August 30, 2013
Dobber Sports
2013-08-29
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Teemu is BACK! Selanne inked a one-year, $2 million deal with the Ducks today.
Fantasy analysis coming later this afternoon.
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Quick thoughts on the Miller/Stastny rumour that is making the rounds today.
Why would Colorado do this? For one, they shed Stastny’s big contract (although he is still a really solid two-way center). Miller is an upgrade on Varlamov, but by how much? I would assume Varlamov would be in the deal going the other way to Buffalo.
Stastny would be a huge upgrade on the awful center depth in Buffalo, and trading Miller would represent a reset for the organizaton.
Could the deal be expanded to include Varlamov and a defenseman from Buffalo? Colorado’s defense is still subpar, and they could definitely use one of Buffalo’s young blueliners.
Your thoughts?
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My Puck Daddy fantasy preview, with a focus on the forwards around the league. Dobber, Amato, and Laidlaw will have more articles published on PD in the coming days.
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Buy the 2013-14 DobberHockey Fantasy Guide. You know why by now!
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It’s official – Brent Burns will have D eligibility for Yahoo! leagues. Rank accordingly!
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And on that note – Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey is open for biz-ness.
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My Canucks fantasy hockey preview for CanucksArmy – Booth, Luongo, Garrison, Kassian, and more.
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Two things I often forget about Alex Galchenyuk:
He is born in 1994! The kid doesn't even turn 20 until next year.
It is simply a matter of opportunity for him. He is going to be a superstar talent, probably Montreal's first superstar forward since Guy Lafleur. Great skater, scorer, playmaker – he is going to become what Vincent Lecavalier could have (and was, albeit for only two years).
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Some thoughts on creating balance for Team Canada's defensive pairings:
The only pairing in camp that wasn’t exclusively left-right was the trio of Alex Pietrangelo, Travis Hamonic and Dan Hamhuis, who rotated through drills as the final pairing.
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I have typically published my 10 fearless forecasts as a front page post… but saved them for you guys today. Here are some details (and here is a link to my past four lists):
It has become somewhat of an annual tradition at DobberHockey – my 10 Fearless Forecasts. What a fearless forecast is – a prediction of sorts, but one that is a bit "out there." Predicting Sidney Crosby to win the Art Ross isn't a Fearless Forecast. Predicting Henrik Lundqvist to win the Vezina isn't one, either.
10. Roberto Luongo wins his first career Vezina Trophy (but still wants out of Vancouver)
9. Three defensemen score 20+ goals (Mike Green, PK Subban, and Erik Karlsson)
8. Tomas Hertl wins the Calder Trophy
7. James Reimer wins more games than Jonathan Bernier
6. Colin Wilson becomes the first Predator forward to record over 65 points since 2007-08 (JP Dumont)
5. John Tavares leads the NHL in goals, records over 100 points
4. Sidney Crosby sets a career-high in points (over 120)
3. Jaden Schwartz leads the Blues in goals
2. Brad Richards finishes in the top 10 in league scoring… as does Rick Nash
1. Ottawa wins the Stanley Cup
Feel free to share some of your bold predictions for the 2013-14 season below!
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Tomas Kaberle is heading to the KHL.
Detroit's top 10 prospects from Corey Pronman.
Should the Oilers move Hall to center?
Ville Leino is an important member of the Sabres this season (no, really)
Some sleeper picks (and good ones at that) from NHL.com
The Score's Dave Lozo ranks all 30 teams. I disagree with a lot of his rankings, but the read itself is a good one.
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Answering some questions from yesterday's ramblings:
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Thoughts on Nyquist and Coyle?
I covered Nyquist extensively in this profile here.
Coyle… I think he has Arnott-like upside (30 goals, 65-75 points, lots of hits and PIM). Will take another two years to get there, though.
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Will I be doing any fantasy hockey writing again?
Perhaps. Want to take a bit of a step back, pursue other endeavors, and get prepared for a rigorous two-year school program. Will keep up my fitness/sports/nutrition content over on my blog, though.
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Pick two keepers out of: Stepan, Voracek, Zetterberg, Byfuglien.
Assuming defensemen are a position, keep Byfuglien and Voracek. If they aren't, go with Zetterberg and Voracek. I like Stepan a lot, too. Tough pick here.
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Will the Olympic selection process change stat lines this year?
Most definitely it will – motivation will be huge for many guys (Jamie Benn, for one, and it gives Luongo that little extra to play for, too). I am not sure if this was taken into account for the guide, as I didn't write the projections. But it is something I would keep in mind on draft day, for sure. Great point.
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From Facebook – some goaltending advice.
My goalies are pretty poor (Lindback and Ramo) right now in my salary capped, points only keeper, where goalies get 2 points for a win and a bonus 5 for a shutout. Goalies are in high demand. I could likely draft Dubnyk or Emery 5th overall, or take someone like Tavares, MacKinnon, Karlsson, or an expensive Malkin, and then hope to get someone like Elliott in the 3rd round, or take Vokoun late and hope he steals the job. I am not sure that Dubnyk has the skillset to meet your guide numbers, and Philly seems to destroy goaltenders.
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Even in a goaltending-dominant league… I’d struggle to take Emery or Dubnyk over Tavares or Karlsson or Malkin. Could you potentially snag Vokoun late? I think Halakamania runs wild once again, and Elliott won’t see that many starts.
How is the trade market? Can you pursue that avenue at all? Ramo is going to play a lot this year, but he won’t win a lot (Calgary stinks). I think Bishop is a better goaltender than Lindback.
I’d be patient. You won’t fix your problem over night, and don’t panic into a boneheaded decision (like passing on a stud player just to shore up a weakness… even if it is a big one). Pay attention to the sleepers – every year there is a Bobrovsky, and he can be had below value.
I remember attending this game as a young hockey fan – the Francis-Lemieux-Jagr line absolutely thrashed the Canucks that night:
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Here is a comprehensive look at all of my 2013-14 Fantasy Hockey Preview columns (there is a lot of value in these posts – some of them may overlap, but you can construct a pretty solid draft list/strategy from reading them):
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Have a great long weekend!
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Related Posts
UPCOMING GAMES
| Dec 22 - 12:12 |
 NYR
| vs |
 CAR | |
| Dec 22 - 17:12 |
 T.B
| vs |
 FLA | |
| Dec 22 - 17:12 |
 UTA
| vs |
 ANA | |
| Dec 22 - 17:12 |
 WSH
| vs |
 L.A | |
| Dec 22 - 20:12 |
 EDM
| vs |
 OTT | |
| Dec 22 - 20:12 |
 COL
| vs |
 SEA
| |
Starting Goalies
Top Skater Views
| Players | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| PATRIK LAINE |
 MTL | |
| LANE HUTSON |
MTL | |
| JACKSON LACOMBE |
ANA | |
| ALEX TURCOTTE |
L.A | |
| DYLAN GUENTHER |
UTA
| |
Top Goalie Profile Views
MIN
BUF
LINE COMBOS
| Frequency |
OTT Players
| |
|---|---|---|
| 22.4 | BRADY TKACHUK TIM STUTZLE CLAUDE GIROUX | |
| 16.6 | SHANE PINTO NICK COUSINS MICHAEL AMADIO | |
| 15.0 | JOSH NORRIS RIDLY GREIG DRAKE BATHERSON | |
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