First off, I demand props for making a Neil Diamond reference before even starting this thing.
Thank you.
Secondly I want to thank Sean Avery for doing something stupid on a Tuesday because this article is due by Wednesday morning and I really had nothing. We were looking at a very sub-par power rankings that I thankfully do not have to submit. So his timely stupidity is most welcome. Anyway, let’s get into this.
Alright, look. I am in no way defending Sean Avery right now, but if ever there was a reason to want Gary Bettman to die… this is it. Let me start with what actually happened. Then we’ll break it down and hopefully, you’ll come to understand how the NHL looks like complete idiots right now.
Shortly after a morning skate yesterday, Sean Avery made his way over to some reporters. He asked if there was a camera there… which, there was… and then made the following comment: “I’m just going to say one thing. I’m really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about, but enjoy the game tonight.” And he walked away. There was no interview. This was not a response to a question. He saw reporters and did his thing. If you want to know what the comment is in reference to, Avery’s ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert is dating Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf; she also had been involved with Mike Komisarek of the Montreal Canadiens.
I’m not going to defend Avery here as I normally would. I’m usually a fan of Avery if only for his entertainment value. But it was completely stupid. This is the class clown acting up in class without any of his friends playing along and then getting sent to the principal’s office. Depending on your standards, the comment is either mildly vulgar to completely tame. There’s obviously more to this than we know because the comment seems like a response to something as opposed to an initiation. The comment wasn’t nearly as stupid as his decision to make it.
The NHL looks like complete idiots right now for several reasons and I’m going to touch on each one of them. A hit to the head that causes injury is a 1-3 game suspension but Bettman-forbid you make a throw-away comment about your ex-girlfriend and it’s an indefinite suspension. So what the league says is that PR is more important to protect than player safety? Get the hell out of here. Stop it! If the NHL cared half as much about hits to the head as they do about Sean Avery's BS, Simon Gagne might not get dizzy whenever he closes his eyes.
So what, you think that I think Avery should be let off the hook? Not at all, but there was a right way to handle this. Bettman should have called Tom Hicks immediately and demanded the Stars suspend Avery. Make this an internal team matter. Let Avery destroy his own locker room relations. Believe me, his entire team hating him is FAR WORSE than any fine or suspension he can receive. The league suspending Avery makes him a free speech martyr. Once again, Sean Avery wins. Yet again, the league has to make special considerations based on the actions of one player… the same player. Once again Sean Avery is the #1 NHL headline.
If his team suspends him, it’s the other way around. The NHL can quietly condemn Avery’s behavior and save all face. Avery still gets suspended, fined, whatever, AND his locker room will hate him. But the league suspending him makes the isuue bigger and gives someone the opportunity to come to his defense. Whether or not anyone will remains to be seen, but the opportunity is there. Make the Stars punish him and this will all go away a lot faster. But right now, it’s huge news and whether he intended it or not, Avery is looking bigger than the game. When the Stars come to town, people now have yet another reason to talk about Avery before talking about the Dallas Stars.
I’m not saying players should be able to say whatever they want. Comments like this deserve some kind of punishment. Avery mentioned no names, but it was a verbal attack on an opposing player which the NHL does, in fact, have rules against. The problem is Bettman only chooses to enforce this rule when he sees fit. We know this because Ian White of the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn't suspended after telling the media that Ilya Kovalchuck will "get what's coming to him" the next time they meet. Apparently a direct threat is not a punishable offense but a throw-away frat house burn is. It absolutely infuriates me. Or was it the timing? If Avery made the comment after the game would it have been less of an offense than prior to the game? Snide remarks are made after games all the time and it’s no big deal, just like White’s threat.
I’m sorry there were no jokes this week but I am absolutely livid about how the situation was handled. Because there was a way to give Avery the exact same punishment without making the league look like idiots AND making this “issue” go away quickly and quietly at the same time. This could have been “just another Avery story” but the NHL has made it league-wide news. They’ve made it a huge sports story that is not limited to just hockey news. Avery’s pedestal is elevated even higher and this incident goes from footnote “in other news” to full blown headline.
Good job, Bettman. Good job. Now Sean Avery is all anyone wants to talk about. Again. This crap should be the footnote following the game summary. Instead, it will be the other way around.
By the way, Dallas won 3-1
Showing posts with label Dallas Stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dallas Stars. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
BTT Injury Update: Marty Brodeur! Oh Noes!
Back to business as usual here:
-Martin Brodeur, originally believed to have an elbow bruise, announced earlier this week that he will miss the next 3-4 months due to surgery on the bicep of his catching arm. I'm glad that the Devils didn't beat around the bush with this injury *cough* Islanders *cough* and let their fans know that they would be missing Marty for a long time.
The Devils actually have one of the better backup situations in the NHL that isn't a traditional platoon. Obviously I would prefer to have say Josh Harding, Nikolai Khabibulin... maybe Conklin... and a few others but I still prefer Weekes to Auld/ Gerber and Budaj/ Raycroft.
Fantasy wise what does this mean? Well Kevin Weekes got his first win last night but his play was far from what you might call inspired and it was against the Lightning. Its going to take Weekes a while to shake off the rust but he has been a decent starter for both Carolina and the Rangers in the past. He's been run out of every city he's ever played in but he might be a fine stop gap. Where this hurts the Devils the most is someplace you might not expect... offense.
