August 08, 2013

Dobber Sports

2013-08-08

 

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The Fantasy Guide can be picked up online in pdf form for the small price of $9.99. And unlike newsstand magazines – besides being way better – this one will be updated up to October. And that includes the projections.

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The NHL is prepared to take over the NJ Devils, only a few weeks after finally selling the Coyotes to actual buyers. The Devils have $230 million of debt and their owner (Jeff Vanderbeek) recently missed the first payment on a restructured bank loan.

 

Here’s an idea – maybe don’t build a gorgeous new arena in the middle of the ghetto?

 

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Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarkovsky are both off to the KHL for this season. Two players who never really re-found their games after leaving TO.

 

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Zack Kassian is in phenomenal shape and is excited to play for John Tortorella – that and more from a recent interview I did with his summer strength coach, Dave Orton.

 

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Drew Shore is putting in some serious hard work this summer – and he will need it, as the Panthers are suddenly kind of deep up the middle after the Gomez signing (mind you, a lot of that is unproven talent like Barkov and Bjugstad).

 

Saying all of the right things:

 

"Confidence is such a big thing," Shore said of his mindset going into next season. "You see some guys who score 30 one year and then score 10 the next and vice versa. The player didn't get that much better or worse, a lot of it is just their confidence. Coming into this year I feel a lot more confident and I am excited."


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Sticking with Florida – here's a good interview with recent OHL MVP Vincent Trocheck.

 

"You give him something to do, and boy oh boy, he's going to do it," said Skrudland who could hardly contain his excitement when asked about Trocheck. "It's guys like Vinny that are going to help the (Nick) Bjugstads, that are going to push the (Aleksander) Barkovs, believe it or not … That's my gut feeling that he's that type of leader."


The future is bright in Sunrise, to say the very least. What an impressive collection of young forwards.

 

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I don't see Horvat making the Canucks this year. There are too many things working against him – age and his contract (compared to Schroeder and Lain, particularly) to name two.

 

My early guess at Vancouver's bottom six:

 

Schroeder centering Booth and Hansen, and Kellan Lain centering Weise and Sestito. I think Brendan Gaunce probably has a better shot at making the team than Horvat.

 

 

Send Horvat back to London, let him dominate there and with Canada, and then give him a really long look next fall. That's what I'd do, at least (assuming he doesn't completely dominate training camp this year and force his way onto the team).

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Joakim Andersson is back in Detroit. I have him pencilled in on line four right now, which means that Abdelkader will very likely stay on the wing. How do these lines look to Detroit fans?

 

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Alfredsson

 

Nyquist-Weiss-Franzen

 

Tatar-Helm-Abdelkader

 

Miller-Andersson-Eaves/Bertuzzi/Samuelsson

 

I don't see Tatar and Nyquist BOTH making the team, but they should. Detroit will probably have at least one more veteran in the mix there somewhere.

 

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Does Carolina prospect Brock McGinn have top-six upside?

 

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Why Seattle is the next great hockey town.

 

A closer look at a prospect I really like – Edmonton's Toni Rajala.

 

A look at Winnipeg's OHL prospects, including Mark Scheifele.

 

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Bo Horvat has some nice toe-drags in this montage:

 

 

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A new mode in NHL 14:

 

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