Washington sends David Steckel and a 2nd round pick in 2011 to New Jersey for the Devils' Jason Arnott. Fantasy Impact - this is a solid deal, fantasy wise, for both teams. Arnott will likely be the Caps at least 3rd line pivot, and likely 2nd line center, feeding the likes of Alexander Semin. If he plays 2nd line, his fantasy value will increase for sure. He's a better option than Mathieu Perreault. He's likely gone at the end of the season, but if the Caps get to the Cup, it will be a risk worth taking. for teh Devils, Steckel will get a long look to see is he can supplant Danius Zubris as the Devils 2nd line center. Steckel is awesome at FOWs and if he can let his skills catch up to his big frame, he could be a diamond in the rough for the offensively challenged Devils.
Washington sends Jake Hauswirth and a 3rd round pick to Florida for Dennis Wideman. Fantasy Impact - Wideman gives the Caps some peice of mind and a more viable option on defence assuming that the horrible season for Mike Green continues. Wideman should help the Caps and he is under-rated defensively. For the Panthers, they get a long-shot prospect in Hauswirth, who is a converted defenceman now forward, who can score a little.
Edmonton sends Dustin Penner to LA for the Kings Colten Teubert, a 2011 1st rounder and a conditional 2nd round pick in 2012. Fantasy Impact - Penner is likely to gain a significant amount of relief from leaving hockey-crazed Edmonton where his periodic lacklustre play drove fans a little bananas for a guy that with his type of frame. Despite all that, Penner has managed to be a pretty consistent scorer, scoring 20+ goals in 4 of his last 5 seasons. He's likely to thrive as a part of the success story in LA rather than being the focal point of offense as he was in Edmonton. Penner should maintain his current 29 goals clip for the Kings. For the Oilers, Teubert fits the persona of a tough, physical defencemen that they hope to accompany a back end that will consist of Petry, Chorney and Maricin. If this core can grow together, the Oilers will have a terrific defence 3 years from now. To get a propsect like Teubert and a 1st rounder for Penner is a nice return on the enigmatic Penner.
Anaheim sends Maxim Lapierre and MacGregor Sharp to Vancouver for the Canucks Joel Perreault and a 3rd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact: Lapierre assumes a 4th line role with the Canucks. He is a high energy, robust player that can be undisciplined at times. He's not there to score goals. He is there to provide depth and to put pressure on the opposition's defence during the fore-check. If you count hits, you might take him. Sharp is a project prospect for the Canucks who was a scorer in college, but at 25 - his window to play in the NHL is closing. For the Ducks, Joel Perrault is a solid face off guy and depth center, but it will be hard for him to crack the Ducks line-up.
Florida sends Chris Higgins to Vancouver for the Canucks' Evan Oberg and a 3rd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact - Higgins is a nice addition to a Canucks team. He can kill penalties and has the ability to play as high as the 2nd line (are you listening Mason Raymond). He's a UFA in the summer. With both Higgins and LaPierre in the fold, the Canucks are likely to send Cody Hodgson and Victor Oreskovich back to the minors. For the Panthers, Oberg is a solid puck moving defencemen that will get a shot to crack the line-up next year. He projects as a 4-5 defencemen.
Phoenix sends Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepisto to Columbus for the Blue Jackets' Rotislav Klesla and Dane Byers. Fantasy Impact - At first blush, this is a hands down win for the Blue Jackets as Upshall has 16 goals and is a high energy player and great in the room. Upshall is a UFA in the summer and Jakcets management hopes that they can convince him to stay. In Lepisto, The Jackets get an offensive minded defenceman that has struggled to find success at the NHL level. He'll get a long look with the Jackets. For the 'Yotes they get a solid defenceman that was a very high draft pick for the Jackets, who is signed for the next few years, who can replace Jovonosvski in the off-season. He's not had his offensive junior success translate to the NHL, and at 28, likely will not, but he has developed into a shutdown defenceman. Byers is a long shot to make the club, but has proved himself adept at scoring and scrapping in the minors.
Atlanta send Niclas Bergfors and Patrick Rissmiller to Florida for Radek Dvorak and a 5th round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact - Radek Dvorak has had some success in the NHL, while Niclas Bergfors never really seemed to get the required consistency for the Thrashers. Dvorak is an average fantasy forward in almost all pool formats at best. Bergfors was a former Devils 1st round pick that was part of the package sent to the Thrashers from the Devils last year when the Devils acquired Kovolchuk last year. Jury is still out, but he'll get every opportunity to play in Florida. Rissmiller is a sandpaper forward with limited upside.
St. Louis sends Brad Winchester to Anaheim for the Ducks 3rd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact - Winchester is a rough and tumble winger that will crash the net and is a load in front of the opposing zone. He's not got the best hands so his fantasy output will be limited.
Ottawa sends Chris Campoli and a conditional 7th round pick in 2011 to the Chicago Blackhawks for Ryan Potulny and a 2nd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact - Campoli is an upgrade at least offensively from the departed Nick Boynton, but he'll be playing behind Keith, Seabrook and Campbell. He'll get 6th defenceman minutes on the Hawks for the remainder of the season. For the Senators, they get to see if Potulny will ever be a regular NHL center for the next 20 games, while stock-piling another decent draft pick.
Atlanta sends Fredrik Modin to Calgary for the Flames' conditional 7th round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact - Modin's fantasy contribution is going to be limited. He's a decent depth guy, but hard to imagine that he'll play on the Flames top 6 forward units. Thrasher's dump some salary while Modin adds some depth.
St. Louis sends Brad Boyes to Buffalo for a 2nd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact: it was evident with the Blues' acquisition of Chris Stewart that Boyes' playing time and spot on the depth chart would be moving lower. The Sabres are hoping that Boyes, who will play in their top 6, and could even play center, will re-ignite some of his past offensive glory. The bet is he'll discover a bit more of his scoring touch with the move to Buffalo and additional ice time but it's likely not that sustainable. Tyler Ennis is the likely odd man out on the Sabres top 6 to make room for Boyes.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
More Rumors - Pt. II
Dallas - the rumors are very hot that Stars' GM Joe Niuewendyk is taking offers on Brad Richards, who would have to waive his no trade clause. The latest have the Kings the most interested, but the problem is will they part with highly coveted Brayden Schenn? The Kings would much rather move two of the following for Richards (and failing that, likely Penner or Hemskey): Loktionov, Hickey, Voynov, Clifford or Jake Muzzin, and likely a 1st round draft pick. A deal for any of the above mentioned NHLers will really come down to whether Kings GM Dean Lombardi is prepared to move Schenn or not.
T-minus 2 days before the Trade Deadline - latest rumors
Here is the latest that we are hearing around the league in terms of rumors with less than 2 days before the deadline:
Florida - having moved Froli, Stillman and McCabe, the next likely candidates to get dealt include Tomas Vokoun, David Booth and Stephen Weiss. Vokoun is an unrestricted free agent in the off-season and there is little likelihood that he'll resign in Florida. Potential suitors include Colorado, Toronto and Washington. For our money, it looks like the Capitals may win this sweepstakes as the combo of Varlamov and Neuvirth have not been consistent enough to give management the confidence that the Caps can go deep with the goaltending that they have. Also, the Capitals have Braden Holtby in the minors and he's shown signs that he can at least be a decent back-up next year when given chances with the big clus this year. If the Caps do make this deal you can expect they'll only rent Vokoun and the package going back is likely Neuvirth or Holtby and Jay Beagle - a young center in the Caps farm system.
Colorado - after wheeling Anderson, Stewart and Shattenkirk out and welcoming Erik Johnson and Brian elliott in, the Avs are also rumored to be interested in moving John-Micahel Liles prior to the deadline. The hottest destination for Liles has been Toronto, where the Leafs believe that they have a shot of catching the 8th spot in the East. Liles started like a house on fire this year, but since about the 20 game mark, his play in his own end has been brutal. The Leafs would like to get Liles by trading one of the frist round picks they received from either the Flyers or the Bruins and the 3rd rounder from the Bruins.