Weekes is not Brodeur in many ways, but perhaps most noticeably in his ability to handle the puck. Without Marty to make the breakout pass the powerplay is going to suffer immeasurably. The Devils are a troubled team right now. I wouldn't rush to pick up any Devils that might be on waivers (Elias and Parise excluded but Weekes and Paul Martin included) until we see how this is going to work.
- As reported earlier Rick Dipietro is... all messed up. Basically if there is a problem you can have from mid-thigh down Rick has it... oh yea... and his hip... and that concussion... This time its his left knee. 4-6 weeks for Ricky. My usual advice on Islanders goaltending, (as a reminder: not unless you are in a 30 team league that starts 3 goalies) applies. McDonald's win against the Rangers the other night is deceptive as the Rangers rarely were able to generate any consistent or dangerous pressure. There were a lot of shots but the majority came from the perimeter, artificially inflating his Sv %.
- Blue Jackets Goalie Pascal Leclaire is still out with an ankle injury and so Steve Mason got his first start of the season last night. It was a mixed bag in that he got the win but at no point felt like anything less then a liability in net. Mason still needs some seasoning in the AHL but the talent is definitely there. Despite my earlier advice on Norrenna I think you want to avoid Columbus goaltending altogether until Leclaire's return.
- Sergei Zubov who was supposed to be back somewhere around October 19, after offseason hip surgery has yet to make his return to the Dallas Stars. Zubov's absence is affecting the entire team starting with Phillippe Boucher and ending at Marty Turco. With the kind of struggles that Dallas is going through presently you have to believe that if Zubov could play he would. That makes me a little nervous if I'm a Zubov owner or a Stars fan.
That's it for injury updates this week, Ice Fishing coming at you shortly.
-Martin Brodeur, originally believed to have an elbow bruise, announced earlier this week that he will miss the next 3-4 months due to surgery on the bicep of his catching arm. I'm glad that the Devils didn't beat around the bush with this injury *cough* Islanders *cough* and let their fans know that they would be missing Marty for a long time.
The Devils actually have one of the better backup situations in the NHL that isn't a traditional platoon. Obviously I would prefer to have say Josh Harding, Nikolai Khabibulin... maybe Conklin... and a few others but I still prefer Weekes to Auld/ Gerber and Budaj/ Raycroft.
Fantasy wise what does this mean? Well Kevin Weekes got his first win last night but his play was far from what you might call inspired and it was against the Lightning. Its going to take Weekes a while to shake off the rust but he has been a decent starter for both Carolina and the Rangers in the past. He's been run out of every city he's ever played in but he might be a fine stop gap. Where this hurts the Devils the most is someplace you might not expect... offense.
Weekes is not Brodeur in many ways, but perhaps most noticeably in his ability to handle the puck. Without Marty to make the breakout pass the powerplay is going to suffer immeasurably. The Devils are a troubled team right now. I wouldn't rush to pick up any Devils that might be on waivers (Elias and Parise excluded but Weekes and Paul Martin included) until we see how this is going to work.
- As reported earlier Rick Dipietro is... all messed up. Basically if there is a problem you can have from mid-thigh down Rick has it... oh yea... and his hip... and that concussion... This time its his left knee. 4-6 weeks for Ricky. My usual advice on Islanders goaltending, (as a reminder: not unless you are in a 30 team league that starts 3 goalies) applies. McDonald's win against the Rangers the other night is deceptive as the Rangers rarely were able to generate any consistent or dangerous pressure. There were a lot of shots but the majority came from the perimeter, artificially inflating his Sv %.
- Blue Jackets Goalie Pascal Leclaire is still out with an ankle injury and so Steve Mason got his first start of the season last night. It was a mixed bag in that he got the win but at no point felt like anything less then a liability in net. Mason still needs some seasoning in the AHL but the talent is definitely there. Despite my earlier advice on Norrenna I think you want to avoid Columbus goaltending altogether until Leclaire's return.
- Sergei Zubov who was supposed to be back somewhere around October 19, after offseason hip surgery has yet to make his return to the Dallas Stars. Zubov's absence is affecting the entire team starting with Phillippe Boucher and ending at Marty Turco. With the kind of struggles that Dallas is going through presently you have to believe that if Zubov could play he would. That makes me a little nervous if I'm a Zubov owner or a Stars fan.
That's it for injury updates this week, Ice Fishing coming at you shortly.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Shooting Percentage: Breaking the Slump Does Just That? ALSO! Goalies and Stuff
WTF Breaking the Slump?
The life of a fantasy blogger is unpredictable. Some weeks you have a shooting percentage like Mike Ribiero's last year (an insane 25.2) and sometimes... well sometimes you tell people to bench an entire team the same day that that team finally breaks out of a season long slump.
So... let me start by saying that I'm sorry and that I too believe that ...
Breaking the Slump Last Week Was An Unmitigated Disaster:
I told you to drop Mike Ribiero... the same day that he scored 5 points. To be fair though I probably did less damage by telling you to drop him then I would have by telling you to bench him. Why you ask? Well let me explain.
BTS went up before rosters would have locked for the night, so if I told you to bench him you would have missed out on those points. However, if I told you to drop him THAT CHANGE wouldn't have been reflected in your line up until the next day... so instead of missing Ribiero's five point night you would have gotten a nice farewell present.
So for now I've backed down from my suggestion of dropping him, HOWEVER I do think that there are better options likely on your waiver wire as we speak. Mikko Koivu, Patrice Bergeron and Andy McDonald are all players who will put up similar numbers, if not better ones, to Ribiero while taking more shots and, in some cases, scoring more goals. Don't be married to the roster you drafted. It will come back to bite you.
