — he’s a key to the Boston penalty kill, which means he’ll pop in the occasional shorthanded assist.

12. Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames (2): Once the golden boy of Canadian hockey, Phaneuf came under fire last season for his hit-and-miss play. He’s still got a heck of an upside, and should have a little more open ice with Jay Bouwmeester on the other Calgary point during the power play. It’s up to Phaneuf to find some consistency to his game.

12. Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks (16): Life will be quite different for Niedermayer with Pronger gone. Still, he’ll have Ryan Whitney playing the point with him, and Niedermayer can easily create an offensive rush all on his own. Any positive gains on this year’s point totals will largely reflect on the ability of Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne to provide a steady second line.

13. Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary Flames (15): For countless seasons, just about everyone’s talked about how many points Bouwmeester could put up if he just had some scoring help. Now he’s reunited with former Panther Olli Jokinen, but he’s also got a fellow All-Star manning the blueline (Phaneuf) and some guy named Jarome Iginla putting in power play goals. Jay, the rest is up to you.

14. Shea Weber, Nashville Predators (NR): Though Weber doesn’t have Chara’s height, he can just about match him in the blistering shot department. The world discovered Weber last year, though Nashville fans have watched him evolve from a young defenceman to a potential Norris winner. His cannon shot is key to the Predator power play — something that should only get better this season with full years from Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan.

15. Dennis Wideman, Boston Bruins (12): Did you know that Wideman equaled teammate Chara in points last year? And while his +/- was better, he didn’t carry the same amount of PIMs as Chara. In other words, Wideman’s got a little ways to go before he reaches Chara’s Norris-caliber level of play. In the meantime, you’ll just have to be happy with 40-50 points for your Fantasy team.

16. Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings (NR): Lidstrom and Rafalski may get all of the attention, but Kronwall’s numbers speak for themselves. The issue here is second-unit power play minutes — with the loss of Hossa, Jiri Hudler (probably) and Mikael Samuelsson, the Red Wings won’t have as many forward options. This will inevitably affect the power play, and whichever defenceman is not out there with Henrik Zetterberg/Pavel Datsyuk will see his points drop. That’s most likely Kronwall.

17. Sheldon Souray, Edmonton Oilers (NR): If he’s healthy – and despite his critics, Souray played 81 games last year – he’s a lock for 15 goals, perhaps even 20 or more with his booming shot. It helps that Edmonton’s young stars should only improve, and if Dustin Penner ever regained his John Leclair-esque ability to put in garbage rebound goals, you’d see Souray’s power play assist totals go up.

18. Marek Zidlicky, Minnesota Wild (17): Things have changed up in Minnesota, with the old (boring) guard being shown the door and a new (hopefully entertaining) coach taking the reins. Todd Richards has emphasized a quick, up-tempo style, which should only help a skilled offensive defenceman like Zidlicky. Note that almost a quarter of Zidlicky’s points were power play goals.

19. Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs (18): People don’t realize this, but the Leafs were in the top third in goal scoring last season despite not having too many skill players. Kaberle himself was hurt for more than a quarter of the season, but when he played, he was the ice time leader and power play quarterback. He may not put up the same point totals as he did when he ran the show with Bryan McCabe, but he’s still the key piece in Toronto (plus, who knows what moves Brian Burke might make?).

20. Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers (19): Timonen may have seen his point totals drop since going from Nashville to Philly, but this No. 1 defenceman now has another No. 1 defenceman to run the power play with. With the Flyers’ young forwards set to get better and better, Timonen has all the tools in the world to return to form.

21. Cam Barker, Chicago Blackhawks (NR): More offensive-minded than Duncan Keith, Barker kicked off the year in the minors before becoming a mainstay on the Chicago power play. He should have fewer points than teammate Campbell, but more than Keith, and considering his age (23), Barker has got a greater offensive upside than Keith.

22. Bryan McCabe, Florida Panthers (NR): The Panthers weren’t exactly a high-flying team last year, but that didn’t stop McCabe from popping in 15 goals in just 69 games. He still loves to shoot the puck, and half of his total points came on the power play. How much will he miss Bouwmeester remains to be seen; the flipside is the hope that guys like David Booth and Michael Frolik get better with age.

23. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins (NR): With Gonchar out for most of last season, Letang had to step it up and handle Penguin power play duties. While the power play was up and down during this time, it gave the 21-year-old valuable experience, which should only make things better as he starts the season next to a healthy Gonchar.

24. Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators (NR): See Weber’s description above, though Suter’s shot isn’t quite the canon that Weber’s is. Still, Gary Suter’s nephew is living up to his potential and should be a lock for 40+ points for years to come.

25. Tom Gilbert, Edmonton Oilers (NR): What should we expect from the young American? In his second (technically third, if you count the six games he played in 06-07) NHL season, Gilbert’s point totals went up and his goals dropped. Getting somewhere in between his rookie (33) and sophomore (45) totals shouldn’t be difficult, though eclipsing 45 points might be a challenge in his third full year.

26. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks (NR): Keith’s point totals have grown by around 10 almost every year, but there’s a good chance that they’ve hit a plateau. That’s okay, because his defensive game has become as valuable, if not more, as his offensive game. With a wide range of talented forwards to play with, Keith will probably bounce between first and second power play duty, but there’s not too much of a difference between them.

27. Andrej Meszaros, Tampa Bay Lightning (NR): Let’s state it right now – the Tampa Bay Lightning isn’t that bad this year. With the top two power play units consisting of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Alex Tanguay, Steven Stamkos, and Ryan Malone, the Bolts’ power play should be much better, especially because the team’s coaching presence is stable. Meszaros should benefit greatly from that and return to the form he had in Ottawa.

28. Kevin Bieksa, Vancouver Canucks (NR): Bieksa had 42 points in his first full season and 43 points in his fourth year. Lock him in for at least the low 40s, but Bieksa also comes with a crazy amount of penalty minutes. Will he anchor the Vancouver PP with Alexander Edler, Christian Ehrhoff, or Mathieu Schneider?

29. Rob Blake, San Jose Sharks (NR): Blake still loves to shoot the puck, and his second year in San Jose should help him defy Father Time yet again. Under McLellan’s system, Blake’s shot is the perfect power play foil to Boyle’s puck rushing plus passing skills and the talented Shark forwards.

30. Tobias Enstrom, Atlanta Thrashers (NR): A bright light as a rookie, Enstrom hit the good ol’ sophomore slump last year. Of course, so did the entire Thrasher team as they took half a season to figure out what coach John Anderson wanted. When it clicked, though, Atlanta put together a solid run, and Enstrom should beat out his rookie total of 38 points while helping sophomore teammate Zach Bogosian.

If you’ve been in an NHL coma since the Penguins hoisted the Stanley Cup, well, you’ve got a few things to catch up on — a few things as in $300+ million spent on free agents within the first few days of free agency. Who changed hands? Uh…well, a lot of guys. However, here are the critical ones:

• I’ve totally got Marian Hossa figured out now. He uses the playoffs as a bit of window shopping to see what team he wants to go to next (or perhaps what city has the best strip clubs to visit). First as a Penguin, he left for Detroit, now from Detroit he signs a ridiculous 12-year deal with Chicago. The Fantasy aspect of this? While Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane become free agents next year, one has to look at how Dale Tallon will balance his cap hit. Guys like Dustin Byfuglin may suddenly be available as the season rolls around. In the meantime, look for Hossa to take Martin Havlat’s place in the Hawk lineup — that means playing on different lines as things change up.
• Speaking of Havlat, the Minnesota Wild decided it wanted to stop paying one injury-prone guy with the first initial of M. to pay another injury-prone guy with the first initial of M. While Marian Gaborik may have fled (see below), the Wild signed up Havlat as its new go-to guy. Havlat doesn’t have the same skill as Gaborik and is probably more fragile. While he will get all the chances in the world to be Minny’s top dog, it really comes down to two things: how healthy can he stay and what will new coach Todd Richards’ system be like?
• Oh, and that Gaborik guy? Instead of Jacques Lemaire bitching about how he doesn’t play defense, he’ll have John Tortorella on Broadway screaming about why he’s soft. The difference, though, is Tortorella will let Gaborik go at top speed. Of course, the Rangers have been the black hole of offence for other talented players lately, so why will this be any different? For one, Gaborik can make offence out of nothing — something guys like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury couldn’t do.
• The Montreal Canadiens have remade themselves…sort of. Remember that notion that the Habs were undersized but talented? Um, well…Chris Higgins takes flight in exchange for Gomez, then the Habs sign Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta. All skilled guys, all kinda smaller, so, yeah, not a lot’s changed in Montreal.
• Other things that haven’t really changed: Steve Sullivan resumes his comeback in Nashville, David Booth stays as Florida’s main offensive threat, the Sedin twins continue to confuse people in Vancouver, Scott Niedermayer stays within driving distance of Disneyland for at least one more year, and Erik Cole and Chad LaRose remain with Carolina.
• At the draft, Florida and Calgary swapped Jay Bouwmeester for Jordan Leopold. Come free agency, both guys stayed in their new spots. Florida obviously got the shorter end of the stick while Calgary’s offense will come seemingly come from the back end, with Bouwmeester joining Dion Phaneuf for a formidable power play combination.
• Goaltenders on the move: Colorado’s ugly netminding situation gets interesting, as backup Craig Anderson gets a shot at the starting role with the Avs. Nikolai Khabibulin takes the reins in Edmonton (obviously, he must have seen something interesting in Edmonton that Chris Pronger and Dany Heatley didn’t). How hurt is Rick DiPietro on Long Island? Hurt enough that the Islanders signed a guy who could start his share of games in Dwayne Roloson.
• Toronto is trying to get tougher, signing punch-put artist Colton Orr and adding reliable defenceman Mike Komisarek. Komisarek is a great stay-at-home defender capable of playing in-your-face hockey by dishing out some serious thuds.

