May 13 2015

Dobber

2015-05-13

Thoughts on Carey Price, AHL realignment, one of my keeper league teams and more …

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Ryan Callahan underwent an emergency appendectomy yesterday and is out indefinitely. Historically speaking, this could mean anywhere from three days (ala Jonathan Ericsson from a few years ago) to five games or more. We won’t know until he returns. But what we do know is this – Jonathan Drouin did not dress. Still. Instead, Jonathan Marchessault was in the lineup as coach Jon Cooper went with experience (? Four career games vs. Drouin’s 72 career games?). I guess by ‘experience’ it’s probably pro experience, in which case Marchessault has 299 career pro games vs. Drouin’s 75.

It turns out that it didn’t matter if Marchessault played, or Drouin played, or the hot dog vendor played. Because this game was all about the goalie Ben Bishop and the top line of Palat – Johnson – Kucherov. And yes, I called them the top line. The first line. They have been all year. Time to stop dancing around that fact. Time to stop calling whichever line Stamkos is on the first line.

I feel bad for Carey Price. The best goaltender in the world in the opinion of many including my own. And his playoff performance improves with each passing year – and at 27 he’s only now entering his prime. But a second-round exit, no matter how mediocre the team around him, could be pinned on him. Not now, but in the future when people look back. When they say “Price? He’s not clutch. He hasn’t made it out of the second round in years.” When the reality is that he didn’t lose this series.

Price’s career playoff numbers: 23-27-5, 2.62, 0.912. Terrible postseason numbers, but his first three years act as a drag on them.

So where do you point the finger?

Well, Andrei Markov played nearly 290 minutes in the playoffs and managed just two points. Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk just four points each. David Desharnais managed just three. I’ll assume that Max Pacioretty was playing hurt.

Montador’s family is suing the NHL after the CTE findings.

More sad news – Josh Harding is reportedly set to retire. He was diagnosed with MS back in 2012, which came on the heels of what was a breakthrough season (and resulting contract). He fought back from the intense treatments to post his best season – in just a half-season he was 18-7-3, 1.65 and 0.933 in 2013-14. Those were numbers that made him the best fantasy goalie to own in hockey at the time, and had managers scrambling to pick him up (because nobody would draft him due to his ailment). When Harding went back for more treatment later that same year, those same fantasy managers were left hanging onto him in hopes he would come back. But he never did – last year he played just two games in the AHL. In all, Harding – who turns 31 next month – is 60-59-11, 2.45 and 0.918. Very solid numbers.

I took a look at one of my keeper leagues finally. The Forecaster one, Keep 12. After winning three straight, I fell just short this year. But I took a look at the damage and…wow. I destroyed my team in an effort to four-peat. I’m not ashamed. How often do you get a chance to four-peat? But boy, will this be a project to fix. I usually have 15 or 16 really strong keepers and a ton of draft picks. This year, I have maybe 10 keepers – and that’s if I include Zetterberg who wouldn’t make the cut if I had my ‘normal’ group of players. I also have zero picks in the first three rounds. Anyway, with a lack of good stuff to write about in the offseason, I’ll keep you posted here on how I try to fix this in the coming months.

Right now, I’m looking at:

C – Keep: Brassard, Giroux…. Not Keep: Namestnikov, Cammalleri, Nielsen

W – Keep: Ovechkin, Benn, Zetterberg… Not Keep: Tanguay, Pouliot, Grimaldi, Frolik, Vrbata, Wennberg, Dupuis, Zuccarello

D – Keep: Green, Carlson, Barrie, Ekblad… Not Keep: Goligoski, Franson, Fleury, Larsson, Gostisbehere

G – Keep: Anderson, Bishop, Quick… Not Keep: Smith, Grubauer

Would consider keeping: Namestnikov, Vrbata, Zuccarello, Franson if meant upgrading a couple of weaker keepers for a strong one.

Last week I launched the Draft Kings promo of the Ultimate Fantasy Pack. If you’ve never signed up for Draft Kings before, you can do so and for $10 you get my Ultimate Fantasy Pack. Details here. Later this week I’ll be adding the packs to those accounts who have gone with this deal. I’ll do them all at once rather than a few here and a few there. No rush, since the first guide in the pack isn’t out until June 1.

I’ll release the regular Ultimate Pack for those who are already with Draft Kings later in the week as well. The Fantasy Prospects Report is out in three weeks.