As to the Ducks... well I told you to bench their stars the weekend they all finally broke out. You could take this two ways. One you could be very mad at me for telling you to miss those points...OR... you can be thankful that my harsh words broke them out of their slump. I'll be on the lookout for your torches and pitchforks.
Cristo-BAD!
I said this about Huet when I ranked him 13th among NHL netminders for this season "I want to put him higher, because I believe that he is a starter and not a member of a platoon. However, all of the rhetoric coming out of the windy city... well I guess not all of it but all of the hockey related rhetoric... suggests otherwise. I expect that Khabibulin will be moved at some point this year, but until he is Huet will be at least splitting some time with the Bulin Sieve." There are so many things wrong with that statement that I don't know where to begin.
That Platoon thing looks like a reality now. In fact, Huet owners will be lucky if he doesn't lose the job to Khabibulin altogether. Whatever the case Chicago HAS to move a goalie before the end of the year, and sooner rather then later. Cam Barker, who was also the source of many pre-season trade rumors, made his first appearance of the season last night for the big club so perhaps they are trying to showcase him as well.
In almost certainly completely unrelated news... I'm hearing a lot of things out of Ottawa about a possible move involving Spezza...
Hey I'm a Psychic!
When I ranked Manny Legace 22nd amongst NHL netminders the very first line of my ranking was "Manny is going to get hurt." Now could I have predicted that he'd do this tripping over a carpet put out for Vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin? No... we should check Nostradamus and see if that's one of the signs of the apocalypse though "And lo an Icy Mother shall come and injure the Keeper of the Twine, the Minder in the Mask, the Legace of Manny."
While on the subject of goalies I pretty much called another situation going on right now. In ranking Alex Auld 35th amongst NHL starters I said "I feel like he has the best combination of talent and situation. You can win the starters job away from Gerber as long as you have a pair of pads and a pulse (so tell your Mom to go buy some pads!)." And last night there he was, starting his second consecutive game against what WAS one of the two teams that had yet to suffer a regulation loss. This is not the end of Ottawa's problems (Witness: Buffalo started former-Senator Goat Patrick Lalime against them) but its a decent start and a nice story.
Then again...
Mike Modano continued to be hot this week scoring another goal and adding three assists and while I remain "Anti-Miettinen" he's now up to 6 goals and 3 assists and spending time on the powerplay, despite the return of Pierre Marc Bouchard.
So... it wasn't the best week for my predictions, though my pre-season stuff is still looking like it will hold up. The rest of it... well... tough week. Here's what I recommend. Do you have a fantasy player that you want desperately to break out of a slump? E-mail me at breakingthetrap@gmail.com and I will tell everyone to drop him in Breaking The Slump thus causing his spectacular break out. Sigh...
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.
Pot-ery sucks? A Tale of Two Avery's
You'd think that the Garden Faithful present for Monday night's much hyped matchup between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers really hated clay pots if you'd never heard of Sean Avery or understood just how annoying he is when he's no longer wearing your team's jersey.
If you've been following the New York Sports Media you'd know that the biggest soap opera this week has been...
Well Madonna and A-Rod but after that its been... Brett Favre whispering sweet nothings in the Lions' ear about his old buddies the Packers. But after that its been... ok well somewhere on that list was Sean Avery's return to the Big Apple. I actually went to his return to the Garden on Monday. It was an interesting experience.
To begin with I got the sense that Avery was listening to Alanis Morisette's "You Ougtta Know" in the back while staring at a picture of Aaron Voros in a Rangers Jersey but changing the lyrics so it was about him. So, like..."Is he annoying like me, and does he har-ass Mar-ty, can he get rules changed in... the playoffs," or something like that.
I didn't know what to expect walking in and neither did most of the fans I talked to. The guy sitting in front of me, who had no reason to suspect that I was a Devils fan, turned around and asked "Hey you gonna cheer Avery or boo him when he comes out." I almost laughed but held it in check and matter-of-factly replied, "I'm going to boo him." He nodded and said "Yea I don't know. I think I'm gonna cheer him. I liked the guy." He would later participate in an Avery Sucks chant.... the first of which happened 45 seconds into the game and was almost immediately followed by the Rangers famous Potvin sucks chant during which half of the Garden substituted Avery for old Denis Potvin, creating the puzzling "Pottery Sucks" chant referenced in the title. I bet he enjoyed that.
Avery was working hard to get on the crowds' nerves early. He jawed with Orr during warmups (quick aside, I would love to know the etymology of this colloquialism. I mean it means to talk angrily but... why jawed?) and then absolutely harassed Dubinsky on his first shift, leading to a penalty for Dubes and increased attention from Voros and Orr for the remainder of the game.
A passive observer would think Avery was being relatively quiet... he wasn't. He was all over Gomez, sticking him in the face at least once, he refused to fight Colton Orr more than once, and he smacked Lundqvist in the head with his stick when the ref wasn't looking. That was all in the first ten minutes of the game. The effect was instant. The Rangers were out to kill Avery every time he was on the ice. The result, a distracted 2-1 loss to one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. Avery probably laughed over Cigars and Apple-tini's with his Vogue friends the entire night.
Last night at "The Rock" was a completely different story. To begin with it was a different Sean Avery. The Sean Avery that came to the Prudential Center last night was the one who rarely shows up... Sean Avery the skill player. Avery nearly doubled his season total for shots on goal, taking four on the night, two of which were absolutely beautiful scoring chances.
