Zzzzzzz… June 17, 2009
Dobber Sports
2009-06-17
The Pens have signed Goligoski to a three-year deal worth $5.5 million. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, I believe this deal is a one-way contract. What great news for his fantasy owners. I anticipate about 15 points in the first half, as Gonchar-Letang man the top PP, but 25 points in the second half for Goli. Then, in 2010-11, I would be on the lookout for something Mike-Green-like. The odds are small – maybe 80-20 against that happening… but of all the d-men out there, he has the best shot at becoming the next big thing. As Pittsburgh really comes into their own (and they're not even CLOSE right now), he and Letang stand to benefit – and Goli has more one-dimensional talent (offense) then Letang. You can bump up that breakthrough to this season if Gonchar gets hurt again.
Goligoski is ranked 1st on my Fantasy Prospects List (d-men section) and is profiled extensively in the Prospects Report .
Exclusive – with all the talk today of fourth-year players thanks to Ryan's article (and soon – Russ' article as well), I thought I would share a chart of my findings when I wrote the article for the upcoming 2009 The Hockey News' Ultimate Pool Guide. Chart is below…
Here's some non-Heatley news: the Caps have re-signed Quintin Laing. Yeh!
The agent for both Sykora and Satan has shot down rumors that the KHL made them offers. (I found this out thanks to Twitter – join Twitter and follow me there too)
Yeah, we're in one of several summer windows where nothing is happening in the hockey world. Teams are buckling in to talk strategy for the Draft and potential deals. So the media is pretty much down to talking about Heatley's trade demands Friday… Clouston's thoughts on those demands Sunday, Chris Kelly's thoughts on them Monday, and now last night/today all the headlines are Bryan Murray's thoughts on them. Tomorrow I'm sure we'll get Spezza's take, and by next week the stick boy will weigh in – unless we are saved by a player signing or a small deal.
Tomorrow at 3pm ET for one hour, our resident Draft expert Matthew Bugg will take your questions in the forum for one hour. He'll do it again on Thursday of next week as well. Details of "where" and "how" will be announced early tommorrow afternoon – we'll set up a thread somewhere in the forum for you to fire away. So get your NHL Draft questions together and ask Mr. Mock himself – Matt Bugg!
The NYI Point Blank Blog has an interesting interview with Bob MacKenzie on why he feels the Islanders will draft Victor Hedman first overall.
Chart of research for THN:
B/O Year: | Players | |
1 | 9 | 7.8% |
2 | 16 | 13.8% |
3 | 20 | 17.2% |
4 | 28 | 24.1% |
5 | 16 | 13.8% |
6 | 10 | 8.6% |
7 | 6 | 5.2% |
8 | 5 | 4.3% |
9 | 4 | 3.4% |
10 | 1 | 0.9% |
11 | 1 | 0.9% |
*Source – Top 116 forwards in scoring from this past year, looking at their careers. Third year is also a decent breakout, and second/fifth aren't too shabby.
ANGUS UNLEASHED!
Angus here, have to keep the streak alive! It is still June 16th on the West Coast (where I am situated). Nothing really happened in the hockey world today.
My first "Summer Sleeper Series" piece is due out tomorrow. Check it out! I'll have it out every Wednesday this summer and it will give you guys (and gals, if they really exist) a great edge in your pool(s).
Colorado is interested in Dan Ellis. He would be a huge upgrade on the crap they had last year between the pipes.
Since I am a Canuck fan, I like to think I have a good beat on the team. Here are some things to watch for this off-season:
Ryan Kesler signing a long-term deal for approximately $4 million per season. He is a heart-and-soul player and also a viable fantasy option.
Steve Bernier is training like a madman. He was my sleeper last year but didn't score many goals. He still played great and shook off his label as a lazy player in a big way.
Goalie situation is interesting. Schneider is too good for the AHL. Will Luongo extend his deal? Lots to watch for here.
Look for the Canucks to target some young, underappreciated players. Some names: Eric Fehr, Benoit Pouliot, and so on. Mike Gillis has identified the young 12-20 goal scorers as the most underapprecated segment in the NHL (in an interview last month).
Last but not least – enjoy the summer! AKA take your laptop to the beach or park and surf DobberHockey!