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.

Oh, the life of Daniel “Danny” Briere – it’s just one injury after another these days, isn’t it? If you’re a fantasy manager, you were stoked to see Briere finally back, then pissed to see him get hurt yet again. If you’re Flyer GM Paul Holmgren, you’re probably slapping your forehead after just clearing a whole buttload of cap space at the trade deadline. But wait, it’s not as bad as we thought. It’s just a lot grosser than we thought. From Canadian Press:

“Briere was examined Friday morning, and his surgeon told him the adhesions broke from his last groin surgery and there was some internal bleeding. Briere said his surgeon told him that was common and Briere could possibly play Tuesday against Buffalo.”

Common? I hope my groin adhesions never break. In any case, don’t shut down Briere from your lineup just yet.

As for that whole trade deadline issue, the big fantasy winner is Olli Jokinen, but you knew that, right? Jokinen popped in a pair of goals in his first game skating alongside Jarome Iginla (guess which guy got to wear No. 12?) and everything’s sunshine and rainbows in Calgary, or as sunshine and rainbows as Darryl “Bitter Beer Face” Sutter can be. However, the knock on Jokinen has constantly been great start, poor finish. Will this happen up in Calgary? One would hope that having the playoffs around the corner would actually motivate the dude, but when you have someone who occasionally wears a porn star ’stache during the regular season, you don’t know what to expect.

The New York Rangers revamped their lineup to go along with their revamped coaching staff. Derek Morris becomes the de facto power play point man on Broadway despite having just a handful of points. He’ll certainly get his opportunities, so if you need some help on defense, it’s worth a gamble.

Hey, remember Martin Gerber? He’s back in the NHL thanks to the wacky folks over in Toronto. No, he’s not just there to serve Brian Burke pizza; Gerber’s actually got a hold of the starting position because Vesa Toskala’s been shut down for the year. You need starts to finish out your fantasy season? Gerber’s your man. Just don’t expect a ton of wins.

Erik Cole returns to the scene of the crime in Carolina. If you’ll recall, Cole was on the cusp of being one of the league’s best power forwards when a broken neck — yes, a broken neck — got in the way. Since then, he hasn’t put up goals at the same pace, but now he’s reunited with regular linemate/BFF Eric Staal. We’ll see if there’s any magic left over from 2005.

The other component of the Cole deal finds oft-injured Justin Williams in Los Angeles and underachieving Patrick O’Sullivan in Edmonton. For O’Sullivan, the key will be how much ice time he gets skating with talented Ales Hemsky.

Sidney Crosby’s linemates in his first game back from injury: Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin. It’s like Crosby woke up from a bad dream where he was surrounded by soft over-the-hill wingers (Miroslav Satan, say hello to the AHL). While Guerin’s numbers haven’t been anything to write home about this season, he still does love to shoot the puck and his aggressive style will work well with Crosby’s playmaking skills.

Brendan Morrison’s long strange journey across the NHL continues. Remember, at one point, this guy was a point-per-game player. Claimed off waivers by Dallas, he’ll be given every opportunity to thrive as the Stars remain depleted up front due to injury. Morrison probably won’t break up Mike Ribiero/Loui Eriksson, which means that he won’t have much scoring talent to work with. In other words, don’t look for a return to form from Morrison.

Antoine Vermette’s move to Columbus means that Ken Hitchcock has a few more offensive options, especially with Fredrick Modin coming back from injury soon. However, the combination of Rick Nash/Manny Malhotra/Kristian Huselius has found a pretty good groove, so don’t look for Hitch to tinker with things too much until it appears necessary. The Blue Jackets are filled with second liners like Vermette and R.J. Umberger that show first-line potential…whether they get there or not can make or break their playoff hopes.

And while this wasn’t a trade deadline move, the return of Martin Brodeur has provided the Devils an even bigger kick than making a big deal would. We sure hope you took our advice and picked him up if he was available, because good old Marty is 4-0 since returning from a 50-game absence and you can pretty well guarantee that he’s no longer on anyone’s wire. Brodeur is about to make history, currently sitting a mere four wins shy of passing Patrick Roy and becoming the NHL all-time leader in wins.

The Week Ahead

• How much can Jokinen ignite the Flame offense? We’ll find out as Calgary hits the road against Carolina (Friday), Atlanta (Sunday), New Jersey (Tuesday), and Detroit (Thursday).
• While a lot of Western teams are taking road trips out east, there are still key head-to-head match-ups for the playoff race: Minnesota at LA (Saturday), Minnesota at Anaheim (Sunday), Vancouver at LA (Monday), and Vancouver at Anaheim (Wednesday).
• Alexander Ovechkin is suffering from a bruised foot, but he should be in the lineup for the big game against Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Don’t forget that the last time these rivals clashed sparked a war of words between the stars, and now even Don Cherry’s weighing in. All eyes will be on Crosby and his new linemates Kunitz and Guerin.