He attracted attention but not from Zajac, Parise or any of the Devils other talented youngsters. No offense to David Clarkson but his job is to harass guys like Avery, and harass he did. Avery was once again not interested in dropping the gloves, refusing the opportunity to tangle with Clarkson twice.
That's not to say that Devils fans didn't get their retribution. Avery skated into the zone with his head down in the second and was absolutely leveled by Bryce Salvador. Marty also got some payback, cross checking Avery in the ear while he was trying to screen him on the powerplay and shooting a puck AT HIM when Avery was on the forecheck.
And for those Rangers fans that like to talk about Marty's dives like he's the only goalie in the NHL who does it; I offer up Marty Turco's absolute flop in the first period. He dove in slow motion... like he got shot in the Matrix and then complained that Clarkson clocked him.
So whats the verdict? The Devils, treating Avery like the sideshow he is and not making him the focus of their game were able to earn Marty his second shutout of the season (putting him 6 away from passing Terry Sawchuk) in defeating the Dallas Stars 5-0. Instead of his, and he's my favorite player, embarassing childishness in the playoffs that made Marty a joke, his gritty play last night was compared to Billy Smith's, particularly to Smith's noted rivalry with Bobby Clarke. I'd say thats a nice improvement.
So instead of a demoralizing loss last night turned into a meaningless win in October against a team thats 2-3-1. Dallas is in trouble... which is a nice segue to my today's BREAKING THE SLUMP, up later today. It will feature a trio of Centers: Mike Ribiero, Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Backstrom. Until then..."Does he know how you told him you'd love me until you died, but you're still alive and I'm here to remind you..."
If you've been following the New York Sports Media you'd know that the biggest soap opera this week has been...
Well Madonna and A-Rod but after that its been... Brett Favre whispering sweet nothings in the Lions' ear about his old buddies the Packers. But after that its been... ok well somewhere on that list was Sean Avery's return to the Big Apple. I actually went to his return to the Garden on Monday. It was an interesting experience.
To begin with I got the sense that Avery was listening to Alanis Morisette's "You Ougtta Know" in the back while staring at a picture of Aaron Voros in a Rangers Jersey but changing the lyrics so it was about him. So, like..."Is he annoying like me, and does he har-ass Mar-ty, can he get rules changed in... the playoffs," or something like that.
I didn't know what to expect walking in and neither did most of the fans I talked to. The guy sitting in front of me, who had no reason to suspect that I was a Devils fan, turned around and asked "Hey you gonna cheer Avery or boo him when he comes out." I almost laughed but held it in check and matter-of-factly replied, "I'm going to boo him." He nodded and said "Yea I don't know. I think I'm gonna cheer him. I liked the guy." He would later participate in an Avery Sucks chant.... the first of which happened 45 seconds into the game and was almost immediately followed by the Rangers famous Potvin sucks chant during which half of the Garden substituted Avery for old Denis Potvin, creating the puzzling "Pottery Sucks" chant referenced in the title. I bet he enjoyed that.
Avery was working hard to get on the crowds' nerves early. He jawed with Orr during warmups (quick aside, I would love to know the etymology of this colloquialism. I mean it means to talk angrily but... why jawed?) and then absolutely harassed Dubinsky on his first shift, leading to a penalty for Dubes and increased attention from Voros and Orr for the remainder of the game.
A passive observer would think Avery was being relatively quiet... he wasn't. He was all over Gomez, sticking him in the face at least once, he refused to fight Colton Orr more than once, and he smacked Lundqvist in the head with his stick when the ref wasn't looking. That was all in the first ten minutes of the game. The effect was instant. The Rangers were out to kill Avery every time he was on the ice. The result, a distracted 2-1 loss to one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. Avery probably laughed over Cigars and Apple-tini's with his Vogue friends the entire night.
Last night at "The Rock" was a completely different story. To begin with it was a different Sean Avery. The Sean Avery that came to the Prudential Center last night was the one who rarely shows up... Sean Avery the skill player. Avery nearly doubled his season total for shots on goal, taking four on the night, two of which were absolutely beautiful scoring chances.
He attracted attention but not from Zajac, Parise or any of the Devils other talented youngsters. No offense to David Clarkson but his job is to harass guys like Avery, and harass he did. Avery was once again not interested in dropping the gloves, refusing the opportunity to tangle with Clarkson twice.
That's not to say that Devils fans didn't get their retribution. Avery skated into the zone with his head down in the second and was absolutely leveled by Bryce Salvador. Marty also got some payback, cross checking Avery in the ear while he was trying to screen him on the powerplay and shooting a puck AT HIM when Avery was on the forecheck.
And for those Rangers fans that like to talk about Marty's dives like he's the only goalie in the NHL who does it; I offer up Marty Turco's absolute flop in the first period. He dove in slow motion... like he got shot in the Matrix and then complained that Clarkson clocked him.
So whats the verdict? The Devils, treating Avery like the sideshow he is and not making him the focus of their game were able to earn Marty his second shutout of the season (putting him 6 away from passing Terry Sawchuk) in defeating the Dallas Stars 5-0. Instead of his, and he's my favorite player, embarassing childishness in the playoffs that made Marty a joke, his gritty play last night was compared to Billy Smith's, particularly to Smith's noted rivalry with Bobby Clarke. I'd say thats a nice improvement.
