Well if this keeps up teams should start paying me to write about their stars in Breaking The Slump. In my Thursday column "Breaking the Slump" I discussed Mike Ribiero, Jonatahn Toews and Nicklas Backstrom. Of the three I gave the strongest chastising to Mr. Ribiero... who responded with a 5 point night against the Islanders.
Also included in that article was a simple message to the Ducks of Anaheim... "WTF Anaheim." Anaheim, and its stars heard me loud and clear. The Ducks won both of their weekend contests against the underwhelming Senators and the formidable Canadiens, and did so with the following stat lines from their star players:
Kunitz: 1 G, 2A, +1, 4 PIM, 1 PP, 7 SOG
Perry: 1G, 3 A, +2, 7 PIM, 2 PP, 4 SOG
Getzlaf: 2 G, 1A, +2, 4 PIM, 1 PP, 6 SOG
Things are turning around for the Ducks and none too soon, but things are also turning around for the Flyers. Predicted by most pundits to be one of the better teams in the East this year, including this one, the Flyers had an atrocious start, going without a win through their first 6 games, the Flyers finally broke out... unfortunately they did so against my New Jersey Devils. In two very hard fought games (the last of which included the throwing of a LIT smoke bomb in a bottle from somewhere in the crowd... I'm not kidding) the Flyers gained 4 points and put up 9 goals catapulting them to relevance.
They have an uphill battle ahead of them in a tough division but I still firmly believe this is a playoff team. The only teams that have scored more goals then the Flyers are: The Red Wings, The Avalanche (wait ... what???!), and the San Jose Sharks. The Flyers are also tied for first in the East in Goals scored with the New York Rangers who have already played 3 more games then Filthy. Just some stuff to think about as we go into the Adds and Drops for this week:
Grab 'Em
Joffrey Lupul
RW, Phi
About the only one of Philly's big scorers that should be on waivers, Lupul came alive in the last week scoring 3 goals and adding an assist. Lupul is a very good player, particularly when he's on a hot streak. Well... his first hot streak of the year has arrived. Don't miss it.
Phil Kessel
RW, Bos
"But you recommended him last week." Yes I did, and I'm doing it again. If he's out there grab him.
Andy McDonald
C, St. L
Ok... can't ignore it anymore. He has 12 points. If you need assists or powerplay points and can absorb the +/- problems that come when a team scores a million points on the powerplay McDonald is your guy right now. He added another 5 assists last week, 4 of them on the powerplay. Sexy.
Kris Versteeg
RW, Chi
A rookie that's getting overlooked on a very very talented Chicago roster. Versteeg is playing on one of the hottest lines in hockey right now with Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp. Versteeg has 2 goals and 6 assists so far this season and should continue to improve upon that so long as his line combinations remain favorable.
Weigh 'Em
Milan Lucic
LW, Bos
A traditional power forward Lucic had been having a slow start to the season until Saturday's game against the Thrashers in which he recorded a hat trick. Lucic is a second round draft pick and a big lumbering forward. If he gets hot he should be getting you a ton of PIM in addition to scoring some points. Keep an eye on him.
Keith Ballard
D, Fla
Good week for Ballard. Ballard recorded a goal and 3 assists in addition to 18 PIM. I don't think its time to get excited yet. Ballard, an 11th overall pick in 2002, was always expected to be an offensive defensemen but has yet to deliver on that promise. Its a crowded blue line down in Florida but with McCabe still out maybe it will be Ballard that fills that gap.
Sergei Federov
C, Wash
Less of a recommendation and more of a congratulations to Washington center Sergei Federov. Sergei passed Alexander Mogilny over the weekend to become the highest scoring Russian born player in the NHL. Now... Sergei is currently playing with Alexander Ovechkin and has had 3 goals over the last week... so he's worth paying attention to.
Nikolai Khabibulin
G, Chi
Don't look now Huet owners but Khabi is getting the chance to play. He let up five goals against Detroit the other night earning the loss in his second consecutive start... but it was his second consecutive start... and it was against Detroit. If you drafted Huet it might be time to handcuff yourself with the other half of the platoon.
Frederik Norenna
G, Cls
Time to get scared Leclaire owners. Leclaire is out with one of his, sure to be frequent, ankle injuries. Norenna has looked good in limited ice time this season. He's worth considering as a third goalie while Leclaire is hurt.
Toss 'Em Back
Rick Dipietro
G, NYI
Another undisclosed injury for DP. Word is that its a tweak to his surgically repaired knee. If I'm the Islanders brass I already know that this is not going to be a great year for us and I have our "star" player on the long-term contract maybe sit the year out and get healthy. There is no reason to risk further injury to Dipietro this year.
Joni Pitkanen
D, Car
Ouch. Pitkanen, already having a rough start, was injured in this weekends game against the Islanders (who talk about futility put 60 shots on Cam Ward and still lost). He is going to miss a month or so. Drop him or IR him.
Jay Bouwmeester
D, Fla
DO NOT DROP HIM. Just bench him. Jay seems unmotivated this season, contrary to the theory of contract years, and has really yet to click with any of his teammates. Maybe it was the offseason drama, maybe he just lost his taste for it, or maybe he hasn't snapped into season shape yet. Regardless, he's a solid player just... see if there's someone else you can play for right now.
That's all for this week. Check back later for more thoughts and observations on the NHL.
Showing posts with label Anaheim Ducks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anaheim Ducks. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Breaking the Slump: Front and Centers
There are few positions in the game of hockey which require more skill then that of the number one center. The center is expected to, despite being double teamed by the other team's best defenders, carry the puck into the zone, set up the play and then either put one of his linemates in position to score a goal or do so himself.
In fantasy number one centers are even more of a focal point. Center is a notoriously deep position and if your top center isn't scoring 80 points then he better be getting 100 PIM and be a + 20. While you might generally give your wings some slack to find their footing centers are expected to produce right of the gate particularly when in a typical league there are always "good" to "decent" centers on waivers.
So when your high draft pick can't miss center is underperforming, even this early in the season, it is a strong temptation to say "F*** 'em" and pick up this weeks Mikko Koivu or Patrice Bergeron.
I sympathize... I mean in general. I'm not really in the same spot as you, I've got Malkin, Jokinen and Gomez thank you very much, but I get it. So, like the good blogger I am I'm going to address three centers who are performing below expectations and give you my opinion on what to do with them. I'm a saint.
Mike Ribiero
Mikey liked his 83 point season last year. Despite his horrendously low shot total and lack of any history indicating that that number was achievable. We gave Ribiero fairly ambitious point totals in our player rankings but still ranked him as 25th among centers... meaning that unless you are in a 15 team league or somesuch you shouldn't have him as anything higher then your third center. Point totals are a funny thing though, people tend to be blinded by them and not look at anything else.
