z-Archives (other articles)

Anyone want to hazard a guess who was the number one Yahoo skater over the past month?

Ryan Getzlaf certainly has experienced a nice turnaround in November, and Phil Kessel has made his arrival in Leaf Nation known, but the number one ranked skater for the past 30 days was Mikko Koivu.  He is now ranked 18^th overall, and is the 9^th best centre this season.

Goldman uncovers/analyzes a new trend among young puckstoppers

When it comes to uncovering the next great goalie prospect for your keeper team, you always want to seek out those with elite lateral movement. Not only does excellent lateral quickness mean the goalie is better fit to post quality stats because they are squared up for rebounds, but they will also excel at combating traffic in front of the net, tracking the puck on high-speed odd-man rushes and staying upright for the second and third chances.

And since today’s pro goalies need to constantly refine their style and footwork in order to move in the most efficient manner possible, those that possess superior lateral movement (not because of their athleticism, but because of their ability to track pucks effectively and execute) are more primed to become a valuable long-term keeper.

When Ray Emery’s season in Russia ended, I knew his play would lead to a shot at NHL redemption. I also knew that, regardless of his talent and ability, Emery would no doubt experience a set of mental highs and lows that could have very negative results. When October arrived, I was surprised that Flyers management had so much confidence in his ability, as they all but handed Emery the starting job without him having to prove much of anything. To me, actions speak louder than words, especially for someone in his situation.

One of the more interesting fantasy situations heading in to this season was out West in Vancouver. Both Kevin Bieksa and Alex Edler were coming off of career seasons, and were the go-to guys on Vancouver’s power play in 2008-09. However, the Canucks traded for the speedy Christian Ehrhoff and signed veteran Mathieu Schneider, and both were expected to produce on the power play for the Canucks this season. How are things looking at the quarter-point of the season? Where do Vancouver's defensemen fit in best? I’ll do a player-by-player analysis and include my predictions for the rest of the season.

Joe Sakic’s wrist shot could have put a hole through my body, but his words of wisdom never failed to fill my mind. I was so fortunate to cover his final season as a pro, so I always paid extremely close attention to all of his post-game quotes. One of these quips took place early last season before the back problems sidelined him for good. It has since resonated in my mind, as it is quickly becoming an important factor in the world of fantasy goaltending.

“Rest is a weapon...” he said. Although he meant that in a sort of joking, nonchalant manner, it was quite accurate.