So instead of a demoralizing loss last night turned into a meaningless win in October against a team thats 2-3-1. Dallas is in trouble... which is a nice segue to my today's BREAKING THE SLUMP, up later today. It will feature a trio of Centers: Mike Ribiero, Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Backstrom. Until then..."Does he know how you told him you'd love me until you died, but you're still alive and I'm here to remind you..."
Thursday, October 16, 2008
News and Notes + Site News
News and Notes:
-The Chicago Blackhawks have fired coach Denis Savard. Really? You saw what Savard did with this team last year right? Elevating the kids to the next level and taking them within a breath of the playoffs. Joel Quenneville will be Savard's replacement and gets the happy assignment of coaching this team agains the St. Louis Blues, not quite the class of their division, in his first game. Don't get me wrong, I like Quenneville and I'm sure it was made clear to Savard that if he didn't perform Quenneville was being groomed as his replacement but this seems very very fast, particularly with the way the team was rolling against Phoenix the other night.
-In happier news... Fabian Brunnstrom! In his very first NHL game Fabian Brunnstrom, skating on a line with Sean Avery and Brad Richards netted a hat trick. We mentioned him here back in August saying "There isn't much that I'm qualified to say about Brunnstrom, other then what has been mentioned above. He's probably a very good sleeper candidate. If he shows any promise he will end up with one of Dallas' three talented centers. See how he does and be prepared to pounce. He could be a good consolation prize if you miss out on the Stamkos sweepstakes." Well... it might be time to pounce. Stam-who?
Site News:
-I'm really trying to get through the team previews so Breaking the Slump will probably make its debut tomorrow along with my thoughts on tonight's Washington-Pittsburgh matchup. Crosby and Ovechkin always seem to elevate themselves for these affairs. Expect Nashville, Ottawa and maybe even St. Louis before the morning comes.
-The Chicago Blackhawks have fired coach Denis Savard. Really? You saw what Savard did with this team last year right? Elevating the kids to the next level and taking them within a breath of the playoffs. Joel Quenneville will be Savard's replacement and gets the happy assignment of coaching this team agains the St. Louis Blues, not quite the class of their division, in his first game. Don't get me wrong, I like Quenneville and I'm sure it was made clear to Savard that if he didn't perform Quenneville was being groomed as his replacement but this seems very very fast, particularly with the way the team was rolling against Phoenix the other night.
-In happier news... Fabian Brunnstrom! In his very first NHL game Fabian Brunnstrom, skating on a line with Sean Avery and Brad Richards netted a hat trick. We mentioned him here back in August saying "There isn't much that I'm qualified to say about Brunnstrom, other then what has been mentioned above. He's probably a very good sleeper candidate. If he shows any promise he will end up with one of Dallas' three talented centers. See how he does and be prepared to pounce. He could be a good consolation prize if you miss out on the Stamkos sweepstakes." Well... it might be time to pounce. Stam-who?
Site News:
-I'm really trying to get through the team previews so Breaking the Slump will probably make its debut tomorrow along with my thoughts on tonight's Washington-Pittsburgh matchup. Crosby and Ovechkin always seem to elevate themselves for these affairs. Expect Nashville, Ottawa and maybe even St. Louis before the morning comes.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
TEAM PREVIEWS: THE DALLAS STARS
Introduction:
And everyone said that last year was finally the year that Dallas was going to start its decline. What was supposed to be a disintegration for Dallas turned instead into a coalescence of many disparate parts. As Dallas' old stars faded, new rose. For years Morrow has been a spectacular role player. Now he's a first line power forward. Ribiero never clicked in Montreal, but received the line mates and playing time to announce himself in Dallas last year. And then there's Brad Richards.
If this team lacked anything it was toughness. A Pest. They got that in Avery. Dallas was outmatched by Detroit in the postseason, taking them six games before succumbing. Detroit may not be so lucky this season.
Key Departures:
Niklas Hagman
Not so much a key departure as the only one. Hagman was fine last season but is certainly replaceable.
New Face(s):
Sean Avery
Fabian Brunnström
I hate this guy! But so does every fan of every team he doesn't play for. He's an agitator with speed and more then a little skill. I think the most frustrating thing about watching him play is that you can imagine an alternative universe in which Avery doesn't annoy anyone and scores 70 points a year. That's not this universe though. Avery does what he does, and not too many can do it any better.
Brunnström is a 23 year old rookie, coming in from the Swedish Elite League and signed as an unrestricted free agent. It is tough to say what this guy is going to be capable of. He has the recommendation of Hakkan Loob though... oh and he does things like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQi8tS3wric&feature=related
The Offense:
You Want to Draft:
Mike Ribiero
Brad Richards
Brendan Morrow
Did I really put Mike Ribiero first? Yea but don't read into it too much. I'm wearing an LA Kings shirt right now just cause its comfy and yellow. I like yellow. See I'm unpredictable. Ribiero had a really spectacularly good season. 27 goals and 56 assists on 107 shots. Just wow. Ribiero has never done anything like this before and might not ever do anything like it again. Mike was over a point a game (well over when you consider that he only played 76 games) and it will be tough to match that pace this year. Adjust him down to about 75 points. He should remain a significant plus and continue to clean up on the powerplay so drafting him should be a fairly good call... assuming you can make those shots up somewhere else. Other than me, and by implication you, no one is going to believe in Ribiero this year so you might be able to steal a near point a game player LATE in the draft.
FACT: Ribiero remained hot in the playoffs, leading the Stars in points scored with 17 through 18 games.
