Yearly Archives: 2014

Leafs make waves in the analytics world, MacArthur to get VIP treatment, Ho-Sang stirs it up, and more …

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Ottawa rearguard Mike Mottau has decided to retire.

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Loving it. The advanced stats movement continued yesterday in the NHL, with the Maple Leafs creating an "analytics department" that would presumably be reporting to new Assistant GM Kyle Dubas. This department features Darryl Metcalf who founded Extra Skater. The site has subsequently been taken off the internet and there has been nothing but radio silence from Metcalf. Now we know why. Also in the mix is blogger Cam Charron and Rob Pettapiece. As I already noted after the Dubas hiring, this will put the focus on the best possession players on the team in terms of ice time, situational ice time, and opportunity. Meaning the likes of Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly will see a boost (and Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren will see the press box/AHL).

Thoughts on Cammalleri, Johansen, and analytics

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Update: for some reason the keeper league article stopped working. I fixed it, it works now, same with the Veto article that it links to.

Breaking - the Sens have extended Clarke MacArthur for five years at just over $4.5 million AAV. I'll have more thoughts on this in tonight's ramblings

The Leafs have created an analytics department, hiring ExtraSkater.com creator Daryl Metcalf and blogger Cam Charron. Thoughts on that later tonight. - Dobber

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Mike Cammalleri joining the New Jersey Devils could help the team become more explosive offensively and how they utilize him could make for some interesting fantasy scenarios. Cammalleri would have been on pace for close to 35 goals if he played the entire season last year on a bad Calgary team and the Devils will have options where to use him.

McDavid vs. Eichel is hardly Taylor vs. Tyler; Seguin for Art Ross? and more …

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Here is an interesting one - the Chicago Blackhawks have signed Michael Leighton to a one-year deal. His window - which was quite promising at one point - has come and gone. It was destroyed by injuries that had the worst timing. Antti Raanta's job is safe.

I agree with Ryan Lambert's take on the Kevin Hayes situation here. I also think Hayes makes an excellent dark horse pick for this season. He should either sign with his brother in Florida... which is unlikely because Florida has a logjam of forwards and that's the reason he didn't sign with Chicago. Or he will sign with Calgary, where his two college linemates play (Johnny Gaudreau and Bill Arnold). Hayes is profiled extensively in the Fantasy Prospects Report.

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Alright! Back with some fresh ramblings after pinch-hitting for Drance yesterday with ramblings that I wrote Thursday because I was camping with the kids. Now I'm back for good, other than one-day trips here and there. Nothing more to interfere with the site. So the Fantasy Guide will get some attention again - I hope to do the projected final NHL standings, my annual Calder candidate list, and the NHL team "goals for" projections all this week.

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Just a quick thought on TSN's attempt to drum up a Taylor vs. Tyler type of interest in next year's draft with McDavid vs. Eichel - Stop. Just stop. McDavid is a generational player. He's a Crosby who comes around every 10 years or so. Eichel is a likely Eric Staal or Mike Modano type, or at best a Stamkos. Eichel may be No.1 in most drafts, but not this one and not close. For example, Eichel would have gone first this past summer against that crop. But let's build the hype of next year's draft properly - a generational player, and a potential superstar, will go one-two. That still sells, there is no need to make up a fake "hmmm, I wonder who will go first" bit of drama.

Dobber for TSN president!

Thoughts on Zatkoff vs. Greiss, the issue of tanking, the New Jersey Devils and more …

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Back from vacation, but not really. Drance is enjoying sunny Cancun and I couldn't find a replacement for him. So with me camping with the wife and kids…I have these ramblings prepared in advance. I'm back Sunday, so the Monday ramblings will be fresh - not that you need them to be all that updated in mid-August…as if you needed my fast take on the Kyle Beach news (he signed to play in Austria).

Ah Beach. I remember having him too low on my Prospects Rankings and it drove some of the readers nuts. From age 18 to 20, he was too low and that was consistently the biggest criticism at the time. It just goes to show - these are prospects, and the ones who take the longest to make the jump are also the bigger risks. Beach, as a power forward in a deep Chicago system, was five years away at best. Easy to keep out of the Top 200 list.

Thoughts on Torey Krug, Simon Gagne, and the Pens top six   Austin Wallace here, make sure you take a look at the new prospect ramblings! Ross and I are both back from vacation and we will be puming these out more often.      If you haven’t picked up Dobber’s 2014-15 Fantasy Guide yet, [...]