Stuff from former regular columnists such as Chris Burns, Eric Maltais, Jacob Status, Jim Gunther and Jeff Angus, as well as guest columnists such as Gus Katsaros from McKeen‘s, Jon Press from Japer’s Rink and more!
I’ll go into a bit of depth on a fantasy issue or two pertaining to the other 15 NHL clubs. Check Part I out here.
As with the last few years, a number of players moved from the KHL to America. Sure there have also been some transfers the other way around, such as Evgeny Nabokov signing a 4-yr deal with SKA St. Petersburg or Tuesday’s news of Yann Danis signing with Amur Khabarovsk, but let's focus on the chances of the relatively unknown former KHL players with their NHL clubs.
Welcome to the second installment of The Business of Fantasy Hockey. Throughout the offseason, Mike Colligan and I will discuss the similarities between a few of the principles that drive today's business world and your fantasy hockey league. If you can get a better understanding of these ideas and how they impact your league, you'll be many steps ahead of your competitors.
School of Block held a fantasy forums mailbag last week and the quality of questions I answered was just outstanding. The volume was even more impressive, as I gladly spent my entire day answering…well…almost all of them.
The only question left unanswered was a request from Leafs2010. He asked me to list the Top-10 goalies for a one-year fantasy league using the common statistical categories. I realized automatically that a question of such magnitude and importance deserved more time and focus than the others, so I pondered it for the whole week. Lo and behold, my ranking of the 10 best goalies to own for this season, if you’re playing in a one-year league that uses the common scoring categories.
A 30-minute Meditation on Alexander Frolov
The Ilya Kovalchuk drama is exhausting. Serious, it’s worse than the Phoenix Coyotes’ ownership catastrophe of last summer.
But once Kovalchuk finds a home (in the NHL), I have no doubt that poolies’ interest in him come draft day will only be heightened. Yet it doesn't take a genius to draft an elite player like a Crosby, an Ovechkin or a Kovalchuk. Winners are usually built through the tricky middle rounds. And with that in mind, my thoughts recently turned to another Russian free agent. While Alexander’s Frolov’s stock has fallen of late, he may well surprise some this year, and it’s guaranteed that you won’t have to waste a high pick to land the winger.
I’d like to formally welcome Mike Colligan (my co-author for this article series) to DobberHockey. You can read more about Mike at the bottom of the page. For the past month we have been trading e-mails back and forth about fantasy hockey strategies for trading and player valuation, and how these strategies directly relate to many key concepts in the business world. We both possess business backgrounds from an education standpoint, and I was interested to see that Mike was using many of the same ideas and strategies from and applying them to fantasy hockey as I was. Today we will introduce the topic of value investing to you.
Today I'll take a look at a team in a league with some complex scoring categories and rules.
We all enjoy trying to find the next great sleeper in fantasy hockey. Every year there are at least a half dozen players who rise from relative obscurity to NHL (and fantasy hockey) stardom. How many of you can say that you expected Craig Anderson to be one of hockey’s best goaltenders in 2009-10? How many saw Patric Hornqvist score 30 goals, 15 times his goal output in 2008-09?
I will be profiling many of my favourite sleeper picks in the DobberHockey Fantasy Guide. (Out August 1st, in case you haven’t heard!) I have decided to share my (unofficial) favourite sleeper for the 2010-11 season with you all today. Peter Regin, Ottawa’s 3rd round draft selection from way back in 2004, played three full seasons in the SEL before making the trip over to North America. His first season in North America saw him record 47 points in 56 games for the Binghamton Senators. Regin only scored once in 11 games at the NHL that season, and he was considered an afterthought in Ottawa Senators heading in to the 2009-10 season.
Another simple audit. Points-only, no goalies. Some interesting keeper questions, including the likes of Frolik, Vanek, Gagner, Wolski, and Derek Roy. Thanks to DobberHockey reader Andy for sending this one in.
A pretty straightforward audit - helping to pick keepers as the 2010-11 season approaches. Niclas Bergfors or Michael Frolik? Erik Johnson or a forward? DobberHockey reader Jarret wanted some help, and I was glad to oblige him!