Florida - having moved Froli, Stillman and McCabe, the next likely candidates to get dealt include Tomas Vokoun, David Booth and Stephen Weiss. Vokoun is an unrestricted free agent in the off-season and there is little likelihood that he'll resign in Florida. Potential suitors include Colorado, Toronto and Washington. For our money, it looks like the Capitals may win this sweepstakes as the combo of Varlamov and Neuvirth have not been consistent enough to give management the confidence that the Caps can go deep with the goaltending that they have. Also, the Capitals have Braden Holtby in the minors and he's shown signs that he can at least be a decent back-up next year when given chances with the big clus this year. If the Caps do make this deal you can expect they'll only rent Vokoun and the package going back is likely Neuvirth or Holtby and Jay Beagle - a young center in the Caps farm system.
Colorado - after wheeling Anderson, Stewart and Shattenkirk out and welcoming Erik Johnson and Brian elliott in, the Avs are also rumored to be interested in moving John-Micahel Liles prior to the deadline. The hottest destination for Liles has been Toronto, where the Leafs believe that they have a shot of catching the 8th spot in the East. Liles started like a house on fire this year, but since about the 20 game mark, his play in his own end has been brutal. The Leafs would like to get Liles by trading one of the frist round picks they received from either the Flyers or the Bruins and the 3rd rounder from the Bruins.
The Most Recent Trades
Florida sends Bryan McCabe to New York for the Rangers for Tim Kennedy and a 3rd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact: for the Rangers, McCabe gives them a steadying influence on the back end that they have not seen since the Brian Leetch days. We are not saying this Bryan will be as good offensively as that Brian, but McCabe has better offensive upside than the likes of Staal, Del Zotto and Gilroy. McCabe is not a 60+ point defenceman anymore but he's a good bet to get some look on the PP. For the Panthers, this is all about at least getting a dp and dumping some of McCabe's salary. This will mean more minutes for Kulikov and eventually, Erik Gudbransson.
Ottawa sends Alexi Kovalev to Pittsbrugh for the Penguins for a conditional 7th round pick. Fantasy Impact: this is clearly a low risk/high reward deal for the Penguins. Kovalev has not been close to the guy they were hoping they were getting when he was signed to a 2 year deal for $5M per season almost two seasons ago. This season Kovalev has been even worse, but even at the age of 37, Kovalev still has enough offensive skills to make a difference for the next 20+ games; particularly for the Pens PP that is missing Crosby, Malkin and Kunitz. Kovalev is as enigmatic as they come and he might bag a few tallies early, but we think he'll live up to his pool killer moniker while a Pen.
Atlanta sends Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes to Montreal for the Habs' Ben Maxwell and a 4th round pick. Fantasy Impact: Brent Sopel's days as an offensive option are long gone. He is a pretty accomplished shot blocker and was a stalwart on defence for the Chicago Blackhawks run to the Cup last year. Sopel's likely to log about 20+ minutes given the shortage of NHL ready defencemen at the Habs disposal now, but he's not going to post much more fantasy worthy stats. Dawes and Maxwell are simply changing spots on their respective AHL rosters.
Florida sens Cory Stillman to Carolina for the Hurricanes Ryan Carter and a 4th round draft pick. Fantasy Impact: Stillman is similar to Kovalev, but without all of the drama. He has the ability to score the key big goal now again, but he's not likely to be a 20+ goal scorer again in the NHL. If you are in a real deep league, Stillman might be worth a waiver look see, assuming he's relatively injury free.
Tampa Bay sends Dan Ellis to Anaheim for the Ducks' Curtis McElhinney. Fantasy Impact: this is a deal that sees the Lightning save some $ in changing McElhinney for Ellis' salary, while the Ducks get a bit more depth in net with incumbent No. 1 on the DL suffering from vertigo. For the Ducks, Ellis will be an upgrade from McElhinney and they are likely to ride Ellis or recent call up Ray Emery until Hiller returns. Emery seems like the better bet from a fantasy poolie perspective, particularly in keeper leagues where if he performs well, someone is likely to take a gamble on signing him in the off-season.
Ottawa sends Alexi Kovalev to Pittsbrugh for the Penguins for a conditional 7th round pick. Fantasy Impact: this is clearly a low risk/high reward deal for the Penguins. Kovalev has not been close to the guy they were hoping they were getting when he was signed to a 2 year deal for $5M per season almost two seasons ago. This season Kovalev has been even worse, but even at the age of 37, Kovalev still has enough offensive skills to make a difference for the next 20+ games; particularly for the Pens PP that is missing Crosby, Malkin and Kunitz. Kovalev is as enigmatic as they come and he might bag a few tallies early, but we think he'll live up to his pool killer moniker while a Pen.
Atlanta sends Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes to Montreal for the Habs' Ben Maxwell and a 4th round pick. Fantasy Impact: Brent Sopel's days as an offensive option are long gone. He is a pretty accomplished shot blocker and was a stalwart on defence for the Chicago Blackhawks run to the Cup last year. Sopel's likely to log about 20+ minutes given the shortage of NHL ready defencemen at the Habs disposal now, but he's not going to post much more fantasy worthy stats. Dawes and Maxwell are simply changing spots on their respective AHL rosters.
Florida sens Cory Stillman to Carolina for the Hurricanes Ryan Carter and a 4th round draft pick. Fantasy Impact: Stillman is similar to Kovalev, but without all of the drama. He has the ability to score the key big goal now again, but he's not likely to be a 20+ goal scorer again in the NHL. If you are in a real deep league, Stillman might be worth a waiver look see, assuming he's relatively injury free.
Tampa Bay sends Dan Ellis to Anaheim for the Ducks' Curtis McElhinney. Fantasy Impact: this is a deal that sees the Lightning save some $ in changing McElhinney for Ellis' salary, while the Ducks get a bit more depth in net with incumbent No. 1 on the DL suffering from vertigo. For the Ducks, Ellis will be an upgrade from McElhinney and they are likely to ride Ellis or recent call up Ray Emery until Hiller returns. Emery seems like the better bet from a fantasy poolie perspective, particularly in keeper leagues where if he performs well, someone is likely to take a gamble on signing him in the off-season.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Impact Deals to Date
As the trade deadline looms closer, just like in past years, Puckjunkie wants to give you the fantasy poolie out take on the latest deals and rumors around the league. Unlike past years however, the deals have been plentiful weeks prior to the deadline, so – without further delay, let’s dive in to the ones completed so far.
Toronto sends Tomas Kaberle to Boston for the Bruins 1st round draft pick in 2011 and prospect Joe Colborne and a conditional 2nd round pick is Kaberle resigns with Boston or they make the 2011 Finals. Fantasy Impact – for owners of Kaberle this is very good news. Kaberle is an excellent PP QB and makes the first pass from his own end as well as any other in the league. He moves from a team that is not likely destined to make the playoffs, to one that thinks it’s got a legitimate shot at the title. Kaberle improves a decent Bruins PP and alongside Zdeno Chara, gives the Bruins an excellent tandem from the back end and indirect benefactors should be guys like Krejci, Lucic and Bergeron. One guy who’s points may be adversely impacted is Mark Recchi, who’s spot on the Bruins PP will likely be taken by Kaberle. For the Leafs, they get a valued 1st round pick (likely in the 20-30 range) and a decent prospect in Joe Colbrone – a huge center who is a decent skater and projects as high as a solid 2nd line center.
Toronto sends Kris Versteeg to the Philadelphia for the Flyers 1st round pick & 3rd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact - After acquiring Versteeg in the off-season, it never seemed that the young forward could ever live up to the expectation of hockey mad Toronto. Versteeg’s best success has been when he gets to play a complimentary role from the 3rd line, kills penalties and chips in with some timely goals. This will be his role with the Flyers and he should thrive.
