Dobber jumping on – Jordan Staal, one player I am relying on in a couple of keeper leagues for the playoff title, is out for the postseason after suffering an severed Achilles tendon. This is huge loss for the Penguins as he is their best defensive forward and he is a first-line scoring threat who plays on the third line. In one of the above keepers, in which I have a fantastic playoff team, I also own Jeff Carter and Marc Savard. Go figure. Not in the cards, I guess.

My take on Ovechkin and the collapse.

Fracophones, get the word out – my Fantasy Prospects Report is available in French.

Sabres fans – is it time for GM Darcy Regier and/or coach Lindy Ruff to go?

There are a number of fantastic defensemen set to hit the open market this summer. One that bears particular watching for poolies is Dan Hamhuis. Nashville wants him back and he wants to return, but they probably won't be able to come close to paying him what he is likely to receive elsewhere (north of $5 million/season).

Hamhuis had a fantastic offensive season in 2005-06 after the lockout for the Predators, scoring seven goals and adding 31 assists. However, since that point, he has failed to break the 30-point mark in four straight seasons. Has his offensive game regressed? Nope. Hamhuis has simply changed roles from a two-way guy into a pure defensive defenseman, thanks to the emergence of Weber and Suter, who play the important power play minutes. Hamhuis was an elite offensive defenseman in junior and the AHL, and he could see a dramatic increase in his production if he goes to a team willing to give him more of a two-way role time next season. If he goes to a team like Washington, he could be a 40-point defenseman even with minimal power play time – definite sleeper for 2010-11.

Blues defensive prospect Jonas Junland has reportedly signed a deal with an SEL team, after rejecting a one-way, $500,000 offer from the Blues. I am not sure if his SEL contains an NHL out-clause or not.

The World Championships are a great way to get a look at some NHL players you may not be able to see play on a regular basis. Brent Burns emerged from the shadows (otherwise known as Minnesota) during the 2008 tournament, and Steve Stamkos did the same last season, dominating the tournament from start to finish. The roster this year is full of young talent, including Stamkos, Tavares, Eberle, Evander Kane, Duchene, and Del Zotto.

What is that sound you hear every time Joe Pavelski's name? No, it's not the Sharks goal horn. "Cha-ching." Pavelski is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. He is due for a healthy raise on the $1.6 million he currently makes. Healthy is probably an understatement – he'll be due for a gigantic/humungous/monstrous raise. Probably $5-6 million/season.

Sticking with San Jose, Ryane Clowe has been tremendous so far in the playoffs. The difference between a 50 or 60 point player and a 70 or 80 point player (aside from the obvious 10 or 20 points…) is consistency. Clowe can dominate with his size, hands, and vision in the offensive zone, but for whatever reason he lacks the confidence to play that way every night during the regular season. He has recorded over 50 points in two consecutive seasons now, and could see a jump to 70 next year. He will always have the potential for a big year – he isn't as far away from being a point-per-game guy as you may think.

Use twitter? Follow myself (@angus_j) and Dobber (@DobberHockey) on it!

As I have said a few times, I'm going to try and get a weekly Q & A going on the message boards. I find these things are really popular and I enjoy helping you guys out (as well as learning a thing or two from you in the process). Even if you don't have a question, it would probably be beneficial to still read through the topic to see how other poolies handle certain trade discussions/roster moves, etc. Here is a link to my most recent Q & A thread from April 24^th.

If you have 10 or 15 minutes to kill, make sure to listen to this fantastic interview with Bobby Holik. He sounds off on a list of topics, including Kovalchuk (his former teammate) and the Devils (his former team). Sean Gentille and Craig Custance of the Sporting News conduct the interview.

The Capitals conducted their exit interviews with the media yesterday. Mike Green and Alex Semin were no-shows. Nick Backstrom was there, and had a very interesting t-shirt on. Keeping with Backstrom… is he just scratching the surface? Can be become a 110-120 point player? His progression as a scorer is extremely interesting. Since scoring 10 goals in the SEL back in 2005-06, he has scored 12 (SEL), 14 (NHL rookie season), 22, and now 33 in 2009-10.

Not completely fantasy-relevant, but check this article out. It is a great read on Flyers coach Peter Laviolette, and how his intensity and coaching style has helped the Flyers advance past the heavily favoured Devils in round one.

Arron Asham on Laviolette:

"He had completely changed from when I knew him before," said Arron Asham, who aside from Michael Leighton is the only Flyer to have played under Laviolette prior to his arrival. "He used to be so laid-back. There wasn't as much screaming. He's more intense now. He definitely likes his coffee and Red Bulls now. It keeps the bench alive and keeps us going. He gets a lot from his players that way."

Dany Heatley "throws" out the first pitch at a recent San Francisco Giants game.

Another thing I am going to do is discuss a player/prospect in detail each Friday. Name of this segment is TBA, but essentially I'll ask for e-mails (angus@dobberhockey.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) each week, requesting a closer look at a player. For example, say you own Blackhawk defensive prospect Dylan Olsen in a keeper league, and you want to know what others think of him? I'll post my thoughts and then open up the floor (so to speak) to the community for more feedback.

I was browsing old playoff highlights on youtube earlier this week, and came across a gem of a play from Stevie "Wonder" Yzerman. Fast-forward to the 2:35 mark of the following video. I think only a handful (Crosby, Datsyuk…) of players in today's game make that pass. The fact he puts it right in Lidstrom's wheelhouse makes it even more impressive.

Crosby's latest Gatorade commercial. I'll get the inevitable out of the way – Ovechkin's would have been better. Joking aside, I think Gatorade does a pretty good job with their Crosby commercials.

Another 'History Will Be Made' commercial – sorry if you are getting sick of them, because I sure am not!

In honor of if being the first day of May… May day!