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 are only 10 days until American Thanksgiving (well at Press Time, anyway). This week’s Wire Troll is a shortened, flu-ridden edition. I promise that what I type will not make you sick. Typing words from a keyboard here will not get you sick there. However, if you do not start picking up some of these guys to help overcome your injuries, you may feel more and more ill as time goes on.

You can think of it this way: there are always the glue guys or the “stuffing.” With mounting injuries this season, the waiver wires are now getting harder and harder to troll. So we found four players that could be worth taking a look at in your league. Our finds are based on Fantrax, Yahoo!, and ESPN leagues this week.

Our Stuffers

Marco Sturm, LW, Boston Bruins: He is available in most Yahoo! leagues, but not Fantrax or ESPN, however, the key is he is getting more and more ice time with each game. Sturm has averaged nearly 18 minutes a night in the last six games and that alone helps in the ATOI (Average Time On Ice) category that plagues so many. The points will come for Sturm, who is still finding his way a bit. Do not be alarmed by the mere two points he’s managed in the last five games either. The key is looking ahead and Boston plays a “meatier” schedule in the next month chalk full of Fantasy opportunity for a guy like Sturm. So far he has been healthy and — knock on wood — hopefully he stays that way.

Niklas Hagman, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs: I know some owners are dropping him, but keep the faith. Four of his six goals are on the Power Play, so when Toronto gets PP chances, Hagman should start converting them. Also, the shots are definitely there at 49. I understand that other than the hat trick against Anaheim. he has not done much. But Hagman has potential and with guys like Phil Kessel as teammates, that potential could quickly turn into reality. Do you really want to miss the boat? I sure don’t. In some leagues, I learned that the hard way with guys like Dustin Penner and Tomas Kaberle that you do not wait around when the opportunity presents itself even if you go wrong with it.

Andy Greene, D, New Jersey Devils: Is this a homer alert type pick? No. Greene is only owned in 8-10 per cent in most leagues, yet he gets No. 1 or 2 type ice time for defensemen. That in itself is a stuffer you can use on your roster to rack up some points here and there plus some big ATOI numbers. It’s a no brainer. Add in the nine points he has, which leads Devil defensemen, and you really do have the makings of a feel good Fantasy hockey story from New Jersey not involving Patrik Elias, Zach Parise or Rob Niedermayer. Greene plays the game right and is a class act. He really has come a long way from his earlier stints with New Jersey. Pick him up today while you can.

Marek Svatos, RW, Colorado Avalanche: On the surface, Colorado was due for a bit of a reality check. After a shockingly good start, the team has struggled to a 2-4-1 mark over its past seven games. But the strange thing is that during this stretch, Svatos has finally woken up. Three goals and one assist in his last five games has Fantasy owners hoping for a season like he had when he potted 32 goals in 2005-06. That season wasn’t a fluke (don’t forget he also scored 26 times in 2007-08). The simple reality is that if Svatos shoots, he can score (one goal for every seven shots on goal). The two keys for him will always be shot selection and health. The talent is there and the fact that he’s owned in less than 5 per cent of leagues screams pick him up. Do it now before Colorado starts turning it around again.

Next week we will bring the turkey and all the trimmings with a special Thanksgiving themed edition of The Wire Troll. Until then, may all your Fantasy hockey ventures be successful this coming week.

This week, we asked our panel: “We’ve seen a lot of serious injuries so far this season. Who’s absence is going to most negatively affect his teammates’ statistics?” Here’s what the panel had to say on the matter:

Last season, the Boston Bruins held the best record in the Eastern Conference. They were the second-highest scoring team and owned the fourth-ranked Power Play. This season, they are 26th in offensive and their PP ranks 27th.

At quick glance the loss of Phil Kessel via trade and Milan Lucic to injury appears to be the issue, but it’s the injury to Marc Savard that has hurt Boston and his teammates’ stats the most.

The leading scorer on the Bruins is Patrice Bergeron with 10 points in 16 games. At that pace, he would end the season with 51 points. The other top scorers on the team aren’t exactly on pace for banner years, either: Michael Ryder (31 points) and Blake Wheeler (41 points). Zdeno Chara has had a slow start but is on pace for 46 which is not far behind his 50 from last season. The biggest area of concern is the +/- as Bruins led the league last season in this category.

Upon Savard’s return, I would expect to see the Bruin offense pick up dramatically as the team was only able to pick find the back of the net four times in five games last week. Savard is the driving force behind their offense and if the Bruins are unable to sign him this offseason I would be looking to quietly shop anyone in a Bruin jersey in your keeper leagues not named Chara or Tuukka Rask.

Marcus Schalle, dobberhockey.com

The plus/minus was already a disaster before Ward was accidentally cut in the leg by Rick Nash’s skate. But any savvy Fantasy owner should know that Manny Legace is not an upgrade in net, meaning that the frigid plus/minuses of Joe Corvo (-9), Joni Pitkanen (-10), Aaron Ward (-12), and even former Selke Trophy winner Rod Brind’Amour (-13) will not improve anytime soon.

Staal’s absence means that oft-injured regular linemate Erik Cole is practically worthless in Fantasy leagues this season (one point in seven games). Heck, if Jussi Jokinen (10 points in 17 games) is your leading scorer, you know that your team is in big trouble.

Ian Gooding, fantasyhockey.com

Andrei Markov’s injury will also have severe implications on his team, as we have already seen.

Kevin Orris, FantasyPros911.com

I think Marian Hossa’s absence is really hurting the Blackhawks.

How can his absence have impact if he’s never played a game for them?

No one on the team has more than six goals. Jonathan Toews has just two. This is a team that’s lost a little bit of its swagger. Hossa in the lineup will equal almost instant confidence.

On a more strategic level, Hossa in the lineup draws attention from opposing defenses. And that lack of attention on Toews and Patrick Kane should translate into more goals.

Plus, when he wants to be, Hossa can be quite a playmaker. We didn’t see it too much in Detroit last season, but he put up two 50+ assist seasons in Atlanta and there’s no reason to think he can’t revert to that dishing style in Chicago.

Steven Ovadia, RotoRob

Seeing strange players and a ton of callups that have you looking at your program like WTF is this? Well, you are not alone. A rash of injuries has plagued the NHL the likes of which I have not seen in a decade or two. Usually when you see injuries coming in succession you see it affect the second-, third- and even fourth-line players. However, this year the star is definitely feeling the injury bug and several are either currently hurt or have missed time this season. Guys like Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Jason Spezza and Roberto Luongo are all nursing the dreaded ouchies, although Spezza returned a few days ago. 

In all, there are now approximately 115 players in the NHL with some kind of injury that is keeping them out of the lineup. That is hair less than four players per team.

So what can you do to combat the crazy bug (bad pun)? Well for one, just hope your player also does not get the swine flu (right, David Krejci?). This is just nuts seeing all these players out of the lineup. Literally whole Fantasy rosters decimated by injuries.  I have seen cases of teams with six, seven, or even eight players on the IR, DTD, or out (O) of the lineup. Compounding the problem, this does not seem to be getting better but only worse. I have seen more AHL callups than I can count.

There was an estimate that roster moves are up almost 20 per cent from this time last year. Talk about insanity for the fans of teams…but for the Fantasy hockey fan, it is maddening.

