Breaking the Trap Presents
FHL Left Wings 22-40 for the 2008-2009 Season
Doesn't have the same impact does it? Ah well.
22. Markus Naslund, NYR
Projected Stats: 26 G, 33 A, +2, 28 PP, 50 PIM, 245 SOG
Naslund's numbers have consistently gone down since the lockout. Playing Devil's advocate for a moment, the numbers have gone down as his responsibilities did in Vancouver. Here he will unquestionably be on the first line and the first powerplay unit. It should be interesting to see how he responds.
23. Ray Whitney, Car
Projected Stats: 25 G, 40 A, -3, 36 PP, 30 PIM, 198 SOG
Wizard is an underrated talent. He's a powerplay specialist and he does enough of anything other then PIM to make him an attractive option at left wing.
24. Kristian Huselius, CMB
Projected Stats: 26 G, 40 A, -4, 30 PP, 28 PIM, 200 SOG
Huselius put up to very good seasons in Calgary without his coach caring for him very much. He goes from one taskmaster in Keenan to another in Hitchcock. If he sees powerplay time with Nash he'll have value.
25. Keith Tkachuk, St. Lou
Projected Stats: 25 G, 30 A, -2, 21 PP, 76 PIM, 182 SOG
See how at this stage of the game the stats are getting kind of interchangeable? Which guy you value more depends on what you need more. So say you don't need assists and you're feeling pretty good about your powerplay numbers, but you are lacking in PIM... well Tkachuk becomes a very attractive option and you should probably grab him instead of Huselius or Whitney. He's not a PIM specialist but he will get them for you while not killing you in the other categories.
26. Sean Avery, Dal
Projected Stats: 18 G, 25 A, + 9, 14 PP, 192 PIM, 178 SOG
Then again if you really need PIM and you aren't so much worried about the other categories then it might just be Avery time. Avery is only this low because he doesn't really get the powerplay time and because he is unpredictable and lately an injury risk.
27. Andrei Kostitsyn, Mon
Projected Stats: 27 G, 29 A, +17, 23 PP, 32 PIM, 175 SOG
Kostitsyn takes a bit of a hit with the arrival of Tanguay. I'm curious to see how the line combinations shake up in Montreal. He doesn't take many shots but he is a threat for 65 points and should be a plus in that line up.
28. Daniel Carcillo, Pho
Projected Stats: 12 G, 15 A, -5, 10 PP, 280 PIM, 140 SOG
Then of course there is your premium goon option. Carcillo dominated the penalty minute category last season... and he only played 57 games. Expect Wayne to try to reign him in a little this season, as they are a legitimate playoff threat, but his numbers houldn't drop too much. He's got Jokinen to defend now after all.
29. Patrick Sharp, Chi
Projected Stats: 28 G, 26 A, +15, 18 PP, 55 PIM, 192 SOG
Sharp is the best left wing option in Chicago, that is until Ladd delivers on his promising skill set, so he will see a lot of ice time with Kane and Toews. Though he had 56 points last season he was pretty much useless on the powerplay so that hurt his overall rank quite a bit. He's a good guy to keep an eye on.
30. Ryan Malone, TB
Projected Stats, 25 G, 25 A, -10, 22 PP, 104 PIM, 130 SOG
He's guaranteed to be playing with a talented center and will get at least a look on the top powerplay as "the big guy in front of the net." Malone's value lies mostly in his PIM. He only hurts you in +/- and SOG. He's a decent option to fill your "scoring goon" role.
31. Marco Sturm, Bos
Projected Stats: 25 G, 25 A, +8, 25 PP, 34 PIM, 215 SOG
Had a good year in Boston. He, like most of Boston, will be hard pressed to repeat it, though the return of Bergeron could be a boon to the entire franchise.
32. Pavol Demitra, Van
Projected Stats: 25 G, 40 A, +9, 24 PP, 30 PIM, 170 SOG
Demitra gets hurt... a lot. That is the only reason he's this low on the list that and its still unclear what his situation in Vancouver will be. The word out of Vancouver this week is that he will see time on the first line with the Sedins... which would be interesting and would vastly decrease Bernier's value. I'll keep you posted.
33. Todd Bertuzzi, Cgy
Projected Stats: 15 G, 30 A, +10, 12 PP, 98 PIM, 130 SOG
You know the story with Big Bert and so does everyone else. Don't grab him for his offense, grab him if you need some PIM. If there is offense here it will be a pleasant surprise as he has very clearly lost that part of his game.
34. Cory Stillman, Fla
Projected Stats: 23 G, 40 A, -10, 32 PP, 22 PIM, 172 SOG
Florida. Ouch. Sorry Cory. Cory will find himself on a first line with David Booth and Nathan Horton. Hmmm. On second that that could be a very good line. If you want 40 assists, Cory is pretty much money in the bank.
35. Vaclav Prospal, TB
Projected Stats: 25 G, 35 A, -15, 22 PP, 42 PIM, 205 SOG
The conventional wisdom on Prospal is that he is going to have a bad year this season as he usually reverts to a 55 point season after good seasons. I don't think thats going to happen this year. Prospal will sleep back into his familiar place on Tampa's top line. Definitely worth a look.
36. Jason Blake, Tor
Projected Stats: 18 G, 33 A, -16, 21 PP, 28 PIM, 315 SOG
Its late in the draft. You have a lot of talented forwards that will get you points but they don't take a lot of shots. Blake is your savior. Avoid him otherwise.
37. Brendan Shanahan, ???
Projected Stats: 23 G, 23 A, +4, 21 PP, 48 PIM, 273 SOG
A great player on his last legs. If he ends up in New York, which for their young talent I hope he doesn't, he'll likely see time on Drury's line. The penalty minutes have goen down for him alogn with his point totals.
38. Dustin Penner, Edm
Projected Stats: 25 G, 25 A, -14, 24 PP, 52 PIM, 202 SOG
Eventually Penner will have to live up to the gigantic offer sheet he signed. I think this is the year.
39. Christopher Higgins, Mon
Projected Stats: 25 G, 25 A, -4, 23 PP, 24 PIM, 230 SOG
The third left wing from Montreal on this list (and the last only because I don't like Sergei Kostitsyn as much as ESPN does), Higgins took a big leap forward last season. I don't know if he is going to have the ice time to take another one this year.
40. Wojitek Wolski, Col
Projected Stats: 22 G, 33 A, +8, 18 PP, 16 PIM, 160 SOG
Wolski was benched several times last season because of defensive concerns, which I find since he was one of the only players on the team that was a plus. This will be Wolski's third year in the NHL. Its time to step up.
So there you have it. Technical difficulties and all.
Other guys I would take a look at include:
Fabian Brunnstrom: The Dallas "Rookie" comes with massive hype and international success.
Sergei Samsonov: 32 points in 38 games with the Canes last season would have put him on the above list if he hadn't been one of the most disapointing players in hockey for the last four years or so. If he shows promise early grab him. See Also Ruutu, Tuomo
Nikita Filatov: A Russian that was drafted and is coming immediately to the NHL? Amazing!
OK thats all for now. Right Wings and Goalies coming soon.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment