Brendan Smith is a rare prospect these days because he has had so much time to develop. Many young players are rushed to the NHL before they are ready and it permanently damages their skill and potential. A 2007 Detroit first round pick, Smith was afforded the luxury of playing three years of college hockey at the University of Wisconsin and last season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Hits and Blocked Shots are two rotisserie categories that have been thrown into the limelight of fantasy hockey as of late. This edition of Roto Keeper Monsters allows you to experience a different mindset of category evaluation. By taking a proactive approach and diving into the world of extended categories, I hope to provide you with an alternative way of building a winning team.
This combination of categories accentuates the value of physical defensemen. Thus, added importance must given to the few defensemen who willingly throw their bodies in harm’s way for the good of their team.
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft came to a close on Saturday with 19 goaltenders being selected by 17 total teams. After three goalies were selected in both the second and third round, seven were chosen in the sixth round and four more were snagged in the seventh round.
San Jose's major upgrade, Smyth returns home, the slow burn in Calgary, and some free agency predictions.
Now that the dust has settled in Philadelphia, it’s important to reflect on the entire situation before judging. Take it all in before reaching your negative (in most cases) conclusion.
Fantasy Impact: Both Nikita Filatov and Evgeni Grachev were traded for picks today. Filatov went to Ottawa from Columbus for the 66th overall pick. Grachev went to St. Louis from the Rangers for the 72nd overall pick.
Fantasy Impact: The Edmonton Oilers acquired Ryan Smyth from the Los Angeles Kings for Gilbert Brule and a fifth-round pick. *Update - Gilbert Brule's health has concerned the Kings enough that the Oilers were forced to replace him in the deal. He and the fifth-round pick has now been replaced by Colin Fraser and a seventh-round pick.
Fantasy Impact: The Calgary Flames traded Robyn Regehr and Ales Kotalik (plus a second-round pick) to the Buffalo Sabres for Chris Butler and Paul Byron.
Fantasy Impact: The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers for Rostislav Olesz.
Join Matt Bugg and Justin Goldman from the floor, and get more analysis from Dobber, Angus, Ma, Laidlaw and the rest of the gang as we track Day 2 of the NHL's Entry Draft! You can review our chat from Day 1 right here.