For example, the Devils are already without guys like Patrik Elias, Jay Pandolfo and Johnny Oduya. Now you can add Rob Niedermayer and Colin White to the list as both are listed day to day. Even the innocent hit can be harmful. Just falling awkwardly is cause for panic. The hysteria has not even reached its apex.

No one knows what is next, but here are three players that you can get (one forward, one defenseman and one goalie) that may just help and they are likely on your waiver wire.

Niclas Bergfors, RW, New Jersey Devils: : He has slumped mightily and that has caused a lot of owners to cut bait and run. However, not so fast everyone! Bergfors has 43 shots in 13 games and three PPGs including two on Wednesday. He has a deceptively fast windup similar to Ranger star Marian Gaborik and eventually he was bound to start getting it behind the goalie and that happened Wednesday in a big way. As Bergfors finds his role with New Jersey a bit easier expect his scoring to go up. Honestly, you could do worse at this point. What? Wait for Olli Jokinen to break out? Yeah, that’s a good one!

Filip Kuba, D, Ottawa Senators: When Kuba is 100 per cent, he can get you 40-to-50 points. That is gold in these days and right now he is healthy. Defensemen usually do not score a point a game anyway these days (except for Mike Green last year). Kuba is the type of player who is ideal on the power play. His low, hard shot can set up easy rebounds for forwards and be an instant boost to your Fantasy team. Most leagues still have Kuba listed as quite available. Grab him now before any more defensemen get injured and not only will you not regret it but at the very least you will have a back-up plan in place in case any more guys go down. By the way, do not expect Anton Volchenkov to continue to lead the Sens in scoring from the blue line.

Ondrej Pavelec, G, Atlanta Thrashers: We’ve been saying for a while that if Pavelec could ever get over his “monthly,” he could be a starter. Now he gets his chance as Kari Lehtonen is out an additional 6-to-8 weeks after having back surgery. Pavelec can turn in 50-save stunners like he did against Ottawa, but he can also implode like an explosive cocktail we all know. However, with options dwindling fast and the fact that he is available in most leagues (at least for now) he’s a viable pickup. I firmly expect Pavelec to be the starter for most of the rest of the season. Get him now! Literally read this and see if he is available. If not, try to trade for him ASAP.

Next week we will have some fun and salute the vets…literally. Thanks again and enjoy the hockey-like weather.

This week’s Fantasy Hockey Roundtable asked “Is Craig Anderson Vezina Trophy material, or is he nothing more than fool’s gold for the rest of the season?”

Find out what what the panel had to say about this issue.

Honestly? I’m a little in love with Anderson, a player featured prominently in Friday’s edition of Ice Chips.

An old wise man once told me that your Fantasy hockey team and real hockey team for that matter are only as good as your netminders. Laugh as you will, but this is something that is very true. October and November are often very nasty months when you think about it. This year is no exception. Add injuries and swine flu to the mix and one may have to dodge more minefields than they can handle in their quest to find good goaltending. Thankfully we have The Matrix in Craig Anderson. Obviously Neo is no relation, but Anderson best typifies the moves needed to play the net in this year’s NHL. Goals are going to go in. It is not your neutral zone trap early ’90s NHL anymore. Shots and goals are up by about 8 to 10 per cent this season. Sure, it is early, but expect this trend to continue to a point.

What I have listed below is not necessarily the best goalies in the league, but the ones that are going to make some saves that they not only have no business making but make them often enough in games to have a high save percentage. Here are their stories.

Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche: Imagine going from Florida to Colorado and realizing you are the starter on a team that absolutely stunk last year. Add in a few prospects and some aging players with no Joe Sakic and you have the recipe for disaster…right? Wrong! Now the 10 wins are great and the 2.11 GAA is nice too, but it is the .936 save percentage that jumps out. Even better is that Anderson has a .940 save percentage in the third period and beyond, and that figure leads the NHL. The OMG factor is the fact that Anderson faces about 35 shots a game in Colorado — about four less than he did in Florida. He had good practice and obviously has benefited well from the extraordinary high amount of activity.

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres: The second best on this slightly unconventional list is where Miller ranks (now, that is if you really want to call this a ranking). When it’s Miller Time in Buffalo, opposing teams are really in trouble. Though slight in stature at about 173-to-175 pounds soaking wet if you will, Miller has an amazing ability to be flexible without looking flexible. I watched the game he had against the Devils last week pretty closely. He makes saves look quite easy, so it’s no wonder he has given up two goals or less against New Jersey in nine of his last 10 starts. Be aware that Miller has a tendency to get injured at times, but there are few better at his position when he is “on.”

Now for two more that could be on their way to this list…

Ilya Bryzgalov, Phoenix Coyotes: There is no question that he is a good goalie with quick reflexes, but sometimes that is what gets him in trouble. The “moody Russian” as he was called many times in Anaheim has gotten a second lease of life in Phoenix this year. He has three shutouts already and a sparkling .927 save percentage to go along with the 1.88 GAA. Bryzgalov may think a bit too much, but his moves are almost as fast as his thoughts. The key will be how Coach Dave Tippett’s system helps him in the second half, which is when he tired last year under “The Great One.” Obviously a coaching upgrade in Phoenix will aid Bryzgalov and his body (plus an Olympic break). Now, that is a blessing for Phoenix fans.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins: Yes, he has won a Stanley Cup so stop gushing, Penguin fans. Fleury is quietly putting together a nice early portion of the season. He has always had the acumen to play brilliant between the pipes, but this year he is showing the consistency with the amazing saves. The new focus is not unnoticed on me. Sure Fleury only has a .916 save percentage right now, but expect that to go up when Pittsburgh is fully healthy. The scary thing is he has 10 wins already and has made two or three “Save of the Year” type stops. Keep Fleury in mind when again looking for save percentage along with the spectacular.

Mike Chen, currently caring for his beloved dog, should be back for the next edition of Ice Chips. In the meantime, this is Chris Wassel escaping before he gets the swine flu. Aloha.

This week’s Fantasy Roundtable is up! Your lovable panel was asked: “Which NHL rookie has impressed you the most so far this season?”

There’s a whole lot of answers that rhyme with Smell Hotto. I’m just saying…

Check it out!

BY ROB REATH

Intangibles. That was word Philadelphia Flyer General Manager Paul Holmgren used in justifying the lengthy contract he gave his captain Mike Richards. At the time, many suggested Richards was too young, not developed enough, and hadn’t achieved enough. That’s what some people said, anyways. Those close to the situation, who were well-versed with both the game and the player saw it differently.

Holmgren knew what he had on his hands — a keeper. He had a player who had won at every level before the NHL; a player who hated to lose; a mild-mannered person who possessed a burning desire to win; a player who would stand up to anyone and anything when it mattered.

It didn’t take long before the proof started showing. After former coach Ken Hitchcock had lost the dressing room in Philly following a bad loss, Richards commented “Typical Philadelphia Flyers game — we got the lead and then folded.” Vice President Bobby Clarke defended Richards, suggesting that players are the first to notice such things. No one characterized Richards as a coach killer because they knew better.

Richards’ work ethic and drive have excited every coach he’s played for. The point he was making was that there was a problem was not being addressed and while it was ugly and risky to talk about it, Richards spoke up.  
 
