This month, I take a look at Mason Raymond’s recovery, Josh Harding, Henrik Zetterberg’s struggles, why I hate the shootout, and more.
This column is a part of the month-long contest the Province newspaper is having. Please go to this link and give it the thumbs up!
Ed. Note: This is the fourth and final instalment in a series in which we’ve looked at different aspects of the NHL game and how to value them appropriately in your fantasy league scoring, with the objective of creating scoring systems that reflect real life value as closely as possible. Click here for previous entries: The Power Game; A Case for the Defence; Special Agents.
Some news and notes regarding prospects around the league...
On the heels of Halloween The Dean’s List switches its focus to two players emerging from the United States full of first round potential and one of them is ironically dubbed “BOO”. Recently, the media has covered the battle between the Canadian Hockey League and NCAA recruitment process as both development leagues battle for top prospects. In this instalment of The Dean’s List we feature a top American high school prospect and the top defensive prospect coming out of the United States Hockey League (USHL) who both own the skill and potential to become very exciting NHL players.
A tough decision can be made easier with these charts showing you the best five and worst five schedules for upcoming seven-day periods. Some of you used them last year but for the benefit of new readers here is a refresher. The number next to the team indicates the 'multiplier' to use on a player's point-per-game pace to give you an idea how many points to expect for that week.
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This contest is for the games on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011.
I could have had a better October starting off 4-8 for pro-line purposes (6-6 picking straight up winners), while Thunder was a steady 6-6. Like Luongo, I’m a slow starter out of the gate, but November is a new month and a clean slate. This is the month where we find out which teams are the contenders, and which are the pretenders. I also think this new baby/lack of regular sleep thing is really affecting my thinking and coming to a correct winning decision. There are some great match-ups this Saturday with 11 games on the schedule; I stayed away from the red-hot Leafs as I know it’s simply just too good to be true.
It’s quite simple, really. Jonas Hiller and Ryan Miller, two of my Top-10 Fantasy Goalies, have been killing poolies this past week. Miller was lit up for three goals in less than ten minutes last night against the Flyers, while Hiller suffered a meltdown against the Capitals on Tuesday in a 5-4 OT loss. Were these just ghastly “off nights” for the elite goalies, or were these games a sign of something more foreboding?
It can be difficult to find that goaltender who is going to produce big numbers without eating a big chunk of your cap space. Generally, a goaltender who is firmly entrenched as a number one and can be counted on, year to year, for a solid GAA and SV%, is paid like one. It's extremely important to find a balance between your first and second goaltender. There are goalies out there who face different situations that create a more risky situation, but provide value as they tend to be paid as one. Saving two to three million dollars on a goalie such as Kari Lehtonen, who carries baggage like a Hilton, is a big risk, but one that can pay off and be the difference between a competitive team and simply showing up.
Below is a list of some of the better bargains in the NHL. Jump on them while you can as goalies aren't easy to come by and grabbing an under the radar goalie can pay large dividends in the future.
On Monday forum member mvp0207 asked the question: Myers or Kulikov? As I was diving in to answer his question I realized that this would make for the perfect Cage Match. His league has the standard 6x4 H2H rotisserie format and while it is a one year league I will answer his question for both the one year and keeper scope. You ready? Let’s do this.
