There is still six weeks of hockey left to play this season, but I have seen enough to name my fantasy dark horse of the year. Yes, Carolina’s Ray Whitney has been a pleasant surprise, but his production has slipped a little and he is now on the shelf with a sprained ankle.
(This was originally submitted to and published by The Hockey News, ESPN.com and MSN.ca on March 5)
Notch won for the first time in several weeks last Saturday, but the biggest surprise was the excellent showing of the quarter. Statistically, a coin toss accurately predicting whether the home team or the road team would win is under 50 per cent. This is because there are overtime and shootout losses to consider - those count as ties...
The quarter actually beat several forum members who dared challenge it.
Martin Gelinas is not a player that I would normally recommend for your fantasy squad. In fact, taking the season as a whole, Gelinas’ 37 points are not exactly eye-catching. Why should it be? That is a 45-point pace, which is useless in most pools.
The good part about that is – your competitors probably haven’t noticed him.
You've seen a thread somewhere on your favorite messageboard. "Mock Draft Signup!". Odds are good you've seen several of these threads by now. Some promise seven rounds, others three, others just the first thirty. But it doesn't matter. You're hungry to take the ropes of a team at the (fictional) draft table. But before you go and book your social calender solid with twenty mocks, here are some tips- good for both participants and commissioners alike.
We are starting to see a little bit of the potential from a handful of solid fantasy blue-chip defensemen these past few weeks. Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Gonchar and Scott Niedermayer won’t be around forever you know.
Long-time readers of DobberHockey already know how I feel about this guy, and will also know that he was my second ever Clown (after David Frost and before the American Press).
As fantasy hockey goes, we have just hit our so-called off-season. No more trades can be made, our lineups have pretty much been tweaked as much as they can, and with the exception of a few possible rookie call-ups, the waiver wire has been worked over more than a Playboy magazine in a teenager’s room. So I say we should all take a little breather, and actually sit down and watch a game or two. Perhaps we can even challenge ourselves to the extreme, and not check the box scores until all the games for that night have been completed. I know I know … it seems a little overwhelming, but it can be done people.
If you are stuck in the middle of the pack in your fantasy pool, this is the article for you. The leaders have pulled away and this year is over in terms of you winning, so the only logical step is to look ahead to next season. You may begin to ask yourself a bunch of questions. Who are some guys to keep an eye on? Who are some players to avoid after a big year? Why didn’t I buy Dobber’s Guide like the guy in first place did?
This was submitted to and published by The Hockey News, ESPN.com, and MSN.ca on Monday the 12th.
Like all fantasy poolies, something happened on Saturday that turned my head. Jeff Hamilton of the Chicago Blackhawks tallied five points.
Who?
Given some fans insatiable appetite for potential sleeper free agent picks, which late season call ups, prospects, players with a change of scenery and others might be worth an extra look for next season’s free agency?
Here are some names to consider:
