*

 

Putting together my sixth annual Prime Cuts roster, which I will be releasing in the coming weeks. Details here, and I’d love to see some submissions too!

 

*

 

Nashville winger Bobby Butler has four points in his last four games. Hey… somebody has to score.

 

Victor Bartley had two helpers for the Preds – he has very quietly been rock solid on the back end as a rookie. Limited upside, but the Predators have found another solid (and cheap) defender internally.

 

Two assists and 14 faceoff wins for Mr. Toews. May he be meeting Mr. Hart in a few months?

 

Bryan Bickell has points in four of his last six games. The Hawks have done a great job developing him – he’s outworked much higher profile (and more talented) prospects – Kyle Beach and Jeremy Morin, most notably. Bickell plays a hard, physical game, but he knows his way around the offensive zone.

 

Players like him are crucial to the success of teams like Chicago with a significant amount of cap space allocated to a few assets.

 

*

 

The two Alberta teams both won last night, worsening their respective draft positions. At this point, Oilers fans are probably sick of cheering for draft-related losses, though.

 

Justin Schultz had two assists in less than 17 minutes of ice time. He’s a phenomenal talent but the Oilers didn’t surround him with enough help on the back end. He’s been overwhelmed defensively at times.

 

Jordan Eberle had a great game – three points, and he was dangerous all night with the puck on his stick.

 

*

 

I don’t think Mikael Backlund will ever have 17 PIM in an NHL game again, but it did happen last night. No points though.

 

Roman Horak scored a goal – he played over 18 minutes, and won 10 faceoffs. He’ll get a lot of ice time during the final week.

 

*

 

 

I hate that feeling when you check the box score of a high scoring game knowing that you don’t own many/any players on either team….

 

*

 

The Ryan Miller era is coming to an end with a massive thud. Miller was yanked after giving up four goals on 14 shots (although Enroth didn’t do much better, allowing four goals in 15 shots).

 

The Rangers and Sabres combined for a whopping x goals.

 

Carl Hagelin scored a goal – his first point in three games. He’s been great this season, but the production has dropped off a bit as of late (although his earlier pace was unsustainable).

 

Rick Nash has five points in his last two games – he has been in beast mode over the past few games (and for a lot of the season). Love watching him play when he “brings it.” No one in the league (Ovechkin, maybe) can match his size/skill combination.

 

Derek Stepan continues his strong season. May he find his way onto my 2013 Prime Cuts roster?

 

Brad Richards has been supbar this season (especially relative to salary and expectation), but he had a hat trick last night, and has five points in his last two games. Turning his game around just in time? Or is it too late for the Rangers?

 

Mark Pysyk scored his first career NHL goal for the Sabres. He played just under 20 minutes on the back end (third behind the following two guys).

 

Andrej Sekera and Christian Ehrhoff were a combined minus-10. Not bad at Augusta….

 

*

 

Lost in a mess of a season – the stellar play of PA Parenteau in Colorado. The best UFA signing from last summer? He’s been a top line stud/star and has helped Matt Duchene find his scoring touch once again as well.

 

*

 

Kovalchuk may play this weekend, as his shoulder is feeling a lot better. Would the Devils be better off shutting him down for the season?

 

*

 

Lightning prospect Tyler Johnson has been named AHL MVP. He is the second consecutive Lightning prospect to win the award (Cory Conacher won it in 2011-12). Johnson has top six upside – he's small, but like Conacher, he makes up for his lack of size with skill, grit, and smarts.

 

*

 

Dennis Wideman is out with a broken finger – Calgary's current defensive group consists of Chris Butler, Cory Sarich, (the artist formally known as) Mark Giordano, TJ Brodie, Brett Carson, Anton Babchuk, and the recently called up Mark Cundari. Imagine how much it would sting to be the healthy scratch out of that group?

 

*

 

 

Svedberg, who received the Baz Bastien Award as the AHL’s top goalie, could tie John Grahame’s record 37 wins, set in ’98-99 Calder Cup yr.

— Providence Bruins (@AHLBruins) April 19, 2013

 

 

*

 

Erik Karlsson has been cleared for contact, and according to Ottawa GM Bryan Murray, he is 100% healthy. Impressive recovery, to say the very least.

 

Karlsson is a game-changer/decider/breaker for the Sens (and for my fantasy keeper league team, too). Let's hope he's back into game action ASAP.

