Rambling about Panarin, Nash, Zetterberg, Zuccarello, Domingue and…really not much more …

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Eighteen teams are back in action today and so we can all get back to our fantasy hockey lives…

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And now to answer the one and only person who commented with a question yesterday! Matt must have been truly suffering, waiting around, ready to go, for the others (family/friends) to get their act together so they could get to the Christmas function already! So good thing DobberHockey was here for him. Matt had two questions. First, he wanted to know which two I would keep out of Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, or Henrik Zetterberg. That’s three solid comparables but for different reasons. You’d keep Nash because he’s still relatively young, he does have some upside, and fellow poolies rate him extremely high. You’d keep Zetterberg because he has the most proven track record of the three, is still producing, and fellow poolies rate him still fairly high. And you’d keep Zuccarello because he is the youngest, has very good upside, and is off to a career-best start.

In a situation like this, it’s a matter of balancing which guy can provide you with the most results, with which guy can net you the most in a trade. Both are important. Nash and Zetterberg provide you with the most value, but in 2016-17 onward I think Zuccarello will give you the most results. So then you have to ask yourself – in the summer, could I trade Nash for Zuccarello (or equivalent) plus a little more? Well that depends on your league. In my leagues, I think you could. So in my leagues, I would keep Nash and Zetterberg (and then flip Nash and get Zuke++). But I suspect in many leagues, depending on rules and personalities, you wouldn’t get a Zuccarello for a Nash (or Zetterberg). So in those leagues, you keep Zuccarello and Zetterberg is probably the other one.

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Matt also asked about Artemi Panarin for both this year and beyond. Well, I gave my thoughts on Panarin recently. To find out things like this, go to the menu on the right and in the “Player Search” box, type in “Panarin”. The results gives you a link to Panarin’s (awesome) DobberHockey stats and profile. But also his last several mentions.  Just a few results down you’ll see my Ramblings from December 16 and I stick to what I said there. After delving into Kane, I touch upon Panarin:

In the case of Panarin, he’s on pace for 74 points. I think he stays on the Kane line through thick and thin. Sure, there may be the odd one- or two-game “sampling” on different lines, but for the most part he’s there to stay. So if Kane’s production drops by 30%, we should probably take Panarin’s down by the same amount.  So instead of 45 points going forward, make it 32 points. That would finish him with 61 on the campaign.

Going forward, next year is extremely important. If Panarin can establish himself on the Kane line once again then I think he’ll be a star in this league. Both next year, and years to come. But if he is taken off the line and stumbles, he could Ville Leino his way down the depth chart and things could get ugly over the course of two years. Next year is key. If a player in his situation can establish himself as an NHL producer over two years, then he’ll get a lot of leash. And that’s what a player like him needs – plenty of leeway. So if the coach can wait out any cold streaks, he’ll be a star. After putting up big points (65+) next season, all coaches will give him all the time in the world to snap out of any slumps.

So that’s the criteria. Now for the opinion. I think he’ll be fine. He looks great, he can hold his own with a top NHL player, and he can probably do okay in spurts even if he’s off the Kane line. I like his chances.

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I noted this yesterday, but ICYMI – and this is key because the WJC starts today – Brendan Ross previews the squads and players to watch. Here are links to his previews of:

Team Canada

Team USA

European Teams

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I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about how I grabbed Louis Domingue off the waiver wire several hours after fellow owners dove straight for Anders Lindback, Jeff Zatkoff and Matt Murray. I think by now we know which goalie is on top (so far). Even if all four goalies were available, Domingue was the one I would have taken because he had the best opportunity for a lot of starts over a couple of months. Anyway, I also mentioned that I picked him up even though I didn’t need a goalie. I own Quick, Halak and Bishop. Plus I had Stolarz in the minors. So Domingue was strictly in hopes of trading him. I have gone through the teams with weak goaltending and have sent out some offers. I’ll keep you posted. But the first one was declined.

My offer: Franson, Domingue and a 6^th for Vatanen and a 3^rd. I don’t own a 2^nd or a 3^rd due to throwing all I had at winning last season. I don’t trust Franson. And I really like Vatanen. Anyway, that didn’t fly, even though he desperately needs goaltending. He’s dressing Condon and Murray this week (!).  It looks like he’s giving up. Otherwise I think I would have landed that deal. Ah well. Other offers are out there, we’ll see…

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Another short one! Enjoy the mini-holiday, I'll be back Tuesday

Top 10 Canada vs USA WJC moments…