z-Archives (other articles)

Several big names changed addresses this past summer. Ilya Kovalchuk signed a deal with the Devil (twice), Paul Martin stayed within the Atlantic Division by going to Pittsburgh, and Dan Hamhuis spurned both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to sign with his home province Vancouver Canucks. In addition to these three players, many more packed their respective bags this past summer. I figured it was time for a (very) early season update on how some of these new players are fairing with their new teams.

In just nine days, Martin Brodeur has started all six games for the New Jersey Devils. That comes as no surprise to anyone. But his 1-4-1 record, 3.18 goals against average and .887 save percentage surely does. With his lone win coming by way of a 24-save shutout over the Sabres, the other five outings speak volumes to his downright dirty start. Mired in mediocrity, Brodeur’s numerous weak goals against has led many analysts to consider him a thing of the past.

For the more things change, the more he stays the same. And that, my fantasy friends, is the essence of Brodeur’s issues.

Welcome back to An Expert’s Audit.  Every month we’ll take an in depth look at a reader’s keeper league team in the hopes of helping him toward a championship.  If you’re interested in getting an audit for your own keeper team you can begin the process by emailing Dobber about it.

It is not often that a defenseman can record 50 points in his first professional season and still fly under the radar at DobberHockey. However, that is exactly what has happened with New Jersey rookie Matt Taormina. He has been playing on the top power play unit with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Travis Zajac, and Zach Parise. It didn’t take long for Taormina’s name to start popping up all over our forums.

It's too early to be making big decisions with your squad, but with the first handful of regular season games behind us, reality has already started chipping away at your draft night brilliance.

Perhaps you've been affected by an early-season injury, or that rookie didn't earn that crucial top-six spot like you hoped, or maybe you were just unfortunate enough to draft Sheldon Souray and your league doesn’t count AHL points.  Whatever the reason, you might be considering tinkering with your squad - but if you do, make sure you maintain your subjectivity.  That's right, I said your subjectivity.

Angus was on the Team 1040 on (Canadian) Thanksgiving Monday. He chats Canucks, Jeff Skinner, Derek Stepan, and more! Listen here.

The duality of a goalie’s first game is something I’ll forever battle with internally. On the left side of my brain, it’s merely a single game over the course of a seven-month season. On the right side, however, it’s clearly the most important game in regards to their start. And that’s when the battle ensues, as I must weigh the pros and cons of their success and failure to begin the regular season, and how that might affect their performances in the coming weeks.