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Today’s Studs & Duds – as always a good read.

 

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Don’t forget to challenge myself and Dobber in a one-day fantasy hockey challenge. Free to join, takes just a minute or two to pick your 10 players (unless you want to really do your homework to try to take us down), and the Top 10 finishers get a piece of the $300 prize. Details here.

 

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Three straight shutouts for Brian Elliott. I wonder how many fantasy league playoffs he is going to win?

 

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I can’t really comprehend what Pascal Dupuis is doing – three more points. His production without Crosby has been ridiculous (almost as ridiculous as his production with Crosby). Who saw this coming?

 

Jussi Jokinen had three points last night (as did Dupuis). He’s looked great in Pittsburgh. Don’t forget that he will be a Penguin next year, too. Has to bode well for his fantasy value.

 

Kris Letang had one assist in 23:31 of ice time – his first game back after missing a few with a broken toe.

 

Brett Connolly had a goal for the Lightning, but he played less than seven minutes. 

 

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Montreal:

 

PK Subban had a phenomenal game and continues his Norris-calibre season (right behind Suter). Subban had six shots on goal and two points in about 25 minutes of ice time. The point was made already – Subban probably won’t win the Norris because of his lack of even strength ice time (compared to other top defensemen). However, he has been as impactful as any defenseman in 2013.

 

Michael Ryder had two assists and was very involved offensively – what a great trade for the Habs (and I think Cole will work out nicely in Dallas, too).

 

Both Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk scored – the value of good drafting and developing (although the Habs did get Galchenyuk with a high pick).

 

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Josh Bailey scored twice for the Isles – whenever I see him have good games, I wonder why he isn’t a PPG player? I guess consistency is the major issue, as it is with many good second/third line forwards.

 

Gregory Campbell played over 22 minutes, and finished with an assist. He’s a must-add if you are trying to eek out some points in your fantasy league playoff.

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Tough break for the Bruins:

 

Soderberg’s transfer is blocked since Team Sweden wants him at the Worlds. “It’s a matter of principles to us”, vp Forsberg said. #bruins

— Linus Hugosson (@linushugosson) April 11, 2013

 

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Filip Forsberg is coming over to North America, and he is going to suit up for a few games for the Predators. He should arrive at some point over the weekend. Great news for Preds fans, and for those of you in keeper leagues, it is nice to get an early look at a top prospect.

 

Speaking of skilled forward prospects….

 

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My next top 10 keeper league list – forward prospects. Here is a link to my past lists, as well as a place to rank yours – I'd love to read some submissions.

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The Hockey Writers with a look at some undervalued players for fantasy hockey playoff pools.

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Taylor Hall somehow escaped penalty on this – vicious play:

 

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JT Miller's wrist is healed, but he is headed back to the AHL – if the Rangers make the postseason, I'd expect him back up in the NHL.

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Carl Hagelin's goal on Wednesday night was his first in 11 games – I think he is the major winner of the Gaborik trade, as his speed and forechecking is something the Rangers need in their top six and nine. That will mean that he will see opportunities to produce, even in lieu of offensive production (although that won't last too long with Tortorella calling the shots).

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Jake Muzzin has been very solid for the Kings this season (safe for a few rough outings, like his game earlier this week against Dallas). Good teams find ways to plug rookies on cheap contracts into the lineup, and it allows them to go out and make trades like the Jeff Carter one.

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Sounds like Richard Bachman will get the start tonight for the Stars – don't forget to check GoaliePost.com every day for starting goalie information.

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The Leafs may not want to say it, but Joffrey Lupul thinks he has a concussion.

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The Senators have drafted very well in recent years, and another draft pick made his NHL debut last night against the Flyers – winger Jean-Gabriel Pageau (or JGP).

Pageau has stepped into the AHL and, by all indications, been a very fast learner. Even from the preseason, his game was eye-catching. An overused phrase seems the best way to describe how Pageau plays: he’s just fun to watch. His game is built on a blend of quick feet, quicker hands and a good forecheck. He has no problem fighting to win pucks along the boards and has the kind of slickness that only smooth players can manage: in a scramble of big bodies for a puck in the corner, he somehow escapes unscathed.

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Sami Vatanen, who I mentioned as a great sleeper yesterday, was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team yesterday.

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Jimmy Howard will be a Wing for the long term – he inked a six-year extension with a cap hit just north of $5 million per season. Solid deal for both sides – Howard was an honourable mention on my most recent top 10 goalie list.

