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My fantasy hockey mailbag is open for a few days – ask away here! 

 

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Nathan Gerbe lands in Carolina with a one-year, two-way deal. I love this fit for him – he should easily make the team over the likes of Bowman, Dalpe, and so on. Gerbe is a versatile player who could add some offense to Carolina’s top nine.

 

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I didn’t mention the Paul Ranger signing a few days ago. But he is with the Leafs for one year at $1 million. Before walking away from hockey back in 2009, he had established himself as a really good two-way puck movers in Tampa Bay. He’s a great sleeper for this season, as I see Toronto using him in an offensive capacity. Perhaps 25-30 points from the second pairing?

 

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Any interesting fantasy hockey action in your league right now? Mine is pretty quiet – my keepers and farm team are relatively set, and I don’t have any huge needs (outside of Crosby playing 82 games) heading into this coming season.

 

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I could use a third goalie, as behind Luongo/Schneider I have Steve Mason. And I have as much hope in Mason posting solid numbers as I do in a Nashville forward to break the 60-point mark.

 

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Some random fantasy thoughts as I go through my own team-by-team projections:

 

Carolina's bottom six forwards are a mess right now. Not much experience or talent. And that leads me to believe that they may think about moving Jeff Skinner to center.

 

Here are a few different looks:

 

Tlusty-Staal-Semin

Ruutu-Staal-Skinner

Bowman-Welsh-Dwyer

 

I assume another winger (Morrow/Raymond – someone like that) is brought in… not really sold on Bowman at all.

 

With Skinner at center:

 

Tlusty-Staal-Semin

Morrow/comparable UFA-Staal-Ruutu

Bowman-Skinner-Dwyer

 

The 'Canes also have Dalpe, Welsh, Sutter, Nash… again, not much in terms of proven experience.

 

Carolina was hoping that one of Boychuk/Dalpe/Bowman would emerge as a viable top six (or even top nine) forward. So far, that hasn’t happened.

 

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Brandon Pirri has a great shot at playing significant minutes in Chicago this season.

 

Don't discount Jeremy Morin, either. He could still produce in the right situation. Great shot, natural goal scorer, but not a great skater.

 

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Over the coming weeks, the rest of my top 10 sleepers for 2013-14 will be released. The list isn’t in any specific order – just 10 players who are primed for big years. So far, Schwartz (10) and Clutterbuck (9) have made the cut. Any guesses to the rest of the list?

 

Here’s a hint:

 

Two young stars ready for superstardom, a veteran due for a monster bounceback, and a number of young players ready to emerge.

 

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You are an NHL GM in need of goaltending. Do you call up Ilya Bryzgalov’s agent and offer a one year deal for $2 or $3 million? Why or why not?

 

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Calgary's forward lines are wide open right now. I imagine the Flames will build a line around Backlund and Bartschi, and another around Hudler and Stajan. That leaves Cammalleri to either move to the right wing or stay at center on another scoring line.

 

This kid is going to be a special player:

 

 

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It wouldn't surprise me to see Mark Pysyk get big minutes in Buffalo this season. He plays a very mature game and the Sabres will want to get the most out of him – great skater, very smart defenseman, good offensive upside.

 

As for Buffalo's forwards…. Yikes. Their best defensive center is a natural winger. Ennis will move back to the wing. Is Grigorenko ready for top-six minutes? Cody Hodgson is a very talented offensive player, but he is a significant liability defensively at even strength.

 

I don't really get what the Sabres are doing, to be honest. Trading Sekera for McBain was a huge downgrade on the back end. And they aren't exactly "rebuilding" (at least not right now). They need to think about moving Vanek/Miller, and getting anything they can for underachievers like Drew Stafford.

 

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Two-year deal for Jake Allen in St. Louis. The first year is two-way, the second year is one-way. I imagine one of Elliott or Halak will be gone by the time Allen steps in as the #1 or #2 with the Blues.

 

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The Leafs extended Dave Nonis for five years. He's had a busy summer, and it will be interesting to see how the Leafs go forward after making some significant changes under his leadership.

 

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My thoughts on Roberto Luongo switching agents recently.

 

Something along the way fell apart between Luongo and Gillis. One would think that Gillis would have a significant advantage over other NHL general managers with his extensive experience as a player agent. Agents learn how players tick.

They help them with their finances and personal lives. They become friends and confidants. Gillis seemed to leverage this experience during his first few years with the Canucks, negotiating several hometown discounts with important players.

And Pat Brisson spoke to the media yesterday, clarifying that Luongo will indeed report to training camp with the Canucks this fall.

 

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Oh, and this:

 

Hey @eddielack I’m warning you now! Don’t get any ideas this upcoming season!!! Got it???

— Strombone (@strombone1) July 25, 2013

 

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Stick tape all-star teams – yes, you read that right. Who are the best players with black tape? How about white? What colour do you use on your stick?

 

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Zach Bogosian is a strong dude:

 

 

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Taylor Hall has pretty quick hands. Impressive stickhandling display here.

 

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And some more impressive stuff – Matt Martin is a beast in the gym, and he shows off some power with a few very effective/unique exercises.

 

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Check out my latest nutrition post – including a link to hands-down the best nutrition/supplement reference book in existence. The best part is you can search the book by fitness/health goal. Want to sleep better? Find out what supplements help with that. Want to burn fat? Gain muscle? Improve energy? It's all in there.

 

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Have a great weekend! The home stretch of the 2013-14 DobberHockey Guide is upon us – the release date is next Thursday. Get excited – oh and pick up a copy!

 

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