The panel (12-2 heading into this round, end up 12-3 after a VAN loss) is back for one more kick at the can! Four of our writers accurately predicted a Vancouver/Boston final – Ian Fergusson, Justin Goldman, Gates Imbeau, and Russ Miller. Gates leads the way with a stellar 12-2 record. On to the picks…
This past week I reached on twitter out to ask who you wanted to read about. The winner was 5’9” Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins. The 23-year-old rookie has impressed the hockey world most recently with his strong play in the postseason and will fight for his first Stanley Cup in a few short days.
The first edition of this list was put together last year, and it is something I am going to update at least once each season. I have a few general rules when it comes to building a team in a fantasy hockey keeper league. One of the more important ones is to not plan beyond a two or three year window. You are not building a real NHL club, and too often I see poolies place too much of an emphasis on youth and prospects instead of trying to add players who could help them win now.
Using this rule, take a look at your team(s). Can you realistically say you will have a shot at winning the league at some point within the next two or three seasons? If not, time to scrap the rebuild and start adding proven NHL talent.
If you’re anything like me, sometimes you think about stuff. At times I think it’s important to keep those thoughts to myself - like the time I pondered “exactly how in the heck in the world DO giraffes survive that six foot fall when they’re born?” One thing I can share, though, is the completely stable consideration of “just who is a better goaltender, Pekka Rinne or Barry Trotz?”
With the 2011 Memorial Cup tournament getting some well-deserved exposure on NHL Network over the weekend, I had the chance to scout and assess the fantasy value for three different CHL goaltenders.
Last season, the Sedin-Sedin-Burrows line was the most productive in the NHL with 120 points. Even fans in Toronto might not have realized that the next most productive line in the NHL was Kulemin-Grabovski-MacArthur with 110. This Toronto trio beat out some of the more famous trios such as Lucic-Krejci-Horton (107), Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry, and (105) Hartnell-Briere-Leino (91). The leading goal scorer from this Toronto line was none other than the number 44 overall selection in the 2006 entry draft, Nikolai Kulemin.
Who are the DobberHockey Black Aces?
The Black Aces are a growing team of hockey enthusiasts focused on bringing you, the knowledge seeking poolies, profound hockey insight and accurate in depth information. If by chance you are unfamiliar with our work and/or contributions, this article will give you the 411. In short, this section kicks some major fantasy hockey tail - whatever your thing is, we probably cover it, and then some.
Think of the single most stressful moment you have ever experienced. I bet it involved the guilt of eating a chocolate bar, the anticipation of pain from a needle, the uncertainty of going in for a first kiss and the total fear of going skydiving all rolled into one. This moment is known as the Centerman Plunge and it happens at your fantasy draft every year.
Back this week with a ripper of an article. At the end of the last couple of seasons I wrote similar columns which were generally very well received by my fellow Dobberites, so I figured I’d go back to the well once again. It’s a great add-on to give you a decent recap of what went on this past fantasy season as well as what to expect for the upcoming season especially if you are trying to get a head start on your competition.
First, let's clear up some general misconceptions about projections:
Despite losing to Finland in the Gold Medal game of the 2011 World Championships, Viktor Fasth proved throughout the tournament that he’s ready for a bigger challenge. That challenge could be the NHL, as three teams have already expressed interest in him. But which team gives him the best chance to play games and improve his fantasy value?