So for those of you that also liked Mikey's 83 point season here are something things that Mikey, and by extension you, doesn't like:
-being defended like the number one center
-not playing with Brendan Morrow
-playing in front of a defense that hasn't adapted to Zubov's abscence.
Ribiero now has 4 assists through 7 games. That's not terrible... in fact it puts him on pace to finish with about the same number of assists he had last year. The -7 is ugly and so is the lack of powerplay points. If those are your problems then here's the good news. Those will take care of themselves if and when Dallas rights the ship. I'm not saying that's going to happen anytime soon, or even at all, but they aren't specifically Ribiero's fault and they could end up going away.
If, however, you were somehow expecting shot or goal totals worthy or a number 1 or 2 d-man then... well... I think you're out of luck. This is about what Ribiero does. He scored goals in bunches last year ... until he signed a new contract. The assists kept coming but the goals disappeared.
There are better options on waivers in most leagues, and by better options I mean options that will produce at a number 2 center/flex forward level.
My recommendation: DROP HIM
Nicklas Backstrom
This one is tricky. The good news is that Washington is scoring goals and winning games despite poor tending from Theodore. The bad news, Backstrom has had nothing to do with it. Through 6 games he has a grand total of 1 assist. OUCH. Furthermore Ovechkin is slumping, for him, as well and so Ovie has been taken off of Backstrom's wing in an attempt to coax some goals out of the Big Russian. Double Ouch.
That said I'm fairly optimistic. Backstrom was very streaky through his first 12 games last year, notching only 5 assists in that stretch, but still managed to finish the season with 69 points. Backstrom is very talented, and Ovechkin is NOT going to spend the entire season playing with Sergei Federov. This will pass
On the plus side he IS shooting more. I would go get one of the streaking players off of waivers and play him while letting Backstrom ride the pine. He's going to figure this out, he just needs some time.
My recommendation: BENCH HIM
Jonathan Toews
No Western Conference team has received more attention from BTT then the Chicago Blackhawks. Never in any of that coverage did we expect that Toews or Kane would be anything less then spectacular this season. Kane has lived up to that billing so far this season posting 8 points in 7 games. Toews however has been underwhelming, putting up only 4 assists over the same span.
Unlike Backstrom and Ribiero, who should have been drafted as nothing more then a third center/bench player, you probably used a fairly high draft pick to get Toews, reaching pretty significantly in some cases. I've been all over Toews since last year's preseason but in my league he went too high for even me to think about drafting.
Before we go any further I think it might be educational to check out an excellent article posted on this very site back in July comparing Toews and Kane to another dynamic duo, Kovalchuk and Heatley. That article can be found here, http://breakingthetrap.blogspot.com/2008/07/dont-toews-me-bro.html
Heatley, like Kane, was more of an assist guy in his first year before things even out in his second season and he became the 50/50 threat that he is now. Early returns say we are looking at the possibility of a 40/40 season from Kane. Toews, as stated above, has been less exciting in his sophomore season and is looking at a possibly bump in the road. While Kovalchuk's sophomore 67 was hardly a slump, it was certainly under what many expected, and have come to expect, of the talented winger. Toews looks to be following a similar path.
While 70+ points are starting to look a little out of reach for Toews I still believe that he will have an adequate fantasy season for a second or third center. He is having some issues with his new linemates, as he is spending less time with Kane these days, and the coaching turmoil can't be helping anyone (except for Patrick Sharp apparently).
He is going to break out eventually, and you don't want to miss that. I say leave him in. Maybe see if there's someone that can get you number 2 center numbers out on waivers and move him to your flex forward position.
My recommendation: PLAY HIM
BREAKING THE SLUMP BONUS CONTENT
Sometimes you feel very strongly about something. Sometimes its a person and you form an eternal connection with or an everlasting hatred of them. Sometimes its a meal and you seek it out whenever you can. Sometimes its a book. But sometimes... sometimes its a hockey team.
I believe strongly that the Anaheim Ducks are a playoff team. I believe that they have the talent and the personnel to defeat any team in the Western Conference on any given night and while Detroit and San Jose are probably all around better they are definitely one of the top 4 or 5 teams in the league.
So it with that in mind and with a heavy heart that I offer up this very special message from Breaking the Trap to the Not So Mighty Ducks.
WTF ANAHEIM?
Seriously. If you drafted any Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz, Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger or J.S. Giguere this has to be the number one question on your mind.
FACT: George Parros has more goals then all of the people listed above combined.
FACT: OK, I lied. He's tied with "The Combined Might of the Ducks" as they both have 2 goals.
I am confident that this will pass. It has to. None of those players are one year wonders. If I'm a Selanne owner, and I am, I'm concerned because he may legitimately be over the hill but the rest of them are players in their primes. There is no excuse for this.
Ultimately that's why I believe this will pass. The Ducks are too good to NOT turn this around and stated putting biscuits in baskets. Until then though:
My recommendation: BENCH THEM ALL
That's all for this edition of Breaking the Slump. I might be back later with some random thoughts and rumours... but if not I'll see you all back here tomorrow with the very first "BTT TEAM RANKINGS" of the season.
In fantasy number one centers are even more of a focal point. Center is a notoriously deep position and if your top center isn't scoring 80 points then he better be getting 100 PIM and be a + 20. While you might generally give your wings some slack to find their footing centers are expected to produce right of the gate particularly when in a typical league there are always "good" to "decent" centers on waivers.
So when your high draft pick can't miss center is underperforming, even this early in the season, it is a strong temptation to say "F*** 'em" and pick up this weeks Mikko Koivu or Patrice Bergeron.
I sympathize... I mean in general. I'm not really in the same spot as you, I've got Malkin, Jokinen and Gomez thank you very much, but I get it. So, like the good blogger I am I'm going to address three centers who are performing below expectations and give you my opinion on what to do with them. I'm a saint.
Mike Ribiero
Mikey liked his 83 point season last year. Despite his horrendously low shot total and lack of any history indicating that that number was achievable. We gave Ribiero fairly ambitious point totals in our player rankings but still ranked him as 25th among centers... meaning that unless you are in a 15 team league or somesuch you shouldn't have him as anything higher then your third center. Point totals are a funny thing though, people tend to be blinded by them and not look at anything else.
So for those of you that also liked Mikey's 83 point season here are something things that Mikey, and by extension you, doesn't like:
-being defended like the number one center
-not playing with Brendan Morrow
-playing in front of a defense that hasn't adapted to Zubov's abscence.
Ribiero now has 4 assists through 7 games. That's not terrible... in fact it puts him on pace to finish with about the same number of assists he had last year. The -7 is ugly and so is the lack of powerplay points. If those are your problems then here's the good news. Those will take care of themselves if and when Dallas rights the ship. I'm not saying that's going to happen anytime soon, or even at all, but they aren't specifically Ribiero's fault and they could end up going away.
