The Dobotomy

Tampa Bay actually had a pretty decent campaign. Certainly better than anyone had expected. But that wasn’t good enough to save the jobs of GM Brian Lawton and Coach Rick Tocchet. A new owner is in town and Jeff Vinik saw the problem right away. Uncertainty, instability – an overall culture of dysfunction. So while Tocchet did an acceptable job as a new coach in not only getting a team closer to the postseason, but also turning Steve Downie into quite a player – he was part of the slate that needed to be cleaned. No real complaints about Lawton either, but to change a culture the change must be sweeping and it must start at the top. So what does all this mean in fantasy circles?

The more I research hockey this offseason, the more I like the Blues. Not because they’re a potential fantasy powerhouse, but because they are much better than they have shown. Translation: there are deals to be had.

It’s interesting to see which line combinations have meshed well and performed under the pressure of the postseason. Some lines are newly slapped together, while others have been together throughout the season, or at least part of it. Some trios will be together again in the fall, while some will be broken up as a result of picky coaches or unrestricted free agency. Let’s take a look.

The fat lady hasn’t sung yet in every series this round, but we’ve seen enough to make some interesting observations that could give us an edge in offseason deals.

After giving it a lot of careful thought, I have decided to no longer make the rankings a part of DobberHockey. There were a multitude of factors that went into this decision.

The Buffalo Sabres have been solid when it comes to defense this season, but as the season winds down they seem to have found the other element of the game of hockey – offense. With Ryan Miller’s MVP-type season obviously the main – check that, “only” – reason that the Sabres rule their division, there have been some concerns over their firepower. Another eight games of this new offense and all fears should be washed away.

We filled two suites with fantasy hockey fanatics on March 21, and I'll share the photographic evidence with the rest of Dobber Nation. Hopefully, if you didn't make it out this year, we'll see you next!     From left to right - Dobber, Steve "Notch" Johnson, Russ Miller, Matt "Chinny" Chinnick.     A.J. [...]

Alex Steen and Jussi Jokinen have burst onto the fantasy scene in a big way. How long can they keep it up? It says here that they will almost certainly be underrated this coming summer for two reasons. First, their point total for the season will be low, thanks to a lackluster first three months. Second, they are breaking out a year later than usual – in their fifth season. So poolies have spent 2008-09, as well as the start of this campaign, souring on them to the point of writing them off.

‘The Reporters’ shouldn’t join a fantasy league any time soon.

It’s no secret that more often than not, when a player with any semblance of offensive ability gets traded he makes a quick impact on the scoresheet. Usually, this impact fizzles out within a matter of a few games, although in many cases the numbers that he continues to produce is still an improvement on what he was doing in his former city.

Join expert panelists as we break down the latest trades and rumors leading into Wednesday's trade deadline, and ask questions of your own! Hockey Utopia's James Anderson and Crash the Crease's Curtis Tudor fires fantasy questions at Dobber and trade rumor questions at Spector (and who better, really?) on Tuesday at 8pm ET for one hour.