Gagne Sidelined/Toronto Rumor

Philadelphia - after suffering a hit in a recent game, the Flyers medical staff now believe that Simon Gagne may have suffered a concussion and he is listed day-to-day, but could go on the DL any day. Gagne is still suffering from dizziness, and is not close to skating. for poolies, this is bad news for Gagne owners. Joffrey Lupul owners should see a jump in opportunities however, as it appears that he and Scott Hartnell will vie for the #1 wingers' spot alongside Daniel Briere.

Fantasy Impact:

Gagne - negative
Briere - negative (mild)
Hartnell - positive
Lupul - positive

Toronto - there are reports from Hogtown that the Leafs are inquiring about the availability of Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers. Hossa has started slowly, and has also been dealing with a nagging groin injury, and so far, his stats are weak. For Toronto, the issue really isn't getting more scoring up front (despite the ACL injury to Tucker), it is there defensive play in their own end that is costing them games. This trade seems unlikely, but it would certainly shake things up for both teams. Hossa would welcome a move, but we're not sure just how well he'd do under the micro-scope of Toronto.

Fantasy Impact:

Hossa - even
Kaberle - negative
Leafs Offense - positive (slight)
Leafs Defence - negative
Thrashers Defence - positive
Thrashers Offense - negative
Hossa - negative

Bergeron out indefinately after check from behind

Boston - After watching Flyers defenceman Randy Jones run Patrice Bergeron's head into the top of the dasher on the boards, one can't help but wonder what the frick is going on with the Flyers. Steve Downie, Jesse Boulerice and now Jones, have been involved in incidents that have to be characterized as harmful not only to the player, but also the game. Undoubtedly, Jones' careless play will be seen by every media outlet in North America for the next week, and the question has to be asked, what is going on with the NHL? Of course, everyones' concern has got to be for Bergeron, but despite the previous suspensions, it looks as though the players are still not getting the message. Regrettably, from a Fantasy perspective there is impact. Jones has been a pleasant sup rise for the Flyers on the point this year, and Bergeron has actually played much better this season as well. Expect the impact to the Flyers to be more significant as the players will have to answer questions for the next 2 weeks about what kind of team they are and the impact of the incident. For the Bruins, Bergeron is a big part of their offense and his absence won't be easily replaced; particularly for his line-mates.

Fantasy Impact:

Bruins PP - negative
Flyers PP - negative
Sturm - negative
Savard - positive (more ice)
Kessel - negative

Can a New Coach Mean New Life for a Team?

The firing of a coach can be a wakeup call for a team and often results in a short term boost in points. In the case of the Atlanta Thrashers it may also result in two bursts. With Bob Hartley fired and no permanent replacement on the horizon, GM Don Waddell will step behind the bench.

Look for the Thrashers to produce over the next couple of days...and in fact, it may be a good time to flip a couple of these guys if the price goes up.

Many will think that the reason for Waddell taking up the coaching duties, even temporarily, is a move of desperation or shows a lack of planning on his part. I don't buy that for a second. I think he has an idea of who he wants to be the coach but he wants to see the game from "ice level" to get a sense of the changes that might need to be made.

From a fantasy perspective, don't be surprised if one of Hossa or Kovalchuk are moved. Right now this team is far two unbalanced because of the salaries of these two guys and with Hossa a pending UFA at the end of the year, it may make more sense to use him as an asset to add depth the squad...depth that was squandered in trading for Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik at the trade deadline last year.

If Hossa or Kovalchuk are dealt it will most likely be to a team with a top-end center already in place...this could mean an almost instantaneous bump in points.

But that is mere speculation right now. In the short term look for a slight bump in offense from the big boys in Atlanta, but don't expect it to last very long without a significant change in personnel.

The Latest Rumblings...

Minnesota - the Wild's big line of Demitra-Koivu-Gaborik looks to have not found the same offensive success as it's 2nd line of Roslton-Belanger-Bouchard. The Wild are trying Koivu at center between their two big guns and so far, not much is happening. Koivu's not a natural play-maker and so far, it's adversely impacting Demitra and Gaborik. Belanger, a solid two-way forward, seems to be providing the spark for the unheralded Rolston and Bouchard. If Belanger is available in your league, go and get him. He may not be able to maintain this production for an extended period, but he'll be hot for awhile.

Fantasy Impact:

Belanger - positive
Bouchard - positive
Rolston - even
Gaborik - negative
Demitra- negative
Koivu - positive

Nashville - with Shea Weber out with a dislocated knee, this should mean more playing time on the PP for Dan Hamhuis and Marik Zidlicky. So far, it appears that Hamhuis seems to be thriving much better than Zidlicky. Weber may be gone for up to 6 weeks, and if you haven't gotten Hamhuis, you should.