If, however, you were somehow expecting shot or goal totals worthy or a number 1 or 2 d-man then... well... I think you're out of luck. This is about what Ribiero does. He scored goals in bunches last year ... until he signed a new contract. The assists kept coming but the goals disappeared.
There are better options on waivers in most leagues, and by better options I mean options that will produce at a number 2 center/flex forward level.
My recommendation: DROP HIM
Nicklas Backstrom
This one is tricky. The good news is that Washington is scoring goals and winning games despite poor tending from Theodore. The bad news, Backstrom has had nothing to do with it. Through 6 games he has a grand total of 1 assist. OUCH. Furthermore Ovechkin is slumping, for him, as well and so Ovie has been taken off of Backstrom's wing in an attempt to coax some goals out of the Big Russian. Double Ouch.
That said I'm fairly optimistic. Backstrom was very streaky through his first 12 games last year, notching only 5 assists in that stretch, but still managed to finish the season with 69 points. Backstrom is very talented, and Ovechkin is NOT going to spend the entire season playing with Sergei Federov. This will pass
On the plus side he IS shooting more. I would go get one of the streaking players off of waivers and play him while letting Backstrom ride the pine. He's going to figure this out, he just needs some time.
My recommendation: BENCH HIM
Jonathan Toews
No Western Conference team has received more attention from BTT then the Chicago Blackhawks. Never in any of that coverage did we expect that Toews or Kane would be anything less then spectacular this season. Kane has lived up to that billing so far this season posting 8 points in 7 games. Toews however has been underwhelming, putting up only 4 assists over the same span.
Unlike Backstrom and Ribiero, who should have been drafted as nothing more then a third center/bench player, you probably used a fairly high draft pick to get Toews, reaching pretty significantly in some cases. I've been all over Toews since last year's preseason but in my league he went too high for even me to think about drafting.
Before we go any further I think it might be educational to check out an excellent article posted on this very site back in July comparing Toews and Kane to another dynamic duo, Kovalchuk and Heatley. That article can be found here, http://breakingthetrap.blogspot.com/2008/07/dont-toews-me-bro.html
Heatley, like Kane, was more of an assist guy in his first year before things even out in his second season and he became the 50/50 threat that he is now. Early returns say we are looking at the possibility of a 40/40 season from Kane. Toews, as stated above, has been less exciting in his sophomore season and is looking at a possibly bump in the road. While Kovalchuk's sophomore 67 was hardly a slump, it was certainly under what many expected, and have come to expect, of the talented winger. Toews looks to be following a similar path.
While 70+ points are starting to look a little out of reach for Toews I still believe that he will have an adequate fantasy season for a second or third center. He is having some issues with his new linemates, as he is spending less time with Kane these days, and the coaching turmoil can't be helping anyone (except for Patrick Sharp apparently).
He is going to break out eventually, and you don't want to miss that. I say leave him in. Maybe see if there's someone that can get you number 2 center numbers out on waivers and move him to your flex forward position.
My recommendation: PLAY HIM
BREAKING THE SLUMP BONUS CONTENT
Sometimes you feel very strongly about something. Sometimes its a person and you form an eternal connection with or an everlasting hatred of them. Sometimes its a meal and you seek it out whenever you can. Sometimes its a book. But sometimes... sometimes its a hockey team.
I believe strongly that the Anaheim Ducks are a playoff team. I believe that they have the talent and the personnel to defeat any team in the Western Conference on any given night and while Detroit and San Jose are probably all around better they are definitely one of the top 4 or 5 teams in the league.
So it with that in mind and with a heavy heart that I offer up this very special message from Breaking the Trap to the Not So Mighty Ducks.
WTF ANAHEIM?
Seriously. If you drafted any Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz, Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger or J.S. Giguere this has to be the number one question on your mind.
FACT: George Parros has more goals then all of the people listed above combined.
FACT: OK, I lied. He's tied with "The Combined Might of the Ducks" as they both have 2 goals.
I am confident that this will pass. It has to. None of those players are one year wonders. If I'm a Selanne owner, and I am, I'm concerned because he may legitimately be over the hill but the rest of them are players in their primes. There is no excuse for this.
Ultimately that's why I believe this will pass. The Ducks are too good to NOT turn this around and stated putting biscuits in baskets. Until then though:
My recommendation: BENCH THEM ALL
That's all for this edition of Breaking the Slump. I might be back later with some random thoughts and rumours... but if not I'll see you all back here tomorrow with the very first "BTT TEAM RANKINGS" of the season.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Breaking the Slump: Duck and Cover
"My expectations!"
Its a long season and unless you are coolest of cats in the worst of times then you will, at least once, stare at your star player and shout some obscenity laced diatribe. The words may never be the same but the message will be clear, "Break out of your slump high round draft pick."
When the smoke clears and you've picked up whatever it is that you decided to launch across the room logic will take over and questions will start to creep in. Is this the best I can hope for? Is this just temporary? Should I drop him? Should I let my friends know that he's on my team? If I decide to will they applaud, mock or be jealous of me?
Yes, fantasy sports is an intimate relationship and we here at BTT are your sympathetic ear. Unlike most of your no-good friends, however, our opinion will be informed. Every Thursday (from now on) we'll take a look at a different star player that for whatever reason isn't performing up to expectations. Then we'll tell you whether to keep him in your roster, bench him, or pack up his stuff and kick him to the waiver wire. All that and more in a little feature we like to call:
Breaking the Slump
Back in August we had this to say about J.S. Giguere "The unfortunately nicknamed Giggy has been pretty consistently stellar for the last several years. He tends to have a bit of an injury bug but if he stays healthy he is every bit the elite option in net that Brodeur is." Those of you who know me know that that is no small praise from me. Marty is God and he LETS us watch him play goal.
That said, Giguere is one of the best mortals currently playing the position. But after 5 games his numbers look like this:
1 W, 4 L, 3.27 GAA, .896 Sv%, 13 goals against.
Not exactly the kind of numbers you want out of your answer to Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, et al. Giggy lost his first three appearances 4-1, 4-2, and 6-3 before finally getting his first win of the season, a shutout, against the San Jose Sharks on October 17th.
So on a scale of Gretzky to Daigle where do I rank my level of concern over J.S. Giguere?
Giguere ranks a Jaromir Jagr: I'm upset at his inconsistent play but fully expect that I will get full value by the end of the season.
Here's some facts:
Giguere has been known to have some rough patches. In 2007-2008 Giguere had a stretch of five games started in November without a win. The scores: 5-2, 2-1, 3-1, 5-1 and 1-0. He finished that season with 35 wins a 2.12 GAA and .922 Sv%.
In 2006-2007 Giguere had a string of 6 starts without a win. The scores: 1-0, 4-3, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, and 3-2. He finished that season with 36 wins, a 2.26 GAA and .918 Sv.%.