He also took a shot at Holmgren during a playoff post-mortem press conference, stating that he thought it was learning year for the GM too. Richards was referring to the incident where the Flyers’ salary cap problems had forced them to keep budding star Claude Giroux from practicing with the team.

Now, Holmgren casts a long shadow in NHL both as an intimidating fighter during his playing days and in his influence as an executive. Very few have thrown stones in his direction, fairly or unfairly. Stranger still, that criticism would appear from a player he could easily trade or otherwise have an impact on his career. Holmgren declined comment on the remark, but did mention that it was desirable to have a cushion for the cap

Holmgren took the comment in stride once again because those who know Richards also know comment like that were in the best interest of the team. It also signaled that Richards has claimed that team as his own, and everyone in the Philly organization is pleased as punch about it, from owner Ed Snider to Clarke, Holmgren, and present coach John Stevens.

One question remains: Where does Richards rank among some of the legendary Flyer leaders?

He scores, he fights, he sets up his teammates to score, he hits and kills penalties (and is often a threat to score short handed), and just recently has been vilified by the Philly media for not answering their questions. This occurred after he asked them not to keep bringing up a partying episode that occurred last season that many felt resulted in the trading of Joffrey Lupul.

Since then, Richards has been responding with one-word answers, if at all. He now joins the ranks of Clarke, Eric Lindros, Ron Hextall, Peter Forsberg, and many other Flyer leaders who were flayed in the Philly media over any human flaw that could be found Last weekend, when Richards nailed Florida Panther David Booth with a clean hit, it was the Philly press crying for a suspension the loudest. The media doesn’t like him there, but the players, fans and his bosses love him.
 
Congratulations, Mike. You are now truly a great Flyer captain and leader! Once the local press turns on you in Philly, it often means they just don’t have anything to write about and therefore you are doing great!

We’ve got a shorter but sweeter edition for you this week. It is that time of year where already in H2H leagues the contenders are rising to the top? This early, you may ask? Yes, they are. Sure there are some surprises, but everyone is looking for those now like they have it on radar. People are being stalkers of the players that will put them over the top now instead of what may come later. I love those guys that come later. Those make the real difference. This week, I heard rumours that we have a few such guys that may be available come later in the season. Keep in mind that these guys are likely on other teams right now, but may be dropped as the season goes along.

Centre

Rich Peverley, Atlanta Thrashers: Look, he is going to cool off eventually. When he does, he will be dropped out of leagues faster than Elvis dropped dimes at diners. Seriously, it is nice that Peverley is averaging over a point a game now, but at some point that offense has to dry up some. I see a back and forth type of season from Peverley and come late in the season (when there will not be as much pressure), he will begin to thrive once again. It is okay. Do not be shocked. Some of these are going to ruffle feathers of Fantasy owners right now. That is the whole point.

Left Wing

Marco Sturm, Boston Bruins: Everyone is going to run and get Sturm right now because he is on the first line with all the injuries in Boston (Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, the Pope, etc.). The bottom line is Sturm will get you some points and the significant ice time that goes along with it. However, when the injured players come back, the party will stop! It really is like that jack in the box, folks. Now, as the season wears down to the end, however, you will want a guy like Sturm because of his career numbers. He had some god awful luck last year with injuries, but had 56 points in 2007-08. The potential is there at least.

Right Wing

Justin Williams, Los Angeles Kings: Say it with m: When is the injury going to come? That is perpetually the question with Mr. Williams. Nine points in nine games is great, but let us have a little fun with the following list of injuries. Yes, we go next level here. Thank you TSN.

Basically, with Williams you should have one hand on your mouth and one on the mouse because, sadly, he is almost due to get hurt. When (not if) he does, people will drop him and then, when the time is right (and yes this is like playing Russian Roulette), grab him! He can clearly produce when healthy, a la Tim Connolly. The key phrase here is when he is healthy.

Defense

Jason Demers, San Jose Sharks: This kid is the real deal, but with defensemen galore in San Jose, he may fall a bit in the middle of the year. Demers has eight points in 10 games right now. Consider him a rookie that will hit the wall early and rebound later unlike Michael Del Zotto of the Rangers who will hit it much later with little or no time to rebound. That, my Fantasy owner friends, is the difference between being surrounded by really good defensemen and below average defensemen. It’s that simple. Demers will get picked up late in the season because of that reason. Time it right and you have a d-man on your bench that can get timely assists and solid +/- night in and night out.

Goaltending

Ondrej Pavelec, Atlanta Thrashers: He had a bad night on Thursday. Hey, everyone gives up a 190-foot bomb now and then. Eventually, Kari Lehtonen (back, groin, ego) will come back and play pretty well, but then get hurt again. At least Pavelec can stay healthy. His numbers are pretty solid (a .907 save percentage with a goals against just over 3.00). And that includes the Washington game where he gave up five goals on 14 shots. Do not sleep on this guy. He will be Atlanta’s starter again before the stretch run. Count on it and some more solid numbers on the way in. If someone drops Pavelec, keep an eye out.

Next week we will dig up some more waiver treasure. Do not forget to check at least every other day with the waiver wire. You never know what is lurking just waiting to be had. Bye for now.

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.

This week we asked the Roundtable “Who is your earliest pick that you have already dropped from your Fantasy roster?” Because, honestly, I was feeling a little guilty about some recent moves.

I subscribe to the philosophy that the Fantasy hockey season is a marathon, not a sprint, so I don’t get too concerned about statistics from the first two weeks. By sticking to that philosophy, I know that I have now officially missed the boat on early-season waiver wire gems like Michael Del Zotto. But at the same time, I am patient to wait it out with players struggling early on like Roberto Luongo, Ryan Getzlaf and Pavel Datsyuk, meaning that I don’t even consider trade offers for those players from other owners looking for a buy-low opportunity.

Being patient over the first month means that the earliest pick that I have already dropped is likely a later pick than most of the other guys. But that pick is Filip Kuba, picked 159th overall in the Yahoo! Experts League. Kuba has been sidelined day-to-day for the past couple weeks, and the Senators have not placed him on IR even though there is no targeted return date. My defense on that team needs a significant upgrade, so I can’t afford to wait it out with Kuba any longer. Other players that I have dropped from other teams include Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Bryan Little, Johnny Oduya, Matt Niskanen and James Wisniewski, all for various reasons.

Ian Gooding, fantasyhockey.com

The NHL season is only three weeks old and many GMs panic and drop their early/mid round picks for the streaky FA. I tend to be very cautious when it comes to dropping players on my roster that are off to slow starts. However, I’m usually very active in rotating my last starting D in leagues that include four or more starting D.

My first drop was Brent Burns, two and a half weeks into the season. Since then I have rotated the spot with Marc-Andre Bergeron and Jason Demers. I will continue to cycle this position unless Burns becomes a valuable Fantasy asset again.

Marcus Schalle, dobberhockey.com

I tend to be cautious about panicking too early in the season (see my recent article here on the annual early-season panic). However, I have just recently dropped Brent Burns, who I had hoped was going to have a solid year (still possible), but obviously something is not right in Minny (maybe the new coaching style), but I just couldn’t live with a league worst -10.