Toronto sends Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul, prospect Jake Gardiner and the Ducks 4th round pick in 2014. Fantasy Impact – it’s been pretty hard to fathom just how far Beauchemin’s confidence has fallen from his happier days in Anaheim. Beauchemin heads back to the Ducks, where he had the most success in his hockey career and should provide the Ducks with some steadying influence on defence. He’s the 3rd offensive fantasy option behind veteran Visnovsky and rookie Cam Fowler. This will be Joffrey Lupul’s fourth trade and fourth organization in his 10 year NHL career. There’s no doubting his scoring ability, he’s hit the 20+ goal mark three times in his career, it’s his inability to stay healthy which is a concern. Lupul heads to a goal starved Leafs with the hope that he’ll be able to give the Leafs a needed offensive boost. He’s risky, but he’s going to get every opportunity to play on the top offensive lines and PP, so in the short term, he’s a low risk/high reward acquisition. In Jake Gardiner the Leafs get a decent defence prospect with some offensive upside. He projects as a solid 2nd blue-line pairing guy with some offensive upside.
St. Louis sends Eric Johnson, Jay McClement and a 1st round pick in either 2011 or 2012 for Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Stewart and a 2nd round pick in 2011 or 2012. Fantasy Impact – on it’s face this appears to be a bit of a steal from the Blues. Stewart is a budding fantasy stud power forward, with soft hands and does play with a bit of an edge. Last year he registered 28 goals and if not for an injury earlier in this year, he’d have eclipsed that this season. In Shattenkirk the Blues get an offense first defencemen who has been excellent since his call up after about 10 games in to this season. He won’t replace Johnson’s defensive abilities but he’s at least as good offensively. The Avalanche are clearly hoping that Johnson regains his form of 2009-10. Perhaps the change in scenery will benefit Johnson but this season, we are not liking his fantasy value for this year, but next season he’s a good risk/reward pick for poolies. Johnson’s absence will give more PP playing time for the arriving Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo.
St. Louis sends Eric Brewer to Tampa Bay for the Lightning’s Brock Beakeboom and a 3rd round pick. Fantasy Impact – Eric Brewer is the epitome of a very solid stay at home defenceman that can play 25+ minutes a game. He’s not a significant offensive fantasy option any longer, but the ‘Ning have brought Brewer in to steady their defence core and provide some solid veteran leadership on the blue line. In return, the Blues have picked up the son of former NHL defencemen Jeff Beukeboom; and he is a chip off of the ol’ block. The younger Beukeboom is not fleet of foot, but he is a big, tall, stay at home defenceman with a mean streak. He’s not going to add much offensive fantasy value, but as early as next season, Beukeboom could be patrolling the Blues defence. A Blue that should benefit from the most two recent defence departures is Nikita Nikitin. Nikitin has some offensive upside and the Blues have been slowly bringing the Russian born rearguard along but most recently he had supplanted Johnson from the Blues 2nd unit PP.
Boston sends Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart to Atlanta for Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik. Fantasy Impact – after acquiring Kaberle, the Bruins needs to clear some cap space and thus shipped Wheeler and Stuart to Atlanta. Wheeler has yet to realize his fullest potential for a guy that was drafted 5th overall in 2004. Wheeler’s a big body with some nose for the net. The question has been his desire to consistently go to the critical spots on the ice to get his goals. He’s a good fit in Atlanta to give them more size and additional youth, but he’s a 20 goal a season max guy. In Stuart, the Thrashers are getting the perfect example of a gritty stay at home defenceman that won’t add much in terms of offensive fantasy stats save for hits and possible blocked shots. For the Bruins Rick Peverley gives them a decent fill-in for the injured Marc Savard. Peverley’s decent in the offensive zone, but has some flaws on his own zone. Expect him to play likely on the 3rd line behind Krejci and Bergeron, but there is a risk that he may have limited minutes and much less playing time on a deeper Bruins team then what he saw with the Thrashers. The Bruins also acquired massive defenceman Boris Valabik who reminds many scouts of Derek Boogaard, save he’s a defeceman. Valabik’s skating is not yet up to NHL level, but if he ever gets the chance to play alongside Zdeno Chara, the Bruins might have the league’s newest “Twin Towers” as Valabik is 6’7”.
Ottawa sends Chris Kelly to Boston for the Bruins 2nd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact – Chris Kelly was a favourite of current GM Pete Chiarelli, back when he was with the Senators’ organization. Kelly will provide additional speed, the ability to kill penalties and much needed “glue” in the room for the Bruins. A very popular guy amongst his team mates, Kelly’s ice time will be more limited than what he was seeing in Ottawa but he’ll now be playing for a Stanley Cup. If Kelly kills penalties, he’s got some fantasy value. Without it, he’s just another excellent skating 3rd or 4th liner.
Ottawa sends Brian Elliott to Colorado for Craig Anderson. Fantasy Impact – this is a bit of a noggin’ scratcher for us to be sure. Ottawa jettison’s a young turtle for a guy that is an unrestricted free agent sounds like the Sens believe that Robyn Lehner is the heir apparent for the Sens top job (and he’s been good on some games and not so good on others at every level he played at) or it’s part of the concerted effort of the Pens to off-load as much salary as they can. We think it’s the later. For Anderson he’ll likely welcome the change in scenery and will likely be auditioning for a new contract – in other words, he’ll be motivated to turn around just an ok year. For Elliott it’s the chance to be the No. 1 guy for the Avalanche. Poolies can expect he and Budaj to compete for the No. 1 job for the remainder of the season.
Ottawa sends Mike Fisher to Nashville for the Predators 1st round pick in 2011 and a conditional draft pick in 2012. Fantasy Impact – as much as Alfredsson and Spezza are the flashier players, it seems evident for the Senators that as Fisher went, so did they. This season Fisher has been playing hurt since training camp and just looks like he’s not playing at 100%. This move now vaults Fisher to No. 1 center status for the Preds and they are desperately hoping that he will re-discover his scoring prowess that has seen him score at least 22+ goals in 4 of his 10 seasons in the league. Fisher is also likely to benefit from not playing in hockey mad Ottawa as well, where every move by the players is under scrutiny. The Predators he will play with should benefit as well; guys like Erat, Hornqvist and Sullivan.
Chicago sends Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan to Florida for Michael Frolik and Alexander Salak. Fantasy Impact – for the Blackhawks, this is clearly an attempt to add some more scoring depth top the Blackhawks. Frolik has put together back-back 20+ goal seasons for very bad Panther teams and should see top 6 forward duty for the Hawks right away. The Hawks also get a nice goaltending prospect in Salak, who’s putting up solid numbers over in Europe. For the Panthers Skille was a now Panthers’ GM Dale Tallon selection and should get a long look and more minutes for the remainder of the season to entice the Panthers to sign him to a long term deal. Jessiman is a long-shot prospect that has yet to fulfill his potential while Pacan, at 19, is a longer term prospect that projects as a 2nd line forward.
Carolina sends Ian White to San Jose for the Sharks 2nd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact – Ian White is a poor man’s Dan Boyle. They play similar style’s, are about the size and based on their size, are forever proving that they belong. White should stand to make a significant impact for the Sharks. After pursuing the then Leaf’s Beauchemin, the Sharks settled on the soon to be UFA Ian White. White should help Boyle and the struggling Sharks PP. White has 40 point production in him and he will likely find the up tempo play in the Western more to his liking, The ‘Canes, this deal allows them to focus on signing Pitkanen. White has been just OK as a Hurricance and this move to the Sharks should please White owners significantly.
Toronto sends Tomas Kaberle to Boston for the Bruins 1st round draft pick in 2011 and prospect Joe Colborne and a conditional 2nd round pick is Kaberle resigns with Boston or they make the 2011 Finals. Fantasy Impact – for owners of Kaberle this is very good news. Kaberle is an excellent PP QB and makes the first pass from his own end as well as any other in the league. He moves from a team that is not likely destined to make the playoffs, to one that thinks it’s got a legitimate shot at the title. Kaberle improves a decent Bruins PP and alongside Zdeno Chara, gives the Bruins an excellent tandem from the back end and indirect benefactors should be guys like Krejci, Lucic and Bergeron. One guy who’s points may be adversely impacted is Mark Recchi, who’s spot on the Bruins PP will likely be taken by Kaberle. For the Leafs, they get a valued 1st round pick (likely in the 20-30 range) and a decent prospect in Joe Colbrone – a huge center who is a decent skater and projects as high as a solid 2nd line center.