There was another goalie in 2007-2008 who lost his first three starts. The scores were 3-1, 4-2, and 3-0. He would win his next two but allowed 5 goals in one and 4 in the other. He then dropped three more decisions, 4-0, 2-0 and 4-1. That goalie would finish with 44 wins, a 2.17 GAA and .920 Sv%. Figured out who I'm talking about yet? Yea that's right, last year's Vezina Trophy winner, Martin Brodeur.
Maybe this would have had more force before the shutout against the Sharks but, if you are a Gigure owner I've got one word for you... relax. Your investment is safe.
Final Verdict: Play Him!
Plenty more good stuff coming your way on BTT. Tomorrow will see the second ice stock of the year as well as news and notes from the weekend's games.
Its a long season and unless you are coolest of cats in the worst of times then you will, at least once, stare at your star player and shout some obscenity laced diatribe. The words may never be the same but the message will be clear, "Break out of your slump high round draft pick."
When the smoke clears and you've picked up whatever it is that you decided to launch across the room logic will take over and questions will start to creep in. Is this the best I can hope for? Is this just temporary? Should I drop him? Should I let my friends know that he's on my team? If I decide to will they applaud, mock or be jealous of me?
Yes, fantasy sports is an intimate relationship and we here at BTT are your sympathetic ear. Unlike most of your no-good friends, however, our opinion will be informed. Every Thursday (from now on) we'll take a look at a different star player that for whatever reason isn't performing up to expectations. Then we'll tell you whether to keep him in your roster, bench him, or pack up his stuff and kick him to the waiver wire. All that and more in a little feature we like to call:
Breaking the Slump
Back in August we had this to say about J.S. Giguere "The unfortunately nicknamed Giggy has been pretty consistently stellar for the last several years. He tends to have a bit of an injury bug but if he stays healthy he is every bit the elite option in net that Brodeur is." Those of you who know me know that that is no small praise from me. Marty is God and he LETS us watch him play goal.
That said, Giguere is one of the best mortals currently playing the position. But after 5 games his numbers look like this:
1 W, 4 L, 3.27 GAA, .896 Sv%, 13 goals against.
Not exactly the kind of numbers you want out of your answer to Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, et al. Giggy lost his first three appearances 4-1, 4-2, and 6-3 before finally getting his first win of the season, a shutout, against the San Jose Sharks on October 17th.
So on a scale of Gretzky to Daigle where do I rank my level of concern over J.S. Giguere?
Giguere ranks a Jaromir Jagr: I'm upset at his inconsistent play but fully expect that I will get full value by the end of the season.
Here's some facts:
Giguere has been known to have some rough patches. In 2007-2008 Giguere had a stretch of five games started in November without a win. The scores: 5-2, 2-1, 3-1, 5-1 and 1-0. He finished that season with 35 wins a 2.12 GAA and .922 Sv%.
In 2006-2007 Giguere had a string of 6 starts without a win. The scores: 1-0, 4-3, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, and 3-2. He finished that season with 36 wins, a 2.26 GAA and .918 Sv.%.
There was another goalie in 2007-2008 who lost his first three starts. The scores were 3-1, 4-2, and 3-0. He would win his next two but allowed 5 goals in one and 4 in the other. He then dropped three more decisions, 4-0, 2-0 and 4-1. That goalie would finish with 44 wins, a 2.17 GAA and .920 Sv%. Figured out who I'm talking about yet? Yea that's right, last year's Vezina Trophy winner, Martin Brodeur.
Maybe this would have had more force before the shutout against the Sharks but, if you are a Gigure owner I've got one word for you... relax. Your investment is safe.
Final Verdict: Play Him!
Plenty more good stuff coming your way on BTT. Tomorrow will see the second ice stock of the year as well as news and notes from the weekend's games.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
News and Notes + Site News
A couple of quick news items of fantasy interest:
-Petr Sykora made his return last night and was skating on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Though the line was 0's in the box score Sykora added a jump and depth to that line that was lacking previously. He also played on the first powerplay unit.
-Also from the Pittsburgh game the Sidney Crosby line continued to evolve. Satan played Sidney's right wing and Tyler Kennedy and Pascal Dupuis split time on the left side. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
-Final note on Pittsburgh. Though he hasn't scored since his first game Alex Gologoski is really starting to settle in in his role as pointman on the first powerplay unit. The unit has been quiet but not for a lack of trying, and really appeared to be gelling in the third period last night.
-The Sharks could very well be the most complete team in hockey this year. They appear to have finally found a balance between first and second line scoring and have the ability to move the puck on defense better then at any time in the history of the franchise. If Rob Blake, Devin Setoguchi or Jonathan Cheechoo are available in your league, now may be the time to grab them.
-Kristian Huselius is selfish and lazy. Nash had 9 shots last night but it wasn't because Huselius was a good linemate. At every turn Huselius wold shoot when he should pass, skate in on the off wing and make lazy undirected passes. RJ Umberger also looks lost on this line at the moment.
-Kipprusoff's performance thus far (15 goals in 3 games) is not unprecedented as he looked like this for stretches of last season as well. I'm worried about Calgary's chances this year.
-I'm less worried about Anaheim. Though they and Giguere have been lit up so far this season I expect them to bounce back once their defense gets rolling. Which brings me to...
Site news:
-Tomorrow I will be debuting a new weekly feature to BTT: Breaking the Slump. Each week I'll analyze a player or player who is slumping and give you my advice on whether to bench, drop or keep them rolling. The subject of our first Breaking the Slump J.S. Giguere.
-Also, coming later today the second Two Minute Minor, the new weekly from our contributor Nick Giammona. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
-Petr Sykora made his return last night and was skating on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Though the line was 0's in the box score Sykora added a jump and depth to that line that was lacking previously. He also played on the first powerplay unit.
-Also from the Pittsburgh game the Sidney Crosby line continued to evolve. Satan played Sidney's right wing and Tyler Kennedy and Pascal Dupuis split time on the left side. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
-Final note on Pittsburgh. Though he hasn't scored since his first game Alex Gologoski is really starting to settle in in his role as pointman on the first powerplay unit. The unit has been quiet but not for a lack of trying, and really appeared to be gelling in the third period last night.
-The Sharks could very well be the most complete team in hockey this year. They appear to have finally found a balance between first and second line scoring and have the ability to move the puck on defense better then at any time in the history of the franchise. If Rob Blake, Devin Setoguchi or Jonathan Cheechoo are available in your league, now may be the time to grab them.
-Kristian Huselius is selfish and lazy. Nash had 9 shots last night but it wasn't because Huselius was a good linemate. At every turn Huselius wold shoot when he should pass, skate in on the off wing and make lazy undirected passes. RJ Umberger also looks lost on this line at the moment.
-Kipprusoff's performance thus far (15 goals in 3 games) is not unprecedented as he looked like this for stretches of last season as well. I'm worried about Calgary's chances this year.
