Saturday, November 3, 2007

Vancouver has a rash

A rash of injuries. If someone told Luc Bourdon VAN-D, that all he needed to break the lineup was for Salo, Bieksa and Ohland to all be hurt at the same time He probably would have figured he was set for a long AHL season.

Not so fast Luc, its NHL time! Due to the injury to Bieksa, Bourdon will have a chance at real minutes and key PP time.

Bourdon should be added in all keepers. I would add him in every league as VAN D-men are normally high scoring.

Edler is not proving much of a threat on offense. I would go with Bourdon only if you are looking to add D depth or replace one of your injured VAN D-men.



I beat a dead horse

For those of you that are familiar with the site and my past posts, you will know I have mentioned this a few times. For those new readers that have not taken the time to read the old material it will seem new, I hope.

Cheechoo SJS-RW, Slow start, as usual. This time he has two vanishing acts in the playoffs under his belt and young guys chomping for his top 6 time in Bernier and Setoguchi. I know most sites list Cheechoo as a buy low guy, but I am advising you sell and don't buy.

Mason NSH-G, He is proving me right. I like that. If you own him in a pool bench him until he shows life. If no one has picked up Ellis (NSH-G) in your league then you might want to add him.

Richards PHI-C, Is on fire and staying that way. This guy is getting stats in all possible forward categories.

I will have newer material by tonight. I am going to work on a post addressing VAN's D-core and injury plug ins.

Send in those Questions and I will do a Q&A by 7pm tonight.

Slice of cheese for 11/04/07

I am not sure what happened yesterday. The Cheese Move didn't post. I apologize.

10 roto ideas:

Jared Boll (Cls - RW) PIMs, SOG.

Nick Foligno (Ott - LW) Points, SOG.

Chris Kelly (Ott - C) SHPs, Points, SOG, +/-.

Steve Wagner (StL - D) Points, PIMs.

Jordin Tootoo (Nsh - RW) PIMs.

Vernon Fiddler (Nsh - C) SHPs, Points, SOG.

Jamal Mayers (StL - RW) PIMs, Points, SOG.

Jiri Novotny (Cls - C) Points

Milan Lucic (Bos - LW) PIMs, Points.

Martin Rucinsky (StL - LW) Points.

Good luck with tonights games!

Starting Goalies 11/03/07

Projected Starters:

Martin Gerber OTT vs Tim Thomas BOS

Henrik Lundqvist NYR vs Martin Brodeur NJD

Rick DiPietro NYI vs Marc-Andre Fleury PIT

Cristobal Huet MTL vs Vesa Toskala TOR UPDATE

Craig Anderson FLA vs Cam Ward CAR

Johan Holmqvist TB vs Ondrej Pavelec ATL UPDATE

Miikka Kiprusoff CGY vs Niklas Backstrom MIN

Nikolai Khabibulin CHI vs Manny Legace STL

Alex Auld PHX vs Ilya Bryzgalov ANH UPDATE

Roberto Luongo VAN vs Peter Budaj COL

Jason LaBarbera LA vs Evgeni Nabokov SJS

Friday, November 2, 2007

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Lets go shopping!

We all love a good bargain. It might not be on a shirt or skirt like your wife or girlfriend, for us it might be a discount on a craftsman tool set or maybe even Marian Hossa. One thing that happens every year, Managers panic. Guys slump that are supposed to be huge and managers think they have to react and save their season. I'm not advocating screwing people, but if you pay a fair price for a slumping star, you are taking a gamble and if that manager takes the deal, so be it.

Depending on what type of league you are in might determine your success with this. In keeper leagues, managers are likely to be more patient. In single season pools a manager might be quicker to dump an underachiever for a hot player.

Guys you can target while shopping:

Marian Hossa ATL, RW. Hoss is a -3 with just 3pts in 9 games played. He even took himself out of the shoot out the other night because he "wasn't feeling it". There are lots of Hossa articles out there pointing out his struggles. This is the time to pounce. I don't care if its time in Atlanta or a trade that wakes him up, he is a sleeping fantasy giant. Don't make a chump offer for him, show value and get the deal done fast. If you have a young player thats at a PPG (Like J. Williams for CHI or a Mike Richards for PHI) offer them up. See if youth and production can pry Hossa away in a keeper league.

Alexander Frolov LA, LW. He has been coming to life as of late, but he has been lost in the LA shuffle at times. He is still a buy low candidate despite coming on as of late. He has world class skill and is worth the gamble.

Maxim Afinogenov BUF, RW. I am normally not his biggest fan. However, if you can buy him low now and sell him high when he turns it around, thats a good move!

Ryan Whitney PIT, D. Like moist of PIT he is off to a slow start. His fantasy numbers will come. Jump on him now before he catches fire.

Kris Letang PIT, D. In keeper leagues, managers are bummed he is in the AHL. They are more bummed that he was a healthy scratch in the AHL. Buy low in keepers.

Tobias Enstrom ATL, D. This guy has not put up the points yet, but he will. He is going to put up 50-70 points as a defenseman one day. He gets loads of PP ice at over 5:40 a game and has talent to play with. Buy now while managers might think he is a bust.

Jonathan Cheechoo SJS, RW. I don't trust SJS forwards very often, but one has to think Cheechoo can get hot down the road. He can still pull 30 goals out. I would not offer as much for him as I would for Hossa, but if you can land him cheap, do it.