Parity — it’s great for competition, great for keeping teams in the hunt, great for entertaining and meaningful games. But it’s not so great for fantasy.

If you’re doing a fantasy league for the Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s no easy way to go about it. Every series has reasonable arguments for which team will win. Yes, even that Detroit-Columbus matchup offers plenty of reasons why the first-year post-season team can win, and why it wouldn’t necessarily be an upset.

All in all, the closest thing to an easy series is the high-flying Boston Bruins taking on the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs struggled for long stretches this season and it’s a minor miracle they pulled things together. However, if you caught the final game between the Habs and the Bruins, you know the long rivalry between these two could definitely amp things up. In most cases, if you looked strictly at record, injuries, and players, this would be the only cakewalk series to predict. With decades of history to motivate, it won’t be so easy.

Thus, the big question remains: how the hell do you pick a fantasy playoff roster when a seven and eight seeds aren’t necessarily underdogs?

There are two schools of thought with playoff picks. You can either spread your drafting equally around and try to amass all your points in the first two rounds or you can load up on two teams you think will go far. I’m typically in favour of the latter — take a few big names from around the league, then stack the underside of your team with the team you think is going furthest. After all, those role players are what wind up winning fantasy leagues and games played becomes a valuable commodity.

That being said, here are some tips to approaching what will be the tightest first round in recent memory.

1. Take reliable playoff performers: Everyone’s due for an off year now and then, but it’s better to get the guy who had a good regular season with a solid playoff history over the spectacular regular season with an awful playoff history. Consistency is key here.

2. Watch for miracle comebacks: A lot of people might have missed the news that came out of Columbus about rookie Derrick Brassard, who might be available for the Blue Jackets early in their series against Detroit. Ditto Paul Kariya, though no one out of St. Louis is saying a thing. These types of guys are great late-round fantasy picks as most people have written them off.

3. Avoid goaltending controversies: Anaheim won’t say if it’s starting Jonas Hiller or Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Either way, whoever is in the net will have a short leash. If there’s no clear-cut number one, stay away — you need every game-played you can get.

4. Remember playing styles: Playoff defense becomes notoriously tougher, and NHL refs seem to forget their whistles at home come April. That means lower scoring games and less power plays. Take that into account when picking teams to draw players from; for example, the freewheeling Washington Capitals might not be as run-and-gun against the defense-first New York Rangers.

5. Look for heroes: Remember last year’s playoffs when R.J. Umberger woke up to be one of the best players on the Philly roster? Those second-line talents can rise to the occasion when defenses focus on top-line players. Most of the time, the guys who become playoff heroes are the ones with a reasonable amount of skill and a whole lot of work ethic.

6. Go with your gut: This year’s playoff field is as wide open as ever. There isn’t necessarily a right way or wrong way to do it; if you have a hunch about something and find the stats to back it up, go for it.

We’re in the home stretch of the NHL season, and that means that if you’re in a close race for your fantasy team, now’s the time to pull out some magic sleepers. Who’s been under-the-radar hot in the past few weeks? Let’s take a look:

• Chris Mason, G, St. Louis Blues: All the talk going around the league is about some guy named Steve Mason, but former Nashville netminder Chris Mason is a big reason why the Blues have barged into the playoff race. Mason is surprisingly still available in a number of fantasy leagues. If you’re from St. Louis and believe in jinxes, you might want to avoid picking him up to prevent any bad mojo from flowing into the St. Louis locker room. However, if you need a little goaltending push to ride out the season, Mason should be your top priority.
• David Backes, RW, St. Louis Blues: Sticking in St. Louis, Backes wasn’t worth an afterthought for the first few months in the season. In fact, he only had three goals at the start of December. Since then, he’s managed to rocket up to the 30-goal mark. Because the Blues aren’t a sexy team, Backes has been overlooked by the mainstream press and also a lot of fantasy owners. His recent four-goal night shows that he’s hungry for more, and with the Blues starting to scare bubble playoff teams, now’s the time to grab him before more people notice.
• Tuomo Ruutu, RW, Carolina Hurricanes: Much has been made about Erik Cole’s return to form upon donning his familiar Carolina No. 26 jersey. Another big part of the recent Hurricane surge is Ruutu. The former first rounder, known more for being overhyped and injury plagued, has quietly put up a solid season and formed good chemistry with Eric Staal and Cole. While Ruutu has cooled down from his torrid early March pace, there’s a good chance he’s available for pick up and there doesn’t seem to be anything slowing the Canes down right now.
• Kyle Okposo, RW, New York Islanders: Quick, name the Islanders’ leading goal scorer. Quick, name any forward on the Islanders. Okposo, the most recent so-called saviour on Long Island, appears to be the real deal, even though no one’s noticing (except us, a couple of weeks ago). The former first rounder has taken the reins and shown his talent; unfortunately, he missed the last game against Montreal with a groin injury. If he suits up for the last few games, he’s a great sleeper pick up to pop in a few extra points.
• Steve Sullivan, RW, Nashville Predators: Because Sullivan’s playing in Nashville, his miraculous comeback from a two-year back injury isn’t getting the press that it deserves. After an understandably slow start, Sullivan has rounded into regular form, showing his speed and hands around the net. He’s become a critical part of the Predators’ attack — something that’s survived despite the loss of captain Jason Arnott. Sullivan might be the ultimate trade-deadline pickup because he cost the Preds absolutely nothing other than workout space and rehab time.

Also, it’s important to note the ultimate bad-assness when it comes to fantasy play. When your buddy is an NHL All-Star, it’s okay to ask him for some fantasy team help, especially if it’s Mike Green. Apparently, one of Green’s buddies told him that he had his childhood friend on his fantasy team. Green’s friend also mentioned that he’d like a few goals to help him catch up in the standings. Green jokingly promised two power play goals — then proceeded to pop in two power play goals that night.

That, my friends, is the definition of “awesome.”

The Week Ahead

It’s all about key matchups now, isn’t it?

• The Anaheim Ducks have refused to give up, but they’ve got their work cut out for them with back-to-back nights against San Jose (Saturday and Sunday). With regulation wins, the Sharks can pretty much sew up the President’s Trophy and stomp (er, chomp) their cross-state rivals out of the playoff picture.
• Tuesday is critical in the battle for eighth in the east — Florida takes on Philadelphia while the Rangers and Canadiens duke it out. No one involved wants any game to go to overtime. Speaking of the Flyers, they’ve gone into the tank at the wrong time, winning just one of their past four (and even that lone victory took a shootout to accomplish). They looked awful on Wednesday night in Toronto, letting a team that had been eliminated from playoff contention outwork them most of the game. Kimmo Timonen continues to have forgotten his offensive game since leaving Nashville. He’s gone four straight games without a point, and while he’s enjoying a much better season in the plus/minus department than his first campaign in Philly, Timonen’s point total will likely decline for a second straight season. He was barely noticeable on Wednesday night.
• And in the ultimate “No one cares” game, the Lightning and Islanders play on Saturday. If Martin St. Louis hits the post and and no one’s around, does it make a sound?

What a week for Martin Brodeur. First he breaks Patrick Roy’s all-time wins record, then he gets stuck with a $500,000 annual alimony payment for the next 20 years (lesson of the day: when you make millions of dollars as a pro athlete and you opt to run off with your wife’s sister, save your money). When asked how much longer he was going to play, Brodeur mentioned that he’d like to break the all-time games-played record. If he lives up to that, then he’s good for another two or three years, so there’s no need to let him go from your keeper team just yet. Besides, he’ll need that extra cash to make those alimony payments.