-I'm less worried about Anaheim. Though they and Giguere have been lit up so far this season I expect them to bounce back once their defense gets rolling. Which brings me to...
Site news:
-Tomorrow I will be debuting a new weekly feature to BTT: Breaking the Slump. Each week I'll analyze a player or player who is slumping and give you my advice on whether to bench, drop or keep them rolling. The subject of our first Breaking the Slump J.S. Giguere.
-Also, coming later today the second Two Minute Minor, the new weekly from our contributor Nick Giammona. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
TEAM PREVIEWS: THE ANAHEIM DUCKS
Introduction:
Wait what... I never finished these... ah crap. I blame you Anaheim. I was trucking along nicely and then there was all this uncertainty about Mathieu Schnieder and where he was going to go and if they'd be able to free up enough cap space to lure... er sign Teemu.
OK well lets get started then. We've still got two days until the season starts and I had done a preview for all of the teams that started in Europe (Editor's Note: Except Ottawa)(Writer's Note: Shut up Editor in my head) so maybe if I start sprinting and stop posturing this will prove to be not fatal.
Key Departures:
Mathieu Schnieder
Todd Bertuzzi
Schnieder was lost here particularly after Niedermayer's return. He's getting on in age but he wasn't brought here for his D. Its a shame that Burke had to waste so much time and money on what amounted to a placeholder.
Speaking of placeholders... Todd Bertuzzi never figured out how to fit in here, and he certainly was never going to be Teemu Selanne. This team is better off trying to get their young talent to step up to the next level then dealing with old relics of the pre-lockout NHL like Mr. Bertuzzi.
New Faces:
Brendan Morrison
Bertuzzi must have had nicer things to say about the organization than I did to say about him because Morrison completed the exodus of the Canucks former top line when he signed with Anaheim in the offseason. He'll provide the second line center that Anaheim lacked since trading Andy MacDonald to St. Louis.
The Offense:
With the addition of Selanne and Morrison for a full season there is some excitement about this group of Ducks forwards and with good reason. Selanne elevates everyone around him and Morrison gives The Ducks a reliable second line and some veteran presence on their second powerplay unit.
You want to Draft:
Teemu Selanne
Corey Perry
Ryan Getzlaf
Chris Kunitz
About the only thing Selanne is better at then scoring goals is procrastinating. To the great benefit of fantasy hockey players everywhere Teemu made his decision before the puck dropped this season. In fact early reports indicated that Teemu wanted to play as far back as July, but it took Brian Burke a long time to clear cap space for the Finnish Flash. Teemu is instantly the number one player on this team. Getzlaf and Perry are great but Teemu is legendary.
FACT: Since rejoining Anaheim after the lockout Teemu has scored 207 points in 188 games.
Corey Perry missed the final 12 games of last season, but in the first 70 he had 29 goals, 25 assists and 108 PIM. Those last 12 games were when the Ducks offense was really clicking as well. He's only 23, so I think that Selanne's arrival will help rather then hinder his development. He'll get quality minutes and scoring chances regardless of whether he lines up with Getzlaf or Morrison.
FACT: Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf played 36 games together in the minors, scoring 67 points.
Ryan Getzlaf is Shane Douglas. For those of you not familiar with early 90's ECW that means he is "The Franchise." The team is going to be building around Number 15 for at least the next 5 years, after his near 27 million dollar 5 year contract extension last season. Getzlaf turned himself into a setup man last season, significantly improving upon his assists. I expect his goal totals to go up this year as he will be less responsible for running the point on the powerplay with the return, full-time, of Niedermayer and Selanne. Because he, like many of the ducks, excels in all areas of the game he should be on of the first centers off the boards after those two guys from Pittsburgh are gone.
FACT: Getzlaf was the leading scorer for the Ducks in their Stanley Cup winning 2007 playoffs, with 17 points in 21 games.
I think Kunitz makes it back to and exceeds his 60 point pace of 2006-2007. As a left winger who also gets PIM and takes a good number of shots this makes Kunitz draft worthy. He's fast, physical and defensively responsible and will benefit, like the rest of the squad, from the certainty that Burke has created at the beginning of this season.
FACT: Kunitz was an undrafted player, signed and waived by the Ducks in 05-06. He played two games for the Thrashers before being waived and re-signed by Anaheim. After all of that Kunitz played 67 games with his original club and scored 41 points in his rookie season, a club record. We have not yet seen his full potential.
You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Brendan Morrison
Bobby Ryan
Morrison could see some very talented linemates, in fact he's almost guaranteed that. The only thing keeping me from recommending him more strongly is that his strongest season ever was a 72 point season in 02-03. Anything less then that for a non-physical center isn't really worthy of a roster spot except in deep leagues. Keep your eye on him but be cautious.
FACT: Like most products of the New Jersey Devils system Morrison is an undersized former college standout.
Bobby Ryan is... a hunch. He's not yet up to the NHL standard when it comes to footwork but the kid can score. The Ducks are light at Wing, and if he got the call up he could find himself on one of the top two lines. Anaheim has had great success with young players.
FACT: The second overall pick in the 2005 entry draft, Bobby Ryan hails from Cherry Hill, New Jersey and is viewed as part of a resurgence in young talented American born players in the NHL.
The Defense:
Even with the loss of Mathieu Schnieder this is one of the strongest defenses in the game, with only teams like Detroit and San Jose as rivals. Burke has been committed to shoring up his own end with top flight talent by any means necessary and building the offense from within. It led to the teams first Stanley Cup in 07 and should have them competing for one again this season.
You Want To Draft:
Chris Pronger
Scott Niedermayer
Pronger is one of those does it all guys that you just have to have on your fantasy roster. On D he is only beaten in this category by Dion Phaneuf and is the d-man I would take third behind Phaneuf and Lidstrom. Pronger is consistently excellent. I would expect his point totals to be back over 50 this season and his PIM to be down under 90.
FACT: When Chris Pronger won the Hart Trophy after the 1999-2000 season he became the first defenseman to win the award since Bobby Orr. He is one of only 8 defenseman to receive the honor. The others: Billy Burch, Herb Gardiner, Eddie Shore (4 times), Ebbie Goodfellow, Tommy Anderson, Babe Pratt, and Bobby Orr (3 times).
Scott Niedermayer. Draft him. He is good. How good?
FACT: The ducks, a struggling non-playoff team through the first 34 games had the best record in hockey in the 48 games after Niedermayer's return last season.
You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Francouis Beauchemin
Is he your Beau... chemin? No probably not. Somewhere in there there is an offensive d-man waiting to breakout. He's got two major road blocks in his way in the shape of Pronger and Niedermayer. Keep your eye on him, particularly if there are any injuries to the big two.
FACT: Beauchemin, beyond being a great scrabble word, is a village in Northern France.