It’s been a rough spell for Daniel Alfredsson, as first photos of him wearing a pink dress in Las Vegas find their way onto the inter-tubes, then his jaw goes boom. However, his Sens are still kicking since sending Craig Hartsburg into the abyss. Part of the reason for their semi-success? Antoine Vermette remembered he’s a pretty skilled hockey player and popped in seven points in his last five games.

In case you haven’t heard the latest news: Brad Richards = hurt (broken wrist, out up to two months), Mike Richards = awesome (five points against the Sabres on Thursday night), and Atlanta Thrashers = confused (scoring boatloads of goals when nothing matters…hell, even RotoRob noticed that one). Just wanted to get that out of the way.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got a shot in the arm (the return of Sergei Gonchar) and a kick in the ass (new coach Dan Bylsma), though they haven’t somehow reversed time to turn back into the 2007-08 world beaters they were last season. Gonchar’s return is significant though, as it should improve the woeful Pittsburgh power play and cause a trickle-down effect on the rest of the Penguin blueliners. As for Bylsma? He’s employing a more aggressive system than the ever-cautious Michel Therrien. We’ll see how long that sticks depending on performance, but right now that’s good news for whoever plays with Sidney what’s-his-name and Evgeni something-or-other. You know, those two franchise players that are supposed to make Pittsburgh the best team in the history of time.

In fantasy news that doesn’t really matter, Claude Lemieux — he of the glorious China-and-back return — scored his first point of the season. And it only took him 10 games. It’s a little different from Mario Lemieux’s return in 2000, ain’t it?

Vesa Toskala has transformed from starting goalie to walking sieve, so young Justin Pogge’s being given a chance (look for that Toskala robot in the new Transformers movie). Since nothing’s working in Toronto, it’s time to hand over the reins to the kids. Not that that’s always a good idea, but hey, you can’t live in the shadow of Mats Sundin forever, right?

Speaking of Mats, he teased us with thoughts of “He’s not just a poker player!” when the big Swede put up sevens points in three games. Since then? Two points in five games. Seven…three…two…five…hey, if he gets six points in his next four games, Sundin will have a straight! Of course, Mats endorses poker sites for entertainment purposes only, so he wouldn’t win any money.

Do you believe in the Florida Panthers? They just keep winning and winning despite not having a single guy over the 50-point plateau. The closest guy they have in this scoring-by-committee bunch is Stephen Weiss, but of his 41 points, only 10 are goals. That’s an acceptable ratio if you’re, say, Joe Thornton, but for the purposes of fantasy games that don’t involve Daniel Alfredsson in a pink dress, that’s thumbs down for a team leader. Want to ride the surge of the Panthers? Stick with the defense or Tomas Vokoun (according to Yahoo!, Vokoun’s still available in 22 per cent of its fantasy leagues).

The Week Ahead

• On Saturday afternoon, the struggling Habs (who are so desperate these days that they’ve sent Alexei Kovalev home to get his shit together) look to snap a three-game losing skid at home against Ottawa, which is making a bit of a push to try to get back in the race. On Thursday, Carey Price was again awful for Montreal, which is now free falling in the Eastern standings. Sacrebleu!
• Saturday night, the Bruins travel to Florida where they will eat dinner at 4 p.m. and then take on the surging Panthers in what could be a possible first round preview. As good as Florida has been at home this season (16-8-5), Boston is even better than that on the road (21-6-5). That’s pretty damn impressive.
• Speaking of afternoon hockey, on Sunday (on national TV, no less), we get the revitalized Penguins in Washington to take on the still red-hot Capitals. Pittsburgh is desperately trying to work its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, while Washington continues to chip away at Boston’s conference lead.

While the NHL trade deadline is just under a month away, fantasy leagues all over are getting to the point where rosters have to be frozen. If you find you’re lacking in a specific category, we’re here to help — and not in a Christian Bale career-advice kind of way.

