Nikita Kucherov – USA Today Sports Images

Re-launching DobberHockey; thoughts on Kucherov vs Tarasenko, Dubnyk vs Lundqvist;  and more…

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Big day today. Huge day, actually. You know what – I underrate the impact of what this day is to DobberHockey and what we’ve built over the last 10 years. We’re re-launching. Everything.

Yes, there could be delays that push this to Tuesday (I find this happens a lot). But the expectation is that re-launching happens today. Say goodbye to this look. And say goodbye to the blank.dobbersports.com domain – I’m breaking up the sites again. So DobberFootball, DobberProspects, DobberBaseball and yes, DobberHockey are all back to their own domains. Too many problems with them combined. You will see a brand new, modernized look. Faster loading. Better flow. And what I hope will be more reliable uptime (last September, the busiest month here, was a disaster with the site getting overwhelmed with traffic).

The sites will be launched and will be about 90 percent complete. With the rest of the tweaks happening in the live environment. Wish me luck.

The shop will be re-launched as well. I think the new one is nicer. The old one had issues dealing with Mac users.

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As part of the launch, I welcome in two new affiliate partners – Rob Vollman’s Hockey Abstract featuring his Player Usage Charts is partnering up, as well as the new cap tracking site Cap Friendly. With those advanced stats, and salary information – the Dobber Sports Network will have all you need for fantasy hockey. And I’m still committed to, with the help of Eric Daoust, upgrading the NHL player profiles and line combos in Frozen Pool. So much more we can (and will) do with those.

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Also part of the launch – a new forum logo! You can also see the new network banner there, the one that will be on the new sites. Take a look. The forum deserves its own brand.

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All this is part of DobberHockey’s 10 anniversary extravaganza. In just over three months, DobberHockey will turn 10…

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So I’m working on the Fantasy Guide and get done Tampa Bay and I realize – I’ve just projected Nikita Kucherov to have more points than Vladimir Tarasenko. Did I lose my mind? Well, no. I looked over both of them carefully. At the numbers I plugged in. And I’m satisfied. Tarasenko’s points-per-game is slightly higher, but I’d be a fool to project anything above 75 games (I actually have him for 73). Three seasons, three injuries with time missed. Kucherov has been healthy these last three seasons, playing a pile of games in the NHL, AHL, QMJHL, WJC and playoffs – and he doesn’t miss games. He drives possession just as well as Tarasenko, too. And while Tarasenko’s upside is a little higher, I think I’d prefer to own the healthy player. Until that changes, give me Kucherov.

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Another controversial viewpoint I have came up in the comments section of my Goalie Rankings. I would rather own Devan Dubnyk than Henrik Lundqvist. That’s not to say I’d trade Lundqvist straight up for him. Hell no. But I’d make sure I got the deal done. Maybe I get Dubnyk and a first rounder back for my Lundqvist. Or maybe I get a couple of sleeper players, such as Matt Dumba and Craig Smith along with Dubnyk for him. But I make the deal happen. Lundqvist was injured each of the last two seasons, though he still managed 63 games in 2013-14. And at 33 I don’t think he’s a Top 5 goalie anymore, or even a Top 8. But Dubnyk is. And before you start thinking ‘it’s only half a season of sample size’, think about his contract. Six years, $26 million. The Wild are locked in with him. As we saw last season, he has more upside than Lundqvist. That’s the upside. So what’s the downside? What’s the risk?