Toronto sends Kris Versteeg to the Philadelphia for the Flyers 1st round pick & 3rd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact - After acquiring Versteeg in the off-season, it never seemed that the young forward could ever live up to the expectation of hockey mad Toronto. Versteeg’s best success has been when he gets to play a complimentary role from the 3rd line, kills penalties and chips in with some timely goals. This will be his role with the Flyers and he should thrive.
Toronto sends Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul, prospect Jake Gardiner and the Ducks 4th round pick in 2014. Fantasy Impact – it’s been pretty hard to fathom just how far Beauchemin’s confidence has fallen from his happier days in Anaheim. Beauchemin heads back to the Ducks, where he had the most success in his hockey career and should provide the Ducks with some steadying influence on defence. He’s the 3rd offensive fantasy option behind veteran Visnovsky and rookie Cam Fowler. This will be Joffrey Lupul’s fourth trade and fourth organization in his 10 year NHL career. There’s no doubting his scoring ability, he’s hit the 20+ goal mark three times in his career, it’s his inability to stay healthy which is a concern. Lupul heads to a goal starved Leafs with the hope that he’ll be able to give the Leafs a needed offensive boost. He’s risky, but he’s going to get every opportunity to play on the top offensive lines and PP, so in the short term, he’s a low risk/high reward acquisition. In Jake Gardiner the Leafs get a decent defence prospect with some offensive upside. He projects as a solid 2nd blue-line pairing guy with some offensive upside.
St. Louis sends Eric Johnson, Jay McClement and a 1st round pick in either 2011 or 2012 for Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Stewart and a 2nd round pick in 2011 or 2012. Fantasy Impact – on it’s face this appears to be a bit of a steal from the Blues. Stewart is a budding fantasy stud power forward, with soft hands and does play with a bit of an edge. Last year he registered 28 goals and if not for an injury earlier in this year, he’d have eclipsed that this season. In Shattenkirk the Blues get an offense first defencemen who has been excellent since his call up after about 10 games in to this season. He won’t replace Johnson’s defensive abilities but he’s at least as good offensively. The Avalanche are clearly hoping that Johnson regains his form of 2009-10. Perhaps the change in scenery will benefit Johnson but this season, we are not liking his fantasy value for this year, but next season he’s a good risk/reward pick for poolies. Johnson’s absence will give more PP playing time for the arriving Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo.
St. Louis sends Eric Brewer to Tampa Bay for the Lightning’s Brock Beakeboom and a 3rd round pick. Fantasy Impact – Eric Brewer is the epitome of a very solid stay at home defenceman that can play 25+ minutes a game. He’s not a significant offensive fantasy option any longer, but the ‘Ning have brought Brewer in to steady their defence core and provide some solid veteran leadership on the blue line. In return, the Blues have picked up the son of former NHL defencemen Jeff Beukeboom; and he is a chip off of the ol’ block. The younger Beukeboom is not fleet of foot, but he is a big, tall, stay at home defenceman with a mean streak. He’s not going to add much offensive fantasy value, but as early as next season, Beukeboom could be patrolling the Blues defence. A Blue that should benefit from the most two recent defence departures is Nikita Nikitin. Nikitin has some offensive upside and the Blues have been slowly bringing the Russian born rearguard along but most recently he had supplanted Johnson from the Blues 2nd unit PP.
Boston sends Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart to Atlanta for Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik. Fantasy Impact – after acquiring Kaberle, the Bruins needs to clear some cap space and thus shipped Wheeler and Stuart to Atlanta. Wheeler has yet to realize his fullest potential for a guy that was drafted 5th overall in 2004. Wheeler’s a big body with some nose for the net. The question has been his desire to consistently go to the critical spots on the ice to get his goals. He’s a good fit in Atlanta to give them more size and additional youth, but he’s a 20 goal a season max guy. In Stuart, the Thrashers are getting the perfect example of a gritty stay at home defenceman that won’t add much in terms of offensive fantasy stats save for hits and possible blocked shots. For the Bruins Rick Peverley gives them a decent fill-in for the injured Marc Savard. Peverley’s decent in the offensive zone, but has some flaws on his own zone. Expect him to play likely on the 3rd line behind Krejci and Bergeron, but there is a risk that he may have limited minutes and much less playing time on a deeper Bruins team then what he saw with the Thrashers. The Bruins also acquired massive defenceman Boris Valabik who reminds many scouts of Derek Boogaard, save he’s a defeceman. Valabik’s skating is not yet up to NHL level, but if he ever gets the chance to play alongside Zdeno Chara, the Bruins might have the league’s newest “Twin Towers” as Valabik is 6’7”.
Ottawa sends Chris Kelly to Boston for the Bruins 2nd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact – Chris Kelly was a favourite of current GM Pete Chiarelli, back when he was with the Senators’ organization. Kelly will provide additional speed, the ability to kill penalties and much needed “glue” in the room for the Bruins. A very popular guy amongst his team mates, Kelly’s ice time will be more limited than what he was seeing in Ottawa but he’ll now be playing for a Stanley Cup. If Kelly kills penalties, he’s got some fantasy value. Without it, he’s just another excellent skating 3rd or 4th liner.
Ottawa sends Brian Elliott to Colorado for Craig Anderson. Fantasy Impact – this is a bit of a noggin’ scratcher for us to be sure. Ottawa jettison’s a young turtle for a guy that is an unrestricted free agent sounds like the Sens believe that Robyn Lehner is the heir apparent for the Sens top job (and he’s been good on some games and not so good on others at every level he played at) or it’s part of the concerted effort of the Pens to off-load as much salary as they can. We think it’s the later. For Anderson he’ll likely welcome the change in scenery and will likely be auditioning for a new contract – in other words, he’ll be motivated to turn around just an ok year. For Elliott it’s the chance to be the No. 1 guy for the Avalanche. Poolies can expect he and Budaj to compete for the No. 1 job for the remainder of the season.
Ottawa sends Mike Fisher to Nashville for the Predators 1st round pick in 2011 and a conditional draft pick in 2012. Fantasy Impact – as much as Alfredsson and Spezza are the flashier players, it seems evident for the Senators that as Fisher went, so did they. This season Fisher has been playing hurt since training camp and just looks like he’s not playing at 100%. This move now vaults Fisher to No. 1 center status for the Preds and they are desperately hoping that he will re-discover his scoring prowess that has seen him score at least 22+ goals in 4 of his 10 seasons in the league. Fisher is also likely to benefit from not playing in hockey mad Ottawa as well, where every move by the players is under scrutiny. The Predators he will play with should benefit as well; guys like Erat, Hornqvist and Sullivan.
Chicago sends Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan to Florida for Michael Frolik and Alexander Salak. Fantasy Impact – for the Blackhawks, this is clearly an attempt to add some more scoring depth top the Blackhawks. Frolik has put together back-back 20+ goal seasons for very bad Panther teams and should see top 6 forward duty for the Hawks right away. The Hawks also get a nice goaltending prospect in Salak, who’s putting up solid numbers over in Europe. For the Panthers Skille was a now Panthers’ GM Dale Tallon selection and should get a long look and more minutes for the remainder of the season to entice the Panthers to sign him to a long term deal. Jessiman is a long-shot prospect that has yet to fulfill his potential while Pacan, at 19, is a longer term prospect that projects as a 2nd line forward.
