New Jersey signs Damien Brunner
Michael Amato
2013-09-25
The fantasy impact of the New Jersey Devils inking Damien Brunner to a contract.
Fantasy Impact – Although Brunner is already 27-years-old, he has only played one shortened NHL season in his career. He posted a respectable 26 points in 44 games in 2013, and after receiving a tryout from the Devils during preseason, they made it official Monday inking him to a two-year $5M deal.
—- Check out the 8th annual DobberHockey Fantasy Guide right here! —-
Brunner had the luxury of playing with established veterans Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg last year for the majority of the time, but that might not be the case this year. The Devils are fairly deep at center with Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, Andrei Loktionov, and Dainius Zubrus, so Brunner may end up on the wing.
The Devils get – a player with a tremendous skill set, but still unproven at the NHL level. With the departures of wingers David Clarkson, Ilya Kovalchuk, and going even further back Zach Parise, there will be opportunities for Brunner to fill in the gap and take advantage of plenty of favourable offensive opportunities.
Fantasy Players Impacted – Brunner may have a legitimate shot of ending up in New Jersey's top six at some point this season if he exceeds expectations or simply because of injuries, but to start he will probably be headed for the third unit. Having a player like Brunner around could help centers Loktionov or Zubrus by adding some skill to their line.
On the flipside, Brunner's presence may hurt the minutes of guys like Jacob Josefson, Steve Bernier, and Mattias Tedenby, among others.
Potential Line Combos:
Elias-Zajac-Ryder
Clowe-Henrique-Jagr
Josefson-Zubrus-Brunner
Olesz-Loktionov-Bernier
Extras: Tedenby, Gionta, Carter, Barch
Keep in mind New Jersey has a lot of forwards under contract and there are several that could play center if needed, this is just an estimate.
Fantasy Players this helps, in order:
Brunner
Zubrus
Loktionov
Fantasy Players this hurts, in order:
Josefson
Tedenby
Carter
Gionta
Michael Amato is an Associate Editor for DobberHockey and a News Editor for theScore. You can follow him on Twitter at @amato_mike
Related Posts
UPCOMING GAMES
| Jan 22 - 19:01 |
 N.J
| vs |
 BOS | |
| Jan 22 - 19:01 |
 TOR
| vs |
 CBJ | |
| Jan 22 - 21:01 |
 COL
| vs |
 WPG | |
| Jan 22 - 22:01 |
 L.A
| vs |
 FLA
| |
Starting Goalies
Top Skater Views
| Players | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| DARREN RADDYSH |
 T.B | |
| LANE HUTSON |
 MTL | |
| MIKE LUNDIN |
 | |
| KAAPO KAKKO |
 SEA | |
| PAVEL DOROFEYEV |
 VGK
| |
Top Goalie Profile Views
DAL
WSH
OTT
NYR
LINE COMBOS
| Frequency |
 VAN Players
| |
|---|---|---|
| 22.3 | PIUS SUTER J.T. MILLER CONOR GARLAND | |
| 20.8 | ELIAS PETTERSSON JAKE DEBRUSK BROCK BOESER | |
| 19.2 | KIEFER SHERWOOD DANTON HEINEN TEDDY BLUEGER | |
DobberHockey Podcasts
Keeping Karlsson: May the Schwartz Be With You
Elan and Brian see new sides of Jaden Schwartz and Kaapo Kakko, get hopeful for Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Tomas Hertl and Jason Robertson, and take a moment to sympathize with Eric Comrie.
Fantasy Hockey Life: Western Conference Buys and Sells
Victor and Jesse make the rounds of the Western Conference with an argument on opne buy and one sell for each team. We talk Jackson LaCombe, Mason McTavish, Martin Pospisil, Nazem Kadri, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matthew Savoie, Drew Doughty, Kevin Fiala, William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, Shane Wright, Chandler Stephenson, Tom Willander, Jake DeBrusk, Victor Olofsson, Noah […]
Keeping Karlsson: Matchup Maximizer Week 16
Elan looks at the schedule for the upcoming week of NHL action and recommends some players with good schedules that you should consider streaming in to win your head to head matchups.
Keeping Karlsson Short Shifts – The Wilkes-Jarry Penguins
Elizabeth and Lewis are back to take listeners through a host of power play changes that are giving managers the opportunity to get exposure to great players off the waiver wire, including Philly, Jersey, and Tampa talk. They also cover Jarry’s AHL demotion, Cooley’s ascension to the top-line and powerplay, and injuries to Tavares and Hintz. The duo wrap up with some hot and cold streak deep dives, including discussion of the Red Wings crazy powerplay success in the last ten games, whether Erik Gustafsson is rosterable or an overperforming illusion, Fantilli’s continued success, Merilainen as Hamburglar 2.0, and whether Schenn’s success and Neighbours’ lack thereof are likely to continue.
Keeping Karlsson: Leaving Letang
Elan and Brian find a couple volume and potential starters showing up midseason, consider whether Jake Walman really is on the league’s longest hot streak, and encourage you to pause the pod for a Columbus 1C stepping onto one of the NHL’s best lines.