Fantasy Impact:

Hamhuis - positive
Zidlicky - even (so far)
Preds PP - even

Boston - Manny Fernandez is out with an injury, and the team is turning to last years incumbent Tim Thomas to carry the laod. Fernandez is not supposed to be gone for long, and Thomas should hold the fort while the team continues on a long road trip. Of bigger concern is the absence of Marc Savard, who is out with a rumored groin injury. Savard is needed to provide the spark for the Bruins offense.

Fantasy Impact:

Savard - negative
Murray - negative
Bergeron - positive
Sturm - even
Thomas - positive

After the First few days...

...here's the latest rumblings that we are hearing after only a few days.

San Jose - the new big line of Marleau-Thornton-Cheechoo we think won't be together for very long. Marleau's a better scorer and the hope from the Sharks is that his move to the wing will be able to use his speed and shot to generate offence. Marleau hasn't played on the wing since junior and this move puts alot of the Sharks offensive eggs in one basket. Coach Ron Wilson will be adversely impacting Marleau's and Michalek's stats significantly with this experiment...and not positively.

Fantasy Impact:

Marleau - negative
Thornton - positive (marginally).
Cheechoo - positive
Michalek - negative

Edmonton - with three rookies in their line-up, the Oilers are pinning their hopes on their youth movement. Gagner, Brodzniak and Cogliano are showing some chemistry early, but we still think it will be Brodzniak and Cogliano that stay for the season and Gagner likely gets sent down.

Fantasy Impact:

Cogliano - positive
Gagner - positive
Brodzniak - positive

Chicago - it took all of one game for Martin Havlat to suffer what appears to be a significant injury; this one to his shoulder. If it's a separation or dislocation he'll be gone from 2 weeks - 4 months. Watch this closely...

Fantasy Impact:

Blackhawks offense - negative
Robert Lang - negative
Sergei Samsonov - negative

Predictor Updating - When We Do It

Every year we get questions about when and why we update the Predictor. We always get notes that say...you said you would be updating every day, but there are players that haven't been updated in a month!

There's a reason for that. We are very confident in our predictions and the only reason we will make a change is if a particular circumstance changes. Below we list the only reasons we will make a change to a prediction:

• Injury
• Trade
• Signing
• Rookie/Prospect makes the team
• Other significant news

That's it. We don't like to "tweak" just for the heck of it. We are not likely to play with a star's stats just because of his linemates...however, if a roleplayer has a shot at playing with Jagr or Crosby or Ovechkin, you'll likely see that reflected with an update.

We are very proud of our predictions. We exceeded the accuracy of our competition last season (using their own criteria). But it's important for all of us to realize that just like with your fantasy team it's sometimes best not to react...instead take a deep and evaluate the situation. And that's what we like to do.

Days Away...Update

With only a few day from the start of the season for everyone that was not a Duck or King, here is the latest from training camps:

Montreal - the future appears right around the corner for the Montreal Canadiens and goaltender Carey Price. Price won the back-up job from Jaroslav Halak in camp and looks to be the heir apparent for the Habs between the pipes. The good news for Price is that Huet has shown he won't likely finish the season without a stint on the DL. The bad news is that there will be lots of pressure on him if he does get a crack at the No. 1 job; so don't be surprised if he struggles a bit early. That said, Huet owners would do well to snag Price in their drafts just in case.

Fantasy Impact:

Price - positive
Huet - negative/positive
Halak - negative

Edmonton - it looks like the Oilers pivots this season will be Horcoff, Stoll and the a rotation of Marty Reason, Sam Gagner and Andrew Coglinao. Cogliano has looked very good in camp, and Gagner recently signed, may get sent right away to junior or he will audition for 9 games before getting sent down. Cogliano likely will cement himself on the 4th line for now, but should see lots of minutes early in the season. He's still at least one year away from a full-time impact role while Gagner will need likely two.

Fantasy Impact:

Cogliano - positive
Reasoner - negative
Gagner - positive

Vancouver - it looks as though defence prospect Luc Bourdon will be headed for Winnipeg this season as he has not had a memorable camp. Bourdon looks to be a longer term project at this stage the the Canucks had orginally hoped...and fantasy owners too.

Fantasy Impact:

Bourdon - negative
Canucks D-depth - negative

Los Angles - after cementing a roster spot in camp, it looks as though coach Marc Crawford is going to roll the dice with 19 year old goal-tending blue-chipper Jonathan Bernier as he starter. Bernier had a better camp than Jason LaBarbara, and as a result has the inside track on the No. 1 job for now. Expect Crawford to play both likely 60-40 assuming Bernier and LaBarbara stay healthy and perform.

Fantasy Impact:

Bernier - positive
LaBarbara - negative
Kings goal-tending - positive (they had Sean Burke for a spell last year...yikes).