Carolina sends Ian White to San Jose for the Sharks 2nd round pick in 2011. Fantasy Impact – Ian White is a poor man’s Dan Boyle. They play similar style’s, are about the size and based on their size, are forever proving that they belong. White should stand to make a significant impact for the Sharks. After pursuing the then Leaf’s Beauchemin, the Sharks settled on the soon to be UFA Ian White. White should help Boyle and the struggling Sharks PP. White has 40 point production in him and he will likely find the up tempo play in the Western more to his liking, The ‘Canes, this deal allows them to focus on signing Pitkanen. White has been just OK as a Hurricance and this move to the Sharks should please White owners significantly.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Pens-Stars Deal: Neal, Niskanen & Goligoski
Dallas sends James Neal and Matt Niskanen to Pittsbrugh for the Penguins' Alex Goligoski. Fantasy Impact: hard to imagine that the Pens were able to get two young, still improving guys in Neal and Niskanen for Alex Goligoski. It's not that Goligoski is not good, he's a very good offensive defenceman, but his stats are likely to take a longer term downturn as he'll play on the less talented Stars PP. For the Stars this may be also an attempt to clear some cap space with the hope of being able to sign Mike Richards. Goligoski still has two years left on a less than $2M per season, while Neal has just one year at $3.5M and Niskanen is owed $1.75M. Niskanen has had a brutal year offensively, but had 35+ points only two seasons ago. If Neal plays with Crosby upon his return you can expect Neal to flirt with 40 goals. Pens seem to win this deal, hands down.
2011 Trade Deadline Rumors
The latest rumors from around the league, let’s start in Montreal. After only winning 4 of their last 10 that Habs are searching for some more offense. They have already lost Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges for the remainder of the season. The Canadiens have repatriated Paul Mara to assist them, but they are interested in possibly acquiring Bryan McCabe from the Florida Panthers, Chris Phillips from the Sens and forwards Ales Hemskey and Dusting Penner from the Oilers. The latest has the Habs dangling Jerred Tinordi and a 1st round pick for Penner and Hemskey. In the alternative, the Habs are dangling their 1st round pick to the Panthers for McCabe. In order for McCabe to move he’d have to waive his no trade clause, but there is little doubt that McCabe would be able to help the Habs right away. The price being dangled for Penner and Hemskey, whom are both under contract into next year, seems a bit light, but both Hemskey and Penner would give the Canadiens some offense right away. The issue for the Habs would be creating the cap space to make the deal.
The other suitors kicking the tires around on Hemskey and/or Penner have been the LA Kings and the Nashville Predators. The Kings have been talking Thomas Hickey for either of the Oilers veterans but to date Hickey has not been able to continue his junior success into the minors and thus position himself as a likely prospect for an NHL roster. Of stronger interest for the Oilers would be Colten Teubert, also a defensive prospect for the Kings, but the Kings are reluctant to part with him. From the Predators, the Oilers would love to ply either Ryan Ellis or Jonathan Blum from the defense heavy prospects list of the Predators. Another defensive prospect that may be more acquirable would be Charles-Olivier Roussel. The Oilers are desperate for solid defencemen prospects or center prospects for both Hemskey and Penner.
In Ottawa the Senators are rumored to be dangling Alex Kovalev and Chris Phillips to the highest bidder. Both Kovalev and Phillips are UFAs this summer but the asking price for both has been significant to date. GM Murray is looking for at least a 1st round dp for each of those guys. The rumored landing place for Phillips has been Montreal. For Kovalev the Penguins have been kicking the tires on his availability. The Sens have wanted Eric Tangradi in exchange but the Pens are loathe to part with that high of a prospect for the enigmatic Kovalev.
The other suitors kicking the tires around on Hemskey and/or Penner have been the LA Kings and the Nashville Predators. The Kings have been talking Thomas Hickey for either of the Oilers veterans but to date Hickey has not been able to continue his junior success into the minors and thus position himself as a likely prospect for an NHL roster. Of stronger interest for the Oilers would be Colten Teubert, also a defensive prospect for the Kings, but the Kings are reluctant to part with him. From the Predators, the Oilers would love to ply either Ryan Ellis or Jonathan Blum from the defense heavy prospects list of the Predators. Another defensive prospect that may be more acquirable would be Charles-Olivier Roussel. The Oilers are desperate for solid defencemen prospects or center prospects for both Hemskey and Penner.
In Ottawa the Senators are rumored to be dangling Alex Kovalev and Chris Phillips to the highest bidder. Both Kovalev and Phillips are UFAs this summer but the asking price for both has been significant to date. GM Murray is looking for at least a 1st round dp for each of those guys. The rumored landing place for Phillips has been Montreal. For Kovalev the Penguins have been kicking the tires on his availability. The Sens have wanted Eric Tangradi in exchange but the Pens are loathe to part with that high of a prospect for the enigmatic Kovalev.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
2010 Canucks Training Camp Report - A Fan's Perspective
From Canucks fan and former PJ columnist Ted Hagmeier who lives in Penticton, BC where Vancouver is holding their training camp:
"I attended the first day of Vancouver Canucks training camp. The players were divided into two groups, each group on the ice for 90 minutes, each group doing the same drills. The first ice time was at 9am, the second at 11:30am. I watched both groups. Players were out skating around beforehand and each practice started promptly. Vigneault ran the practice but Bowness often did the shouting during the drills to keep players moving. The other coaches were pretty invisible. There were no special team drills. Everything was designed around north-south hockey: transition and break outs with full ice flow. There was an ice clean half way through each practice. Here are my observations:
· Luongo let in lots of soft goals during the drills. Wow
· During practices coaches will put in breaks. Often, a coach will bang his stick, blow the whistle and everyone does a hard lap then goes for water. Luongo's 'hard lap' is from blue to blue cause he is slower than everyone else - even the best goalie in the world skates like a goalie! Then he goes for water.
· The coaches didn't do a lot of talking to explain the drills and never used the dry erase board.
· Towards the end of the practice some of the players were looking tired. During a 2 on 2 drill, Vigneault yelled at Dan Hamhuis, "Push it, Hammy"
· Schaefer did extra stretching while his group was on the benches for an ice clean. He looked a little sore, not surprising since he was out of hockey last year. But he looked good in the drills and he has a heavy wrist shot
· O'Brien seemed to be the team funny man - laughing and bear hugging some of the players in between drills.
· He also took a few shots at Sergei "The Sheriff" Shirokov during some 5 on 5 drills in the defensive zone
· The 'Sheriff' impressed me with his speed
· Morrison looked okay but it’s hard to see where he is going to play
· He made a lovely deflection, directing a shot along the ice to score off the crossbar
· Bieksa is a very smooth skater and puck handler, maybe the best among d-man and tops in the team
· The goaltenders, except Luongo, took extra coaching at the end of practice.
· Malhotra, Kessler and Rypien practiced face-offs at the end of practice
· Janik Hansen is a terrible skater. He is fast but no points for style
· Often, it’s the captain who leads the team during stretching in games and practices. Sedin led his group. Malhotra led the group that included Kesler. Sort of odd, if Ryan is being considered for captain
· Both squads got applause when they came on the ice and when they left
· O'Brien was in the second group and came out before his ice time to sign autographs. He might have been the only player to do that.
· Between drills Vigneault spotted someone he knew by one of the gates to the ice (so it was a restricted area). He skated over to him with a broad smile and tapped on the glass to say high. I think that guy was a person with special needs. Otherwise he showed no emotion at all.. Didn’t even tap a player on the pads.
· Schneider looked good in his first practice as the "it's my back-up goaltender job to lose” guy
· In drills the Sedins don't really stand out. Neither has great speed, size or shot. I didn't even recognize Daniel until half way through his session. But in 3 on 3 drills cycling the puck they stood out, even though they were playing without each other
· Bill Sweat, who they just signed, looks like a player. He was one of the best forwards during the 'Young Guns' game I watched and he didn't look out of place with the big boys. I am not saying he'll make the team but he is a good addition for the farm
· Schneider took a puck off the melon. It was a drill early in the practice to warm up the goalies and the skaters. The skater attacks the net with the puck, shoots, and then screens the goalie for a point shot. The point shot had players ducking and we heard the 'doink' as the puck hit mask. The d-man yelled, 'Sorry'
· Henrik badly missed the net on one shot and held both arms up in mock celebration. The players around him laughed. Everyone cheered.
