June 28, 2014

Michael Amato

2014-06-28

Day 2 Draft Discussion has opened up! Talk some trades, trade rumors, picks and speculation – right here!

 

The discussion from Day 1 can be found here – it had over 320+ posts and 5000+ reads, all from people as obsessed with fantasy hockey as you are (including, ahem, myself) – Dobber

 

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Well, after plenty of talk, the Florida Panthers decided to keep their first-overall pick and chose defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

 

There weren't many surprises in the opening round as the top five rounded out with the Sabres taking Sam Reinhart, the Oilers went with Leon Draisaitl, the Flames grabbed Sam Bennett, and the Islanders took Michael Dal Colle.

 

Although many felt there wasn't a "superstar" in this draft, that doesn't mean there won't be some great NHLers with high-end talent. Many of the top players taken could be playing as early as next year, with Dal Colle the most intriguing in my mind. He could end up on John Tavares' wing sooner rather than later.

 

Jake Virtanen to Vancouver, Haydn Fleury to Carolina, William Nylander to Toronto, Nikolaj Ehlers to Winnipeg, and Nicholas Ritchie to Anaheim closed out the top 10.

 

You can view the entire first round selections here and make sure to head over to DobberProspects.com for in depth looks at all the players.

 

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The biggest shock of the night was James Neal getting shipped to Nashville for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. This obviously crushes Neal's fantasy value, but it shows that there is a new culture with the Preds and Peter Laviolette.

 

Patric Hornqvist is going to be a must have next season as he figures to be playing with one of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Hornqvist was a fairly steady scorer on a team in Nashville that was anti-goal, so imagine what he could do in Pittsburgh.

 

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That's all it took to get Ryan Kesler???

 

Granted, Kesler reportedly gave the Canucks just two teams to work with, Anaheim and Chicago, but the Ducks really stole him. If Kesler's healthy he's one of the best two-way forwards in the game. He's going to give Anaheim a real solid one-two punch at center and something to better compete with the Los Angeles Kings.

 

I think the deal really helps the Ducks' top line, as the defensive Kesler really gives that top group, and especially Getzlaf, a chance to mainly focus on offense.

 

I suppose I shouldn't short change Nick Bonino, though. He's an underrated player and really effective on the power play.

 

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The Canucks also moved Jason Garrison and brought in Derek Dorsett. They should be active over the next week or so at the draft and in free agency. How the Sedins will react to the new roster that doesn't figure to be competitive for a while in the Western Conference remains to be seen.

 

ICYMI: Dobber broke down the fantasy impact for both the Kesler and Garrison deals.

 

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So the Mike Ribeiro era has come to an end in Arizona. (By the way, remembering that they are the Arizona Coyotes now is going to be a challenge.) The Coyotes bought out the remaining three years of his deal after a disappointing campaign. He managed just 47 points in 80 games after notching 49 in only 48 games in 2012-13. The 47 points were his lowest total since 2002-2003.

 

Ribeiro's always been a fairly consistent scorer so it made sense the Coyotes would take a chance on him, but it looks like some behavioural issues were the main reason he was let go. Unless he lands in a ridiculously good situation, I'd play it safe where Ribeiro is concerned going forward.

 

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The salary cap will be going up to $69 million for the 2014-15 season.

 

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I'd be cautious with Jonathan Quick next season if I was a fantasy owner. The news about his wrist surgery is troubling and he's played a ton of hockey over the last three seasons. If you remember his performance in the 2012-13 campaign after the Kings captured the Cup the previous year, it wasn't up to his standards, and perhaps some of that had to do with being worn down. Despite the championship win this postseason, Quick's numbers actually took a hit in the playoffs compared to the regular season. Something that has been the opposite in the previous two seasons.

 

Obviously Quick isn't a terrible choice for your squad, but there may be better value options out there outside of the Lundqvists and the Rasks of the world. Take Corey Crawford for example, as he has posted more wins, a better save percentage and goals against average the last two years. Quick is a great goaltender that excels in the postseason playing behind a team built for the playoffs, but don't make a panicked move and settle with him in the regular season without thinking it through.

 

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Cody Franson had a somewhat disappointing campaign with 33 points and a minus-20 rating after posting 29 in just 45 games in the lockout, but don't give up on him just yet. Poolies would have likely been hoping for a 45-point year from Franson after the pace he showed in 2012-13, so it's easy to forget that he finished second in the league with 282 hits in 2013-14. If he can get the offensive pace back up to that level to combine with those hit numbers, that's some real value. He might be a guy to try and buy low on.

 

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Everyone is lamenting the fact that Tampa Bay paid Ryan Callahan too much money, and they probably did, but the former Ranger uses his rough and tumble style of play to clear space for those around him. Someone like Carl Hagelin has been the benefactor of time and space playing with Callahan over the years, and he may have a similar impact in Tampa.

 

It's anyone's guess who will play with him next season, although Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn have taken on the role in Callahan's brief time with the Lightning so far. I'm not saying he's going to make them into 70-point guys, but keep an eye on who plays with him in 2014-15, as they could see a 10-point upswing or so with Callahan creating havoc for opposing defenders.

 

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P.K. Subban's bridge deal is a great example of a gamble that failed for the organization and one that paid off for the player. The Canadiens could have locked Subban up long-term at probably around $5 million per year before the bridge, but since then he's won a Norris and blossomed into one of the best defensemen in the NHL. Now the Habs are probably going to have to shell out close to $7 million per season. Sometimes those deals help your cap situation in the short-term, but they don't always work out for the best flexibility in the long run.

 

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Mike Emrick calling bubble hockey games on the red carpet between NHLers was by far the best thing at the NHL Awards, and about as awesome as you'd imagine.

 

 

Michael Amato is an Associate Editor for DobberHockey and a News Editor for theScore. You can follow him on Twitter at @amato_mike

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