Don't give up

Keeper leagues are always harder to balance. You need proven Vets and hot prospects. In leagues with H2H daily changes, its easy to go for that roto play over a struggling prospect. I am all for using roto matchups, but here are some guys you should hold onto and not give up hope.

Devin Setoguchi SJS-RW, He is still coming back from an ankle injury. He might not get called up anytime soon but dropping him now would be a mistake. He is going to be a big time point producer one day.

Torrey Mitchell SJS-C, He has yet to produce and some feel he does not have the offensive skills for the NHL level. He gets a ton of ice and the team loves him. I'd hold him all year before I decided his fate.

Peter Mueller PHX-C, Remember why you drafted him. He could end up the next Schremp but you have to stick with him this season. One day he could be putting up 90 points.

Eric Fehr WSH-RW, No one seems to stick at Ovechkin's RW. He is not killing you on IR. Wait him out.

Petr Kalus MIN-RW, He could be a long hold. He will be worth it one day. I hope. I could be as bad as those other fantasy advice guys with their man crush on Zherdev!

Al Montoya NYR-G, His day is coming. You might hold him all year as NA. But it will be worth it if you need a goalie for the future.

Hannu Toivonen STL-G, Legace has buried him right now. But Legace has never played more than 55 games. Hang in there!

Bobby Ryan ANH-RW, Managers are sick of his AHL career. He will be up for good by the end of this year, worry not.

Ilya Bryzgalov ANH-G, Could be a long wait until the trade deadline, but if they showcase him he will get good stats for you on the road to a trade.

Nicklas Bergfors NJD-RW, He could be back up this season. Hang on a little longer.

Robert Nilsson EDM-C, He didn't work out to start the year. The talent is there so hold onto him.

Thats it for now. I will have more of these as the season moves along.

Gaolies get there chance

This week will see some of the backups get their chance. Antero Niittymaki PHI, Ondrej Pavelec ATL and Hannu Toivonen STL will all get a chance this week.

This will be the first we have seen of Niittymaki. I expect him to play a very strong game. He will be motivated by Biron's bad game last night to earn more starts. He is a solid goalie and any Biron owner should own him for insurance.

Pavelec saw some action in relief of Hedberg but this will be his first NHL start coming up. He is a poised kid and I feel he can take over the bulk of the starts from Hedberg.

Toivonen saw some action when Legace left a game injured. He has yet to get a sniff since. Like Niitymaki, he will be looking to earn more starts and ice time. Legace has been playing great, so Toivonen will need to step up his game.

If you need a start in net this week and these guys are available, pick them up. They all should play very well.

Away this weekend

I will be away from Friday until Sunday night. I will be back to blogging on Monday. While I am away you can find projected starters at Goaliepost.com



I will do a Q&A Monday night to catch up.

Good luck this weekend!

Cheese for 10/26/07

10 roto ideas for 10/26/07:

Arron Asham (NJ - RW) PIMs, Points, SOG.

Mark Streit (Mon - D) PPPs, SOG, Points.

Matt Pettinger (Was - LW) Assists, SOG, SHPs.

Torrey Mitchell (SJ - C) SOG, Points.

Craig Conroy (Cgy - C) SHPs, SOG, PIMs, +/-.

Ian Laperriere (Col - RW) PIMs.

Jeremy Roenick (SJ - C) I can't believe I am typing this. Points.

Adam Mair (Buf - C) PIMs, SHPs, SOG.

Steve Begin (Mon - LW) SHPs, PIMs. Car plays 5 forwards on the PP. Begin is a good play.

Eric Godard (Cgy - RW) PIMs.

Good luck tonight!

Starting Goalies 10/25/07

Projected Starters:

Josh Harding MIN vs Dwayne Roloson EDM

UPDATE Toskala TOR vs Marc-Andre Fleury PIT

Tim Thomas BOS vs Nikolai Khabibulin CHI

Marty Turco DAL vs Jason LaBarbera LA

UPDATE Ellis NSH vs Johan Hedberg ATL

Antero Niittymaki PHI vs Johan Holmqvist TB

Pascal Leclaire CLS vs UPDATE Toivonen STL

Jean-Sebastien Giguere ANH vs Alex Auld PHX UPDATE

Martin Brodeur NJD vs Henrik Lundqvist NYR

Cheese for 10/25/07

10 roto ideas for 10/25/07:

Drew Miller (Anh - LW) SOG, Points, +/-, PIMs. ANH has injuries, should mean a lot of ice for Miller.

George Parros (Anh - RW) PIMs

Nick Boynton (Pho - D) PIMs.

Daniel Carcillo (Pho - LW) PIMs, Points, SOG.

Zbynek Michalek (Pho - D) First game back from injury. SOG, PPPs, Points, PIMs.

John Madden (NJ - C) He will play PP1. SOG, Points, PPPs, PIMs, SHPs.

Chuck Kobasew (Bos - RW) Goals, PIMs.

Douglas Murray (SJ - D) PIMs.

