Thursday, April 16
Michael Clifford
2015-04-16
Bruins roster due for a shakeup.
First thing first, I have to say what a pleasure it is to be writing for Dobber Hockey. It's certainly one of the most prestigious resources for fantasy hockey news and analysis, so when I, along with Neil Parker, was asked to come aboard, there wasn't a lot of thought before saying yes.
For those unfamiliar with myself or my writing, this past season was my fourth doing official fantasy hockey writing, though I have been involved in pools one way or another for about 20 years now. I do rely heavily on numbers for my analysis because even with as much hockey as the most rabid fan may watch, it's really hard to watch more than one-quarter of all games per season unless there's specific reason to do so. Using the numbers is a way to get the story of a team or player without actually watching hockey 10 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Before any pucks were dropped to begin the 2015 Playoffs, the Boston Bruins upper management decided it was time to move on from general manager Peter Chiarelli. This followed Boston's first missed postseason appearance since the 2006-2007 campaign.
What this Bruins roster looks like on opening night next season is very much an open-ended question. Boston's cap situation was dire enough that Jarome Iginla was let go with Johnny Boychuk being traded before the season started. This offseason and going into next year, from NHL Numbers: Carl Soderberg is due for a new contract, David Krejci's four-year extension only starts next year at an annual cap hit of $7.25M, Reilly Smith's extension kicks in, both Ryan Spooner and Dougie Hamilton are restricted free agents, and Torey Krug's one-year extension adds another $2M to the overall cap of the team. With Milan Lucic having a year left, and Brad Marchand just two, Boston looks to be in a trading position.
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Joe Thornton had some more words for general manager Doug Wilson and head coach Todd McLellan. The Sharks followed up blowing a playoff series to the Kings last year with a missed playoff performance this year. Looking at the talent up front with names like Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, and Tomas Hertl to name a few, it's a bit curious the team did miss the postseason. There may be more changes on the way in San Jose, but with no-trade clauses abound, it may be easier said than done.
Perhaps the biggest fantasy concern here next year will be in net. Antti Niemi is almost surely gone, and Alex Stalock was getting a long look at the end of the season. He had far from the success he had last year, dropping from a .932 overall save percentage to .902, that's nothing new for unproven goalies in small samples. If this team stays together, there should be another postseason ahead for this group, and that would be good things for Stalock dynasty owners, provided no one else is brought in.
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Random though: Who should be drafted first in roto leagues next year between Johnny Gaudreau and Nathan MacKinnon? Who will be drafted first?
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Ryan Strome was back on the top line with John Tavares, as expected, when the New York Islanders kicked off their first round series with the Washington Capitals. Strome had a second period goal off the face-off in the Islanders win.
It was easy for Strome to get a bit lost in the mix for the Islanders this year. Tavares may be among a half-dozen players considered for the Hart Trophy, Anders Lee had a breakout season of his own, and Johnny Boychuk had a scorching hot start to the year. Strome was one of three Islanders to finish with at least 50 points, though, a very good 21-year-old season. Going back a year to his rookie campaign, Strome ranks similarly in point production per minute at five-on-five to names like Joe Thornton, Jeff Carter, and Max Pacioretty.
Depending on how he and the Islanders do these playoffs, Strome could be a solid value going into next year's drafts. His underlying shooting numbers don't indicate there may be a lot of regression, and considering added ice time potentially both at five-on-five and on the power play as his role on the team increases, that ice time increase could mitigate any potential regression.
Everyone likes highlight videos, right? Here’s one on Strome.