Richards is probably the best hockey player on this team. I made kind of a habit of bashing the guy for the last couple of seasons (I didn't draft him in the 91 point year and then out of spite wished and predicted his poor years after same) but I think he's a spectacular hockey player that was stuck in a bad situation in Tampa. Its sad that he had to leave in order for the situation to improve but these are the realities of a salary cap driven world. Despite his Conn Smythe, Vinny was the face of that franchise... but Richards was the heart. Expect high 70's in points, WAY more shots then Ribiero(like 3 times as many), similar power play numbers, similar plus and similar lack of PIM. Essentially they will be the same player except Richards will probably put up slightly more points and a TON more shots. Draft him several rounds earlier.
FACT: Richards had 11 points in 12 games with Dallas last season and an additional 15 points in 18 playoff games. He seems to like his new surroundings.
Morrow is legitimate power forward. He will be a threat for between 70 and 80 points this year, he'll be a plus, and he will net you somewhere between 100 and 150 PIM while getting high 20's to low 30's production in powerplay points. Put into English, the guy does a LOT of everything for you. And he's a left wing! Think Shanahan in his 30's, minus about 50 shots, and you have a pretty good idea of what you're getting with Morrow.
FACT: Like all of Dallas' big guns, Morrow saw about 20 minutes of ice time per game. They are not afraid to play their superstars in Big D.
You Want to Keep an Eye on:
Sean Avery
Fabian Brunnstrom
Jere Lehtinen
Mike Modano
Avery is a threat to score 50 points and get 200 PIM. That makes him valuable, regardless of the fact that he gets no powerplay time and only takes about 150 or so shots. He is a very very rare commodity. How rare? Only two people ranked ahead of Avery in PIM had more points then he did last year, Phaneuf with 60 points and Hartnell with 43. Avery only had 33 points... but he only played in 57 games. If you need PIM and want production you don't get too many better options than the pest.
FACT: Avery's style of play does make him injury (and suspension) prone. Be warned.
There isn't much that I'm qualified to say about Brunnstrom, other then what has been mentioned above. He's probably a very good sleeper candidate. If he shows any promise he will end up with one of Dallas' three talented centers. See how he does and be prepared to pounce. He could be a good consolation prize if you miss out on the Stamkos sweepstakes.
FACT: Like the earlier video? Check out the greatest hits... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfRkAnRUgfI. I don't know if he's good or if the Swedish goalies are just really bad.
Lehtinen and Modano both managed to keep themselves relevant for at least one more season last year. Lehtinen in particular was on his way to a fantastic season with 37 points in 48 games before getting injured. Both players are still fantasy relevant, if for nothing else then for their scoring spurts. Keep an eye on them, but I don't know that you need to draft either.
FACT: Modano is one of those rare players that will play his entire career on the same franchise, starting with the Stars WAY back when they were the Minnesota North Stars and wore much much cooler jerseys.
The Defense
You Want to Draft:
Philippe Boucher
Sergei Zubov
At 35 and 38 Boucher and Zubov are the Danny Gloverss to the rest of the D's Mel Gibson, and incidentally the only members of Dallas's D corps old enough to get that reference. The age started to show last season as both missed significant time to injury. No clear successors emerged in their absence so both should still be drafted as the offensive powerhouses they are capable of being. Just remember, once the engine starts to break down it tends to keep doing so.
Boucher is one of my ideal d-men. He can get you between 40 and 50 points, 70 and 100 PIM, 150-200 shots and spend some time on the powerplay. I like my d-men to do a bit of everything, to make up for high point producing low specialty category producing forwards. Unfortunately his injury problems are not limited to last season... so buyer beware.
FACT: Boucher was always an offensive threat in his junior hockey career and was drafted in the first round by the Buffalo Sabers. He is great when healthy.
In contrast, Zubov has maintained a pretty consistent level of greatness throughout his career. Rarely injured, Zubov has been one of the cornerstones of the Dallas powerplay since 2007-2008. Ten years ladies and gentleman. That's a heck of a run. The dreaded "sports hernia" caught up with him last season however. I would expect Sergei to be ready to go this season, I'd just monitor his health. He should still be an offensive force to be reckoned with and should be drafted as such. He will get you everything except for PIM.
FACT: The new NHL has helped Zubov immensely. He scored 71 points in 05-06 and 54 in 06-07. Last season he had already notched 35 points in 46 games before going down to injury.
You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Matt Niskanen
Niskanen isn't really seeing powerplay time yet, but that could change with one injury. Last season he was a +22 and scored 26 points... at the age of 21. There is a lot of promise in Niskanen, drafted in the 1st round by Dallas in 2005. Keep an eye on him and don't hesitate to grab him if one of the two aging wonders go down.
FACT: Niskanen actually slowed significantly after the all star break, scoring only 7 of his 26 points in the last portion of the season. This could mean any number of things, but is likely attributable to the rigors of a full NHL season wearing on him and also to the Stars renewed commitment to defense as the playoff push heated up.
The Powerplay:
Mike Ribiero
Brendan Morrow
Brad Richards
Sergei Zubov
Philippe Boucher
Richards actually didn't see a whole lot of powerplay time after his arrival in Dallas, likely because at that point in the season Dallas' powerplay was clicking and had been playing well together for most of the year. His powerplay time increased in the postseason however. Ribiero made himself something of a powerplay specialist last year, particularly in the playoffs where he scored 11 of his 17 points on the man advantage.