Ondrej Pavelec (Atl - G) I expect him to start in net vs NSH. Hedberg was good in the shoot out but was just average in the game.

Steve Wagner (StL - D) SOG, Points, PIMs.

Good luck tonight!

Starting Goalies 10/24/07

Projected Starters:

Ryan Miller BUF vs Cam Ward CAR

Marc Denis TB vs Olaf Kolzig WSH

Tomas Vokoun FLA vs Martin Biron PHI

Roberto Luongo VAN vs Dominik Hasek DET

Miikka Kiprusoff CGY vs Josh Harding MIN

Adds for 10/24/07

10 roto matchup ideas.

Daniel Cleary (Det - RW) Points, SHPs, +/-, PIMs, SOG.

Joe Motzko (Was - RW) PPPs, Assists, SOG.

Chris Gratton (TB - C) Goals, PIMs, SOG. He plays very well vs WSH.

R.J. Umberger (Phi - C) SHPs, Points, SOG, PIMs.

Adam Mair (Buf - C) PIMs.

Matt Pettinger (Was - LW) SHPs, SOG, PIMs.

Tomas Fleischmann (Was - C,RW) Points, SOG. He is only getting 10 MIN of ice and no PP. Motzko is a better play but Flash will get 5 on 5 with Backstrom.

Sami Kapanen (Phi - RW) SHPs, Points, SOG.

Paul Ranger (TB - D) PPPs, Assists, SOG.

Brett Lebda (Det - D) Points, SOG. He got a goal for us last time out!

Good luck tonight!

Starting Goalies 10/23/07

Projected Starters:

Henrik Lundqvist NYR vs Marc-Andre Fleury PIT

Johan Hedberg ATL vs Vesa Toskala TOR ( Hedberg could have the short hook. Pavelec is an OK play here. He could get the start as well. My gut says Pavelec but the Atlanta Journal says Hedberg)

Jean-Sebastien Giguere ANH vs Manny Legace STL

Fredrik Norrena CLS vs Nikolai Khabibulin CHI

Jose Theodore COL vs Dwayne Roloson EDM

Jason LaBarbera LA vs Chris Mason NSH

The Daigle Effect

The summer saw its normal swarm of players changing teams. With it came the instant hype as locals think they have the next big thing and that their team will be the one that allows a player to break out or return to old form. I am going to point out a few guys that were labeled huge sleepers or that were labeled instant successes in fantasy based on their new teams (I am just as guilty of this as anyone. We need something to write about in the summer after all!) I call this the Daigle effect because he was the ultimate hype player that didn't pan out to any fantasy value. These players are not the level of let down as Daigle, but I liked the title!

Peter Schaefer Bos-LW, Playing the top line was going to allow Schaefer to become a 60-70 point player with 25-30 goals. Well, anyone that followed him in OTT knew he had been given that chance in the past and never came through. With 1 goal and 3 assists in seven games, he is a decent depth LW in deep pools. He is far from a sleeper or breakout star.

Scott Hartnell Phi-LW/RW, Hartnell was going to be a30-40 goal scorer playing in PHI and get his 100 PIMs according to some. He is scrubbing it on the 3rd line right now and has just 2 assists and 4 PIMs in 7 games. That is not projecting out to please many fantasy managers.

Chuck Kobasew Bos-RW Chuck is not off to a bad start. he is certainly well worth holding in deep fantasy pools. Those hoping for a stud are in for a bad end. He is getting no PP time and less than 15 minutes of total ice a night. He has looked good at times but won't be racking up points as many had hoped.

Jiri Hudler Det-C, He was going to get PP points and play with either Datsyuk or Zetterberg and he would feed off their fantasy glory. Not so much. 1 goal 1 assist. At least last year he started off hot before he fell into nothingness.

Igor Grigorenko Det-LW/RW, Did I mention Yahoo projected him at 48 Goals yet? I like to beat a dead horse. His NHL shot is coming soon, but since he can't cut it in the AHL he should be heading back to Russia. I hope I am wrong since I own him in my keeper!

Kris Letang Pit-D, He was going to be the PP specialist and right handed shot the PIT power play needed. However he could not make the club to start and though he has produced in the AHL he finds himself a healthy scratch. Not a good sign for keeper owners. I traded Letang for Ryan Smyth giving up my future lock of Whitney and Letang. I am happy to have a producing player as my gut is getting a bad feeling on Letang.


Thats it for now. I will have more of these down the road.

Adds for 10/23/07

10 matchup ideas for roto play:

Alexander Steen (Tor - C) Tucker is out. More ice for Sten. PPPs, SOG, Points, SHPs.

Raitis Ivanans (LA - LW) PIMs.

Jarret Stoll (Edm - C) I'm not crazy, he is due. Points, SOG, SHPs, Face off %.

Ian Laperriere (Col - RW) PIMs, SOG.

Zack Stortini (Edm - RW) PIMs.

Jason Williams (Chi - C) PPPs, Points, SOG.

David Koci (Chi - LW) PIMs.

Maxime Talbot (Pit - C) Points, SOG, SHPs, PIMs.

