z-Archives (other articles)

Some of you might know me for my work at Talented Mr. Roto where I covered fantasy hockey the past two seasons. As you probably know by now, Talented Mr. Roto was acquired by ESPN where fantasy hockey gets barely more coverage than fantasy sheep herding. So I’ve moved on to DobberHockey, which I consider the premier fantasy hockey site on the Web.

Training camps open tomorrow or Friday for most teams so for my first column I’ll focus on things to keep an eye on as the pre-season unfolds. An important factor in evaluating a player’s fluctuation in value from one season to the other and even during the regular season is the players he lines up next to. Any player who had the good fortune of lining up next to Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux saw his fantasy value increase exponentially. So with this in mind, let’s take a look at some players whose fantasy value, and thus draft value, will hinge upon the linemates with whom they are matched during training camp. I won’t cover all teams, focusing only on situations that hold the most importance as far as poolies are concerned.

Training Camp is here and there’s plenty for National Hockey League goaltenders to prove this season. In fact, all 30 teams have some type of question mark surrounding their tandems - and in some cases - trios. Think about the Western Conference alone and conglomerates of Q’s quickly arise; Can Dominik Hasek stay as healthy as he did last season? Will David Aebischer and Alex Auld join forces to help save Phoenix? Does Peter Budaj have the poise to play 70 games?
   

(School of Block is subbing in for the Wild West this week) 

Once again we have reached that wonderful time of the year where all of our normal responsibilities take a back seat to prepping for the upcoming fantasy season. The Dobber site is in full swing with daily additions to the information conglomeration on the site, and the disappointments of last year are all but erased from our minds.

Additionally, September is the only time that we are all tied for first place in our pools, and while last year’s winners are fairly confident in their strategies, last year’s losers are revamping their approach. I considered writing an article that would add to the piles of information already on the site, but then reconsidered, and decided to write a little preseason guide that will help everyone equally, regardless of last year’s results. I now give you my own special twist on the “preseason guide”, with Burnsy’s Top 10 Preseason Tips. Enjoy.

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO BLOCK, WE SALUTE YOU!

In part two of the two-part series, we take a look at the goaltending situation in the Eastern Conference.

The Russians swore this team they were sending their best. Pinky-swore it, in fact. But several mind-numbing coaching decisions and two critical injuries have negated what could easily have been a, super series. Here's who's stood out for the Russians- and who is out all together- as the series comes back to Canada 4-0 in favor of the red and white (the other red and white).
  

DobberHockey introduces a new a feature column into the fold. School of Block will give you the fantasy spin on the latest goaltending news from around the league. Justin Goldman of the Hockey Guild will pen the piece.

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO BLOCK, WE SALUTE YOU!

Let's take a look at the Western Conference situation between the pipes...

There is no shortage of players to talk about in the Western Conference for this upcoming season.  There are several notable rookies, injury-prone stars, and aging superstars that could be the key to you winning your pool.  Here are 10 to keep in mind on draft day (in no order):