· In the same drill a prospect I don’t know made a nice play to score on Luongo. When he went back to the corner to wait his turn in the drill Henrik tapped him on the pads as if to say, ‘nice play.’
If you ever get a chance to see training camp - do it. Go Canucks Go."
"I attended the first day of Vancouver Canucks training camp. The players were divided into two groups, each group on the ice for 90 minutes, each group doing the same drills. The first ice time was at 9am, the second at 11:30am. I watched both groups. Players were out skating around beforehand and each practice started promptly. Vigneault ran the practice but Bowness often did the shouting during the drills to keep players moving. The other coaches were pretty invisible. There were no special team drills. Everything was designed around north-south hockey: transition and break outs with full ice flow. There was an ice clean half way through each practice. Here are my observations:
· Luongo let in lots of soft goals during the drills. Wow
· During practices coaches will put in breaks. Often, a coach will bang his stick, blow the whistle and everyone does a hard lap then goes for water. Luongo's 'hard lap' is from blue to blue cause he is slower than everyone else - even the best goalie in the world skates like a goalie! Then he goes for water.
· The coaches didn't do a lot of talking to explain the drills and never used the dry erase board.
· Towards the end of the practice some of the players were looking tired. During a 2 on 2 drill, Vigneault yelled at Dan Hamhuis, "Push it, Hammy"
· Schaefer did extra stretching while his group was on the benches for an ice clean. He looked a little sore, not surprising since he was out of hockey last year. But he looked good in the drills and he has a heavy wrist shot
· O'Brien seemed to be the team funny man - laughing and bear hugging some of the players in between drills.
· He also took a few shots at Sergei "The Sheriff" Shirokov during some 5 on 5 drills in the defensive zone
· The 'Sheriff' impressed me with his speed
· Morrison looked okay but it’s hard to see where he is going to play
· He made a lovely deflection, directing a shot along the ice to score off the crossbar
· Bieksa is a very smooth skater and puck handler, maybe the best among d-man and tops in the team
· The goaltenders, except Luongo, took extra coaching at the end of practice.
· Malhotra, Kessler and Rypien practiced face-offs at the end of practice
· Janik Hansen is a terrible skater. He is fast but no points for style
· Often, it’s the captain who leads the team during stretching in games and practices. Sedin led his group. Malhotra led the group that included Kesler. Sort of odd, if Ryan is being considered for captain
· Both squads got applause when they came on the ice and when they left
· O'Brien was in the second group and came out before his ice time to sign autographs. He might have been the only player to do that.
· Between drills Vigneault spotted someone he knew by one of the gates to the ice (so it was a restricted area). He skated over to him with a broad smile and tapped on the glass to say high. I think that guy was a person with special needs. Otherwise he showed no emotion at all.. Didn’t even tap a player on the pads.
· Schneider looked good in his first practice as the "it's my back-up goaltender job to lose” guy
· In drills the Sedins don't really stand out. Neither has great speed, size or shot. I didn't even recognize Daniel until half way through his session. But in 3 on 3 drills cycling the puck they stood out, even though they were playing without each other
· Bill Sweat, who they just signed, looks like a player. He was one of the best forwards during the 'Young Guns' game I watched and he didn't look out of place with the big boys. I am not saying he'll make the team but he is a good addition for the farm
· Schneider took a puck off the melon. It was a drill early in the practice to warm up the goalies and the skaters. The skater attacks the net with the puck, shoots, and then screens the goalie for a point shot. The point shot had players ducking and we heard the 'doink' as the puck hit mask. The d-man yelled, 'Sorry'
· Henrik badly missed the net on one shot and held both arms up in mock celebration. The players around him laughed. Everyone cheered.
· In the same drill a prospect I don’t know made a nice play to score on Luongo. When he went back to the corner to wait his turn in the drill Henrik tapped him on the pads as if to say, ‘nice play.’
If you ever get a chance to see training camp - do it. Go Canucks Go."
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Visnovsky for Ryan Whitney
The Oilers have traded Lubomir Visnovsky to the Ducks for Ryan Whitney. A great deal for both teams. Whitney's rep has taken a bit of a hit, and to be able to pick him up is a steal for the Oil. Visnovsky may be helpful to the Ducks in the short term as the try and secure a playoff spot.
Fantasy Impact: This season Whitney will see a TON of PP time now that Souray is out for the year. Get him NOW! Visnovsky should see a slight bump in production, but an much great improvement in plus minus.
Fantasy Impact: This season Whitney will see a TON of PP time now that Souray is out for the year. Get him NOW! Visnovsky should see a slight bump in production, but an much great improvement in plus minus.
Corvo a Cap
Washington picked up Joe Corvo for Brian Pothier and a prospect.
Fantasy Impact: Corvo could be a very interesting pickup for the Caps. He'll likely see a significant amount of second PP time. If your league requires you to have 5 or 6 d-men, Corvo could fit in very nicely at the lower end of your roster.
Fantasy Impact: Corvo could be a very interesting pickup for the Caps. He'll likely see a significant amount of second PP time. If your league requires you to have 5 or 6 d-men, Corvo could fit in very nicely at the lower end of your roster.
Fredrik Modin is King of the World!
Modin has been traded to Los Angeles for futures.
Fantasy Impact: Modin should add some very nice veteran production. The knock on Freddy is that he is a significant injury risk. But if he stays healthy he could be a bit of a surprise. He's likely unowned in most leagues and we'd recommend picking him up and seeing what happens.
Fantasy Impact: Modin should add some very nice veteran production. The knock on Freddy is that he is a significant injury risk. But if he stays healthy he could be a bit of a surprise. He's likely unowned in most leagues and we'd recommend picking him up and seeing what happens.
Leafs Trade Lee Stempniak to Phoenix
The Coyotes have acquired Lee Stempniak in a deal that will provide the some decent scoring depth.
Fantasy Impact: Stempniak should see a bit of a boost in production as there is no pressure to perform. We think he's worth a flyer.
Fantasy Impact: Stempniak should see a bit of a boost in production as there is no pressure to perform. We think he's worth a flyer.
Are the Sabres Daffy to Pick Up Raffi?
The Sabres acquired Raffi Torres for Nathan Paetsch and a 2nd rounder. The Sabres then traded Clarke McArthur to Atlanta.
Analysis: Raffi has been solid this season and should help the Sabres with secondary scoring and penalty killing.
Fantasy Impact: if you have shorthanded scoring as category in your league, then Torres may have some decent upside. And his goal production is nothing to sneeze at. But it's not like he's playing with with a high powered offence so don't get too excited.
Analysis: Raffi has been solid this season and should help the Sabres with secondary scoring and penalty killing.
Fantasy Impact: if you have shorthanded scoring as category in your league, then Torres may have some decent upside. And his goal production is nothing to sneeze at. But it's not like he's playing with with a high powered offence so don't get too excited.
Cowtown reunites Finnish Tandem
Calgary has acquired Vesa Toskala from the Anaheim Ducks for current back-up Curtis McElhinney. FANTASY IMPACT - not much either way, but if Kippersoff gets injured, Toskala is a much better option than McElhinney. The Flames were hoping to give Kipper days off down the stretch but they are barely hanging on to a playoff spot, so don't expect that to happen much.
M. Schneider to the 'Yotes
Phoenix appears to be loading up for the playoffs, after acquiring Derek Morris earlier today they have acquired Matthieu Schneider from the Canucks for a rumored late round draft pick. FANTASY IMPACT - Schneider's niche is his ability to move the puck and play on the PP. He'll get a solid chance to do that in Phoenix but his play away from the puck will limit his minutes. Watch for his +/- as well.