 

*

 

We have a bunch of products now available for purchase – read on for the details:

 

*

 

Dobber's 2013 Interactive Playoff Draft List is available for purchase

The details:

 

For the eighth year in a row, Dobber has you covered – all the player injury notes, their anticipated rate of production – all sortable by team, by name or by points. Use Dobber’s own draft list, or create your own with his formulas. It’s simple – select the team coming out of each bracket and work your way to the Final. Once done, sort it however you like, print it and you’re all set. Take a look at several scenarios, run it as often as you like!

Not only that…

 

Ultimate Fantasy Pack Special – Until May 15, if you add this product to your shopping cart, along with the Keeper League Fantasy Pack, use coupon code: ULTIMATE and receive $3.00 off!

*

 

The 2013 DobberHockey Prospects Report is available for purchase

The details:

The seventh annual report from Dobber. Includes 8-12 fantasy-worthy prospects from each team, their upsides, their ETA for the NHL, and the 3YP stat – projected three-year average of their best NHL seasons (if they were to make it). NEW: we’ve added draft advice for each player as it pertains to keeper leagues. Also, a close look at the 2013 Entry Draft, complete with Mock Draft. A must for serious Keeper-League owners! Adobe pdf file. Released June 1, 2013.

*

 

The 2013-14 Fantasy Guide is available for purchase

This is going to be our biggest and best yet – just as it is every year. Any feedback or things you want to see this year? Feel free to comment below, e-mail me, or fire me a message on Twitter.

 

*

 

Thanks for buying the products to help support the site (and all of the free offerings, like the ramblings you are reading right now).

 

I am serious about the feedback – Dobber and I want to deliver the best possible product to you guys, and we have made changes and additions in the past based on feedback from our members and readers.

 

*

 

 

Courtesy of CanucksArmy

 

*

 

Everything you ever wanted to know about Evgeni Kuznetsov (and most importantly, when he could be making his NHL debut) is right here.

 

Does Kuznetsov Want To Play in the NHL?

After meeting him at Development Camp and following him over the last few years with my team, I think he absolutely does. I believe that the Olympics and money played a huge factor in staying in Russia until 2014. And really, he wouldn't have a Capitals air freshener in his car and constantly wear Capitals hats if he wasn't excited about playing in the NHL someday. But this is the x factor. Does Kuznetsov want to be here? Does Kuznetsov want to continue playing in 2013-14 after Traktor's season ends?

*

Brandon Dubinsky goes after Drew Doughty – the Jackets sure aren't an easy team to play against, and it is because of gritty players like Dubinsky:

 

 

*

 

Alex Petrovic made his NHL debut last night for the Panthers. Petrovic is a physical two-way defenseman with a big shot and solid offensive instincts. It will be interesting to see where he fits in next year – do the Cats roll with Gudbranson, Brennan, and Petrovic in the top six? Colby Robak is also in the mix. A lot of talent, but not a lot of experience.

 

I nabbed Petrovic a few weeks ago for my farm squad – in a league with PIM and hits (in addition to the usual stuff), I like his upside. A lot.

 

Petrovic was the eighth Panther to make his NHL debut in 2013.

 

*

 

An awesome goal from the Czech league – I will never get tired of this move:

 

 

*

 

Today's team to analyze: Chicago Blackhawks

2013-14 sleeper: Brandon Pirri

Next year Pirri will finally get his shot to play regular minutes in Chicago. Unless the team goes out and signs someone, he is the second line center of the future. He's more talented than Marcus Kruger, and Dave Bolland has struggled in that role this season.

 

Pirri has had a fantastic AHL season – from start to finish, he has been one of the most consistently productive and offensively dangerous forwards in the league. He's a crafty center who sees the ice really well, and will excel with some scorers on his line (which he is guaranteed if and when he makes the Blackhawks roster).

 

Long term sleeper: Adam Clendening

Clendening has had a phenomenal rookie season in the AHL – the two-way defenseman scored eight goals and had 44 points in total for the Rockford Icehogs in 2012-13.

 

Clendening played two years at BU before turning pro – he was a productive defenseman in both of those seasons. He was Chicago's 2^nd round pick from 2011. The Hawks have done a great job developing Nick Leddy, and while they aren't the same defenseman, Clendening could have a similar impact for the Hawks in a few years.

 

*

 

Is there a goaltender that makes more highlight reel saves than Ondrej Pavelec? He's an extremely athletic goaltender, and he relies on his speed and reflexes a lot more than most other goalies. A lot of fun to watch, and he's playing great hockey right now (most of the time, Winnipeg's defensive coverage leaves a lot to be desired).

 

*

 

Hope everyone has a great (and safe) weekend. Enjoy the hockey, time away from work, and (hopefully) good weather!

 

*