The Powerplay:
Teemu Selanne
Ryan Getzlaf
Corey Perry
Scott Niedermayer
Chris Pronger
Teemu really makes this unit dangerous. He had 48 points on the powerplay the season before. He'll take a lot of pressure off of Getzlaf. This is going to be a deadly unit.
The Goalie(s):
J.S. Giguere starts the season firmly entrenched as Number 1, with his stellar backup Bryzgalov being shipped off midseason to the Coyotes. Giguere put in his best "numbers" season last year, establishing franchise marks in GAA and Sv %. If he can stay healthy he is your best option in net besides Martin Brodeur.
FACT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeIfffJDJU0 I didn't have to search for that, it was the first thing that popped up when I typed Giguere in youtube. Do you think he loves or hates this song?
The Verdict:
There was a lot of chaos as training camp began this year and Anaheim had a lot of work to do to get themselves under the salary cap, but kudos to Brian Burke for providing certainty for this Anaheim team heading into the regular season. More than Niedermayer, more than Selanne, that certainty is what is propelling them to the top of many experts' lists.
Wait what... I never finished these... ah crap. I blame you Anaheim. I was trucking along nicely and then there was all this uncertainty about Mathieu Schnieder and where he was going to go and if they'd be able to free up enough cap space to lure... er sign Teemu.
OK well lets get started then. We've still got two days until the season starts and I had done a preview for all of the teams that started in Europe (Editor's Note: Except Ottawa)(Writer's Note: Shut up Editor in my head) so maybe if I start sprinting and stop posturing this will prove to be not fatal.
Key Departures:
Mathieu Schnieder
Todd Bertuzzi
Schnieder was lost here particularly after Niedermayer's return. He's getting on in age but he wasn't brought here for his D. Its a shame that Burke had to waste so much time and money on what amounted to a placeholder.
Speaking of placeholders... Todd Bertuzzi never figured out how to fit in here, and he certainly was never going to be Teemu Selanne. This team is better off trying to get their young talent to step up to the next level then dealing with old relics of the pre-lockout NHL like Mr. Bertuzzi.
New Faces:
Brendan Morrison
Bertuzzi must have had nicer things to say about the organization than I did to say about him because Morrison completed the exodus of the Canucks former top line when he signed with Anaheim in the offseason. He'll provide the second line center that Anaheim lacked since trading Andy MacDonald to St. Louis.
The Offense:
With the addition of Selanne and Morrison for a full season there is some excitement about this group of Ducks forwards and with good reason. Selanne elevates everyone around him and Morrison gives The Ducks a reliable second line and some veteran presence on their second powerplay unit.
You want to Draft:
Teemu Selanne
Corey Perry
Ryan Getzlaf
Chris Kunitz
About the only thing Selanne is better at then scoring goals is procrastinating. To the great benefit of fantasy hockey players everywhere Teemu made his decision before the puck dropped this season. In fact early reports indicated that Teemu wanted to play as far back as July, but it took Brian Burke a long time to clear cap space for the Finnish Flash. Teemu is instantly the number one player on this team. Getzlaf and Perry are great but Teemu is legendary.
FACT: Since rejoining Anaheim after the lockout Teemu has scored 207 points in 188 games.
Corey Perry missed the final 12 games of last season, but in the first 70 he had 29 goals, 25 assists and 108 PIM. Those last 12 games were when the Ducks offense was really clicking as well. He's only 23, so I think that Selanne's arrival will help rather then hinder his development. He'll get quality minutes and scoring chances regardless of whether he lines up with Getzlaf or Morrison.
FACT: Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf played 36 games together in the minors, scoring 67 points.
Ryan Getzlaf is Shane Douglas. For those of you not familiar with early 90's ECW that means he is "The Franchise." The team is going to be building around Number 15 for at least the next 5 years, after his near 27 million dollar 5 year contract extension last season. Getzlaf turned himself into a setup man last season, significantly improving upon his assists. I expect his goal totals to go up this year as he will be less responsible for running the point on the powerplay with the return, full-time, of Niedermayer and Selanne. Because he, like many of the ducks, excels in all areas of the game he should be on of the first centers off the boards after those two guys from Pittsburgh are gone.
FACT: Getzlaf was the leading scorer for the Ducks in their Stanley Cup winning 2007 playoffs, with 17 points in 21 games.
I think Kunitz makes it back to and exceeds his 60 point pace of 2006-2007. As a left winger who also gets PIM and takes a good number of shots this makes Kunitz draft worthy. He's fast, physical and defensively responsible and will benefit, like the rest of the squad, from the certainty that Burke has created at the beginning of this season.
FACT: Kunitz was an undrafted player, signed and waived by the Ducks in 05-06. He played two games for the Thrashers before being waived and re-signed by Anaheim. After all of that Kunitz played 67 games with his original club and scored 41 points in his rookie season, a club record. We have not yet seen his full potential.
You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Brendan Morrison
Bobby Ryan
Morrison could see some very talented linemates, in fact he's almost guaranteed that. The only thing keeping me from recommending him more strongly is that his strongest season ever was a 72 point season in 02-03. Anything less then that for a non-physical center isn't really worthy of a roster spot except in deep leagues. Keep your eye on him but be cautious.
FACT: Like most products of the New Jersey Devils system Morrison is an undersized former college standout.
Bobby Ryan is... a hunch. He's not yet up to the NHL standard when it comes to footwork but the kid can score. The Ducks are light at Wing, and if he got the call up he could find himself on one of the top two lines. Anaheim has had great success with young players.
FACT: The second overall pick in the 2005 entry draft, Bobby Ryan hails from Cherry Hill, New Jersey and is viewed as part of a resurgence in young talented American born players in the NHL.
The Defense:
Even with the loss of Mathieu Schnieder this is one of the strongest defenses in the game, with only teams like Detroit and San Jose as rivals. Burke has been committed to shoring up his own end with top flight talent by any means necessary and building the offense from within. It led to the teams first Stanley Cup in 07 and should have them competing for one again this season.
You Want To Draft:
Chris Pronger
Scott Niedermayer
Pronger is one of those does it all guys that you just have to have on your fantasy roster. On D he is only beaten in this category by Dion Phaneuf and is the d-man I would take third behind Phaneuf and Lidstrom. Pronger is consistently excellent. I would expect his point totals to be back over 50 this season and his PIM to be down under 90.
FACT: When Chris Pronger won the Hart Trophy after the 1999-2000 season he became the first defenseman to win the award since Bobby Orr. He is one of only 8 defenseman to receive the honor. The others: Billy Burch, Herb Gardiner, Eddie Shore (4 times), Ebbie Goodfellow, Tommy Anderson, Babe Pratt, and Bobby Orr (3 times).
Scott Niedermayer. Draft him. He is good. How good?
FACT: The ducks, a struggling non-playoff team through the first 34 games had the best record in hockey in the 48 games after Niedermayer's return last season.