Ducks get D-Help
Anaheim has moved Justin Pogge and a 4th round pick to the Hurricanes for Aaron Ward. FANTASY IMPACT - almost none in terms of Ward unless your league counts blocked shots, hits and a few PIMs. Pogge now joins his 3rd NHL organization this year and looks to be the heir to a back-up job of Cam Ward or perhaps more if Ward's injury issues continue.
..and there is more...
Carolina has traded Scott Walker to the Washington Capitals for a 7th round pick. FANTASY IMPACT - clearly Walker's impact is going to be more of a grinder, good guy in the room rather than an offensive dynamo. Don't expect alot unless he somehow draws top 6 forward duty to create room on the ice for more skilled players.
St. Louis has traded Yan Stastny to the Vancouver Canucks for a minor league PIMs specialist. FANTASY IMPACT - there isn't any unless Stastny plays and you count face-off wins. He's not offensively gifted. At this time, and depth guy.
Colorado has shipped Wojtek Wolski to the Coyotes for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. FANTASY IMPACT - Mueller and Wolski are both under-achieving but Wolski seems to have better upside as Mueller's desire to compete is reflected in his putrid offensive stats. Mueller was a scoring best in junior, but something has happened along the way for him to really developed into a fantasy bust. Trade him if you got him or let someone else take the "flyer". Wolski makes the 'Yotes better in terms of pure offense and if he buys into Tippett's counter-punch style of play, is worth a waiver scoop. Porter, a Hobey Baker Award winner, is actually pretty skilled and pretty tenacious and joins an Avs team that welcomes US College guys alot. Porter has at least 3rd line skills with upside.
St. Louis has traded Yan Stastny to the Vancouver Canucks for a minor league PIMs specialist. FANTASY IMPACT - there isn't any unless Stastny plays and you count face-off wins. He's not offensively gifted. At this time, and depth guy.
Colorado has shipped Wojtek Wolski to the Coyotes for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. FANTASY IMPACT - Mueller and Wolski are both under-achieving but Wolski seems to have better upside as Mueller's desire to compete is reflected in his putrid offensive stats. Mueller was a scoring best in junior, but something has happened along the way for him to really developed into a fantasy bust. Trade him if you got him or let someone else take the "flyer". Wolski makes the 'Yotes better in terms of pure offense and if he buys into Tippett's counter-punch style of play, is worth a waiver scoop. Porter, a Hobey Baker Award winner, is actually pretty skilled and pretty tenacious and joins an Avs team that welcomes US College guys alot. Porter has at least 3rd line skills with upside.
The Fantasy Impact Deals so Far...
Alright – so all morning and afternoon we’ll be settling in to give you the best Fantasy take on the deals that are made. Expect a lot of deals, but don’t expect many quality ones is our prediction. So far, there’s not been a ton, but there have been some from last night and we’re here to break them down:
Ponikarovsky to the Penguins – Malkin has been complaining about the quality of his wingers all season and GM Shero has addressed the issue by acquiring Ponikarovsky from the Leafs for Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula. Skoula’s in the deal to allow the Penguins to get under the cap, and today was moved to the New Jersey Devils . Caputi is the key for the Leafs. A guy that sniped 50+ goals in his final year of junior and has had some success at the Minor League level, but he’s doesn’t play big and his skating is rumored to be at best – just OK. We think he projects at most a 2nd line winger, but likely more 3rd line. That all said, the offensive starved Leafs are going to try him right away. For the Penguins, expect Ponikarovsky to patrol one the left side of either Crosby or Malkin; our bet is Malkin. Ponikarovsky should hit career highs now in goals scored as he’ll be playing with much better line-mates than he has had for some time. If he shows any sort of chemistry and keeps his stick on the ice, he may even flirt with 30 goals this season. He’s streaky – but when hot, he’s very solid.
Phoenix has acquired Derek Morris from the Bruins for a 4th round pick. This should help the ‘Yotes stabilize their young defence as Morris can chip in with the odd point and play on the PP, but more importantly smells like a salary dump in anticipation of bigger deals yet to come for the Bruins. Boston has lost 8 straight games at home and can’t score to save their collective lives. With them not landing Kovalchuk prior to the Olympic break, we think the Bruins are after the Hurricanes’ Ray Whitney. Whitney wants a contract extension before he waives his no-trade clause and this looks like the Bruins are getting ready to oblige.
Ponikarovsky to the Penguins – Malkin has been complaining about the quality of his wingers all season and GM Shero has addressed the issue by acquiring Ponikarovsky from the Leafs for Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula. Skoula’s in the deal to allow the Penguins to get under the cap, and today was moved to the New Jersey Devils . Caputi is the key for the Leafs. A guy that sniped 50+ goals in his final year of junior and has had some success at the Minor League level, but he’s doesn’t play big and his skating is rumored to be at best – just OK. We think he projects at most a 2nd line winger, but likely more 3rd line. That all said, the offensive starved Leafs are going to try him right away. For the Penguins, expect Ponikarovsky to patrol one the left side of either Crosby or Malkin; our bet is Malkin. Ponikarovsky should hit career highs now in goals scored as he’ll be playing with much better line-mates than he has had for some time. If he shows any sort of chemistry and keeps his stick on the ice, he may even flirt with 30 goals this season. He’s streaky – but when hot, he’s very solid.
Phoenix has acquired Derek Morris from the Bruins for a 4th round pick. This should help the ‘Yotes stabilize their young defence as Morris can chip in with the odd point and play on the PP, but more importantly smells like a salary dump in anticipation of bigger deals yet to come for the Bruins. Boston has lost 8 straight games at home and can’t score to save their collective lives. With them not landing Kovalchuk prior to the Olympic break, we think the Bruins are after the Hurricanes’ Ray Whitney. Whitney wants a contract extension before he waives his no-trade clause and this looks like the Bruins are getting ready to oblige.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Hogtown begins the Dealing...
This past Sunday, Toronto GM Brian Burke tried to share things up on his roster by dealing Ian, White, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers to Calgary for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie. He then kept the trade winds blowing and dealt Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala to the Anaheim Ducks for Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Fantasy Impact: In Toronto, the Leafs should now have two bona-fide studs on the PP with Kaberle (who’ll do the passing) and Phaneuf (who’ll do the shooting). The latest rumor out of Calgary is that Phaneuf and Jarome Iginla had got into a “donny-brook” that led to fisticuffs in the locker room and it was pretty evident that the chemistry in the locker and on the ice was suffering. The Leafs are now trying to build from the crease out with Giguere as the team’s #1, Phaneuf and Kaberle mentoring Schenn and Carl Gunnarson while Komisarek and Beauchemin should round out the Leafs likely top 6. Aulie is the next coming of Hal Gill and a potential Leaf in 2011. The Leafs PP should be better, but Phaneuf’s +/- is about to take a pounding. The Leafs are going to have to call up a bunch of guys from the farm to finish out this season unless they turn Ponikarovsky into 3 new forwards. Jeff Finger seems to be a defencemen that Bruke would like to move, and is he does, he'll get at least one forward coming back that can play in the NHL. Giguere still has this year and next on a big $ deal, so he’ll start plenty. The Leafs won’t be hugely improved and we’re not convinced the Giguere can capture the magic he did in the ’02-’03 season. That said he’ll be better than Toskala and Gustavsson – at least in the short term. For the Flames, they get some depth and some cap relief. It will be intriguing to see if Stajan adopts the #1 pivot, or the #3. Rumors are swirling that the Flames are trying to move Jokinen to the Rangers as well. Stajan is a younger version of Daymond Langkow and may see his point per game drop with a reduced role and minutes. Hagman stands a strong chance or helping the goal starved Flames as he has 20 goal potential and seems not to need prime minutes to achieve them. Ian White actually has more points than Phaneuf and has decent offensive skills. He’s worth a flyer in deeper leagues’, but he’ll be the 3rd option on the PP from the point after Boumeester and Giordano. The Ducks, well they get a little cap relief and some forward depth in Blake who may be so relieved to escape the pressure cooker that is Toronto, that he might put up some decent fantasy numbers. Watch him closely as he’ll get second line duty right away.