I have also dropped Loui Eriksson at LW, not because he has had slow start (he’s doing pretty much what most folks thought he was going to do), but more as a reflection of some interesting opportunities at LW that became available in my league (like Patrick O’Sullivan, who I highly recommend as a LW2 or 3 if you can still pick him up off the wire).

Brent Lemon, dobberhockey.com

I haven’t had any big let downs yet this year, and plus I think it’s a little early to be dropping guys that have proven themselves in years past. There’s no reason to drop any player that’s healthy if drafted in the top six or eight rounds at this point, but injuries are another story.

The best player that I’ve seen dropped is Johan Franzen because of the torn ACL that will keep him out for months, which is a huge dent in a league that doesn’t allow an Injured Reserve spot. I did see Marc Savard dropped in one league after suffering from a broken foot that will keep him out for over a month.

I highly recommend keeping an eye on the transaction history of your league on a daily basis to make sure that you can capitalize on other owners mistakes, like dropping Savard.

Kevin Orris, FantasyPros911

I dumped Christopher Higgins, who’s been struggling for the Rangers. He’s got no goals and just two points and seems to be losing confidence by the day. But even more damaging, his coach, John Tortorella, seems to have lost confidence in him. And it seems like Higgins will be relegated to the bench in a manner of days. You picked him because you thought he would finally hit that 30-goal plateau, especially playing on a line with Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan. Now, it looks like he’ll be lucky to pick up 10 goals this year.

This week’s Fantasy Hockey Roundtable, hosted by FantasyHockey.com, asked: Which player do you think will experience the highest single-season gain in points over last season? Which player will experience the greatest drop (not including injured or retired players)?

The answers just might shock you.

In the beginning there was nothing and then there was light and there was still nothing, but you could see it. That is right, it may be Week Two of the NHL season for most of you or even Week Three for some, but it’s time for a little Hockey Wire Troll. Basically, you can go fishing for hours or let me do it for you. Most tend to prefer the latter. The less work you have to do now means the less you have to do later when Fantasy crunch time hits.

You do not want to be smashed into the boards like Viktor Hedman was on Thursday just, for example, because you forgot to make some early-season moves. Do note Anton Volchenkov’s hits on the first two picks of the 2009 Draft as seen here and here.

Now let’s get to our picks for the week.

Centre

Brendan Morrison, Washington Capitals: What? I have heard this all year from people, but do not laugh. Morrison has six points in seven games for the Caps and has been much healthier than in years past. The knee injuries have gone away and though his shot total is not there yet (just seven so far), you should give it some time. Before the lockout, Morrison was consistently over 50 points; he even had a 71-point season in 2002-03 for Vancouver. There was a wrist injury I forgot about too, but while the health is there, go get him!

Eric Belanger, Minnesota Wild: Belanger is a bit of a role player according to most, but I see serious potential especially with all the injuries in Minnesota. Seven points in five games is serious stuff.  That is nothing to sneeze at at all. Minnesota realizes what it has in Belanger and when the players come back from injury it may be their roles reduced and not his. He is a good pickup in leagues — and not just in deep ones.

Left Wing

Matt Moulson, New York Islanders: Moulson has four points in four games and nearly 20 minutes of ice time per contest (19:41). Sure, it doesn’t hurt that he has seen some first line time, but he has 17 shots on goal already and has a propensity to go to the net as well as bang there. This is something the Isles have sorely missed, last year in particular. I like the fact that he has meshed well with guys like Kyle Okposo, John Tavares and even Doug Weight. Moulson is a guy to definitely watch as the season goes on because even if he plays on the second line, he will not flame out like Aaron Voros did last year. Just do not expect 82 points, that’s all.

Right Wing

David Jones, Colorado Avalanche: I made a joke about this the other day. The Bruins just went into Davy Jones’ locker. Well, they really did after this guy dropped a shortie on them. He is not even on either of Colorado’s top two lines, but has five points in three games. Jones missed the first five games of the regular season with a bruised chest, but has come on like gangbusters. Surprisingly, he’s averaging 17:50 of ice time so far, so the Avs and Joe Sacco are noticing something in this kid. He will be on the top two lines before too long and is someone you must pick up now because he will be gone by early in the week. Demand is that high on him…really!

Defense

Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres: This pick is a little outside the board I know, but hear me out. Myers is 6-foot-8 and can actually skate pretty well unlike Hal Gill. Myers has two points in four games which does not sound like much, but he is hitting people pretty well. Buffalo finally has some true grit and sandpaper on the blueline. If he keeps on playing 20:46 a game, he will be worth owning on your Fantasy teams, especially if you track blocked shots and hits. Myers’ slap shot is also above average and when he starts uncorking it…look out. I am not saying he is a Zdeno Chara in the making, I am just saying there is potential here. Grab him while you can.

Goaltending

Scott Clemmensen, Florida Panthers: I was skeptical to put his name on here, but it needed to be done. Why? Clearly Tomas Vokoun cannot handle the workload. Florida gives up 38.1 shots per game and Vokoun is already burning out a bit. That is his track record — he cannot play more than a few good games in a row. This is why Clemmensen is perfect. Remember when that Martin Brodeur guy went down in Jersey last year? Clemmensen won 25 games for the Devils and thrust himself into a more prominent place in Fantasy circles only to wind up as the second banana to Vokoun. That will change soon if Vokoun keeps up letting soft goals up like Vesa Toskala. So keep an eye out, Clemmensen may still be available.

Next week, see which position we double up on because it may just be one that you really need help in. Until then, it’s hockey weather and the best time of the year. Bye for now.

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.

The calendar turning to October can mean only one thing — well, technically it can mean a lot of things, but the only one of importance for hockey fans is the arrival of another NHL season, and with that comes a new installment of 2kSports’ NHL 2k10. This year, 2kSports looked to tailor its product to appeal to both casual gamers and dedicated puck fans alike with mixed results. NHL 2k10 feels a little too complex for the “pick-up-and-play” vibe it was shooting for, but improved A.I. and the option to customize the experience make this a potentially overlooked option for more serious gamers.

Controls (3.5/5)

While I wouldn’t classify controlling the players in NHL 2k10 as difficult, I would say that it often feels more complex than it needs to be, particularly defensively. Yes, you still skate with the left stick, make moves and shoot with the right and engage turbo with the right trigger. However, there have been some questionable decisions made to button mapping when you’re trying to stop your opponent.

First of all, the right stick (such a huge staple of the other 2k sports titles and in the offensive portion of this game) is hardly used. In fact, all the right stick does for you on defense is to sweep your hockey stick around in hopes of deflecting a pass. In the standard setup, checking is assigned to the B button, while shot blocking and poke checking are executed with the right and left bumpers, respectively. You can do a stick lift with the Y button, but if you hold down both triggers while hitting Y you’ll do a diving poke check, which is exactly the type of thing I don’t understand. Why would the right bumper do a standard poke check when three completely different buttons pull off the diving version?

Like I said, it isn’t hard to control, rather it feels counterintuitive. It is worth pointing out there are three different controller setups available, though there’s no option to re-map on your own, and the right stick is nearly non-existent defensively in all three.

