After making the Anaheim Ducks out of training camp last season, Kyle Palmieri managed just one goal in 10 games before being returned to the AHL Syracuse Crunch.
The 20-year old American prospect must have found a heck of a Krav Maga instructor back in his home state because after scoring 29 goals in 62 AHL games in 2010-11, he has exploded this seaon, pouring in a near-superhuman 17 goals in 18 games – good enough to be leading the AHL.
Some of the toughest decisions you need to make when running a salary cap team come in the earliest rounds of your draft. The best players are paid accordingly and it's in these rounds that you are bound to be well over your average in terms of budget. It's tough to pass over one of the big three if you fall into a top-three draft position (yes, that still includes Ovechkin), but there are very few in the NHL who have a cap hit over $8 million. It's fair to question whether or not it's worth it to carry a monster contract despite the production; in some situations that answer is an easy and resounding yes. A lot depends on your pool's cap limit and the statistics it considers. Carrying an albatross of a contract works if you get the production that should come hand-in-hand with getting paid as a top player, but we know that in most cases production fluctuates year-to-year. A minor drop here and there isn't a team killer and is even expected, but can a team overcome a major drop in production when a player is eating up your cap space like Cookie Monster in the Mr. Christie factory?
Peter Harling makes his columnist debut, digging up whatever information he can from the top secret world of NHL player injuries...
To give you an organized list of our content (and to prove that I am somewhat organized), I have created this schedule of columns on DobberHockey. Crosby, per TSN, is missing the next two games "as a precaution". This precaution is for a hard hit that he took, and although the blow was [...]
My THN column yesterday focused on the most consistent players in the league this year. Including Kessel, Fleischmann and the Nuge. Also, here is my Puck Daddy piece. For what it's worth, Kris Letang seems as though he is on the mend, but would need to be symptom free for a week before [...]
My Puck Daddy article is up. Find it here. Both Kris Letang and Zbynek Michalek have been diagnosed with concussions. Simon Despres makes an excellent pickup - do it now. Some Avalanche notes - Paul Stastny left the game late after suffering a torso injury. Also, Stefan Elliott's low ice time came [...]
James Reimer started his first game since he was knocked out of action against the Habs Oct. 22 following a collision with Brian Gionta, which produced concussion-like symptoms. Reimer was fine given the layoff and his peripherals against the Bruins coming in (3-1-0, 2.46/ .930) were outstanding, but you’ve got to feel for [...]
(#17 Max Lalander looks to make a move)
From the league that brought you Henrik Zetterberg, Alex Edler and Tomas Holmström, a raw young talent with superstar potential is making waves in front of his hometown crowd- when he's not in the penalty box.
Anthony bounces back 6-0 with his picks last week. How about sending some of that my way?? We had a little rough patch last week with only two winners, while Thunder managed an impressive 4-2 record with picking winners such as the Leafs and Jets. It’s time to step up and answer the call. I was heading home from work Wednesday afternoon and wished my colleague, an avid Leafs fan, luck that evening as his team was going up against the Bruins. I told him I thought the game would end 6-3 in Boston’s favour, where he argued that the game would be closer with how well the Leafs have played as of late. I agreed with him to an extent and conceded that the sixth goal would be an empty netter. Surely enough the B’s pull out a 6-3 win with an empty netter to seal the deal. Hopefully some of that insight will rub off for this week, and/or I just wasted it all on a single game. Hope everyone enjoys this Saturday’s action and a triple header on CBC for us hockey nut bags in Canada.
This month, host Brian Kom chats with Jeremy Rutherford, a beat reporter covering the Blues. He also talks with (fake) Henrik Zetterberg about his personal life. Jim Gintonio comes on to talk about the Turris situation, and DobberHockey's own Jason Arbuthnot dives into the wonderful world of the Frozen Pool fantasy tools.
