Eastern Edge

Love it or hate it, penalty minutes are one of the most common fantasy hockey statistics these days. If your offense is strong enough, you have the option of streaming whichever hothead is racking up misconducts and providing little to no offensive assistance throughout the year. The much more attractive option however, is to find a player who can contribute offensively, while still posting 150 or more penalty minutes. With each passing year, more and more fantasy GM’s are coming to the realization that they need a player like Hartnell, Lucic, Downie, etc. One player who fits this category is Los Angeles forward Kyle Clifford.

In the final season before the NHL lockout, 2003-04, the worst three teams in the league were the Pittsburgh Penguins with 58 points, and the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals with 59 points each.  Seven short years later and two of the franchises have already added a Stanley Cup. Despite their leading scorer failing to score even 60 points, in that 2003-04 season the Edmonton Oilers finished with 89 points, yet still failed to qualify for postseason activity. They would go on to not only lose the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes, but in one of the strangest drafts of all time, they were awarded the 25^th overall pick.

Determined to make the most of their situation, they were excited to select the 18-year-old Cogliano, who had just compiled 102 points in 49 games in the OPJHL, good enough to be crowned top scorer in the league. In the limited time he had played internationally, Cogliano scored five goals and seven assists in only six games to lead a team that also featured players such as Steve Downie, Bryan Little, Marc Staal, Ryan Parent, Ryan Wilson, and Cal Clutterbuck. Needless to say, Canada won the gold that year.

As the NHL season came to a close, fans were captivated yet again by Joe Pavelski. “Little Joe” or “The Big Pavelski” as he is sometimes referred to, has displayed an elite skillset to complement his clutch performances. It took him some time to get going, but once he did, Pavelski strung together a career-high 66 points, which was two more than superstar teammate Dany Heatley. And Pavelski did it in six fewer games.

This week I will follow the lead of my Western Conference counterpart and take a look back at the season that was.

Eight years ago, NHL GMs consulted with their scouts and chose from a talent in pool in what is now considered one of the deepest drafts of all time. One player chosen in that 2003 draft (26^th overall) is often overlooked. Brian Boyle is taking longer than expected, but many forget that he was drafted just two spots behind Philadelphia’s Mike Richards and three spots behind Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler.

With the end of the 2010-11 season in sight, it's time to gauge who's going to be amongst your keeper selections heading into next season. Of course which players end up staying on your rosters depends greatly on your league make up, number of keepers and your own personal risk tolerance. I’ve compiled a list of players that may have some question marks as protectable players in limited keeper leagues heading into next season.

(See Part 1 here)

Let me get this out of the way right now, I hate fishing. The score card is simple here; Fish means I find the player in a favourable light as a keeper for next season. Cut Bait means I'd rather throw this one back into the water and hope for a bigger catch. Be aware that I tend to be quite conservative with my protected players, preferring the vast majority of my keepers to come down on the proven side of the ledger. Here is Part 2:

With the end of the 2010-11 season in sight, it's time to gauge who's going to be amongst your keeper selections heading into next season. Of course which players end up staying on your rosters depends greatly on your league make up, number of keepers and your own personal risk tolerance. I’ve compiled a list of players that may have some question marks as protectable players in limited keeper leagues heading into next season. This is part one of two, with the second one coming tomorrow.

Let me get this out of the way right now, I hate fishing. The score card is simple here; Fish means I find the player in a favourable light as a keeper for next season. Cut Bait means I'd rather throw this one back into the water and hope for a bigger catch. Be aware that I tend to be quite conservative with my protected players, preferring the vast majority of my keepers to come down on the proven side of the ledger.

Cal O’Reilly’s road to the NHL has been nothing short of a struggle. Cal was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 draft after finishing up a strong season with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL. While Cal posted 73 points in 68 games, the Spitfires most alluring prospect that season was Steve Downie, who posted 73 points of his own in seven fewer games, not to mention the 179 penalty minutes he added. With the focus on Downie, O’Reilly flew well under the radar.

This week we'll take a gander at each of the Eastern Conference teams remaining games and opponents and try to identify which players (marks) might give you an added edge down the stretch. The games remaining include Thursday nights games.