• Are you hurting when it comes to +/-? Boston Bruins players are the leaders in that category, and considering the B’s overall record, it’s not too surprising. However, the New Jersey Devils are a pretty good honorable mention, and some of their players might be available on the waiver wire. While Travis Zajac (43 points, +26) and Zach Parise (59 points, +21) are probably happily owned by fantasy GMs, Jamie Langenbrunner (42 points, +19), Mike Mottau (10 points, +18), and Colin White (11 points, +17) may be more under the radar.
• And if you need someone who’s essentially a bonus player at this point, Brendan Shanahan’s off to a good start with his new/old team.
• Power play points are always a tricky thing to look at because they come and go in waves depending on whether or not a team is hot or cold. While most key power play performers are notable players who are generally unavailable, a few guys are putting up special teams numbers despite mediocre regular seasons. Minnesota’s Marek Zidlicky hasn’t equaled his output from Nashville, but he’s still one of the top power play goalscoring defensemen in the league. Up front, seven of teammate Owen Nolan’s 12 goals are power play markers, and eight of Kyle Wellwood’s 14 goals have come on the man advantage.
• The league’s leaders in shorthanded points are mostly familiar names (Simon Gagne, Patrick Marleau, Mike Richards). However, a few surprises stand out, like Chicago rookie Kris Versteeg . You’ll notice that a bunch of players are tied around the 2-3 shorthanded point mark…the common denominator with a lot of those players? Obviously, they get a lot of PK time, but it’s also important to note that they’re all pretty fast skaters. After all, if you’re busting past the defense on a shorthanded scoring chance, you usually need good wheels to do it. While it’s hard to say that someone like Richard Park will outdo Shane Doan in this category, it’s important to look at traits like speed and PK ice time when trying to get some fantasy shorthanded points.
• I always like it when fantasy leagues count shots on goal as it’s pretty easy points and allows the wealth to be spread around outside of the usual suspects. We all know that Alexander Ovechkin and Vincent Lecavalier just love shooting the puck, but there are a few other players that put a lot of pucks on net (unfortunately, they have low shooting percentages). Check out players like Dustin Brown, Jason Blake, and Bill Guerin – players having OK seasons on mediocre teams, but who shoot the puck a lot.
• Finally, a quick injury report: Tomas Holmstrom’s groin is being repaired through the miracle of sports hernia surgery. The cost? Three-to-five weeks. Eric Staal left Carolina’s Thursday night victory against San Jose early with a lower body injury that has left him day-to-day while teammate Rod Brind’Amour is out at least a week to rest his ailing back. Paul Stastny should return to the Colorado lineup in about two weeks, and our favourite future Hall-of-Famer, Martin Brodeur, will be ready to steal the crease back from Scott Clemmenson in about 2-to-3 weeks. Do I hear a goalie controversy coming up?

The Week Ahead

• Just about every game matters now when it comes to Western Conference jockeying. Key four-point games include Edmonton at Minnesota (Sunday), Colorado at Columbus, and Phoenix at Dallas (Wednesday).
• In the Eastern Conference, fewer teams are in the playoff race. In the matchup that everyone can avoid, don’t tune in to Atlanta at Tampa Bay (Tuesday) unless you’ve got fantasy points involved.
• Saturday, the Kings, desperately trying to claw their way back into the playoff picture, head to the Swamplands to take on a scorching Devils squad. We’re talking about a poor road team that’s among the lowest scoring teams in the league going up against the hottest teams in the NHL, and one of the best defensive squads. But wait, the Kings have found their goal-scoring groove. After managing just four goals in four games, they’ve suddenly lit the lamp 25 times in past six games. Good sign No. 2 for the Kings: Anze Kopitar, who’s been a big disappointment this season, ripped two goals and an assist Thursday for his first three-point game since December 11. If he heats up, he’ll again be a must-own player, and will go a long way towards helping LA gain some ground in the tough Western Conference.
• Your main event for the week: No. 1 Western seed San Jose at No. 1 Eastern seed Boston, Tuesday night.

While it’s officially past the halfway point of the schedule, the All-Star break is the symbolic tipping point NHL year. Let’s take a look back and a look ahead at what’s happened so far:

• Boy, those Columbus Blue Jackets sure are sending out the rookies with fantasy value. Hopefully, you rode Derick Brassard before his season-ending surgery. If you were lucky and fast, hopefully you grabbed Steve Mason before people noticed how good he is. For the second half, Nikita Filitov (currently injured) might not be a bad filler pick, especially when Columbus get Kristian Huselius back from the IR. Columbus is in the hunt for a playmaking centre and if it gets one by the trade deadline, it could shift the team’s depth chart and open up more scoring situations for someone like Filitov.
• Your first-half fantasy MVP is Evgeni Malkin, though depending on what specialty categories your league has, other players could have shone brightly. Need game winners? Try Patrick Marleau of the Sharks. Love the shots on goal? Alexander Ovechkin has 100 more than second-place Eric Staal. Power play stud? Almost all of Teemu Selanne’s goals were on the power play; in fact, he still leads the league in power-play goals despite being injured.
• From a goaltending perspective, Miikka Kiprusoff might not have the best stats, but he’s piling up the wins and games played. He’s also got the most saves, though Mike Smith of the Lightning is close behind, and Smith’s saves-per-game ratio and save percentage are higher. As for shutouts, Columbus’ Mason is making Pascal Leclaire cry in his multi-million dollar boots.
• The year’s biggest surprises? Congrats to anyone who picked up a number of Boston Bruins early. Same thing with the early adopters of Jeff Carter, Mason, Devin Setoguchi, and Nikolai Zherdev. And props to players like Mikko Koivu and Shane Doan for finally fulfilling their potential, and Simon Gagne for staying healthy enough to remind us why he’s such a good player.
• The league is making noise about suspending All-Star no-shows for one game. There seems to be some uncertainty about whether or not this means just putting in an appearance at the weekend or actually hitting the ice. It’s also unclear whether or not this affects the YoungStars game. In any case, be certain to monitor this and adjust your lineups accordingly.
• To prepare for the next big league event (the trade deadline), start looking at teams that are falling out of contention. Stocking up on their veteran players might not be a bad idea as these are the guys who will most likely be shipped to Cup contenders (hello, New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues).
• As for teams that are actually coming together, the Lightning are purporting the belief that it just might be able to contend for a playoff spot. I doubt that will happen, but there are some fantasy benefits: from top to bottom, the team’s playing much better under Rick Tocchet and newly acquired Cory Murphy is turning out to be a great fit on the power play. The Phoenix Coyotes are still led by Doan and Olli Jokinen but there’s some depth coming through, with players like Peter Mueller and Enver Lisin discovering their scoring touch. And the Florida Panthers are in the playoff hunt for the first time in ages thanks to a bunch of good-not-great sleepers like Gregory Campbell and Michael Frolik.

The Week Ahead

• Shameless plug: I’ll be liveblogging the All-Star Game with a little help from the folks at Versus (and maybe some surprise dirt from RotoRob’s visit to Montreal). Drop by and say hello for a snarky take on the no-hitting game.
• The schedule resumes on Tuesday. Like I mentioned earlier, check to see who’s been given a suspension for no-showing the All-Star festivities. Games on Tuesday and Wednesday will most likely be affected.
• The marquee matchup coming out of the All-Star break? Tuesday night’s battle between East leaders Washington and Boston. Look for some of Boston’s injured soldiers to be back in the lineup for what should be a hard-hitting and uptempo game.

Stop the presses — this just in. The messiah has returned, the end of the world is upon us, floods and destruction and arks with two animals, and all that stuff. You know, lightning from the sky (as opposed to from Tampa), earthquakes, and all other sorts of rapturous moments are occurring.

Oh wait, that didn’t happen? I’m sorry, I’ve just been reading some of the newspapers in Vancouver and I could have sworn that this Mats Sundin guy was the second coming of an all-powerful deity. Wait…what’s that? You mean he’s a late-30s Swedish hockey player centring a second line?

That’s how they roll in Vancouver, huh? Well, Sundin’s first game wasn’t all that spectacular, but that’s to be expected. Sorry, Canuck fans, but it’ll take him a good three weeks or so to get him into game shape. During that time, you might see him in a variety of line combinations. To start, Sundin lined up with Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymond. Both can expect a bump to their good-but-not-great stats, though Raymond will probably be more available as Wellwood has made a little more noise (most likely because he used to play in The Centre Of The Hockey Universe).

By the way, what’s the over/under before an announcer stumbles on Sedin/Sedin/Sundin during a Vancouver power play? Can you imagine the wackiness that would happen if Mike Lundin played there too?

Ladies and gents, the guy drafted after Sidney Crosby has arrived. After a few years of ups and downs, Bobby “Two First Names” Ryan is finally getting consistent ice time (and some would say, he’s finally gotten his head out of his ass) and it’s paying off. His recent tear (points in nine out of 10 games), including a hat trick against the LA Kings, shows that life after Teemu Selanne’s injury and Corey Perry’s suspension isn’t all that bad. While Perry’s suspension has opened up a little more ice time with Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan’s been getting things done on his own and isn’t necessarily the product of lucky linemates. Tell me someone who could do this needs help to produce.

Being an underachieving high draft pick is apparently the prerequisite to getting a $16 million/four-year extension. Such is the life of Jordan Staal, but guess who’s getting a shot at playing wing for Crosby? Now that’s a good week. The noise you hear is Coach Therrien pulling out what’s left of his hair as the Penguins continue to spiral downward.

Hey, you remember Jose Theodore? The up-and-down goalie that bailed on Colorado after reviving his career there? Well, it looks like he finally shook off the bad mojo that came with chasing a contract in Washington. However, Theodore is notoriously streaky, so ride out his hot hand for a little bit but be sure to pull him at the first sign of faltering. If you’re looking to trade, now’s a good time to capitalize (no pun intended).

