Some thoughts on Briere, Drury, and Morozov signing next summer…a defensemen ranking list?…Semin gets no recognition…an under-the-radar PIM defenseman…Rick Nash…and props to Frolov…all in this week's edition of Letters…  

Dobber

I'm making a run for first in my pool (10 point lead at the break), and I've got an offer I'd like some advice on if you wouldn't mind.

To Me: Mara and Selanne and his 8th for To Him: Liles, Cammalleri or Roy and my 1st.

A few things around the pool. Forwards get 1 for a goal, 1 for an assist, D get 2 for a goal, 1 for an assist. Our draft is 8 rounds

Thanks in advance. Zach

Since Cammalleri just picked up four points on Saturday, it is easy to say "no" here. Unfortunately, you sent me this email over a week ago – sorry I took so long to do another letters column. You probably do not want to get rid of Liles anyway – unless it guarantees you the win. He will be back soon, and will top Mara in points regardless.

For the rest of the season, what order would you put these players in? Zidlicky, Preissing, Wideman, Kuba, Salo and Hainsey G(2) A(1). By the way thanks for all the help I'm in 1st place out of 15 people. Ian

Tough one. I always think Zidlicky will turn it around but he has yet to do so. All the same, I'm going to sucker for it again and go: Zidlicky, Preissing, Kuba, Wideman, Hainsey, and Salo – although watch Hainsey's current injury.

I was lookng at things in my pool and I was wondering if you have ever compiled a list integrating the Goalies and Forwards into one list. I have made a deal in my pool to grab another top notch Goalie, and now I have Luongo, Turco, Vokoun and Emery. I am now looking to deal one of them for a top forward and am trying to find out what guys would be of equal value. If there was a list maybe that made that had all the players included (Goalies and Forwards) and had where you placed them, like a top 400 list, I think that would be helpful. I know Goalies points are a little messy as times, but I think the standard for them would be 2 Points for a win and 3 for a Shut-out. Just wondering if you ever thought about this.

Celly

I've thought about it but it would be far too tough to implement. As it is, people want the rankings with penalty minutes, or by position, or no penalty minutes, or blah blah blah – 100 different pools, too many different ways to rank. I just keep it simple – strictly points, all skaters. Goalies get their own list.

Hello Mr. Dobbs,

I have to keep 3 of the following defenseman (TOUGH!!), lifetime pool, points only. Corvo, Zubov, E. Johnson, Visnovsky, Vlasic, Bourdon.

Who would you pick?

Thanks, Jérome

Johnson, Visnovsky…and still probably Zubov.

Dobber,

I’ve seen you give Alex Semin a little recognition in your guides, but I don’t see or hear anyone else, outside of Espo on XM, give Semin any love. Is it just that he is living in the Shadow of AO or is there something else the leads the media to not talk him up? I think he is just getting to the outside of his anonymity window.

Thoughts? SPC

I think you are exactly right, which is why I made him one of the topics of conversation in last week's XM interview, and made him the headline in last Monday's Daily Slate. I CAN make a difference! ;)

Hey Dobber, I need some advice. The 4 centers on my fantasy team are Chris Drury, Vincent Lacavalier, Eric Staal and Henrik Sedin. Damon Langkow is currently available on the waiver wire….should I pick him up? If so, should I drop Drury or Sedin?(Staal is on the "no drop" list, so I can't drop him, though I'd like to!). Thanks! — Jeff

If goals and assists are equal, your team is just fine at center. Tough to pass up Langkow, but man – you have a good foursome as it is.

Hi Dobber, I, like many of us, find myself in a keeper league where having a certain # of defenceman playing, and carrying over at least one, is a prerequisite. I very much enjoy your rankings and find them useful. But given that a list of the top 300 players can include only so many D, I wonder what you would think of the suggestion of a separate list for defence, much as you have a separate list for goalies and a separate list for prospects. I'm new to my pool, rebuilding almost from scratch, and am very happy to report that I traded up to get Ryan Whitney early. If the future is a big consideration in your rankings, then I think this guy should have a bullet beside his name in any listing. Hey, there's another idea. Ever think of putting a bullet beside the names of those few players – say in the first 3 to 4 years of their careers – whom YOU think have a particularly bright future, even if they're currently listed low due to (probably) youth? rich

I have made this part of my plan for the new, re-launched site. Still shooting for mid-February, but a Top Defenseman list is in the works.

Hey Dobber,

I’m in a keeper league and have a lot of scoring up front. I want to turn my D into more of a ± and PIM stat position. Any suggestions on who I should move and who I should try to pick up? Here’s my current D:

Weber Commodore Zidlicky Carle Seabrook Berard

Thanks for the site!

