The 2010-11 Fantasy Hockey Guide is UP. Draft List is up now.

Angus will be on Team 1040 at 12:30…which is now. So head over there and listen!

Today is the day. The fifth annual DobberHockey Fantasy Hockey Guide will be out sometime this afternoon between one and three o’clock. The first guide on the market, and I’ll update it at least a dozen times by October 8. Not just roster updates either – I’ll be updating all the charts, adding notes, camp observations – and knowing Angus he’ll probably want to toss another helpful article or two in there as well. Whatever we can do to give you an edge, we want to do it. The Guide is in .pdf form and can be picked up in  your Downloads. The Draft List will be in Excel and that can also be picked up in your downloads – I will post here as soon as they are uploaded and ready.

The Sharks recently signed up-and-coming rearguard Jason Demers. While I see Vlasic improving his points total, I think Demers also benefits from the Blake retirement. I think both players will top 35 points this season.

The NHL and NHLPA have agreed on an aribtrator. It’s the same guy who did the Clarke MacArthur ruling, so he’ll extend Kovalchuk’s contract to 22 years and make it for $115 million. Just kidding, it’s not that guy. But that’s what he’d do, especially if he thought that MacArthur was worth $2.4 million. (yeah yeah, I know the arbitrator has nothing to do with setting contract amount/term – this was just a bad joke)

The flaws in arbitration:
1. Agents have charisma. They’re paid to speak and negotiate. GM’s are businessmen. In front of a arbitrator, an agent would talk circles around a GM.
2. Arbitrators know nothing about hockey. They would give Clarke MacArthur $2.4 million, but a much more coveted Blake Wheeler $2.2 million. Even Tim Kennedy holds more value than MacArthur (or the Sabres would have traded him to Atlanta instead). Yet Kennedy was awared just over a million bucks.

The Habs have signed d-man Alex Picard to a two-way contract. He probably bumps Weber down a notch in terms of ‘first offensive rearguard who gets called up’.

Chicago got Niemi’s contract under $3 million, but now it’s in that purgatory range of 2.25 to 2.75 where they have to make a tough decision – sign him at the $2.75 million, or sign Turco at $2 million. Niemi is the better goaltender, although if Turco joins this team he’ll get the W’s handed to him. I could win 35 games as Chicago’s goalie, so I’m sure Turco could get at least 33 or 34 (ha ha)

The Oilers signed Jeff Deslauriers to a one-year deal. They have three goalies on one-way contracts, though Khabibulin will either be in jail or the injury word come puck drop.

Devin Setoguchi also signed a one-year deal for $1.75 million. That’s barely more than Derek Boogaard.