Jonathan Quick was arguably the most undervalued fantasy goaltender last season. He entered training camp as the “not-so-clear-cut” starter in LA, but put pundits in their place by winning 35 games (the league-high was 38), posting a 2.24 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and six shutouts. Considering he did all of this in just 61 games, those numbers were pure, unexpected fantasy gold.
It is with great honor that I announce today as the grand re-opening of the GoaliePost website. The latest addition to the Dobber Sports Network also completes the transformation of my School of Block column into a new column, one that reveals the wide array of fantasy goalie weapons you’ll find at GP.
I call this new column the GoaliePost to honor the alliance and pact that was created between three comrades - Dobber, Goldman and Hillen – back on March 25. What was the purpose of this joining of forces, you ask? To make you a better poolie by providing you with an advanced set of fantasy goalie tools you simply can’t find anywhere else.
Being a solid fantasy goalie manager stems from your ability to understand and evaluate three different elements: circumstance, situation and statistical probability. Goaltending is a game of inches both on and off the ice, yet things happen so fast that you have to make informed decisions even faster when goalie news hits the almighty interwebs.
In last week’s School of Block, I discussed different elements that make up a steady and reliable backup. Then I gave hints on which of those perfect backups would have the best fantasy value for one-year leagues. And when I looked out across the NHL goalie battlefield this morning, I saw three key fights ready to ignite when training camps begin in just one more month.
There’s nothing I hate more than sketchy, unstable goaltenders and goalie situations. I’m talking about the Pascal Leclaire, Rick DiPietro, Marty Turco and Nikolai Khabibulin’s of the world. Even though they could easily be key pieces to your fantasy team's puzzle, sheer instincts tell you to stay as far away from them as possible. Why? Because something always seems to go terribly wrong.
Over the past week, the goaltending scene centered around two teams – Detroit and Buffalo. It started last Tuesday when Chris Osgood, who finished off his career with 401 wins and three Stanley Cups, announced his retirement. Then on Wednesday, Detroit signed Ty Conklin, who promptly replaced Osgood as Jimmy Howard’s new backup.
Over the past week, very little free agent goalie movement took place. But this was an expected occurrence, as spots get filled quickly and many goalies that had fantasy value last season turn up homeless. Such is the situation currently facing goalies like Ray Emery, Marty Turco and Pascale Leclaire, along with some solid AHL goalies like Tyler Weiman and Mike Brodeur.
During the first five days of free agency, the goalie storyline centered around new opportunities for Mike Smith, Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov. But over the last five days, the storyline has focused on the shifting situations of many top-flight prospects, including some that poolies have been harvesting for months, maybe even years.
When the free-agent carousel started spinning on Friday, most goalies maintained their backup roles on different teams. But a select few – Mike Smith, Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov – were given a new chance to let freedom ring as starters. This is a perfect theme for today, since I’m celebrating Independence Day here in the USA.
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft came to a close on Saturday with 19 goaltenders being selected by 17 total teams. After three goalies were selected in both the second and third round, seven were chosen in the sixth round and four more were snagged in the seventh round.