Fantasy Impact: In Toronto, the Leafs should now have two bona-fide studs on the PP with Kaberle (who’ll do the passing) and Phaneuf (who’ll do the shooting). The latest rumor out of Calgary is that Phaneuf and Jarome Iginla had got into a “donny-brook” that led to fisticuffs in the locker room and it was pretty evident that the chemistry in the locker and on the ice was suffering. The Leafs are now trying to build from the crease out with Giguere as the team’s #1, Phaneuf and Kaberle mentoring Schenn and Carl Gunnarson while Komisarek and Beauchemin should round out the Leafs likely top 6. Aulie is the next coming of Hal Gill and a potential Leaf in 2011. The Leafs PP should be better, but Phaneuf’s +/- is about to take a pounding. The Leafs are going to have to call up a bunch of guys from the farm to finish out this season unless they turn Ponikarovsky into 3 new forwards. Jeff Finger seems to be a defencemen that Bruke would like to move, and is he does, he'll get at least one forward coming back that can play in the NHL. Giguere still has this year and next on a big $ deal, so he’ll start plenty. The Leafs won’t be hugely improved and we’re not convinced the Giguere can capture the magic he did in the ’02-’03 season. That said he’ll be better than Toskala and Gustavsson – at least in the short term. For the Flames, they get some depth and some cap relief. It will be intriguing to see if Stajan adopts the #1 pivot, or the #3. Rumors are swirling that the Flames are trying to move Jokinen to the Rangers as well. Stajan is a younger version of Daymond Langkow and may see his point per game drop with a reduced role and minutes. Hagman stands a strong chance or helping the goal starved Flames as he has 20 goal potential and seems not to need prime minutes to achieve them. Ian White actually has more points than Phaneuf and has decent offensive skills. He’s worth a flyer in deeper leagues’, but he’ll be the 3rd option on the PP from the point after Boumeester and Giordano. The Ducks, well they get a little cap relief and some forward depth in Blake who may be so relieved to escape the pressure cooker that is Toronto, that he might put up some decent fantasy numbers. Watch him closely as he’ll get second line duty right away.
Friday, January 08, 2010
The East/West Discrepancy
It’s no secret that the NHL has an unbalanced schedule. Those who support it say that it’s necessary to deal with travel costs, time zone changes and player fatigue. Those who oppose it point to all teams not having the opportunity for all fans to get equal access to the game’s stars.
It’s not secret that many Western fans feel that they are unfairly treated when it comes to not seeing the NHL’s young elite. And now, a simple analysis of the top two picks of the past 15 years tends to bear that out. Of the 30 total players taken either first or second since the 1994 draft a whopping 22 were drafted by Eastern Conference teams. Simply on volume that would seem to indicate a distinct advantage. But consider this: 12 of the last 15 first overall selections were made by Eastern Conference clubs.
So what does this all mean? It means the best young talent is not playing game in and game out in the Western Conference. At best, once a year the top young talent in the league plays in your arena if you happen cheer for a team that plays in either the Pacific, Northwest or Central Divisions…that is, unless you happen to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Major League Baseball has an easy remedy in their entry draft given that the two leagues are split with only limited interaction between clubs during the regular season (sound familiar?). They alternate between the American League and the National League. The team with the worst record overall drafts first and then the team from the opposing league with the worst record drafts next. And they carry on from there. IF that had been the case things may be drastically different for some teams. Consider that Evgeny Malkin would most likely play for the Chicago Blackhawks, Eric Staal may be captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jason Spezza may have been skating with Anaheim, and Dany Heatley could have been plying his trade in Minnesota. Sure this is all speculation, but that is the level of talent that could have been in the Western Conference with a fair and equitable distribution of talent.
Here’s the full draft list of first and second overall picks. First overall picks are bolded.
East:
John Tavares (NYI - 2009)
Victor Hedman (TB - 2009)
Steven Stamkos (TB - 2008)
James Van Riemsdyk (PHI – 2007)
Jordan Staal (PIT – 2006)
Sydney Crosby (PIT – 2005)
Alex Ovechkin (WAS – 2004)
Evgeny Malkin (PIT – 2004)
M-A Fleury (PIT – 2003)
Eric Staal (CAR – 2003)
Kari Lehtonen (ATL - 2002)
Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL – 2001)
Jason Spezza (OTT – 2001)
Rick Dipietro (NYI – 2000)
Dany Heatley (ATL – 2000)
Patrik Stefan (ATL – 1999)
Vincent Lecavalier (TB – 1998)
Joe Thornton (BOS – 1997)
Chris Phillips (OTT – 1996)
Bryan Berard (OTT – 1995)
Wade Redden (NYI – 1995)
Ed Jovanovski (FLA – 1994)
West:
Drew Doughty (LA - 2008)
Patrick Kane (CHI – 2007)
Erik Johnson (STL – 2006)
Bobby Ryan (ANH – 2005)
Rick Nash (CLB – 2002)
Daniel Sedin (VAN -1999)
David Legwand (NAS – 1998)
Patrick Marleau (SJ – 1997)
Andrei Zyuzin (SJ – 1996)
Oleg Tverdovsky (ANH – 1995)
It’s not secret that many Western fans feel that they are unfairly treated when it comes to not seeing the NHL’s young elite. And now, a simple analysis of the top two picks of the past 15 years tends to bear that out. Of the 30 total players taken either first or second since the 1994 draft a whopping 22 were drafted by Eastern Conference teams. Simply on volume that would seem to indicate a distinct advantage. But consider this: 12 of the last 15 first overall selections were made by Eastern Conference clubs.
So what does this all mean? It means the best young talent is not playing game in and game out in the Western Conference. At best, once a year the top young talent in the league plays in your arena if you happen cheer for a team that plays in either the Pacific, Northwest or Central Divisions…that is, unless you happen to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Major League Baseball has an easy remedy in their entry draft given that the two leagues are split with only limited interaction between clubs during the regular season (sound familiar?). They alternate between the American League and the National League. The team with the worst record overall drafts first and then the team from the opposing league with the worst record drafts next. And they carry on from there. IF that had been the case things may be drastically different for some teams. Consider that Evgeny Malkin would most likely play for the Chicago Blackhawks, Eric Staal may be captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jason Spezza may have been skating with Anaheim, and Dany Heatley could have been plying his trade in Minnesota. Sure this is all speculation, but that is the level of talent that could have been in the Western Conference with a fair and equitable distribution of talent.
Here’s the full draft list of first and second overall picks. First overall picks are bolded.
East:
John Tavares (NYI - 2009)
Victor Hedman (TB - 2009)
Steven Stamkos (TB - 2008)
James Van Riemsdyk (PHI – 2007)
Jordan Staal (PIT – 2006)
Sydney Crosby (PIT – 2005)
Alex Ovechkin (WAS – 2004)
Evgeny Malkin (PIT – 2004)
M-A Fleury (PIT – 2003)
Eric Staal (CAR – 2003)
Kari Lehtonen (ATL - 2002)
Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL – 2001)
Jason Spezza (OTT – 2001)
Rick Dipietro (NYI – 2000)
Dany Heatley (ATL – 2000)
Patrik Stefan (ATL – 1999)
Vincent Lecavalier (TB – 1998)
Joe Thornton (BOS – 1997)
Chris Phillips (OTT – 1996)
Bryan Berard (OTT – 1995)
Wade Redden (NYI – 1995)
Ed Jovanovski (FLA – 1994)
West:
Drew Doughty (LA - 2008)
Patrick Kane (CHI – 2007)
Erik Johnson (STL – 2006)
Bobby Ryan (ANH – 2005)
Rick Nash (CLB – 2002)
Daniel Sedin (VAN -1999)
David Legwand (NAS – 1998)
Patrick Marleau (SJ – 1997)
Andrei Zyuzin (SJ – 1996)
Oleg Tverdovsky (ANH – 1995)
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