October 07, 2011

Dobber Sports

2011-10-07

 

Final update for the Fantasy Guide is now ready for you to download. This update – Havlat, MacLean and more…

 

Marc-Andrei Gragnani is playing for the Sabres tonight – Mike Weber is a healthy scratch.

 

The Jets claimed Brett MacLean off of waivers from Phoenix. MacLean may be a case of a player needing a fresh start, or he may also be a case of a dominant AHL forward who is simply too slow for the NHL level.

 

Five more reasons why the Canucks should be just fine this season – my latest piece for the Canucks Army.

 

Ryan Kesler looks to be coming back well ahead of schedule – Kesler could be back in five or six games from now.

 

My buddy over at Canucks Army, Thom Drance, has a great interview up with Elliotte Friedman. Friedman is of course insightful on his thoughts regarding statistics in hockey.

 

Justin Bourne, who I have been pumping up for a fe years, has hit the "big time" with his own blog over on the Score (Backhand Shelf is the name). For his latest piece he wrote about playing when you aren't quite strong enough for the competition – insightful thoughts on why he thinks Taylor Hall is primed for a big breakout season.

 

A comprehensive list of all injuries in the league right now – great read for those of you deciding between a few players for your final roster spots.

 

Meszaros, Pronger, and Timonen all saw more PP time than Matt Carle last night.

 

After Giroux and Jagr, Wayne Simmonds saw the most PP time among Flyer forwards. Very encouraging. Giroux had a spectacular goal for the Flyers – I'll post a video when I come across one on Youtube (as of early on Friday, none posted yet).

 

Joe Corvo had a helper on the lone Boston goal, and saw considerably more PP time than any other Boston defenseman. He'll push Seidenberg and Boychuk down the PP pecking order. Corvo is a bit of an adventure defensively, but he should fit in well in Boston. The Bruins can shelter him at even strength and accentuate his shot and puck moving abilities on the power play.

 

Watched all of the Montreal/Toronto game last night. I feel bad for Habs fans every time Scott Gomez steps on the ice…

 

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James Reimer looked very solid (obviously, as he ended the game with a shutout). Goes to show that a shaky preseason can be forgotten quite quickly.

 

Phaneuf looked great for the Leafs – two points, lots of ice time, smart defensive plays (yes, you read that last part right). Liles will be a great defenseman for this team as he'll take some of the pressure off of Phaneuf offensively.

 

Jake Gardiner isn't ready for the NHL in terms of positioning, but he can cover his mistakes up so easily with his incredible skating and mobility. His offense probably won't be there for a few years (at least a level of offense that would make him fantasy relevant in one year leagues).

 

Raphael Diaz saw lots of PP time for the Habs – he's a mobile defenseman with a good shot. Diaz had 12 goals and 39 points in the top Swiss league last year (this is his first season in North America). Three Swiss defensemen for Montreal over the years – Streit, Weber, and now Diaz. Impressive scouting they have over there.

 

Matt Frattin looked really good too – better than Kadri has looked for much of his short NHL career. He is a great skater and seemed to be very comfortable in the offensive zone. Saw a regular PP shift as well.

 

Pittsburgh played a great team game  – Malkin was essentially invisible but Neal and Sullivan both looked good on his wing.

 

Cody Hodgson and his linemates (Sturm, Samuelsson) didn't have a great game – Hodgson had a few good chances later in the game, though.

 

The Sedin twins were phenomenal – especially in overtime. So many chances… just a bit off with the timing.

 

Ballard looked great – saw some even strength time with the Sedin twins, who helped him score a beauty goal off of the rush. If he can rebound quickly, the team may put him in a similar even strength role as the one occupied by Ehrhoff over the past two seasons.

 

Chris Higgins was probably the best forward on the ice for either team – if he plays really well and Sturm has a slow start, he could easily slide up onto the second line. Once Kesler returns, Higgins could be an interesting fit on that line (the two have played together in previous tournaments for the USA).

 

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