 

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Here's Dobber's latest Puck Daddy fantasy hockey post – always a must-read.

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I recently added Florida prospect Alex Petrovic to my farm keeper list (we can have eight prospects on it at any time) – love his upside with my scoring categories, and I imagine many of you use similar ones – the standard categories including hits. Petrovic is a physical two-way defenseman with offensive upside.

 

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Continuing with my 30 day look at each NHL team (one sleeper for 2013-14, and one "deep" sleeper), today we take a look at the Boston Bruins.

One quick note – the B's are in great hands for the present and future with their goalies – Rask is elite now. In the AHL, Niklas Svedberg has been sensational, and Malcolm Subban is dominating the OHL.

Sleeper – Carl Soderberg* (Soderberg’s NHL future – immediately, at least – is murky – refer to the Tweet a few lines above in today’s ramblings).

Who else? The big and skilled Swede forward makes his NHL debut, six or seven years later than most were expecting. Soderberg appeared content with carving out a career in the SEL, but Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli must have gotten to him. Soderberg plays a "Bruins" game – he's big, skilled, and really hard to knock off the puck.

It is hard to say where he fits in for now (and next year). He can play in different roles, but his future is probably on the second or third line. On a few NHL teams he may have top line potential, but Boston is so good and so deep up front.

According to Darren Dreger, Soderberg's deal is for three years. Not an entry level contract because of his age (and at $1 million per season – the rumoured deal – Soderberg will be a very cap-friendly option for Boston).

On the third line, I could see him chipping in with 15-20 goals and 40-45 points. Bump those numbers up if he is given more offensive minutes (and something tells me he will find a way to earn them.

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Deep sleeper – Seth Griffith

Boston is a tough team to find a sleeper or two on because they are so deep, and most of their core pieces are locked up for a while. I was thinking of putting Torey Krug here (he is going to be a productive NHL player), but there are a number of defensemen ahead of him on the depth chart.

Back to Griffith (who recently inked a pro contract). He's a pass-first center who has average size. Good speed, great instincts. He played with Jared Knight (another B's prospect) in the OHL. Griffith will spend two or three years in the AHL (similar to Ryan Spooner) before the B's come calling – good teams are very patient with young forwards.

Boston is a team that develops players the right way, and because of that I'd always keep an eye on who they sign and/or draft. You may have to wait a bit longer, but it will usually be worth it.

He could develop into a solid second line center (50-65 points/season) if all goes well over the next few years.

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Friedman published his 30 thoughts on Wednesday. Here are a few of mine:

On Nashville trying to find some scoring within the system:

There’s hope for several of Nashville’s young forwards like Pontus Aberg, Zach Budish, Brendan Leipsic — and Filip Forsberg will be an important piece. Poile didn’t get Martin Erat’s list of teams he’d go to until the night before the April 3 trade deadline. “I called everyone on the list, but thought it would be a summer deal,” Poile said. “I asked for a lot and got it.” Hearing that timeline, Washington was a surprise destination.

I wouldn't forget about Taylor Beck, who has seen top line minutes lately. Beck may not have top line scorer upside, but he is a good player who could score 20-25 in this league. Beck is wasting no time fitting in with the Preds.

 

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And some food for thought on Steve Mason (low risk, low reward, but for desperate poolies in keeper leagues he's probably worth a look):

I’m curious to see if Mason becomes kind of a Ray Emery II, ie. a goalie who gets serious about using his talents to the fullest of his abilities. He didn’t have the greatest work ethic, but, by all accounts, that has changed. On Hockey Night in Canada Radio on Siriux XM, Mason confirmed there was a misunderstanding about the size of gear he used to wear. It was not as big as it could have been and he was getting hurt by some of the shots he was taking. Philly will give him the opportunity to revitalize his career.

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And some college guys in the Frozen Four to keep an eye on:

The NCAA Frozen Four starts Thursday. There will be a lot of interest in the prospects that Calgary acquired for Jarome Iginla. If you’re scoping out free agents, though, keep an eye on G Eric Hartzell (Quinnipiac), F Antoine Laganiere (Yale) and F Drew LeBlanc (St. Cloud State). Hartzell and LeBlanc are nominated for the Hobey Baker Award as player of the year.

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Brendan Gallagher has had a great rookie season for the Habs (read this for some proof).

May he find his way onto my 2013 Prime Cuts roster (which I am currently working on)? Wait and see…

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