Oz

Mark Giordano, Calgary. I like his PIM and points upside, and he is available in most pools.

Good day my friend. I have been visiting your site regularly since fall, love it (bought the mid season guide to show my appreciation to all the hard work you have done and information that you have been passing on). Anyways 2 questions:

1)Daniel Briere

What are your thoughts about him and Drury resigning?? My thoughts are that Briere is signed for 5 million this year and Drury at 3.5. I am thinking that Biron will not resign and will look for a starter position freeing up about 2.5 mill. If my math is correct they could sign both players to 5.25 mill and still be all good. Miller plays most of the games anyways so they could get a cheap backup to take Birons spot and still be all good. Reason I am asking is we are in a keeper league and if a player is UFA and doesn't sign by the July 1st deadline he is lost from your team (I have him on my squad). I could try and trade him to get something or risk him not resigning and getting nothing in return. I know Briere is very happy in Buffalo and wants some stability by signing a long term deal but I was just wondering what your thoughts were…

2) Rick Nash

I traded for Nash last year (giving up quite a bit) and I was just wondering what your thoughts are for the rest of this year, next year and years after, will he be a 100 point player?? At this point I am thinking of maybe dealing him for Backstrom or maybe Richards. If Kopitar can come over here and play as well as he did getting like 13 points in the SEL, I am sure Backstrom playing with the Alexanders will do better. Richards is having an off year but at 26 has a few years to go and I imagine him having a better year next year.

My opinion is that Buffalo will sign Briere but will have to let Drury go. Neither will settle for the same money as they played for this year. I think Nash will be a 45-50 goal scorer and a 85-95 point player. While 100 is possible, I think it is too exclusive a club for him to join. This year was an off year for the entire team and I think they will bounce back next year.

Gidday Dobber!

I picked up Lawrence Nycholat a few weeks back. I checked my team roster today for the playing minutes of each player and noticed that Nycholat had not played yesterday. The injury reports did not identify anything for him. Thanks for reporting 'the scratch'.

I am going to drop Nycholat and pick up Claude Giroux of Philadelphia as per your comments in the Mid Season Guide.

Question: Morozov is UFA and leading the scoring race in the Russian Super League. I understand that he is hopeful of returning to the NHL next year. Considering that he previously played in Pittsburgh I considered that he might return to their team. I considered that he might also be a great mentor for Mr. Malkin and/or a great linemate for Malkin, Crosby, Staal, etc. Could he be signed to an NHL contract, this year, when the Russian league is finished. I am wondering if I should pick him up in our pool.

Thanks again.

Garth

Pick him up! I did. I believe he will be in the NHL for sure and if healthy will be 70+ points. He will not go back to Pittsburgh though.

You need to give Frolov some props after all the bashing you've done to him. I've stuck with him despite all of your invective and I'm glad I did.

I also think you have to be very careful who you name a band-aid boy (Sturm). When you say stuff like that with nothing to back it up you lose credibility. You've got an excellent excellent site but please tell me why you think someone is a band-aid boy don't just give me your gut feel.

Stuart

This season: Head injury, Feb. 3rd Thigh injury, Nov. 2nd

Last season: Upper body, Mar. 1st

Season before: Missed 18 games

Some part of this guy's body is always hurting. Marco Sturm is a band-aid boy. I don't give that label lightly, I give it if I hear rumblings in my pools around a player being injury-prone. Sturm is guaranteed to miss 5-15 games a year. This isn't new news, I have been saying it for a couple of years now. I even predicted 75 games in my preseason pool guide, so even then I knew he would miss at least seven games. You can set your watch to his injuries, Stuart my man! I will give Frolov props, but I have not been completely negative about him. When he's hot I always mention it. He is one of the streakiest players in the league, going 10 games with 18 points and following up with 10 more and three points. When he is on a hot streak, you can trade him for a 90-point player…so you should. That would be selling high. I never once said you should drop Frolov or trade him for crap. I merely said trade him while he is hot. For example, if you traded him on January 4th after he picked up 12 points in five games you may have been able to pick up a Datsyuk and a prospect for him. At the time he had 45 points in 42 games. Sticking with him got you 10 points in 13 games. Trading him would have got you 18 points in 12 games…plus a prospect.

When I suggest trading a player, I mean explore what is out there for that player and improve your team. That player is experiencing a peak in value. Frolov is good, but wouldn't Datsyuk and a prospect have been better?

Thanks for drawing attention to what I should be doing – I'll explain myself more clearly in the future. This is a beauty of a question – I don't get criticized enough.