It's October, and that means the 2009 NHL Entry Draft is just nine months away. Each month in this space until June, Bugg Bytes will toss up a brand spankin' new mock draft. Prepare for a bumpy ride as the regular season, international tourneys and playoffs wreak havoc on the stocks of players.
Fantasy managers know that deciding who to play day-by-day and week-by-week can be a tough decision. Doing it well can make the difference between winning and losing. This will help give you an edge. The charts below show 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.
In this case, M*A*S*H stands for Miller’s Avoidance of Seriously Hurt players from the Eastern Conference. There seems to be a rash of serious injuries going around the NHL these days. Maybe it’s just being over-reported and us, being the fantasy hockey junkies we are, start to get worried when we are constantly being bombarded with injury information.
The preseason always gives fantasy managers plenty to think about. Your team could still be missing a few crucial pieces to the puzzle, but with all of the prospects and potential sleepers buzzing around for roster spots, this week is almost more of a distraction - an easy way to be persuaded into making hasty lineup decisions. If one of those missing pieces is a goaltender, get down on your knees and pray for a miracle, because there are probably very slim pickings in the free agent pool.
Word out of Pittsburgh has Sergei Gonchar’s recovery estimated at anywhere from six weeks to six months. Along with that, Ryan Whitney is still out for at least a few more months. What does this mean? Firstly, Kris Letang springboards into the upper echelon of fantasy defensemen – even in one-year leagues.
Eric Maltais recently hosted the third annual Industry Experts Fantasy League. DobberHockey has always had a strong presense in this one - Dobber exploded out of the gates the first year, leading for the better part of five months before injuries took the big man down in the final weeks. Last season, DobberHockey's Maltais won the whole she-bang. This year will be no different.
The format has changed this year to that of a keeper league. Below is an uncensored account of the draft from Eric Maltais (okay - it's censored once...Dobber's call!)
The Atlanta Thrashers have acquired defenceman Mathieu Schneider from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenceman Ken Klee and forwards Brad Larsen and Chad Painchaud.
The Atlanta Thrashers have acquired defenceman Mathieu Schneider from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenceman Ken Klee and forwards Brad Larsen and Chad Painchaud.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK17Ho1NR4c] BUY THE GUIDE HERE Or, if you insist on more info and examples, see them HERE . Thank you for supporting this free fantasy hockey website.
I win a lot in fantasy hockey. I often win the league and am almost always a top threat. There is one common thread I have followed in my success in head-to-head leagues. I don’t overpay for defensemen. It just isn’t necessary. There are several factors against it.
(Note: For an opposing viewpoint, see Russ Miller's article HERE )
