It’s no secret amongst NHL fans that the Islanders’ perils on the ice have resulted in the once proud franchise being relegated to perennial basement dweller. While the franchise continues to toil in a state of flux both on and off the ice, there are still those who remain cautiously optimistic. After all, with a cupboard of young players like John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Nino Niederreiter and a plethora of promising young defensemen, what’s not to like?

With Corey Crawford’s sixth straight win on Sunday night against the feeble Calgary Flames, the Chicago Blackhawks are very close to having a controversy on their hands. And although there are many ways the Blackhawks can handle their goalies in a positive manner moving forward, many questions surround both Crawford and Marty Turco’s short and long-term fantasy value.

December and early January is one of my favourite times of year.  Sure it's the turkey and the beverages, but it also marks a prime opportunity to make some significant (albeit under-the-radar) moves to continue to build my dynasty teams.  In this week's segment of Hockey Stock, I touch on a few buy and sell candidates for single-year and dynasty leagues, as well as reveal my trading strategy for the holiday season.

Elliotte Friedman’s weekly 30 Thoughts column on the CBC website is currently the best read in hockey. Friedman is insightful, articulate, knowledgeable, fair, and most importantly, interesting. He has sources and contacts in the hockey world that most could only dream of. He has an ability which is rare in this day and age - providing a balanced and reasonable opinion on the league, the players, and all 30 of the clubs.

Each week I will post my own observations (I couldn’t completely steal Friedman’s idea so I’ll pick a number other than 30) – with a heavy emphasis on the fantasy side of hockey, of course. Prospects, goalies, sleepers, busts, it will all be covered each week.

The keen fantasy manager cares little about who currently dominates the crease. Instead, they care more about who is going to dominate next. Whether you’re molding a keeper team for future seasons or simply taking mental notes for next year’s draft, you gain more wisdom by knowing which goalies are making solid strides today in order to build a foundation for a better tomorrow.

At this stage of the season, you should have plenty of well-defined opinions regarding the fantasy value of goalies like Michal Neuvirth, Ondrej Pavelec, Tuukka Rask, Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Quick. If you don’t, or you still have specific questions regarding any goalie, you can always toss me a question in the weekly fantasy goalie mailbag.

As the man with the most wins and the most shutouts in history, Martin Brodeur is often talked about as the best goaltender ever.

But Darcy Norman, author of Hockeynomics, emphatically disagrees.

Upon the horizon and around the corner, under the surface and out of thin air, they’re coming in waves and I don’t know from where. A backup here, an emergency recall there, you just simply can’t prepare for when a fantasy sleeper will appear. The key is to remember that anything is possible when the stars are aligned and a goalie quickly gets comfortable.

Elliotte Friedman’s weekly 30 Thoughts column on the CBC website is currently the best read in hockey. Friedman is insightful, articulate, knowledgeable, fair, and most importantly, interesting. He has sources and contacts in the hockey world that most could only dream of. He has an ability which is rare in this day and age - providing a balanced and reasonable opinion on the league, the players, and all 30 of the clubs.

Each week I will post my own observations (I couldn’t completely steal Friedman’s idea so I’ll pick a number other than 30) – with a heavy emphasis on the fantasy side of hockey, of course. Prospects, goalies, sleepers, busts, it will all be covered each week.