By the way, for future notice — should your fantasy goalie happen to break the all-time wins record, learn your lesson from Brodeur. He’ll sit out the next game and his team will play said game with an amazing amount of apathy. Jot that down for whenever someone tries to break Brodeur’s record about 30 years from now; you’ll thank me then for the fantasy tip.

Remember Steven Stamkos? Yeah, the kid that got all the hype and was a big flop at the beginning of the season? Well, apparently the right way to develop a player is to have your coach be an illegal gambler rather than a mulleted loudmouth, as Rick Tocchet’s turned Stamkos into a gamer. It’s flown under the radar since the Lightning has been out of the playoff hunt, but Stamkos has been putting up close to a point-per-game pace for a few weeks now. Mark him as a sleeper pick for next year’s draft as he has the work ethic and positive attitude necessary to really take his talent to the next level.

Since he’s been in the league, Sidney Crosby hasn’t found a regular winger to play with. While Bill Guerin may be near the end of his career, grinder Chris Kunitz seems to have found his meal ticket. Kunitz, who was more of an energy player capable of potting 15 to 20 goals, is damn near unstoppable with Crosby (12 points in 10 games). The best part? Kunitz is signed for the next few seasons, so he’ll be riding shotgun with Crosby for a while. He’s a great mid-round pick and if his chemistry stays strong with Crosby, he should be able to hit 30+ goals next year.

For anyone that cares: Marian Gaborik plans on returning soon. Oh, and if you want to know what kind of character guy Gaborik is, he apparently doesn’t watch his team while he’s rehabbing, nor does he want to play through pain. Now, I’ll give him a pass on not wanting to watch the Wild (the Jacques Lemaire automatons don’t play the most thrilling brand of hockey), but I don’t know how he could be accepted back into that locker room when they’re scratching and clawing for a playoff spot and he’s refusing to play through pain. Someone should sit him down and force him to watch Slap Shot and Miracle non-stop in a Clockwork Orange-style torture chair until he realizes what a hockey player’s sacrifice for the team should be.

Ryane Clowe is the latest San Jose Shark to go down with injury. He’ll be out about a week, but that’s okay — he hasn’t popped in a power play goal in 20-some games.

One of the best trade deadline pickups has been Antoine Vermette for the Blue Jackets. Sure, he does things like kill penalties and win faceoffs, but his fantasy value has skyrocketed since getting out of Ottawa. Playing on a second line with R.J. Umberger, Vermette’s been good for just about a point per game, including clutch goals, as the BJs look to get into the playoffs for the first time.

Those wacky Atlanta Thrashers just won’t go away. Even though they’re out of the playoff race, they’re still playing with pride for first-year coach John Anderson. Part of the reason? Kari Lehtonen is playing like we all expected him to when he was drafted No. 2 overall. Lehtonen’s available in more fantasy leagues than he should be and will be a good boost for anyone needing to finish out the number of goalie games in their league. However, it still doesn’t excuse those hideous Atlanta third jerseys.

For a while it looked like Chris Drury was waking up from his season-long slumber, but he recently endured three straight scoreless games, going -3 in the process. Yes, he’s managed an assist in back-to-back games since then, and he got the go-ahead goal in the shootout Tuesday (not that it helped you at all), but remember that this was a dude who scored 37 goals in his final season as a Sabre. Last year, he dropped to 25 in his first campaign as a Blueshirt, and this season, Drury will be hard-pressed to reach 20 goals.

And even though this has no fantasy implications, it’s still awesome. Admit it, how many of you have wished that Jordin Tootoo got the living crap beat out of him? Brad Staubitz fulfills your wish — ouch!

The Week Ahead

• Just when we were ready to strike the LA Kings from the playoff race, they go and beat the Boston Bruins to sneak back into things. They’ll have a chance to do more damage against the free-falling Chicago Blackhawks (Sunday) and their close competitor St. Louis (Tuesday). Don’t count Anze Kopitar and company out yet!
• Who would have thought that a Florida-Columbus (Saturday) match up in March would be interesting? The Panthers have stumbled mildly, but are only a point out of the playoffs while the Blue Jackets have a grip on sixth place in the West. The cool thing about this game? Since it’s a cross-conference game, expect both teams to go balls out, especially if it goes to OT as neither team’s respective playoff race concerns their opponent.
• Your marquee match ups of the week: New Jersey at Boston (Sunday) for Supreme Overlord Of The East and Detroit at Calgary (Tuesday) for Best Really-Good-But-Strangely-Inconsistent Team.