Christian Ehrhoff looked like he was having a breakout season for about 20 games or so. During that time, he was going at about a point-per-game pace. Since then? He’s got one assist in a bazillion games. The Sharks are hitting a slump (slump, as in losing a handful of games in OT and one in regulation) and they’re having trouble scoring, probably because they’re not putting up 40+ shots a game anymore. Ehrhoff’s not the only Shark that’s cooled off, as Devin Setoguchi hasn’t been the same since taking a few games off due to the death of his grandmother. By the way, Setoguchi is reunited with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton starting with the game in Edmonton.

It’s good to see Sean Avery still having an indirect effect on the NHL. After Dion Phaneuf played in New York in December (the game where the crowd started chanting “Sloppy Seconds” at him), he failed to register a point in nine out of 10 games. Ouch. Maybe Dion’s finally stopped crying (making out with Elisha Cuthbert on New Year’s Eve probably helped) because he’s back with three assists in his past four games.

The Week Ahead

• The Detroit Red Wings are gunning for their sixth straight win Saturday, but will host an almost equally blazing Buffalo Sabres team. The Wing offense is firing on all cylinders right now, led by a revitalized Pavel Datsyuk. After his breakout 2007-08 campaign, Datsyuk looked rather pedestrian through first third of the season, but in the last dozen games, he’s turned it on, scoring 10 goals and adding 12 assists. This spurt has him back on pace to nearly match his lofty totals from last season, an impressive feat after such a middling start.
• Race For The President’s Trophy Part 1: Boston takes on Carolina (Saturday), Montreal (Tuesday), and the Islanders (Thursday).
• Race For The President’s Trophy Part 2: San Jose takes on Vancouver (Saturday), Tampa Bay (Tuesday), and Calgary (Thursday).
• The Main Event: Mark your calendars — Wednesday, January 14th has Sidney “Jump ‘Em When They’re Not Lookin’” Crosby against Alexander “Fight Like A Little Girl” Semin. Oh, and some guys named Ovechkin and Malkin are playing too. And one team is super hot while one team is on a death march. Should be a good time.

]]> http://www.rotorob.com/2009/01/10/ice-chips-religious-experience-edition/feed/ 0 http://www.rotorob.com/2008/12/31/ice-chips-winter-classic-eve-resolutions/ http://www.rotorob.com/2008/12/31/ice-chips-winter-classic-eve-resolutions/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:03:25 +0000 Mike Chen http://www.rotorob.com/?p=2414 It’s New Year’s Eve. What can that mean? Well, in addition to way too much alcohol being consumed around the world, it’s also time for New Year’s resolutions. And you dedicated Ice Chips readers are lucky — we’ve managed to get a hold of the New Year’s Resolutions for a bunch of NHL players. In short — all of these guys resolve to do better to help out your fantasy team. Will they succeed? Only time will tell…

(Oh, and Gary Bettman wants you to know that something called the Winter Classic is happening on New Year’s Day. Make sure you’re not too hungover to watch it.)

Mats Sundin: I resolve to play as many regular season games in 2009 as I did in 2008. And just as many playoff games. (Note: Sundin hits the ice in about a week. If you’re in Canada, you know the media sensations surrounding his arrival put Miley Cyrus to shame.)

Steve Mason: I resolve to keep putting up shutouts on my way to the Calder Trophy. I also resolve to thank Derrick Brassard for getting injured — it hurt the team, but it cleared my path to the Calder!

Ryan Malone: I resolve to be strong and stop asking Santa – or my best friend Sid – for a new Pittsburgh contract.

Matt Carle: I resolve to play for two less teams in 2009 than I did in 2008 (San Jose, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia).

David Krejci: I resolve to start getting recognition outside of the Boston media. Did you know I’m a point-per-game player?

Brad Richards: I resolve to keep playing the way I did after Sean Avery left, not before.

Chris Pronger: I resolve not to stomp, elbow, slash, or spear anyone in 2009. (Note: What’s the over-under on breaking this resolution?)

Dustin Brown: I resolve to keep shooting the puck. Seriously, some of them have to go in, right? I can’t have a 0.079 shooting percentage forever!

Chris Drury: I resolve to stop sucking.

Scott Gomez: I resolve to stop sucking also.

Jaromir Jagr: I resolve to stop laughing at Drury and Gomez while they suck.

Teemu Selanne: I resolve to put up some even strength points (13 of Selanne’s 14 goals were on the power play). I also resolve to stop stabbing my leg with my own skate. Whoops.

