A few weeks ago I was asked to list my Top-10 Keeper League Goalie Prospects in the DobberForums. Since then, I’ve taken some more time to expand the list to include 50 total prospects. In this two-part series, we’ll take an in-depth look at the Top-30 prospects for fantasy keeper leagues, along with ten goalies I consider “off the grid” and ten more you shouldn’t touch with…well…how about a ten-foot pole?
Everything from the pronunciation of his name, to his contrasting yet motivational on and off-ice personality, to his unique butterfly on the ice, is quite deceiving about this special goalie from the Czech Republic. And so after posting my Top-10 keeper league goalie prospects just a few days ago…yeahh…I’m already sliding him up a spot or two.
Cristobal Huet seemingly took a giant step forward last summer when he signed a deal with the Blackhawks that is set to pay him 5.625 million each of the next three seasons. That led many of us to draft him higher than usual, and for good reason. He was a late-season stud in Washington butting heads for ice time against a feeble, somewhat banged up Russian. Expecting Huet to win 25 games and start close to 50 was completely realistic.
I’m the first to admit that there’s no real argument to make against the lack of prized goalies available in this year’s NHL Entry Draft. But since it is my sworn duty to help you uncover some of the lesser-known goalies that are draft-eligible and thus capable of transforming into fantasy gold in three or four years, I’ll at least die trying.
Thanks to the Beast Tracker , which can personally assist you in analyzing post-season goaltending, I’ve uncovered some awesome trends through the first two rounds. Beyond getting a better grip on how each goalie is performing statistically, a number of other in-game aspects have enriched my understanding of what it takes to win the Stanley Cup. Two of these trends that are of utmost importance, experience and exhaustion, will be discussed in this week’s School of Block lecture.
There are many reasons why I hail Dobber as the best fantasy analyst on the web; one is that he just gets goaltending. For almost two years I’ve watched him accurately predict a number of goalie situations that has come to fruition. And in the rare instance when I call something before him (like Manny Legace’s downfall), it becomes a memorable fantasy moment for myself. But I can’t even remember half the time Dobber predicts something correctly because it’s such a common occurrence.
It's a routine of mine to fall out of bed every morning, stumble into the kitchen like a drugged zombie and swipe an over-sized muffin from the kitchen cupboard. Sometimes I snag blueberry, sometimes banana nut and sometimes I forget to close the plastic lid correctly the day before and they all end up stale. That invokes a nasty rage that can only be suppressed with…well, more sleep...and lots of Cocoa Puffs cereal.
Last night while reflecting on the regular season as a whole, I realized that it was just that...a regular season. There were too many horrible outings from too many goalies, especially by Chris Osgood, Peter Budaj, Cristobal Huet and Carey Price. Yep, the list of “bad outings” includes just about everyone at some point or another.
What’s better than watching seven days of balls-to-the-wall hockey between teams still relentlessly pursuing the Stanley Cup Playoffs? How about knowing each game is basically a war of trash-talking and attrition in your fantasy league finals, one that could end with you walking away cash money in hand and your opponent left with nothing more than a bloodied ego.
When you hear that a player was “rusty” in their first game back from an injury, what images start dancing in your head? Do you envision him lacking energy or a powerful first stride? Or maybe he’s mishandling the puck and making bad passes? Whatever it is, you know the tell-tale signs and they are fairly recognizable. But for goaltenders, the signs or “symptoms” are not quite as noticeable – especially if your name is Ryan Miller.
