The DobberHockey Panel Predictions – 2011-12
The gang weighs in on the 2011-12 season, and if it’s anything like our postseason success (as a consensus, the panel is 54-21 in five postseasons), you can take these picks to the bank.
Shea Weber vs. Drew Doughty
I recently realized that I have not done a defensemen-centric Cage Match since May. It is not that I hate defensemen. I think it is just because defensemen are just so doggone hard to draft. They are far too fickle for my liking. One year they look like gold and the next the magic is gone. (Kinda like Lindsay Lohan, am I right?) Sure that can happen to any player but with defensemen the swings are so much more significant because they score fewer points in general. They also score much fewer goals so instead of relying on their talents to produce points like forwards can they rely more heavily on teammates and other situational factors. This is problematic for us poolies. I mean, how many questionable secondary assists did your defensemen snake last season? And can they be counted on to be as lucky? The answers are almost impossible.
Tortoise Versus Hare (West 2011)
This week’s article stems from a thread created by Princeton on the Dobber forums. So I thought it’d be a good idea to take a look at the Western Confernce players to see if they are a hot starter (hare) or if they tend to start out of the gates a bit slower than the norm (tortoise). You can use this article in a few ways, where, if you are an owner it might just give you peace of mind to know that your player is a traditional slow starter, but should return to normal pretty soon. Or you might use someone who’s traditionally a hot starter and try to “sell high” and maximize trade value after the first month. Either way it should be beneficial for you fellow poolies.
Training Camp Update: Florida Panthers
Panthers’ GM Dave Tallon has done nothing short of a massive overhaul to his roster, arguably bigger than the Philadelphia Flyers’. Countless names were shipped out and just as many new faces arrived. With an overwhelming amount of new talent available, there are quite a few question marks surrounding the players, their potential performance, the line combinations, and of course the overall competitiveness of the team. Here’s a quick look at some of the players in Florida this year.
Early Risers
Preseason success isn't always a good indicator of regular season success, however, for prospects it's one of the few times to make a significant impression. Introductions are in order for four prospects who have had outstanding training camps/preseasons and have likely earned themselves at least a few call-ups throughout the season if not a spot on the NHL roster.
A Deep Analysis – The Crosby Show
We did a Deep Analysis of Jeff Angus’ team, The Crosby Show, before last season and we’re back again to give him another edge. Check all of our fantasy hockey tools out over at the HockeyPoolGeek.
(Editors note: considering my entire league will be reading this, not sure how much of an edge I actually get!)
Training Camp Update: New Jersey
Last year the New Jersey Devils went from being one of the more consistent upper echelon teams to absolutely plummeting. Many have debated what the cause was – anything from Ilya Kovalchuk being a cancer in the dressing room to Martin Brodeur getting old to Zach Parise missing almost all year and just about everything in between. The fact of the matter is that something went wrong early and the team was forced to react.
15 Players That Could Make or Break You (West 2011)
Every year there seems to be a few players that come out of nowhere to magically to give you a surprising boost, (Corey Perry, Pekka Rinne, Kari Lehtonen, Dustin Byfuglien, or Lubomir Visnovsky last season), or one that you ranked so highly but ended up destroying your season because you invested so highly on them, (Steve Mason, Bobby Ryan, or Evgeni Malkin). With a few weeks remaining before the first puck drops in the 2011-12 season, hopefully I can provide you with a last-minute look of some players out West who will either make or break your fantasy season.
Derek Roy vs. Mikko Koivu
In the recent Dobber Hockey Expert’s League draft I was faced with a difficult decision. It was the seventh round and I had yet to pick a centerman. Worst of all, the cream of the crop had been picked clean. It was to be expected but I was nevertheless disappointed. Clearly I needed to grab the best centerman available and had plenty of options with upside just nothing that was a sure fire winner. All the options I considered had upside but every one of them came with a possible deal breaker. It was like when Barney describes the fatal “Ohhhh…” moment on How I Met Your Mother only instead of chicks I was judging NHL players.
Top-10 Fantasy Goalies
Before I begin, allow me to recite the Golden Rule of fantasy goalie rankings. “Explain the format, lay out the parameters and clearly state the stipulations that create every ranking.” With that in mind, this year’s Top-10 Fantasy Goalies ranking for one-year leagues is focused on volume. It includes goalies that I feel will not only play a ton of games and see tons of shots, but also make a high percentage of saves and have the best odds of playing consistently well from start to finish.