June 7, 2015

Ian Gooding

2015-06-07

Tampa ties Stanley Cup Final, Calder Cup Final begins, Mike Reilly, and more…

There were numerous storylines surrounding Game 2, but the one that seemed to receive the most attention was Steven Stamkos' icetime (or lack of icetime) during Game 1 in particular (17:17) and during the playoffs in general (18:01).

Even if John Cooper was frazzled by the question about Stamkos' lack of icetime in Game 1, he took the question into account by issuing Stamkos five more shifts in Game 2 (25) than in Game 1. Stamkos checked in with 18:46 of icetime on Saturday, leading all Bolts' forwards. To compare, Nikita Kucherov logged just 14:23 of icetime in Game 2 – a number that, strangely enough, no reporter will likely inquire about.

This icetime issue reminds me a bit of the Canucks during the first round, when it was suggested that Willie Desjardins wasn't playing Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin enough against Calgary. When the games matter the most, your star players need to be your star players.

But from a hockey standpoint, the Lightning have made it this far by using Stamkos as a de facto second-line center. In this week's Contrarian, Demetri Fragopoulos suggests that the Stamkos icetime issue is really a non-issue. In real-life hockey, I'd agree with the Contrarian. But from a fantasy standpoint, I'm beginning to wonder.

Here's an interesting stat that Elliotte Friedman brought up before the game: Stamkos has been the sixth-most used Tampa forward five times, while he has been the top-used forward only once (twice now if you include Game 2). Stamkos has not reached 20 minutes in a game since the first game of the second round, which was a game that went into double overtime. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, Stamkos played only 14 minutes and change.

With Stamkos one season away from becoming a UFA, an offseason trade might not be such a crazy possibility. But assuming he stays in Tampa next season, where do you draft him in fantasy leagues if he's no longer guaranteed top-line minutes? He's definitely not a top-5 pick anymore, and he may not even be a top-10 pick any longer. I'm not necessarily concerned about the rumor that he doesn't get along with Cooper, because players have proven they can produce even if they don't see eye-to-eye with the coach.

Another storyline entering Game 2 was that of Jonathan Drouin finally re-entering the lineup. The fact that Drouin has been a healthy scratch during the playoffs hasn't surprised me, since that was the case a few times during the regular season. But it's a surprise to me that Drouin has not played since the second round. One has to wonder if he'll be back in the lineup for Game 3, as he saw just 7:52 of icetime while going -1. For what it's worth, Cooper said that Drouin "did everything we asked him to do" (Tampa Bay Times).

Unless something significant happens in the Lightning's top 6 (i.e. a Stamkos trade), Drouin may have a difficult time making a splash next season that will get the attention of every fantasy league out there. With only Vladislav Namestnikov and little-used Brenden Morrow unsigned for next season, the Bolts seem to be set at forward for 2015-16. But don't toss Drouin away in a keeper league just yet. Remember that he is still only 20 years old.

Of course, the big question for the Lightning after this game was the health of Ben Bishop. As has become the norm in the playoffs, the Bolts are keeping mum on the issue. Andrei Vasilevskiy earned the five-save win, which gave me a reason to look up a fantasy postseason team that I haven't checked on in over a week to see if a Vasilevskiy win meant anything to my team (nope, because I didn't make it to championship week, something I knew would happen even before I stopped checking).

Vasilevskiy may have helped your fantasy team a little this season (2.36 GAA and .918 SV% in 16 games). If Bishop's injury forces him to miss time, could this be a break for Vasilevskiy to have more of a say in the Tampa Bay goaltending situation next season? After waiting for his opportunity for several years, Bishop has played at least 60 games in back-to-back seasons. So right now, it still seems unlikely that the young Russian will be a sleeper heading into next season. But if you play in one of those super deep leagues with, say, four goalie spots, it might not hurt to roster Vasilevskiy.

From the Blackhawks' vantage point, Teuvo Teravainen scored a power-play goal in this game. After being healthy scratched at times during the playoffs, he has six points in his last six games. He's an obvious super sleeper for next season, not to mention an amazing passer.

The AHL Calder Cup Final kicked off on Saturday, with the Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles) defeating the Utica Comets (Vancouver) 3-2 in overtime. I could talk for hours about the Canucks' prospects, including Jacob Markstrom, who I mentioned last week in the Ramblings. One that I haven't mentioned yet is recently acquired Sven Baertschi, who Canucks GM Jim Benning hinted might play in the Canucks' top 6 next season (TSN 1040).

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On the other side of the ice, the Kings don't have a ton of prospects that I recognize. But 2015 AHL all-star goalie J-F Berube has backstopped the baby Kings all the way to the final, which got me thinking where he might fit into the Kings' pecking order. Obviously he won't unseat Jonathan Quick from the starter's throne anytime soon, and you'd have to assume that the Kings will re-sign RFA Martin Jones to be Quick's backup again. However, keep in mind that Berube will need to pass through waivers if he is going back to the AHL again next season. So his name might be one to keep in the back of your mind.

Another Kings' prospect who has shined in this year's AHL playoffs is Michael Mersch, who scored two goals and added an assist on Saturday. He currently leads AHL playoff scoring with 21 points (13g-8a). He has the size (6'1", 215 lbs.) to play in the NHL, but it remains to be seen how much the 2011 fourth-round pick will be a part of the Kings' future plans.

Mike Reilly (not the CFL quarterback, but the Blue Jackets' draft pick), is being courted by several teams after deciding both not to return for his senior year at the University of Minnesota and not to sign with the Jackets. The smallish (6'1", 182 lbs.) defenseman scored 42 points in 39 games this past season, so there is real fantasy upside here. If you're concerned about his lack of size, don't forget that the NHL is fast becoming a small man's game.

Reilly's situation is being compared to that of Justin Schultz, a Ducks draft pick they couldn't sign before he decided to sign with the Oilers. But it seems as though Reilly isn't receiving as much attention as Schultz did, for some reason. Regardless, if you haven't been paying attention to the Reilly situation, then you should be. He is the kind of puck-moving defenseman who could make a fantasy impact right away.

A couple other tidbits making the rounds on Saturday, according to Sportsnet:

Phil Kessel is reportedly being shopped around. In other news, grass is green and water is wet. More to come, I'm sure.

Carl Soderberg won't be re-signed by the Boston Bruins, who you might know are having some cap issues. Expect him to slot in as a third-line center somewhere.

One last thing: Pick up Dobber's 2015 Prospects Report. You'll be glad you did!

And as always, thanks for reading!

UPCOMING GAMES

Nov 05 - 19:11	CAR	vs	PHI
Nov 05 - 19:11	MTL	vs	CGY
Nov 05 - 19:11	BUF	vs	OTT
Nov 05 - 19:11	TOR	vs	BOS
Nov 05 - 19:11	NYI	vs	PIT
Nov 05 - 20:11	MIN	vs	L.A
Nov 05 - 20:11	STL	vs	T.B
Nov 05 - 20:11	WPG	vs	UTA
Nov 05 - 21:11	COL	vs	SEA
Nov 05 - 22:11	ANA	vs	VAN
Nov 05 - 22:11	S.J	vs	CBJ