The Goalie(s):
Turco gets his chance to shine. "The other Marty" put up great postseason numbers last year, keeping them in almost every game and finally shaking that monkey off his back. With Smith gone Turco's minutes will go up, and so will his win totals. Turco's numbers may never reach their pre-lockout greatness, but he is a dependable netminder on a strong defensive team.
The Verdict:
Dallas is a very well put together team. They are built to counterattack and to beat their teams into submission with strong physical and defensive play. In my opinion they are the best team in the West not named the Red Wings... at least this year. Dallas also presents you with many "well-rounded" fantasy options in Morrow, Boucher, and Richards. Draft Richards, Morrow, Boucher, Zubov, Turco, and Ribiero with confidence.
And everyone said that last year was finally the year that Dallas was going to start its decline. What was supposed to be a disintegration for Dallas turned instead into a coalescence of many disparate parts. As Dallas' old stars faded, new rose. For years Morrow has been a spectacular role player. Now he's a first line power forward. Ribiero never clicked in Montreal, but received the line mates and playing time to announce himself in Dallas last year. And then there's Brad Richards.
If this team lacked anything it was toughness. A Pest. They got that in Avery. Dallas was outmatched by Detroit in the postseason, taking them six games before succumbing. Detroit may not be so lucky this season.
Key Departures:
Niklas Hagman
Not so much a key departure as the only one. Hagman was fine last season but is certainly replaceable.
New Face(s):
Sean Avery
Fabian Brunnström
I hate this guy! But so does every fan of every team he doesn't play for. He's an agitator with speed and more then a little skill. I think the most frustrating thing about watching him play is that you can imagine an alternative universe in which Avery doesn't annoy anyone and scores 70 points a year. That's not this universe though. Avery does what he does, and not too many can do it any better.
Brunnström is a 23 year old rookie, coming in from the Swedish Elite League and signed as an unrestricted free agent. It is tough to say what this guy is going to be capable of. He has the recommendation of Hakkan Loob though... oh and he does things like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQi8tS3wric&feature=related
The Offense:
You Want to Draft:
Mike Ribiero
Brad Richards
Brendan Morrow
Did I really put Mike Ribiero first? Yea but don't read into it too much. I'm wearing an LA Kings shirt right now just cause its comfy and yellow. I like yellow. See I'm unpredictable. Ribiero had a really spectacularly good season. 27 goals and 56 assists on 107 shots. Just wow. Ribiero has never done anything like this before and might not ever do anything like it again. Mike was over a point a game (well over when you consider that he only played 76 games) and it will be tough to match that pace this year. Adjust him down to about 75 points. He should remain a significant plus and continue to clean up on the powerplay so drafting him should be a fairly good call... assuming you can make those shots up somewhere else. Other than me, and by implication you, no one is going to believe in Ribiero this year so you might be able to steal a near point a game player LATE in the draft.
FACT: Ribiero remained hot in the playoffs, leading the Stars in points scored with 17 through 18 games.
Richards is probably the best hockey player on this team. I made kind of a habit of bashing the guy for the last couple of seasons (I didn't draft him in the 91 point year and then out of spite wished and predicted his poor years after same) but I think he's a spectacular hockey player that was stuck in a bad situation in Tampa. Its sad that he had to leave in order for the situation to improve but these are the realities of a salary cap driven world. Despite his Conn Smythe, Vinny was the face of that franchise... but Richards was the heart. Expect high 70's in points, WAY more shots then Ribiero(like 3 times as many), similar power play numbers, similar plus and similar lack of PIM. Essentially they will be the same player except Richards will probably put up slightly more points and a TON more shots. Draft him several rounds earlier.
FACT: Richards had 11 points in 12 games with Dallas last season and an additional 15 points in 18 playoff games. He seems to like his new surroundings.
Morrow is legitimate power forward. He will be a threat for between 70 and 80 points this year, he'll be a plus, and he will net you somewhere between 100 and 150 PIM while getting high 20's to low 30's production in powerplay points. Put into English, the guy does a LOT of everything for you. And he's a left wing! Think Shanahan in his 30's, minus about 50 shots, and you have a pretty good idea of what you're getting with Morrow.
FACT: Like all of Dallas' big guns, Morrow saw about 20 minutes of ice time per game. They are not afraid to play their superstars in Big D.
You Want to Keep an Eye on:
Sean Avery
Fabian Brunnstrom
Jere Lehtinen
Mike Modano
Avery is a threat to score 50 points and get 200 PIM. That makes him valuable, regardless of the fact that he gets no powerplay time and only takes about 150 or so shots. He is a very very rare commodity. How rare? Only two people ranked ahead of Avery in PIM had more points then he did last year, Phaneuf with 60 points and Hartnell with 43. Avery only had 33 points... but he only played in 57 games. If you need PIM and want production you don't get too many better options than the pest.
FACT: Avery's style of play does make him injury (and suspension) prone. Be warned.
There isn't much that I'm qualified to say about Brunnstrom, other then what has been mentioned above. He's probably a very good sleeper candidate. If he shows any promise he will end up with one of Dallas' three talented centers. See how he does and be prepared to pounce. He could be a good consolation prize if you miss out on the Stamkos sweepstakes.
FACT: Like the earlier video? Check out the greatest hits... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfRkAnRUgfI. I don't know if he's good or if the Swedish goalies are just really bad.
Lehtinen and Modano both managed to keep themselves relevant for at least one more season last year. Lehtinen in particular was on his way to a fantastic season with 37 points in 48 games before getting injured. Both players are still fantasy relevant, if for nothing else then for their scoring spurts. Keep an eye on them, but I don't know that you need to draft either.
