metaldude26

Left wing is arguably the most difficult position to fill in the game of fantasy hockey. I have experimented with all the different strategies to deal with the scarcity at the left wing position. Name a strategy, and I guarantee I have tried it. The conclusion I've come to is that no strategy is foolproof. The only way scratch out the best left wingers (and best team for that matter) is to make very smart decisions when stuck between two players. The position is too scarce to waste a pick. That brings me to this week's cage match.

I think it’s high time we saw the NHL create a new award. Let’s tentatively call it the Nalder, awarded to the NHL’s best rookie defenseman. In 66 years of giving the Calder to the league’s top rookie, only ten defensemen have won the award, most recently to Buffalo’s Tyler Myers. A defenseman basically only wins the trophy when there are no better options at forward or in goal. I mean, you’d either have to throw up like 50 points and end up top ten in defensemen scoring in the league or have very little competition from your forward and goaltending compatriots. In other words, to win the award as a defenseman you have to be special or downright fortunate.

Welcome to Cage Match, a new article series pitting the fantasy merits of players up against each other and seeing what shakes out. The first rule of Cage Match is you definitely do talk about Cage Match. Spread the word, I love the attention!

Like the kickback on a gun, Charlie Coyle has gone and smacked the hockey world right in its face. Coyle didn't receive much hype leading up to last summer's draft coming out of the relatively unknown EJHL but he showed enough promise for the San Jose Sharks to pick him up in the first round (28^th overall).