Marty Turco: I resolve to get my GAA below 3.00.

Vesa Toskala: I resolve to not be worse than Marty Turco.

Jose Theodore: I resolve to not be worse than Turco or Toskala. Hey, I made out with Paris Hilton!

Mike Smith: I resolve to keep putting up Vezina-quality numbers even though my defense is about as threatening as Sesame Street.

Marian Gaborik: I resolve to stay healthy and put up great numbers…for a team that’s not the Minnesota Wild.

Maxim Afinogenov: I resolve to offer more fantasy value than an issue of Maxim magazine.

Rick DiPietro: I resolve to have surgery on every other part of my body that hasn’t already been operated on. Anyone got a spare groin or hip I could borrow?

Jonathan Cheechoo: I resolve to be good for the entire calendar year of 2009, not just the second half of the season like I did in 2008 and 2007.

Devin Setoguchi: I resolve to not lose my spot alongside Joe Thornton to a resurgent Jonathan Cheechoo.

Hey, things aren’t totally lost in Florida after all. Nathan Horton goes down in a freak leg laceration injury (seriously guys, what’s with all the bizarre injuries lately?) and the Panthers mix things up by putting together a surprisingly effective new combination of Radek Dvorak, Stephen Weiss, and Gregory “Don’t Suspend Me, Dad!” Campbell. How long will this combination stay together? Well, considering the Panthers don’t have any sort of big-game scorers in the long-term, expect to ride it out for a few weeks until the chemistry eventually disappears.

Early in the season, Wayne Gretzky touted Martin Hanzal as one of his best-skating and hardest-working forwards, and a few weeks ago, the Great One talked with Hanzal about working on his offense. It seemed to work as Hanzal, already an effective defensive forward, has exploded with one of the best Decembers in the NHL. He’s still in relative obscurity in Phoenix so see if you can grab him for a short-term boost.

Martin St. Louis is on fire. Yeah, he’s been hot recently (six-game point streak). Now, what’s motivating St. Louis? Is it happiness because he’s glad to finally be rid of Barry Melrose? Is it desire to get the hell out of Tampa, where a new adventure occurs every day between ownership and everyone below (hell, Oren Koules and Len Barrie probably even swap out the mops that the facilities folks use)? Is it a feeling of responsibility for righting the franchise under new coach Rick Tocchet? Whatever it is, St. Louis is trying his damndest to put the team on his shoulders and run with it. After breaking through against Montreal to end a nine-game losing streak, the Bolts are looking to that as their turnaround night. Will it work? Put it this way — if you have any Lightning players on your roster, now’s the time to ride it out because it will be the only time this season when they’ve got an opening to pull this out of a nosedive.

Joey McDonald, we hardly knew you. Rick DiPietro’s getting ready to finally return, but does he really want to? Seriously, why not feign injury and just stay home and play video games all day? Grab DiPietro if you desperately need a starter in net, but don’t expect many wins out of him. His save percentage shouldn’t be too bad, though, as he’ll be facing a barrage of shots on a nightly basis.

Lee Stempniak, one of the few shining lights on a dreary St. Louis team, was moved to Toronto where he was to become one of the few shining lights on a dreary Toronto team. Well, someone forgot to tell him that because he’s only got a handful of points since landing in The Centre Of The Hockey Universe. Stempniak may still have some fantasy clout, so now’s the time to unload him for pretty much anything.

Don’t cry for Cristobal Huet (and don’t call him Sloppy Seconds unless you want Gary Bettman on your back). Sure, he’s getting forced out of the starter position because Nikolai Khabibulin is back, but really, can we feel bad for a guy who’s getting paid more than $5 million to sit on his butt? That’s the best job in the world! Heck, I’d even take 10 per cent of that for Huet’s gig. If you own Huet, he’s still got some value, though — you have to think that Khabibulin’s trade value has increased since he started playing well and some team will make a move for the impending UFA.

As for the man replacing Huet in Washington? Jose Theodore thought he caught a break when Brent Johnson went down to injury. Only problem is that Johnson seems to be okay. Take heart, Theodore owners; maybe the return of all-star blueliner Mike Green or veteran Sergei Fedorov will somehow make Johnson revert to being inconsistent.