Things go more smoothly when you’ve got the puck with dekes, one-on-one moves and drop passes all easily pulled off. My only complaint is there are times I find my player doing fancy puck handling or faking shots instead of unleashing a slap shot at the goalie because it didn’t read my up/down motion with the stick or I’m still in the middle of the deke animation. On the positive side, NHL 2k10 has the best faceoff interface I’ve ever seen. It takes time to learn and gives you more options than past games. In fact, you can even get removed from the faceoff circle if you jump the gun too often, which is a great touch that prevents you from jamming on the buttons and makes it more about timing.

Graphics/Sound (4/5)

Visually, NHL 2k10 establishes a new high water mark for the series. The arenas look tremendous, and the game really flexes its graphical muscle during the pre-game introductions. The player uniforms are extremely detailed, the players themselves look good, and yes, playoff beards are included. When in action, they move fluidly as players skate, pass and slam into one another on the ice. Therein lies one of my favourite subtle touches as player collisions in NHL 2k10 aren’t limited to opponents, which makes you think twice about flying around the ice jamming on the B button — if you go that route, be prepared to crash into teammates and open up space for your opponent.

Adding to the impressive visuals is that even with 12 players, referees, a full bench and an active crowd all in motion at the same time, NHL 2k10 cruises along without any noticeable hitches in the frame rate whether you’re playing from the disc or hard drive.

There are some odd visuals to be found, however, specifically how the puck seems to be glued to players’ sticks at times. When playing the game at full speed it will usually just register as being a little off visually (like watching a player take too many steps in basketball, you just know something’s amiss), but if you slow down the replays you’ll watch players fake shots where the puck does all sorts of unnatural things to stay in their possession. You’ll also have times where you light someone up in open ice, sending them sprawling…but they magically retain the puck. So while it’s usually exclusively a visual issue, it can occasionally affect the actual game.

The audio department is generally good with solid, if a little overly reserved commentary and a top-notch soundtrack. My main gripe comes from the sound effects on the ice, where some things seem just a little over the top, like the booming slap shot. In that same vein, I found it odd that in-game goal replays remove all ambient sound with the exception of the puck. There’s nothing here that detracts from the overall experience, but some subtle tweaks could really shore things up.

Gameplay (3.5/5)

No matter how good a game looks, if the game play isn’t up to par there’s going to be little reason to log many hours on it. To that end, NHL 2k10 offers a rewarding experience to those that are willing to invest some time. Unfortunately, gamers that want to dive in and play may be turned off by the speed of the game, not to mention the number of goals and penalties that permeate the default skill levels.

Two areas that feel off on those default settings relate to speed. First, the skating just seems too slow unless you’re holding down the turbo button. Some dislike the concept of turbo boosts in sports titles, but I’ve never felt they should be removed. Instead, I feel they should only be available sparingly to really blow past an opponent or chase down a loose puck. Instead, you can pretty much keep the button held down and easily skate the length of the ice without slowing down. In fact, you’ll rarely find a reason to remove your trigger finger during standard game play.

The second area is in the speed of your shots, which seem to travel incredibly fast no matter what type of shot you’re unleashing. Backhands and wrist shots look just like a Zdeno Chara skills competition slap shot, and it leads to a ton of “soft” goals.

Not helping matters either is the incredible number of penalties you’ll encounter. I can’t tell you how many 5-on-3s I had to deal with, and it’s not because I was playing out of control. Instead, it was my CPU teammates getting dinged for every possible infraction. You almost can’t help but laugh when you see Jarome Iginla skate out of the penalty box and get called for roughing less than 10 seconds later.

Now, while all that may sound like a lot to overcome, NHL 2k10 comes complete with a ton of sliders to create a much more realistic experience. In fact, pretty much any area you find unrealistic can be fixed through trial and error. If that sounds like too much work to you don’t despair. NHL 2k10 allows users to upload their sliders, so you can allow others to do the heavy lifting for you. Most on the 2k boards swear by VeNOM’s sliders for a realistic experience and with good reason. His work does a fantastic job of turning the default weaknesses into strengths, and those searching for a simulation experience owe it to themselves to at least give it a shot.

Even with the social gaming angle, NHL 2k10 is still built around the franchise mode. Working as both the coach and GM, you’ll perform all the usual tasks like signing free agents, engineering trades and working the waiver wire while keeping an eye on your team’s budget. You’ll be operating with full NHL and AHL rosters for your team, dressing/scratching who you’d like to play, editing lines and customizing your club’s strategy. However, there’s no scouting of the upcoming draft to be found and no coaches or staff to be hired/fired, which is a disappointing omission considering that dynamic player progression is a nice addition to franchise mode. It would’ve been nice to have the option to hire a coaching staff that accelerates improvement for a younger club, or another that helps maintain performance for a more veteran club. That isn’t the case here.

Another worthy addition to the franchise mode is the ability to play any game during the year against a human-controlled opponent on- or offline. If you’ve got friends playing the game it’s a good way to freshen things up a bit rather than always facing off against the CPU. NHL 2k10 also offers the ability to upload box scores, screen shots and clips (including ones you customize via 2kReels) to an online blog for your franchise. So, in theory, you could create custom highlights from each game, upload them along with the box score and write a game story. I experimented with it a bit, and I have to admit I enjoyed it, even if no one will ever read my fictitious game summaries.

For those that were wondering, the CPU does a yeoman’s job in stat simulation during franchise mode with players tallying reasonable point and goal totals for the season. You’ll also see a realistic split for games played by goalies.

Shifting online you’ll be able to join online 2k leagues or play a Team Up game where you control a single player with up to 11 other human players. It performed fairly smoothly once I got into a game, but on more than one occasion I was unable to connect to the 2k servers and also encountered freezing while browsing through online file sharing. Also in the negative ledger, ranked online matches don’t allow custom sliders. This means most games devolve into goal-scoring fests with minimally effective goalkeeping from the CPU.

Other things worth noting include the overall presentation receiving a face lift with a new Wii-inspired menu system, making things more user friendly to navigate. Conversely, the secondary modes return largely unchanged with Zamboni racing (available during intermissions or as a standalone), pond hockey (an outdoor pick-up game), tournaments and exhibition games all present. One nice addition to exhibition games is the ability to play the Winter Classic, including the option to select the uniforms the four participating clubs wore during those tilts.

Overall (3.75/5)

What’s odd about NHL 2k10 is that it’s self-described focus was on creating a social gaming experience, but it saddled itself with needlessly complex controls and some of the harshest referees ever seen in a video game on the default settings. Instead, NHL 2k10 ends up being more appealing to seasoned gamers and puck enthusiasts who, with the aid of some downloadable sliders, may find a surprisingly realistic brand of hockey waiting for them.

This week’s Roundtable question was designed to challenge conventional wisdom. Is there room for whimsy in Fantasy hockey? I sought to find out by asking the following to this week’s panel: Who do you predict will be the top three scorers this season and the highest scoring defenseman (overall points)?

The same goes for last season’s top-scoring defenseman, Mike Green. Although his defensive shortcomings during the playoffs were well-documented, Green is in a class of his own as far as scoring goes. It’s rare to see a defenseman crack the 30-goal or 70-point mark unless their name is Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey, which is why one could justify drafting Green in the first round. Other top-scoring defensemen like Nicklas Lidstrom, Scott Niedermayer and Sergei Gonchar won’t add to their point totals given the stage of their careers, but we may not have seen Green’s best years yet.