FACT: Modano is one of those rare players that will play his entire career on the same franchise, starting with the Stars WAY back when they were the Minnesota North Stars and wore much much cooler jerseys.
The Defense
You Want to Draft:
Philippe Boucher
Sergei Zubov
At 35 and 38 Boucher and Zubov are the Danny Gloverss to the rest of the D's Mel Gibson, and incidentally the only members of Dallas's D corps old enough to get that reference. The age started to show last season as both missed significant time to injury. No clear successors emerged in their absence so both should still be drafted as the offensive powerhouses they are capable of being. Just remember, once the engine starts to break down it tends to keep doing so.
Boucher is one of my ideal d-men. He can get you between 40 and 50 points, 70 and 100 PIM, 150-200 shots and spend some time on the powerplay. I like my d-men to do a bit of everything, to make up for high point producing low specialty category producing forwards. Unfortunately his injury problems are not limited to last season... so buyer beware.
FACT: Boucher was always an offensive threat in his junior hockey career and was drafted in the first round by the Buffalo Sabers. He is great when healthy.
In contrast, Zubov has maintained a pretty consistent level of greatness throughout his career. Rarely injured, Zubov has been one of the cornerstones of the Dallas powerplay since 2007-2008. Ten years ladies and gentleman. That's a heck of a run. The dreaded "sports hernia" caught up with him last season however. I would expect Sergei to be ready to go this season, I'd just monitor his health. He should still be an offensive force to be reckoned with and should be drafted as such. He will get you everything except for PIM.
FACT: The new NHL has helped Zubov immensely. He scored 71 points in 05-06 and 54 in 06-07. Last season he had already notched 35 points in 46 games before going down to injury.
You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Matt Niskanen
Niskanen isn't really seeing powerplay time yet, but that could change with one injury. Last season he was a +22 and scored 26 points... at the age of 21. There is a lot of promise in Niskanen, drafted in the 1st round by Dallas in 2005. Keep an eye on him and don't hesitate to grab him if one of the two aging wonders go down.
FACT: Niskanen actually slowed significantly after the all star break, scoring only 7 of his 26 points in the last portion of the season. This could mean any number of things, but is likely attributable to the rigors of a full NHL season wearing on him and also to the Stars renewed commitment to defense as the playoff push heated up.
The Powerplay:
Mike Ribiero
Brendan Morrow
Brad Richards
Sergei Zubov
Philippe Boucher
Richards actually didn't see a whole lot of powerplay time after his arrival in Dallas, likely because at that point in the season Dallas' powerplay was clicking and had been playing well together for most of the year. His powerplay time increased in the postseason however. Ribiero made himself something of a powerplay specialist last year, particularly in the playoffs where he scored 11 of his 17 points on the man advantage.
The Goalie(s):
Turco gets his chance to shine. "The other Marty" put up great postseason numbers last year, keeping them in almost every game and finally shaking that monkey off his back. With Smith gone Turco's minutes will go up, and so will his win totals. Turco's numbers may never reach their pre-lockout greatness, but he is a dependable netminder on a strong defensive team.
The Verdict:
Dallas is a very well put together team. They are built to counterattack and to beat their teams into submission with strong physical and defensive play. In my opinion they are the best team in the West not named the Red Wings... at least this year. Dallas also presents you with many "well-rounded" fantasy options in Morrow, Boucher, and Richards. Draft Richards, Morrow, Boucher, Zubov, Turco, and Ribiero with confidence.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Avery Startling Addition
The Dallas Stars
Two puns in one headline. I'm getting good.
Niklas Hagman departed for Toronto. In his place at left wing you'll find Sean "the Menace" Avery... that is assuming he's recovered from the rupture of his spleen in the second round of the playoffs and that he doesn't sign a long term deal at Vogue upon the completion of his summer internship.
In all seriousness, Sean Avery adds a dimension that this team was lacking. He's also more skilled then his reputation lets on. He is injured often, but when healthy is a very fast, very competent agitator. A healthy Avery could bring your fantasy squad points in the high 40's, particularly on Dallas where he is virtually guaranteed to be with a good center (Richards, Modano or Ribiero). He's also virtually guaranteed 150+ PIM, and should be a plus on this defensively committed team.
You'll hate him or you'll love him, but if you've got scoring elsewhere Avery will get you penalty minutes without hurting you in too many other categories. If you miss out on some of the big power forwards, and bigger power d-men, Avery is a good option.
Two puns in one headline. I'm getting good.
Niklas Hagman departed for Toronto. In his place at left wing you'll find Sean "the Menace" Avery... that is assuming he's recovered from the rupture of his spleen in the second round of the playoffs and that he doesn't sign a long term deal at Vogue upon the completion of his summer internship.
In all seriousness, Sean Avery adds a dimension that this team was lacking. He's also more skilled then his reputation lets on. He is injured often, but when healthy is a very fast, very competent agitator. A healthy Avery could bring your fantasy squad points in the high 40's, particularly on Dallas where he is virtually guaranteed to be with a good center (Richards, Modano or Ribiero). He's also virtually guaranteed 150+ PIM, and should be a plus on this defensively committed team.
You'll hate him or you'll love him, but if you've got scoring elsewhere Avery will get you penalty minutes without hurting you in too many other categories. If you miss out on some of the big power forwards, and bigger power d-men, Avery is a good option.
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