Andy Wozniewski (TOR-D) SOG, Points, PIMs.

Jason Chimera (Cls-LW) SOG, SHPs, Points, PIMs.

Good luck tonight!

Starting Goalies 10/22/07

Tonights projected starters:

Miikka Kiprusoff CGY vs Evgeni Nabokov SJS

Cristobal Huet MTL vs Manny Fernandez BOS

Cam Ward CAR vs Roberto Luongo VAN

Straka Update

Martin Straka (NYR-C) will be out 4-5 weeks. SO much for that DTD they started him out as. Adjust your lineups accordingly.

Q & A Segment 10/21/07

Just three questions, so here they are.

Ian in California,
My D-men at the moment are: Kaberle, Gonchar, Zubov, Hamrlik, Ohlund, and Jovanovski. No body has picked up Bryan Berard yet off waivers, and I was wondering if it would be in my interest to exchange one of my current guys for him. This is in a league with G,A,+/-,PIM,PPP,SHP,GWG,and SOG. Currently I'm lacking in SOG and Gs.

Thanks!

Ian, Berard has looked good but has a sore groin and is listed DTD. He has 2G, 2A and is a -1. Nothing to sneeze at. You could get away with switching him in for Ohlund or Zubov but I don't think he is a big enough upgrade to take the risk. If he stays healthy then pick him up later. Maybe drop a depth forward and see if you can add him and pull a trade. I would rather have Campoli if he is available.

Zapper
I was just offered Mike Richards and Nik Antropov for Bergeron (Boston). I have a scrub I can drop. Should I take it?

Zapper, Yes. Richards and Ant won't keep this up, but combined they will be an upgrade over Bergeron + Scrub.

Lance in Space
I picked up Mueller and am thrilled he has started to produce. Is this a sign of things to come or should I dump him?

Lance, If you are in a single season pool I would dump him. If you are in a keeper ride him out. You can always trade him to a team looking to rebuild later.

Thanks for the questions. Keep them coming.

Injuries and Other Stuff

Some Injuries form the last couple of games to note when setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Also a couple of random thoughts.

Injuries:

Milan Hejduk (Col-RW) re aggravated his back against CHI. Look for him to be out next week.

Erik Cole (CAR-LW) Is out with an injured foot. He is listed as DTD.

Martin Straka (NYR-LW) Left the game with a broken finger. He is listed as DTD but he could be out a couple weeks.

Erik Johnson (STL-D) Has a broken foot. He is DTD but that could turn into a few weeks.

Ben Eager (PHI-LW) Is out with vertigo.

Antoine Vermette (OTT-C/LW) Is out with back spasms. He is listed as DTD.

Brian Berard (NYI-D) Left game with a bad groin. He is DTD.

Random thoughts:

Johan Hedberg (ATL-G) has been anything but good so far. Look for Ondrej Pavelec to get a longer look in net this week.

It is getting closer to November 1st. That means Igor Grigorenko (DET-LW/RW) will be called up soon to get a look from DET. Word on the street is he will be going back to Russia and that he is not NHL ready.

Mike Richards (PHI-C) should be owned in all fantasy pools. He is getting loads of minutes and is playing the point on PP1. He is also scoring over a PPG.

Kyle Wellwood (TOR-C/RW) Is looking to return by Saturday. He has started off hot when coming back from injury in the past. Keep that in mind if you have daily changes and be ready to activate him. If you have weekly changes only, leave him deactivated on IR.

The Colorado defense is as bad as their offense is good. Bottom line, Budaj and Theodore are both risky starts right now.

Joe Motzko (WSH-RW) Was given a chance to play with Ovechkin and stick. He was given key PP1 point time as well. A series of brutal turn overs on the PP lead to being sent down. He should not be held in any pool.

There was a Manny Fernandez sighting in net this weekend. Boston fans assure me he got a shut out and that he is going to overthrow Tim Thomas. I'm not ready to buy Manny as a 70 game guy in net.
Thats just some things to keep in mind when setting your rosters. Good luck this week!

Adds for 10/22/07

10 Matchup ideas:

Nick Schultz (Min - D) SHPs, +/-, SOG.

Mark Streit (Mon - D) PPPs, SOG.

Craig Conroy (Cgy - C) SHPs, Points, PIMs, SOG, +/-.

Torrey Mitchell (SJ - C) Chance at all stats. Is seeing 20 minutes of ice.

Rick Rypien (Van - C) PIMs, Points.

David Krejci (Bos - C) Assists.

Bryan Smolinski (Mon - C) SHPs, SOG.

Mike Grier (SJ - RW) SOG, +/-, PIMs.

Milan Lucic (Bos - LW) PIMs, Points, SOG.

Chad LaRose (Car - C) Cole is out, Ladd is out. Plenty of ice for LaRose. SOG, SHPs, Points, PIMs.

Good luck with tonights roto plays!

Starting Goalies 10/22/07

Projected Starters:

Curtis Sanford VAN vs Pascal Leclaire CLS

Peter Budaj COL vs Niklas Backstrom MIN