The Wild West

The West has seen a few surprisingly strong starts thus far, Vegas most notably, and the Kings who are on fire with an undefeated top seat just ahead of VGK in the Pacific. In contrast, St. Louis’ Central Division success, with Chicago right on their heels, was largely anticipated. Edmonton’s slow start was not part [...]

At this very early point in the campaign we see plenty of players shifting between lines. While each team employs a different strategy, many test out young players under contract with junior teams to see if they might warrant more than a nine-game stay. Others might gauge if newcomers gel quickly with returning players to [...]

  It’s early, very early as we close out the NHL schedule’s first week, but a few names emerged from their teams’ initial two or three games. They might fade, but could also tighten a hold on roles that will bring greater production than originally forecast. If you have room on your roster maybe take [...]

Preseason play often brings a few surprises. While stars like Connor McDavid are expected to excel if involved in this short slate of contests, and solid vets may be extra motivated to torch the ice against less-than-equal competition, others use this time as a springboard up their team’s prospect ranks hoping to prove their promise [...]

There are many Western Conference candidates you might be able to snap up for a bargain based upon down 2016-17 campaigns. Injury, a less-than-stellar supporting cast, or a role change can contribute to reduced production that may cause poolies to undervalue players on the cusp of returning to previous effectiveness. After an offseason of recovery, [...]

Breakout candidates can be defined in a few different ways, but for the purposes of this article we’ll look at young, Central Division non-rookies who have established themselves at least somewhat in the NHL and signs point to them reaching a higher-than-expected level of play and statistical achievement in 2017-18. In fantasy, these are players [...]

While there is no consensus “best” rookie hitting the NHL West as we enter training camp, several have great chances of landing starring roles that could accelerate franchise turnarounds.  Particularly among forwards Arizona, Vancouver and Colorado can take great strides if their best young prospects meet success. Here are a few, along with others that [...]

Just which players are fantasy-best depends on your league. It’s a very close call for many. Sometimes top scorers have poor plus/minus, penalty minutes, hits or blocked shots stats rendering them less valuable in multi-category leagues. It’s impossible to factor in all the various league scoring systems out there. With the growing number of pools [...]

First let me apologize for not getting back to some of you via Twitter and other formats. I’m in a very rural locale visiting family and then will be relocating for a few months, so my online access, time, and energy have been and will be compromised for the next few weeks. If I haven’t [...]

Just which centers are best for fantasy depends on your league. It’s a very close call for many. Sometimes top scorers have poor plus/minus, penalty, hits or blocked shots stats rendering them less valuable in multi-category leagues. It’s impossible to factor in all the various league scoring systems out there. With the growing number of [...]