Knight a Budding Warrior
Jared Knight will be a popular Boston Bruin someday. Heck, he might even be a fan favourite in Beantown.
Overblown Incidents
If Steve Downie can make it in the NHL and be a valuable contributor to a team – then there is hope for any prospect who has been involved in what has become known as an “off-ice incident.” Often, the term “off-ice incident” is a euphemism for a pretty serious offence. In many cases, though, the ominous sound of the term doesn’t fairly reflect what in many cases is a minor transgression.
Delivering Ur-Bombs
The key to making money on the stock market is buying a stock right before it takes off. Dividends are nice, but nothing beats the return of buying low and selling high. The same goes for fantasy hockey; it’s nice to have good players on your team, but when you’ve acquired them with shrewd, late picks, you’re bound to move to the top of the heap in your pool.
Making the Jump, Part II
I am in a 22-team keeper league, and for years I drafted guys based on their highest projected upside because I was trying to build a championship team.
Making the Jump
If you’re in a deep keeper league, you might be looking for some players who can step into your lineup this year, or if you’re in a one-year league you might be wondering if there are any sleeper picks you can take late.
There are a few players that I’ve targeted for my watch list and I will be watching them closely during training camp to see if they can help me this year. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I’ve deliberately left out many of the more well-know guys who are expected to battle for spots or earn them such as Joe Colborne, Tyler Ennis, P.K. Subban and Nazem Kadri.
Building a Winner Through the Draft
There are a couple of basic principles that I followed after joining a deep keeper league as an expansion team.
Flying Under the Radar
Successful NHL general managers don’t rely on just one way they find talent for their teams.
The traditional way of drafting players and waiting for them to develop will always remain a fundamental component of a successful franchise, but hockey players don’t always develop at the same rate. GMs and scouting directors who keep their eyes and minds open to watch and reassess players after their draft eligibility are often rewarded.
A Short-Term Pickup
Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero chose to use much of his available cap space this summer on defencemen.
Looking at the Penguins roster, they have three spaces to fill and, according to CapGeek.com, have only $724,785 to spend on each opening. That’s not much higher than the NHL’s minimum salary.
Kyle Beach: Pressed Into Duty
The Chicago Blackhawks salary cap struggles could help Kyle Beach earn a spot in the NHL as early as this year.
Hockey Development Trumps Education
It’s not very often that you’ll look at a 19-year-old’s decision to leave Harvard and say it’s a good one – but in the case of Louis Leblanc, it definitely is.