Fantasy Impact: The Vancouver Canucks have hired Willie Desjardins as their next head coach, just one week after he guided the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup.
Desjardins coached Medicine Hat for eight seasons, including four divisional titles and two WHL championships. He then became an assistant with Dallas for two years before taking the reins with their Texas affiliate in 2012, where the team won it all six days ago.
Desjardins guided Texas to the best power-play in the AHL, gunning at over 25% in 2013-14. They were second in the league at just over 20% in 2012-13. The team scored 274 goals last season, second in the AHL – yet they gave up just 197 (just six teams allowed fewer).
You’re probably looking at a Vancouver team that is in rebuilding mode, but with a power play that is clicking on all cylinders there may be hope yet for owners of the Sedin twins and other offensive forwards (whoever they get for Ryan Kesler, for example). But Desjardins didn’t have the luxury of a power-play quarterback with Texas. The offense was almost exclusively from the forwards, even on the power play. So this may not be the boost that Alex Edler owners were hoping for. But still, with an improved power play, Edler will get at least some boost. But the secondary options such as Jason Garrison and Dan Hamhuis, may not see much improvement at all.
The big question, that we won’t have answered until the end of training camp, is – who will play with the Sedins? Both on the power play and at even strength, it’s a question that could mean the difference between 25 points and 55 points.
Fantasy Players this helps, in order:
1. Daniel and Henrik Sedin
2. Whoever plays with them
Fantasy Players this hurts, in order:
1. Secondary PP options on defense, especially Dan Hamhuis and Chris Tanev
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