I expect that Mats Zuccarello Aasen (Norway) will get a shot with an NHL team every soon. He is small (very small), and was overlooked during his draft eligibile years because of this. The fact that he played hockey in Norway obviously didn’t help either. However, he is fast and incredibly skilled, and plays an NHL game. He is making world class plays against world class defensemen.

Dobber’s latest over at Puck Daddy.

It’s back! Got a fantasy question on your mind? Ask me here!

Darren Dreger expects Boston to add a defenseman via the trade route once the transaction freeze lifts after the Olympics. He didn’t name any names. Expect a flurry of activity, as most teams play only one game until the March 3rd deadline.

Martin Brodeur is confirmed by Mike Babcockas the Sunday starter for Canada.

Update – Brodeur will get the win. An OT win will be considered a win for the purposes of the DobberHockey Olympics pool.

The Olympics pool – some scoring snafus to clarify: Crosby’s overtime goal counts as a goal in International hockey (the winner) so it counts in our pool. Martin Brodeur got the win, but it was an overtime win according to IIHF rules. I  (Dobber) will look at this with Angus and figure out a proper and fair way to score this and post the result here in the ramblings. Right now, Brodeur does not have a win in the pool.

Slovakia/Russia. In a word…. wow! What a game! Chara was a monster all game. Meszaros had to contain Ovechkin and did a pretty good job. Kovalchuk was buzzing, as was Malkin. So great to see the likes of Palffy and Stumpel back out there.

Both goalies were fantastic. Jaro Halak is a special, special goalie. He has the upside to be one of the best in the world, if he isn’t there already. Montreal won’t make a mistake by keeping him, even if Price develops into the goalie that many are expecting.

Pavol Demitra, who scored the shootout winner, was absolutely amazing last night. Makes you wonder if he can return to being a point-per-game guy down the stretch. Sure, playing with Marian Hossa helps, but Demitra is competing and battling extremely hard. The pride of playing for Slovakia is obviously taking over. He has an interesting shootout style of going out very wide. In theory, it cuts down on his angle to attack, but he is able to get the goalie moving very quickly because of it. He is close to 50% in his career in shootouts, so it obviously works for him.

Scott Niedermayer was absolutely awful last night. Slow (I know, right?), weak on the puck, and he made about 10 horrible passes that led to a change in possession. Keith was a bit dicey as well still, he seems nervous to me.

Both Canada and Russia are in the same boat up front – a ton of talent, but (in my opinion) both teams need to start riding a line or two more than others. It is hard for 20-22 minute a night players to suddenly get 10-12 and expect to be the same player. They need more ice time to get to the appropriate comfort level.

I really like the game from Toews again. Such a smart player. SJ line was the best and looks like the top unit now. Rick Nash had a tough game as well – gripping the stick a bit too tight, and he started to get in the habit of cherry picking, which is his speciality in Columbus.

Cody Hodgson has three goals and 10 points in seven games with Brampton (OHL) since returning from injury. He has looked especially strong in the last few games. The Battalion are a decent team, but a far cry from where they were last year with Matt Duchene and Evgeni Grachev both in the mix.

Some Canuck updates: Kevin Bieksa skated recently, and it sounds like it went well. He should be back around mid March.

Henrik Sedin has been battling back spasms over the past few weeks, which helps to explain his struggles on the Canucks recent road trip. He looked good but not great in Sweden’s first game. They need to get Weinhandl off that line – the chemistry was there almost 10 years ago, but there are players that fit way better with the twins at this point (Patric Hornqvist, for example, as he plays a game similar to that of Alex Burrows).

I’ll announce the winner of the signed Eric Staal photo for “funniest team name” in the DobberHockey Olympic Pool on Saturday morning. Stay tuned!

Also, I will try and find some time over the next few days for another one of my fantasy advice topics over on the message boards.

This beautiful jersey could be yours in less than two weeks (provided you entered the DobberHockey Olympic Pool…). Thanks again to the fine folks over at the Sports Lettering Company for the beautiful jersey! Check their site out for all of your baseball/hockey jersey customization needs.