It is always tough to say goodbye to anything. However, with the Fantasy hockey playoffs now complete and an extra week passed to let it all sink in, this was a just time to bid adieu to the 2011-12 Fantasy season. Hopefully you followed us all season and took heed to some of our picks (even the odd ones). We did notice that for whatever reason, rotisserie and point league GMs seemed to be quite appreciative.

When you consider how all of this works in the grand scheme of things, just think about how “waiver wire” picks can win or lose your league. This is why we are writing this, not because of what went right or wrong but just because of the importance of a lost art in Fantasy hockey.

The goal of The Wire Troll is to use a “30 per cent standard” when looking at the waiver wire, meaning we tend to focus on players available in at least 70 per cent of all Fantasy leagues. It is always the hope that there are finds that maybe not as many are looking for. There were so many single digit ownership pickups that were made in the early and late portions of the season. When digging so low, there are occasions when chasing category-specific finds is quite viable. Always think wisely when considering such players for your pool or team.

As we look ahead to next season, let us consider once more the following criteria we used this season for inclusion in the Wire Troll:

• owned in 30 per cent or less of leagues;
• has to provide at least category impact; and
• bonus to have across the board numbers.

That is just for starters, but we won’t be resting on our laurels. Here is what we intend to add to next season’s Wire Troll:

• injury ramifications on potential pickups;
• a new way to look at advanced statistics; and
• updates on previous weeks’ additions.

Some readers have been clamouring for these additions for a year now, but it was kind of a prevailing thought that what we had was good enough. This is just not the case anymore. For instance, this season there were quite a few instances when we had to do extra research on pickups that did not quite make the floor of The Wire Troll.

Our goal is to let everyone see more of what goes into the process. Granted, this may cut down on the amount of pickups put into each column, but knowing the process may help Fantasy general managers be able to identify markers more accurately.

Simply there is no way we can really adequately thank everyone for making this column possible. It was a long road over the last 26+ weeks and there were some considerably nasty bumps along the way.

This is where we leave the floor to the readers and editors. Are there any changes you would like to see? We would like to hear from you because this is your column even more than ours. Winning your leagues and competing well in them is the most important goal. Once again, thank you and we look forward to all the feedback.

Sincerely,

Chris Wassel, Hockey Editor, RotoRob.com

Ice Chips

• Barry Trotz’s Nashville Predators stole home ice advantage right back from the Red Wings Sunday with yet another 3-2 win, the identical score in every game in this series, which the Preds now lead two games to one. Shea Weber added more salt in the wound by scoring for the second straight game. Most believe he shouldn’t even be playing right now as he deserved a suspension for trying to put Henrik Zetterberg’s face through the glass in Game One. Is it just us, or have these playoffs been downright nasty already? And just think — it’s early days yet.
• The Canucks finally ended all the speculation by announcing that Cory Schneider would start in net over Roberto Luongo in Game Three against the Los Angeles Kings Sunday. No pressure, kid. Just outplay Jonathan Quick and get us back in the series, okay? Thanks, bunches. Vancouver Coach Alain Vigneault says the move is “not a reflection on the goaltending” but is more about changing the momentum. Um, sure. We believe you, Alain. Countless wouldn’t, but we do.

This has been one of the craziest Fantasy hockey seasons I can remember. For those who do not know, I have been playing Fantasy hockey for over 20 years, and this season there has been a little bit of everything — along with some things I never thought I would see. Let’s face it, ladies and gentlemen: Fantasy hockey will never be an exact science, even though us “experts” wish it was. more

McGinn has risen in Fantasy leagues because of a second straight hot week. At press time, the left winger had put up seven goals in his last seven games. How much more on fire can you get? McGinn’s ownership rate went up a whopping 34.1 percentage points in ESPN leagues and a comparable amount in Yahoo! leagues. Is he a potential 25-goal scorer? With the right ice time, he sure is and even before this hot stretch, the Avalanche winger would have come pretty close to 20 goals. Either way, add McGinn for the stretch if you still can. more

Ruutu returned to action Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Though you may want to give him a couple games to get back in the swing of things, insert him into your lineup anyway because 17 goals in 57 games translates to a respectable 25 over a 82-game schedule. Ruutu is owned in 25-to-30 per cent of Fantasy hockey leagues, but his shots on goal, hits and point potential is at least a good reason to consider an add. Playoff runs are won on depth guys at this point and the multiple positional eligibility is a huge boost for GMs. more

Bergenheim has played very well with 17 points in his last 26 games and to top it off, he has 15 of those in his last 20. The bottom line is this guy is averaging right around five shots per game in his last 10 contests. Bergenheim has played at least 17 minutes in eight of those games and has seen some 19 and 20 minute efforts also. If you are in dire need of some decent scoring depth and shots on goal then Bergenheim just may be your guy. At the very least he is definitely a nice short-term fix. more