Post Olympic Postulations (Western Conference), Part 1 of 3
Following the must-read footsteps of my Eastern counterpart, here is the first part of the Western Conference postulations.
February 23, 2009
The biggest news of the day is the unsurprising announcement that Canada will ride Roberto Luongo the rest of the way. Because, at this point, if another goalie change is needed, the team is toast anyway. Angus didn't really say he was off to see women's curling last night. Really he meant to type... [...]
Two to Watch: A Viking and Jagr’s Pal
The first week of men’s ice hockey at the 2010 Olympics has produced no shortage of highlights and lowlights. Canada started the week with a bang, but went out with a fizzle. Alex Ovechkin’s seismic hit on Jaromir Jagr was a collision of arguably the two most physically dominant forwards of the past 20 years. Ovechkin is more of an aggressor, while Jagr could shield off entire teams behind his unusually large rear end. From a fantasy hockey perspective, many dream line combinations have been realized. How would Evgeni Malkin look centering Ovechkin and Alex Semin? We finally have the answer, and it is “fantastic.” And with regards to Team USA, the question marks surrounding their inexperience have been overshadowed by the sublime play of Ryan Miller.
Flying well below the radar of the average hockey fan have been two forwards looking to make a name for themselves – Mats Zuccarello Aasen of Norway, and Jagr’s sidekick on the Czech Republic, Roman Cervenka. Both are good enough to be playing in the NHL, especially the pint-sized Zuccarello Aasen, who should expect the offers to pour in after his season in Europe finishes up.
To the Gallows!
It took just 30 ticks for Martin Brodeur to mishandle a puck behind his net and 11 more for him to needlessly go paddle-down on a routine Brian Rafalski slap shot. A tiny redirection sent the puck just over Brodeur’s blocker and like a sudden slap in the face, Team USA struck first for an early 1-0 lead in both team’s final preliminary game.
February 22, 2010
Angus here, popping in for a moment before I head off to watch some women's curling! Andy Strickland is reporting that Tomas Kaberle IS willing to waive his NTC. Quite a change from even a few weeks ago... However, he wants to stay in the Eastern Conference. I'll have an article out this [...]
Trade Deadline Preview I
The fantasy take on the upcoming trade deadline, featuring the Western Conference
Ilya Kovalchuk has already been dealt, but there are still some smaller deals out there that could have serious repercussions on your fantasy squad. Here are some things to watch out for. All cap figures are according to Cap Geek.
February 21, 2010
What an underrated team the Slovaks are. I've always been a fan of this team, whose only weakness had been in goal over the years. Now that problem is solved with Halak, although they aren't quite as deep as they were up front in the past. Easily the fifth best team in the tourney and [...]
Olympic Break-ing Out
The NHL and European's highest leagues may be on hold for two weeks, but the rest of the hockey world continues to turn during the Olympic Break. In the shadow of the world's biggest winter sport showcase, who is jumping up the mock draft chart with standings frozen in place?
Avoid Fool’s Gold
A good way to avoid wasting your time as a prospector – and your draft picks as a fantasy hockey GM – is to learn to spot fool’s gold.
For the past couple of months, I’ve been touting players that I thought might be worth having a look at. This week, I’m going to try to get you to steer clear of a player.
February 20, 2010
I'll be at the Slovakia/Latvia game tonight. Scouting fantasy hockey sleepers, of course. Jaromir Jagr wants to return to the NHL. He will be back, I have no doubt in my mind. The rumor last season was Edmonton being the destination of choice, but I can't see that still being the case. The power [...]