Ian Gooding, fantasyhockey.com

But as far as the next three are concerned, there is less agreement. Joe Thornton is a name that has often been associated with the top scorers’ list, but this year his appeal seems to be waning, perhaps due to continued lackluster playoff performances.

Instead, folks seem to be looking at Ryan Getzlaf, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Zach Parise as the number four, five and six scorers.

Of those three, I’d be most wary of Parise. While he’s clearly developed into an elite scorer, it’s unclear how the coaching change in New Jersey will affect Parise and the Devils. Jacques Lemaire is notorious for his defensive style of play. Scoring may take a dip as a result.

For defensemen, I like Mike Green as the top-scoring blueliner. Most other would agree I think.

Again, asking the question of who’s next after Green is perhaps more useful to readers looking for an edge this year.

I like Dion Phaneuf as the next leading defensive scorer. Mike Keenan was not good for the Flames, and I believe that the coaching change will be well received in Calgary. After a significant dip in his numbers last season, I think Phaneuf is hungry for a comeback year, especially with the extra incentive of the impending Olympic team selections.

Brent Lemon, DobberHockey.com

So let’s take a look at four through six, where things are a bit tougher to gauge.

4. Joe Thornton: It wasn’t long ago (2006-07) where Big Joe put up 114 points, second only to Crosby. JT is known for being a one-dimensional player, but in a points-only league where goals and assists are equally weighted I’ll take 90 assists and 10 goals over 60 goals and 20 assists 100 per cent of the time. JT has seen his value drop after a disappointing 86 points last season, but let’s not forget he has averaged 97 points the last four seasons, which is highest average not including the big three. This was all accomplished without an elite winger; factor in the addition of Dany Heatley and you have an easy pick.

5. Ilya Kovalchuk: Scoring 91 points playing with Todd White/Rich Peverly as your centre is quite the feat. This year, Kovalchuk will have Nik Antropov, who — when healthy — is not the best option, but an upgrade nonetheless. Kovalchuk is in a contract year and will most likely be the top UFA next season. Look for him to put up big numbers as he tries to secure a long-term deal.

6. Ryan Getzlaf: A steady progression of 39, 58, 82 and 91 points over his first four years makes Getzlaf a great candidate to hit 95+ this season. The line of Corey Perry-Getzlaf-Bobby Ryan clicked well last year and with a full season of Ryan on the top line, the chemistry should continue. Finding a player who can break the 90-point mark is rare and, at such a young age, Getzlaf has many more successful seasons ahead of him.

Other candidates: Heatley, Datysuk and Jarome Iginla.

Green has a chance to hit the 80-point mark if he doesn’t get injured. After Green, the next best defenceman will be in the 60-point range.

Andrei Markov is the popular choice here, but with a defensive coach and a lot of turnover on their roster, it will take time for the Canadiens to find chemistry and thus I expect a drop in Markov’s points. [Editor's note: After this was submitted, Markov tore a tendon on opening night, requiring surgery and sidelining him for up to four months.]

Mark Streit: He’s not a popular pick, but the Swiss Captain put up 56 points in 74 games last season on a horrible team. I was under the belief last season that he would not be Fantasy worthy after leaving Montreal, but he proved me wrong. Streit will have John Tavares and hopefully a healthy Kyle Okposo to help improve on his numbers, so 60 points is within reach.

Other candidates: Dan Boyle.

Marcus Schalle, dobberhockey.com

Top Scorers

• Rick Nash: This poor kid has been waiting for a decent centre since he got to Columbus. He seems to finally have one in Derick Brassard. That’s going to be huge for him. His 40 goals last season? Add another 10 or so on to that.
• Marian Hossa: I don’t think anyone is avoiding Hossa, but he’s not a slamdunk player because he’ll miss some time because of rotator cuff surgery. But the guy has a lot to prove. A lot. He has to justify a huge contract. He has to justify leaving Pittsburgh to win a Cup, only to lose to Pittsburgh in the finals. Hossa has a lot going on, but he’s going to be playing with a very talented team that might be better suited to his style of play than Detroit was. Don’t count Hossa out.
• Ilya Kovalchuk: Atlanta is trying to get faster and Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov will be a great combination. Kovalchuk will see a lot of tough matchups, but he’s trying to play his way onto a better team next year, so I don’t imagine that there’ll be much that can stop him.

Defenseman: Forget Mike Green. Do you know what number he wears? It’s number bullseye. As in, he has a giant bullseye on his back and all anyone cares about is shutting him down. You saw it in the playoffs and you’ll see it this season. Teams know they can’t stop Alex Ovechkin, so they’ll focus on Green, whom they can stop. My top scoring defenseman? The underappreciated Mark Streit. He’ll have some more scoring options this season and solid goaltending, which the Islanders should have, will make a world of difference. Streit actually had to focus on defense last season. I think he’ll have a permanent green light in the offensive zone this season.

This week’s Fantasy Roundtable, hosted by Fantasyhockey.com, examined Fantasy-worthy rookies.

Representing RotoRob, I went all-in for John Tavares. You can read the rest of the Roundtable here.

Next week’s Roundtable will actually be hosted here at RotoRob, which will make for a very convenient commute.

BY CHRIS WASSEL and MIKE CHEN

Today, we wrap up the 2009-10 RotoRob NHL Draft Kit. While we say goodbye to the retiring Olaf Kolzig, we also bid adieu to our draft kit by bringing you our picks for this season’s busts. Our in-season hockey coverage will start shortly, and in the meantime, we wish you well in your draft.

Inevitably, there comes a time when you have to attach the word “bust” to a player. It is not something to take lightly as many know. Mike and I came up with a list of 10. I then added one more out of necessity to stir the pot a bit. I admit I may get in trouble with this one, but oh well.

Chris Drury, LW, New York Rangers: Some people still believe that Drury will break through for the Rangers under their current configuration. They look at John Tortorella and the infusion of new forwards and think it’s a recipe for success. Those folks are delusional; we’ve said it time and again here at RotoRob.com — Drury’s never broken 70 points in the NHL. Repeat: Drury’s never broken 70 points in the NHL. Let’s leave it at that. Now the B Side. Drury is a nice story. He scores pretty well and all, but he is nowhere near woth $7 million a year. He certainly is not a Fantasy stud and people need to realize this. This is a cold reality, but Todd White was a better Fantasy option than Drury last year.

Phil Kessel, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs: Point No. 1 — Kessel won’t play until December. Point No. 2 — Kessel won’t be in game shape until probably early January. Point No. 3 — Kessel’s new team is a lot worse than his old team. Look for him to hit the 30+ goal mark again next season, not this upcoming season. B Side time. Kessel will score close to 30, but ironically will get more assists than goals this year yet is not a Fantasy stud! Please take note of this, you people who took Kessel in the fourth round despite him being out until about Thanksgiving (in the U.S., that is). If only people used a little common sense when drafting guys with attitude problems.

Pascal Leclaire, G, Ottawa Senators: Was Leclaire’s success a function of a successful Ken Hitchcock defensive scheme or was it Leclaire’s own raw talent? Either way, there’s a chance that (a) Leclaire will get injured; and (b) he won’t have as defensively sound a team in front of him as he did under Hitchcock. Grab him if you’re in desperate need of a starting goalie, but don’t expect him to be a diamond in the rough. B Side time. To make this short and sweet, I like Leclaire a lot actually, but he is not going to win 30 games either. He will need to be spelled by Brian Elliott. That is the sad reality of people thinking Leclaire will bounce back. He has not shown the ability to start 65 games. Get back to me when he does.