The Week Ahead

• Joel Quenneville returns to the scene of the crime Friday night as he guides his blazing Blackhawks into Colorado, the home of his previous team. As great as the Hawks have been since Quenneville took over for Denis Savard about six minutes into the season, this will be a tough task with Colorado starting to round into form with four straight wins at home and a 4-1-1 mark in its past six games overall. The offense has finally kicked it up a notch for the ‘Lanche, with the team potting at least four goals in all six of those games, including a season-high tying six tallies in a win over the Kings Tuesday. Part of the reason for the resurgence of the Colorado offense is that Milan Hejduk has shaken off his slump. After managing a mere five points in 13 November games, he’s drained a pair of goals and added two assists in the past two games. If someone was dump enough to dump him in your league, pounce now or forever lose your chance.
• When will San Jose suffer a regulation loss at home? Currently 15-0-2 at the HP Pavilion, the Sharks get a veritable laugher Saturday night at home against the struggling Blues, and then head out on the road for the rest of the week. The next legitimate threat to their home ice dominance comes on December 20 when the Rangers dip their toe into the Shark tank.
• Also on Saturday, the Isles visit the Blue Jackets. How’d you like to be a scalper at this gem of a game?

Roberto Luongo is week-to-week after an undisclosed lower-body injury (here’s a hint: his groin hurts). Odds are it’ll be at least a month, and for those fantasy owners that have Luongo, be prepared for an up-and-down season. For goalies, groin injuries are among the worst that you can have, as they affect your lower-body strength, speed, and flexibility. If that area is tender, not only will it affect performance, it’ll easily flare up when under duress.

In other words, even when Luongo returns, he probably won’t be 100 per cent for a while. And if the Canucks want to manage his injury smartly, they’ll give Curtis Sanford more starts than usual after Luongo returns so that his groin has more time to strengthen between games. In the meantime, Sanford’s not a bad pickup if you need a starting goalie.

More injuried goalies? Nikolai Khabibulin, the guy who was on waivers not too long ago, has been outplaying fellow expensive goalie Cristobal Huet. That is, until Khabibulin got hurt Wednesday night against the Sharks. The Bulin Wall is currently considered day-to-day with the ever popular “lower body injury.” Well, it looks like it’s a good thing now that the Hawks signed Huet.

In the long term, this presents a twist to the whole Khabibulin/Huet saga, as it could give Huet an opportunity to take the proverbial ball (err, puck) and run with it. If he’s successful, Khabibulin’s strong play early on could have earned him trade interest when he’s healthy. However, if Huet stumbles, Khabibulin could be given back the reins when he returns, and the crease logjam could rear its ugly head again.

When it comes to injured forwards, Wayne Gretzky’s angry bench tirades will probably be even worse with Olli Jokinen out of the lineup. The team’s second-leading scorer will be sidelined for at least two weeks after hurting his shoulder on Wednesday. The good news for the Coyotes is that their most critical forward, Shane Doan, is healthy and on a roll. In the meantime, there are a few options to take Jokinen’s ice time. The logical choice would be Steve Reinprecht, though Gretzky could give reliable young forward Martin Hanzal a greater chance to be an impact player. The other option is to take a gamble on talented rookie Kyle Turris.

Brenden Morrow’s torn ACL creates a whole mess of problems on an already awful Dallas team. However, it does also crack open the door for a player like Brad Richards to put the team on his back. Richards, who’s been solidly mediocre since arriving in Dallas, has a history of being a big-game player with strong leadership skills. If there’s any situation that can help pull the best out of Richards, it’s this one. After all, on paper the Stars still have a pretty full roster. It’d help if Marty Turco could stop a beach ball, though.

Not that it’ll matter too much on the ice, but Jason Blake is out with concussion-like symptoms. Blake’s highly paid butt has been in and out of Ron Wilson’s doghouse all season, and with the arrival of Lee Stempniak from St. Louis, Wilson will probably take the spotlight even further away from Blake when he returns.

The Washington Capitals are being run over by injuries, yet they’re finding ways to stay in games. Check out this list: Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Sergei Fedorov, and now captain Chris Clark. Clark, who never lived up to his breakout season a few years back, will be out about three weeks. Semin and Green are obviously the most critical injuries and they continue to be day to day. That hasn’t stopped Alexander Ovechkin’s hot streak — he’s got a ridiculous 21 points in nine games.

The Week Ahead

• There’s a full slate of games on Friday and Saturday as Americans shake off their post-turkey, post-NFL malaise. If you missed hockey on Thursday, grab your favourite adult beverage and don’t leave the TV for 48 hours starting Friday at 12 p.m. EST.
• The Maple Leafs take their show to the west coast for the first time in several hundred years with stops against Los Angeles, San Jose, and Phoenix. Will Ron Wilson be gunning for revenge against the Sharks or will he walk in feeling shamed that he never got the team to play this well?
• Follow the Luongo-less Show…the Canucks travel to Calgary, then swing by Columbus, then make a pit stop in Detroit. Missing Luongo probably won’t hurt as much against the hit-and-miss Flames and Blue Jackets, but the Red Wings will prove to be a different problem.
• Carolina will look to avoid a home-and-home sweep at the hands of the blazing Philadelphia Flyers Friday afternoon. The ‘Canes problem? Offense, or lack thereof more specifically. In the last nine games, this team has managed three or more goals just twice, and this has contributed to its current tailspin. One the bright side, right winger Chad LaRose has bulged the twine in three straight games. Consider picking him up in deeper leagues, but note that he’s pulled this streaky stuff before. Earlier this month, LaRose scored in back-to-back games, but then went scoreless in eight straight before his current run.

Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins: There’s plenty to like about Staal. He’s a great skater, has a strong work ethic, and has the hands to put the puck in the net. So why would you unload him? The more I see him, the less I believe that he’ll actually put up 90 points the way his brother Eric can. Jordan is more of a two-way forward, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, I’m beginning to think he’ll wind up being a Jere Lehtinen type: 60 to 70 points, strong on the penalty kill, and a potential Selke winner. After his monster game against Detroit, his stock is at a high, so now’s the time to move him.

Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks: Don’t let Clowe’s gaudy numbers fool you. While he’s a tough utility forward, his goal-scoring is notoriously streaky, and often depends on whether or not his linemates are clicking (Clowe’s a pound-in-the-rebound type of player, not the type that can create offense by himself). While fellow breakout teammate Devin Setoguchi is for real, you might be able to unload Clowe with some value right now before he hits another cold streak.

Nikolai Zherdev, New York Rangers: Zherdev’s gotten a lot of positive press over the past few weeks, and a lot of that’s riding off a stellar October. Keep in mind, though, that Zherdev is a notorious hit-and-miss player with a work ethic that’s never been noteworthy. In November, Zherdev’s only had four points. Better to move him while the aura of goodwill is still around him.

News out of LA — in addition to revealing hideous new third jerseys, the Kings got some good news in that Jack Johnson is on the mend a little ahead of schedule. Considering the Kings are overachieving right now, he might be worth picking up and sticking on your IR until he’s ready.

Need a sleeper defense pick for power play points? The travel-weary Matt Carle is getting a long look as a two-way defenseman with his new Philadelphia teammates. Look for Carle to evolve faster in Philly than he did in San Jose or in his short, bizarre stint in Tampa Bay. Why? Carle didn’t have a power play mentor in either of those instances, but he’s getting ice time with Kimmo Timonen in Philadelphia. Carle’s poor numbers so far should make him available in most fantasy leagues and he might be worth keeping tabs on. Remember, it’s all about trends, so if it looks like Philly’s power play is trending up, take Carle before he gets much notice.

While Tim Thomas has gotten the bulk of the starts during Boston’s hot run, Manny Fernandez ain’t doing too bad either. In a big fantasy league where goalies are at a premium, Fernandez is a reasonable gamble on a team that looks to be transitioning from pretenders to for-real. To put things in perspective, Thomas has started 10 games while Fernandez has started six.

In the under-the-radar category, guess who’s tied with Sidney Crosby for second-best assist total so far? Joe Thornton? Marc Savard? Nope, it’s one J.P. Dumont in Nashville. Dumont, out of the spotlight in Nashville, is quietly having a bang-up year and might still be available in smaller fantasy leagues where the bulk of drafted players have bigger marquee value.

After missing the playoffs last season, Lindy Ruff’s Buffalo Sabres stormed out of the gate like gangbusters, earning at least a point in each of their first eight games. Goaltender Ryan Miller’s play — elevated to a new level this season — helped spearhead the hot start. However, Miller has cooled of late, surrendering 11 goals in his past three games as Buffalo’s blazing start has slowed. The Sabres face a tough schedule with three straight weeks of three games in four nights, and starting tonight, Miller will rest one of those games each week, so take note, those of you in daily move leagues.

The Week Ahead

• Can the Dallas Stars pull out of their downward spiral? Fantasy owners demand their money back from Marty Turco. He’ll give it a go against a resilient Phoenix squad and a surging Blackhawks team.
• What will happen first in Tampa? Coach Barry Melrose is fired, captain Vincent Lecavalier begs to get out of his lifetime contract, or the entire defense is traded for more forwards that underachieve? Watch the Lightning play Carolina, Florida, and Nashville — you’ll never know who just might show up! [Editors's note -- moments after we posted this, news broke of Melrose's firing. Something about mullets going out style...]
• The Vancouver Canucks will take the Roberto Luongo Show on the road. They’ll hit up the Rangers and the Islanders. Why no stop at The Rock in New Jersey? Eh, maybe they just didn’t feel like going since Marty Brodeur won’t be in the lineup.



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