For the last 23 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them. The 24th annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm [...]
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about some of the stats that correlate well to future production both among forwards and among defencemen. The next three Ramblings after that focused on forwards whose tracking data improvements portend point production improvements, forwards whose tracking data has declined, and which forwards showed playmaking increases. Today, we’ll [...]
The Analytics Era of the NHL – or since the 2007-08 season – has seen the game adopt new ways thinking about offence and defence, new ways to evaluate performance, and new ways to predict future results. Many fans don’t care about any of this, and they don’t have to. In the end, any pro [...]
It took some waiting, namely because of an NHL investigation that had to conclude, but it was finally announced on Tuesday that the Edmonton Oilers have hired Mike Babcock to be their next Head Coach. Babcock has not coached in the NHL since November of 2019 when he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, [...]
Our MVP series is officially wrapped and it is time to turn our attention, at long last, to the playoffs. We are going to dive into this extra set of games and see if there is anything to learn about individual players. We will go round by round and look at the eliminated teams. We [...]
For the last few weeks, we’ve been reviewing peripheral contributions across the league, focusing on shots, hits, blocks, and penalty minutes. The last couple of Ramblings alone have covered the top peripheral performers among forwards and then among defencemen. Today, let’s start looking at the entire picture and compare the fantasy performances of some players [...]
We have a bigger update as we enter the offseason, turning over all of the stats and contracts to set up for the 2026-27 season. Connor McDavid is back in the top spot thanks in part to him taking a bit of discount in order to try and win a Cup in Edmonton. Meanwhile, breakout [...]
The Montreal Canadiens started Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final by conceding a goal to Seth Jarvis but then scoring four goals in the next 10:32 to take a 4-1 lead and, eventually, a 6-2 win. Juraj Slafkovsky managed two goals and an assist, Cole Caufield and Phillip Danautl had one of each, while [...]
Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Eastern Edge. This week we’ll be taking a look at each of the four playoff series in the Eastern Conference. Let’s get to it! Carolina Hurricanes / Ottawa Senators (CAR wins series 4-0) The Carolina Hurricanes are on to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs [...]
The playoffs are still young, so the trick is separating what matters from what is just early-series noise. Two-game samples are not trends. Three games are not destiny. But usage moves, special teams gaps, goalie baselines, and shot volume can already tell us why a series is tilting one way. No shot maps here. The [...]