Marian Gaborik, RW, New York Rangers: Gaborik was held out of the early days of training camp with a sore groin. Enough said. B Side time. Gaborik is simply an injury waiting to happen. He’s a great player, but the worry and agony of every Fantasy hockey owner just screams bust at some point.

Milan Michalek, RW, Ottawa Senators: Early pre-season lines have Michalek lining up with Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza. Will Michalek fulfill his potential as a speedy two-way scoring threat? Probably not; if he couldn’t do it playing with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, then it’s not like it’s a linemate-dependant variable. Instead, it’s up to Michalek to decide whether he wants to become a critical top-line player or a semi-consistent secondary scorer. Bet on the latter, not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Unless you’re making $4 million a year — oh wait a sec…). B Side time. Simply put, Michalek has more talent than he will ever show. It is like potential unrealized and it is a shame. He makes too much money and does too little at times. The inconsistency will continue and drive people batty all year. Trade now…I repeat, trade now!

Ryane Clowe, RW, San Jose Sharks: The big right winger scored a big contract in the offseason; unfortunately, he hasn’t really scored any big goals to earn it. Clowe will look like a world beater one minute — crashing and banging his way to make the ugly goal happen against all odds — then he’ll just look out of position and slow the next. He’s extremely streaky too, which could work to your advantage. If you do pick him, unload him on a hot streak when he looks like he’s finally fulfilling his potential. B Side time. Simply, as Mike said, sell high when you can. Clowe can pop in 15 points in a 10-game span then go scoreless for 10. He did break out last year, but fizzled at times like a dying star. My father once told me if it’s too streaky then stay away from it until later.

Todd Bertuzzi, RW, Detroit Red Wings: It can be awfully tempting to pick up Bertuzzi, especially when early word out of Detroit had him skating alongside Henrik Zetterberg. Don’t buy into it. While the signing of Bertuzzi is relatively low-risk for GM Ken Holland in the real world (he’s cheap and only there for one year), the Fantasy world only cares about stats. Bertuzzi’s a shadow of his former self, injury plagued and a step slower. Pick him up only if you want a name guy popping in 10 goals. B Side time. All I can say is this — the first stint did not work. Why would the second time around be any better? Steer clear and run like a bat out of hell. Do not touch. Do not open until after Christmas or later. I can think of at least 250 players better at this point. Thank you.

John Tavares, C, New York Islanders: Not every highly touted Canadian prospect can have a rookie year like Sidney Crosby’s — just ask Steven Stamkos about that. Tavares won’t face quite as volatile a situation as Stamkos did in Tampa Bay (but there’s potential for it to be close), yet that doesn’t mean that he won’t necessarily have a similar learning curve. Stamkos didn’t blossom until the second half of the season once the hangover of Barry Melrose’s disastrous coaching tenure wore off; it’s safe to say that Tavares is in better hands, but banking on immediate success is a bit risky (unless you’re in a keeper league; then go ahead and grab him). B Side time. Grab him in keeper leagues…period! Tavares will not make the impact you expect now, but he will score some. He’ll be above Stamkos points-wise, but nowhere near Crosby. So maybe 60 points at best? That would not be bad at all. Even Stamkos would be proud and not end up on a milk carton somewhere.

Chris Mason, G, St. Louis Blues: In his two seasons with more than 50 games played, Mason’s had one great year and one terrible year. Which Mason will show up this season for the Blues, the one with the .916 save percentage or the one with the 2.90 goals against? History isn’t exactly on Mason’s side, and at 33 years old, it’s a bit late for him to be finally finding consistency in his game. B Side time. I have one line for this guy and it’s only draft him if nothing else is out there. Otherwise, draft Scott Clemmensen.

Mikael Samuelsson, RW, Vancouver Canucks: Samuelsson gets a lot of attention, mostly because he’s played second fiddle on some pretty darn successful Red Wing teams. While 15 goals isn’t anything to scoff at for us mere mortals (or beer leaguers), it’s not exactly noteworthy by NHL standards. Lured away from Detroit with a pretty substantial contract, Samuelsson went to the land of Swedes (or former land of Swedes, as Mats Sundin and Mattias Ohlund left Vancouver, leaving only the Sedin twins and Alex Edler) in search of a new start to his career. Here’s what you need to know: Samuelsson’s broken 20 goals once in his career, he’s 32 years old, and his new team doesn’t have anywhere near the firepower of his old team. B Side time. Samuelsson is not getting any younger. If you drafted him early, oh god, you wasted a pick! He’ll get 15 goals at best this year but maybe more assists. Just call 911 and turn yourself in to the Fantasy hockey police now.

My special surprise bust

Dany Heatley, RW, San Jose Sharks: Now, at first you will say I am nuts, buut just hear me out. Heatley does not produce in March and April — a period which is usually your Fantasy hockey playoffs. If you need scoring at that time, you could pick better options. The guy vanishes then and San Jose is going to find out the hard way yet again that you do not trade for a superstar drama queen. I am sure Mike will love seeing this in print. But the reality is often served ice cold here. Until Heatley produces when it counts, he is a Fantasy playoff bust to me.

Thus ends our quest of bringing you the RotoRob Draft Kit. What did you think? What could we do better next year? Fire away, but of course save a beer for us. We are thirsty and poor and in need of refreshment. Thanks so much.

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.

We’ve got more of the 2009-10 RotoRob NHL Draft Kit with the release of our list of the top 10 rookies. While you’re wondering how much of a difference Phil Kessel will make to the Maple Leafs this season, let’s examine some freshmen who could be difference makers. (How’s that for segue?)

It now comes to the time of the year where we have gone over the usual suspects. You already know the players that are a little more experienced. There was much research involved with this, but we came up with 10 rookies worth watching. Damn, this means I am probably going to get sued because I know it’s a Monty Python reference with shrubberies but oh well. Here is our list from the home office rumoured to be somewhere in New Jersey.

Top 10 Rookies

1. John Tavares, C, New York Islanders: It’s obvious why Tavares tops this list. He probably became bored playing in the OHL for three years before finally getting drafted in June by the Islanders. Tavares conquered the World Juniors and the OHL, so really complacency probably had set in by his 17th birthday not his 18th. Now the hype and expectations of a team’s fandom rests on his shoulders. I almost forgot that Mr. Tavares had three straight seasons of over 100 points in the OHL. All signs point to a steady player with a pretty good shot and playmaking ability that is along the level of a Zach Parise.

In theory, Tavares should win the Calder Trophy (Rookie Of The Year). If he does not, Islander Nation may revolt and burn down whatever is not bolted into the ground. Seriously, Tavares has the potential to produce anywhere from 55-75 points on this team with guys like Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey around. Add in a mentor like Doug Weight and you should get eggroll.