You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Francouis Beauchemin
Is he your Beau... chemin? No probably not. Somewhere in there there is an offensive d-man waiting to breakout. He's got two major road blocks in his way in the shape of Pronger and Niedermayer. Keep your eye on him, particularly if there are any injuries to the big two.
FACT: Beauchemin, beyond being a great scrabble word, is a village in Northern France.
The Powerplay:
Teemu Selanne
Ryan Getzlaf
Corey Perry
Scott Niedermayer
Chris Pronger
Teemu really makes this unit dangerous. He had 48 points on the powerplay the season before. He'll take a lot of pressure off of Getzlaf. This is going to be a deadly unit.
The Goalie(s):
J.S. Giguere starts the season firmly entrenched as Number 1, with his stellar backup Bryzgalov being shipped off midseason to the Coyotes. Giguere put in his best "numbers" season last year, establishing franchise marks in GAA and Sv %. If he can stay healthy he is your best option in net besides Martin Brodeur.
FACT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeIfffJDJU0 I didn't have to search for that, it was the first thing that popped up when I typed Giguere in youtube. Do you think he loves or hates this song?
The Verdict:
There was a lot of chaos as training camp began this year and Anaheim had a lot of work to do to get themselves under the salary cap, but kudos to Brian Burke for providing certainty for this Anaheim team heading into the regular season. More than Niedermayer, more than Selanne, that certainty is what is propelling them to the top of many experts' lists.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Lighting the Lamp: Selanne Signs two year deal, Khabibulin rumors
Selanne to Ducks Until His Next Retirement:
Teemu Selanne signed a two year deal with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks over the weekend, which was the obvious outcome of the Schneider Shenanigans. Burke got a little certainty for all his hard work at least with that two year deal. Now he knows he won't have to go through this crap all over again next offseason. Oh wait, Niedermayer is going to be a free agent... sigh.
I think this makes Anaheim a VERY dangerous team going into this season. Anaheim had the best record in the league after Niedermayer returned last season. The Ducks were hurting for scoring for most of last year. Selanne played the last 26 games with the team and had 23 points. this gives the Ducks two SOLID scoring lines and one of the best powerplays in the league. The question is who is hurt and helped by this fantasy wise? Perry might take a bit of a dive if Selanne gets moved to the first line. Brendan Morrison likely stands to benefit the most from this as he will now have a quality winger (be it Perry or Selanne). Should be interesting.
Khabibulin on waivers?
Khabibulin has been the source of speculation for the entire summer. Now hockeybuzz.com is reporting that it has heard from several sources that Khabibulin has been placed on waivers thanks to the strong play of Anti Niemi, one of their goaltending prospects.
In the short term I think this vastly increases Huet's value. In the long term... well who knows. If this plays out the way the Schnieder situation did (ie Bulin clears waivers and is eventually dealt) I would love to see who the Hawks get back. They are team lacking depth up front and really anything would help. That first line is going to be pretty taxed this year, but they should get strong defense and goaltending.
Teams (off the top of my head) that could use the Bulin Wall's services:
Ottawa
LA
Boston
Tampa
Atlanta (as a reliable expensive backup to Lehtonen)
More on this as it develops.
Teemu Selanne signed a two year deal with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks over the weekend, which was the obvious outcome of the Schneider Shenanigans. Burke got a little certainty for all his hard work at least with that two year deal. Now he knows he won't have to go through this crap all over again next offseason. Oh wait, Niedermayer is going to be a free agent... sigh.
I think this makes Anaheim a VERY dangerous team going into this season. Anaheim had the best record in the league after Niedermayer returned last season. The Ducks were hurting for scoring for most of last year. Selanne played the last 26 games with the team and had 23 points. this gives the Ducks two SOLID scoring lines and one of the best powerplays in the league. The question is who is hurt and helped by this fantasy wise? Perry might take a bit of a dive if Selanne gets moved to the first line. Brendan Morrison likely stands to benefit the most from this as he will now have a quality winger (be it Perry or Selanne). Should be interesting.
Khabibulin on waivers?
Khabibulin has been the source of speculation for the entire summer. Now hockeybuzz.com is reporting that it has heard from several sources that Khabibulin has been placed on waivers thanks to the strong play of Anti Niemi, one of their goaltending prospects.
In the short term I think this vastly increases Huet's value. In the long term... well who knows. If this plays out the way the Schnieder situation did (ie Bulin clears waivers and is eventually dealt) I would love to see who the Hawks get back. They are team lacking depth up front and really anything would help. That first line is going to be pretty taxed this year, but they should get strong defense and goaltending.
Teams (off the top of my head) that could use the Bulin Wall's services:
Ottawa
LA
Boston
Tampa
Atlanta (as a reliable expensive backup to Lehtonen)
More on this as it develops.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Lighting the Lamp: Schneider on waivers
Brian Burke has once again screwed up my column.
Here is what I was going to write about Mathieu Schneider in my defenseman rankings, now postponed until Schneider has a home:
Schneider is an incredibly talented offensive defenseman... unfortunately he's the third best
offensive defenseman on this team. With rumors swirling that Schneider will be traded its entirely possible that he could move up this list but until he is, his ice time and lack
of quality powerplay time doesn't justify a higher ranking.
Well. Here we are. Mathieu Schneider has been placed on waivers so that the Ducks can trim salary. This move will put the Ducks approximately 2.5 million under the cap. Given recent movement this would SEEM to indicate that Teemu will be coming back, though one would think it would take more then 2.5 to appease the Finnish Flash.
Schneider's prospects are looking dim unfortunately. The way waivers work in the NHL is that the last place team from last season has highest priority through November 1st. Right now that means the Top 5 teams in waiver priority are: Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis, and the Islanders.
Tampa can't afford his 5.75 million salary so cross them off the list (though they've done crazier things this offseason).
LA is actually below the cap minimum right now so I would count them as a very high possibility at this stage of the game. They also are desperate for a veteran two way defenseman to tutor Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Schneider would seem to be a natural fit.
Assuming LA passes, I don't see Atlanta or St. Louis putting in a bid either. Atlanta has already made their big salary commitment this offseason to Ron Hainsey. Also, Atlanta is very aware that they need to keep whatever money around that they can to try to woo Kovalchuk to stay at the end of the season.
St Louis is committed to rebuilding from within and Schneider would be step back for them and against everything the organization has been attempting to do these last few seasons.
The Islanders would seem to be another natural fit, though God they need forwards for him to play with first.
I'll keep you updated as this develops, and will likely post the top ten defensemen later in the day as Schneider can't really effect that.
Here is what I was going to write about Mathieu Schneider in my defenseman rankings, now postponed until Schneider has a home:
Schneider is an incredibly talented offensive defenseman... unfortunately he's the third best
offensive defenseman on this team. With rumors swirling that Schneider will be traded its entirely possible that he could move up this list but until he is, his ice time and lack
of quality powerplay time doesn't justify a higher ranking.
Well. Here we are. Mathieu Schneider has been placed on waivers so that the Ducks can trim salary. This move will put the Ducks approximately 2.5 million under the cap. Given recent movement this would SEEM to indicate that Teemu will be coming back, though one would think it would take more then 2.5 to appease the Finnish Flash.
Schneider's prospects are looking dim unfortunately. The way waivers work in the NHL is that the last place team from last season has highest priority through November 1st. Right now that means the Top 5 teams in waiver priority are: Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis, and the Islanders.
Tampa can't afford his 5.75 million salary so cross them off the list (though they've done crazier things this offseason).
LA is actually below the cap minimum right now so I would count them as a very high possibility at this stage of the game. They also are desperate for a veteran two way defenseman to tutor Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Schneider would seem to be a natural fit.
Assuming LA passes, I don't see Atlanta or St. Louis putting in a bid either. Atlanta has already made their big salary commitment this offseason to Ron Hainsey. Also, Atlanta is very aware that they need to keep whatever money around that they can to try to woo Kovalchuk to stay at the end of the season.
St Louis is committed to rebuilding from within and Schneider would be step back for them and against everything the organization has been attempting to do these last few seasons.
The Islanders would seem to be another natural fit, though God they need forwards for him to play with first.
I'll keep you updated as this develops, and will likely post the top ten defensemen later in the day as Schneider can't really effect that.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
LIGHTING THE LAMP: Teemu's yearly bout of indecision
So... like the Panthers I feel there is a big enough question mark hanging over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to hold off on writing their team preview. That question... will he or won't he? Will Selanne play a full season for the Ducks, a half season, or retire altogether?
Teemu had 23 points in 26 games last season, but I'm not holding off simply for Teemu's sake. Anaheim has cap problems... problems that will become catastrophic if they suddenly need to make room for Teemu. Lots of shuffling would have to happen very quickly, including the long rumored dealing of Mathieu Schneider and his 5,750,000 dollar salary(who would be most teams best offensive defenseman but is easily third on this squad). Movement will happen fast and furious and this team will look altogether different.
In addition Teemu would improve the offensive prospects for Brendan Morrison, the Ducks new second line center, as he would either be playing with Corey Perry or Sellanne instated of Brad May and Bobby Ryan.
Teemu takes a one line team and gives it two. The Ducks will be successful without him, but its impossible to tell how successful until we get an answer from Teemu one way or another. So I'll be holding off on this team preview until we get wind of Teemu's decision or it is just too close to the season to keep waiting.
Teemu had 23 points in 26 games last season, but I'm not holding off simply for Teemu's sake. Anaheim has cap problems... problems that will become catastrophic if they suddenly need to make room for Teemu. Lots of shuffling would have to happen very quickly, including the long rumored dealing of Mathieu Schneider and his 5,750,000 dollar salary(who would be most teams best offensive defenseman but is easily third on this squad). Movement will happen fast and furious and this team will look altogether different.
In addition Teemu would improve the offensive prospects for Brendan Morrison, the Ducks new second line center, as he would either be playing with Corey Perry or Sellanne instated of Brad May and Bobby Ryan.
Teemu takes a one line team and gives it two. The Ducks will be successful without him, but its impossible to tell how successful until we get an answer from Teemu one way or another. So I'll be holding off on this team preview until we get wind of Teemu's decision or it is just too close to the season to keep waiting.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Perry For Your Thoughts
The Artists Formerly Known as the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and now known as simply as the Anaheim Ducks
As we've seen with several teams so far this offseason, the most important move was not someone that Anaheim gained this offseason but someone they retained.
Corey Perry is an integral piece in Anaheim's future and they absolutely could not afford to let him walk. This team will be built around he and Ryan Getzlaf. Perry had 54 points in 7o games. He also had 108 PIM, 200 shots and was a +12. In short as a RW Perry has the potential to be a fantasy monster for your squad. A season in which Perry finishes in the high 60's would not be unexpected this year. I would expect a slight dip in his PIM, as he becomes more mature, but even if he drops 20-30 PIM Perry is a fantasy force.
The Ducks only big name signing was Brendan Morrison. I like Morrison I always have, but since the days of Bertuzzi, Naslund, Morrison ended he has been pretty consistent in his mediocrity. In 39 games Morrison scored 9 goals and 16 assists, putting him on track for about 18 goals and 32 assists. This would give him almost identical numbers to his 2006-2007 season in which he scored 20 goals and had 31 assists. A 50 point center who isn't defensively responsible, is not frequently penalized and will likely not see any powerplay time is pretty much useless. Don't draft him unless you are in a deep league or you just need someone to keep the bench warm.
This is actually a perfect example of UPSIDE vs. veterans with recognizable names. Perry had 54 points last year but is only 23 and has tremendous upside. Morrison was on pace to score 50, in keeping with his last few seasons. He is now 32 and his best days with famous linemates are behind him. Now I suspect I'm preaching to the choir when I say draft Perry way before Morrison, but there are other less known Corey Perry's. Draft them before Morrison too. There will always be a 50 point center on waivers if you really need one. This, of course, is assuming that Teemu isn't coming back. Because if he is... well then maybe Morrison has some life in him yet.
As we've seen with several teams so far this offseason, the most important move was not someone that Anaheim gained this offseason but someone they retained.
Corey Perry is an integral piece in Anaheim's future and they absolutely could not afford to let him walk. This team will be built around he and Ryan Getzlaf. Perry had 54 points in 7o games. He also had 108 PIM, 200 shots and was a +12. In short as a RW Perry has the potential to be a fantasy monster for your squad. A season in which Perry finishes in the high 60's would not be unexpected this year. I would expect a slight dip in his PIM, as he becomes more mature, but even if he drops 20-30 PIM Perry is a fantasy force.
The Ducks only big name signing was Brendan Morrison. I like Morrison I always have, but since the days of Bertuzzi, Naslund, Morrison ended he has been pretty consistent in his mediocrity. In 39 games Morrison scored 9 goals and 16 assists, putting him on track for about 18 goals and 32 assists. This would give him almost identical numbers to his 2006-2007 season in which he scored 20 goals and had 31 assists. A 50 point center who isn't defensively responsible, is not frequently penalized and will likely not see any powerplay time is pretty much useless. Don't draft him unless you are in a deep league or you just need someone to keep the bench warm.
This is actually a perfect example of UPSIDE vs. veterans with recognizable names. Perry had 54 points last year but is only 23 and has tremendous upside. Morrison was on pace to score 50, in keeping with his last few seasons. He is now 32 and his best days with famous linemates are behind him. Now I suspect I'm preaching to the choir when I say draft Perry way before Morrison, but there are other less known Corey Perry's. Draft them before Morrison too. There will always be a 50 point center on waivers if you really need one. This, of course, is assuming that Teemu isn't coming back. Because if he is... well then maybe Morrison has some life in him yet.
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