2. Matt Duchene, C, Colorado Avalanche: What, no Victor Hedman? Blasphemy was the words I heard I swear. However, Colorado’s Duchene has the highest potential to make a Fantasy impact because let’s face it — this team is all about rebuilding right now. Eventually the old vets will be shipped out by the deadline or sooner and this will be Paul Stastny’s team (another youngster). Duchene, by the way, had a glorious run for Brampton (OHL) last year. He scored 79 points in 57 games and then tallied 26 points in 21 games in the playoffs for the Battalian. Led by Duchene, Brampton beat the heavily-favoured London Knights along the way.

The question is what can we expect this season. Well, he is going to make the roster…that much is true. Duchene potentially could play on a line with Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny. That would not be bad. I really could see a year where he gets 45-50 points and makes a solid secondary scoring impact. Duchene has great hands, an above average shot and only a bit of an attitude to overcome. People have said worse things about the other top three picks in this year’s draft.

3. Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning: Yes, Hedman is No. 3. Now get over it. If Tampa was not such a circus, I would not be so worried about his player development. The good news is that it appears that Hedman is over that nagging shoulder injury that plagued him in the World Juniors and beyond. He’s also got a pretty good guy to learn from in coach Rick Tocchet. However, the revolving band of players and a team that may be more in love with its “French Connection II” line may not be the best thing for Hedman. Fortunately, he has the talent and ability to overcome all of those obstacles.

Another good thing for Hedman is he has fellow Swede Mattias Ohlund on his side. Signed from Vancouver in the offseason, Ohlund was a mainstay on the Canuck blueline and should be able to tutor Hedman in the fine art of defensive play in today’s NHL. It will be hard to predict how many points Hedman could get in Tampa but I will say this: he will make a sizable impact especially once that frame of his fills out. Expect lots of the feisty Hedman that you did not see in the WJC and maybe 25 points.

4. Cody Hodgson, C, Vancouver Canucks: Thanks to the assumed departure of Mats Sundin plus other circumstances, Hodgson will get more playing time. Well, honestly he is just too good. Keep in mind he is only 19, but Hodgson has already made an impact with Canuck brass by playing so poised in the AHL playoffs against Hershey. Yes, the Manitoba Moose forward only scored six points in 11 games, but it was his two-way game that had Canuck fans buzzing about the future. With Vancouver’s salary cap woes that future may be bumped up a bit.

I like the way Hodgson plays the game. He has some speed, but has a little bit of grit as well. I am not saying he will make the Canucks out of camp, but at some point in the season he is going to see sizable chunks of playing time. To project a point total would be a bit premature but he is very high up on this list based on potential similar to our next rookie…

5. John Carlson, D, Washington Capitals: Carlson is a former USHL stud who took his game to the OHL and then excelled there as well. The knock on him was his decision making and yet he did play excellent in his own end as Hershey went on to win the AHL Calder Cup over Manitoba last season. Carlson is kind of cut out of the Scott Stevens mold — he is a guy who can play big and physical, but will also be able to score. His OHL stats will tell you that: 76 points in 59 games and 65 PIMs to boot for London. I think the kid who I saw for the better part of five or six years in New Jersey has the talent.

Given how below average the Capital defense is, there is a distinct possibility that Carlson will be called up during the season and it will probably happen early in the campagin. After Mike Green there is not much else. Again, to predict a point total would be not very smart, but expect good things from here on out from a guy who is just a beast no matter the place or the time. It’s that simple, and it’s a scary thought.

6. James vanRiemsdyk, LW, Philadelphia Flyers: This guy is scary good, but it’s hard to tell what kind of potential he may have in the City Of Brotherly Love. The Flyer prospect played for Team USA and excelled in the WJC, did very well in college, and now is making a bit of a splash in training camp. I am not saying he will make the team out of camp, but he might — especially if injuries bite the Flyers like they normally do this time of year.

Most like JVR’s size (6′3″, 211), but I like his strength with the puck. He is the quintessential power forward in that sense and the kind of player that could flourish in the Flyer system. Something tells me we will see vanRiemsdyk in orange and black sooner rather than later, but he likely will start the season in the AHL. He is a guy to definitely watch for in 2009-10, but even moreso in 2010-11.

7. Colin Wilson, C, Nashville Predators: What is it with these WJC guys? Wilson did great things with the U.S. Team as well then moved on to two years at Boston University where he continued to dominate. Scoring 55 points in 47 games last year for National Champion BU will get you more than noticed. Writers from the Preds are expecting him to possibly make the jump onto the roster when the season starts. I am guessing he is impressing that many people at camp again this year just like last year.

Now what can Wilson do for this season? Actually, quite a bit. Nashville needs a centre that can put some points up in case Jason Arnott gets hurt again, and Wilson is the perfect man for the job. The question is will they put him in the AHL to start or do they need him that badly right now? The latter option seems to be winning out and the reality is Wilson has the potential to break out as an NHL player this year. Look deep in your leagues, especially keeper ones, for this kid.

8. Matt Gilroy, D, New York Rangers: This kid’s life seems almost not fair. He was a walk on to a major university then wins a National Title. Now, he’s dazzling the world in the Ranger camp. It seems like a fairy tale story and yet it is not. Gilroy’s four years at Boston University saw him mature into the playmaking defenseman that he is now. I saw him make a play just the other night that blew my mind. Yes, it’s only preseason, but when a player can knife through a Jacques Lemaire defense, that will cause you to raise your eyebrows very quickly.

Now I know how the Rangers develop their youngsters (see Hugh Jessiman). However, Gilroy is not only can’t miss but he may be New York’s best defenseman come the end of the year. That says a lot for a kid just coming out of college, but he is that good. Gilroy will not only make the team, but he’ll make quite an impact — he may get 30 or 35 points from the blueline this year. Gilroy will even make some plays that will make you just say ‘wow!’

9. Jonas Gustavsson, G, Toronto Maple Leafs: This is a guy that broke all of Henrik Lundqvist’s old SEL records. That will get you some pub right there. Yes, Gustavsson also did have a minor heart procedure and people will cringe and think the worst, but it was just that — minor. Also, he is being thrown into the lion’s den a bit in Toronto. We all know that and yet most think he can excel because well he is so fundamentally sound and he is not 20 like most prospects.

Gustavsson turns 25 next month and does Vesa Toskala or Joey MacDonald really seem like much to stand in his way? Probably not. The Monster will start this season in Toronto and with the help of a beefier blueline (Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin), he will achieve a little bit of success unlike Justin Pogge, who was absolutely like a deer in headlights. The biggest thing that will aid Gustavsson is his ability to adapt and that is why he will win close to 15-20 games even in Toronto with limited time.

10. Mikael Backlund, C, Calgary Flames: Do not sleep on this one. Backlund is playing well in camp and though he’s in the WHL as of now, that may not stop him. He did have a cup of coffee (one game) with Calgary last year. If injuries strike, there is a possibility that Backlund could crack the lineup and what a nice lineup it is in the Sea Of Red. By the way, Backlund had 30 points in 28 games for Kelowna of the WHL and that is no easy task.

So what should you expect from Backlund this year? I think he cracks the Calgary lineup late in the season. He may or may not play in the WHL, but I think the AHL may be a more likely destination at this time. Backlund’s poise in the playoffs for Kelowna may have assured that. More importantly, he has the chance to make an impact anywhere he plays and not many prospects can say that.

Well, that is it for the rookies, which means we are getting closer to the start of the season. Happy drafting.