Thomas Vanek BUF, LW. Like Hossa, Vanek is a huge prize. Most managers won't budge on him, but give it a shot. Don't be afraid to offer normal value for Vanek in a keeper. This might not have landed Vanek in the past, but now it should.

Milan Hejduk COL, RW. A back injury slowed him down. He was at a PPG before that with 4 goals in 6 games. He is due back soon so buy now! His rank has dropped and managers worried about his age could sell.

Alexander Semin WSH, LW. I have never been a big fan of his and have stated all along I wanted to see B2B seasons of fantasy glory before I traded for him. Well, his stock might be low enough to take the gamble. Land him if his manager fears nagging injuries.

Dan Boyle TB, D. He is back and didn't look good. Try and land him cheap. Don't pay too much as it could bite you in the butt.

Bryan McCabe TOR, D. His bad +/-, injuries and slow start could mean he is available. I am not a big McCabe guy but odds are you could always flip him later. Worth a feeler.

Mathieu Schneider ANH, D. Not even a game played yet. His age and constant injuries might mean he could be had cheap. Feel it out, but don't pay too much as he will be back on the IR again this year.

Drew Stafford BUF, RW. He is going to be great. If you are in a keeper I'd strongly recommend trying to buy low now. Single season pools I would not bother.

Thats my list. Guys like Hudler, Zhitnik, Souray, Brunette and Havlat are all honorable mentions. Happy shopping.

Getting it done

The NHL season is full of surprises. Marian Hossa having 3 pts in 9 games and having a -3 rating. Havlat not making it through one game (OK, not that shocking). I will look at some of the buy low guys later, but for now lets look at some guys that are getting it done. I'm not talking about Zetterberg, Malkin, Sundin, Ovechkin, I'm talking about the depth guys that are stepping up. Players that were not even drafted in most leagues that are getting a PPG or making an impact.

Mike Richards PHI, C. 12 pts in 10 games. 3 SOG a game, 2 SHG, 2 GWGs. +4 and 6 PIMs. Great all around stats. And he was not even drafted in most leagues. If he is available in your league, you need to get him NOW! He is the point on PP1. Plays a tone short handed and 5 on 5 his line with Umberger is dangerous.

Nik Antropov TOR, C. 15 pts in 13 games (8 goals), 31 SOG, +11 and 28PIMs. He plays on the PP and short handed and when you watch TOR he is always on the ice. A must have in all leagues.

Jason Williams CHI, C/RW. 12 games, 6 goals and 6 assists. Just over 3 SOG a game with two GWGs on the year. Very nice. He looks to be a large part of the offense this year. Add him if he is available and ride him.

Jared Boll CLS, RW. You like PIMs? He has 34 already and has a couple of goals to throw in too, one a GWG.

Milan Lucic BOS, LW. Like Boll, He is a great source for PIMs. He has 24 so far and his offense will get better. 1 GWG this season.

Daniel Carcillo PHX, LW. In deeper PIM leagues he was likely drafted. However with 3G, 2A and 29PIMs he is worth mentioning. He even has 2 of those points on the powerplay.

Tomas Holmstrom DET, LW/RW. We knew he was a solid play at LW. We didn't know he would get LW/RW status and put up these numbers! 8 goals, 6 assists, 5 PPPs, +6, 36 SOG and 24 PIMs. Yikes thats nice.

Rod Brind'Amour CAR, C. 18 pts in 1o games played. Enough said. If you own him, think about trading him. His stock can only go down as the Arrogant Puck has mentioned before.

Daymond Langkow CGY, C. He has 8 goals and 9 assists. This guy is proving last year was no fluke.

Patrick Kane CHI, RW. With 5 goals and 11 assists its safe to say he is going to be an impact fantasy guy. He might hit the wall later in the year but he is worth having. He was by no means under the radar but I don't think anyone had him tarting this well. Toews is worth mentioning but many felt he was this years Malkin or Stastny.

Vaclav Prospal TB, C/LW. Many reported how hard he worked out in the offseason, and it shows. He is back with a vengeance. 9 goals and 3 assists in 11 games played. He has just under 3 SOG a game with 31.

Michael Cammalleri LA, C/LW. OK, he does not fit the mold of the others, but who aw 10 goals this early from him? He has cooled off a lot. Might be time to put a trade feeler in on him.

Raffi Torres EDM, LW. Not tearing it up on offense. However his 3G and 3A to go with 40SOG and 20PIMs in 13 games played are great for deep leagues.

These are players that are making fantasy managers look like geniuses for adding them. If they have been looked by in your league, scoop them up!









Cheese slice for 11/01/07

10 roto play ideas:

Jay Pandolfo (NJ - LW) Points, SOG, SHPs.

John Madden (NJ - C) Points, SOG, SHPS, PIMs.

Arron Asham (NJ - C) PIMs, Points.

Jiri Tlusty (Tor - C/LW) Points, SOG.

Matt Pettinger (Was - LW) All Stats.

Robert Nilsson (Edm - C) Assists

Mikael Tellqvist (Pho - G) Should start vs Dallas.

Vernon Fiddler (Nsh - C) SHPs, Points.

Lukas Kaspar (SJ - LW,RW) Points, PIMs. Get Setoguchi ASAP! if available, and hold him!

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

Good luck with tonights matchups!

Starting Goalies 11/01/07

Projected Starters:

Olaf Kolzig WSH vs Henrik Lundqvist NYR

Rick DiPietro NYI vs Marc Denis TB

Ryan Miller BUF vs Tim Thomas BOS

Johan Hedberg ATL vs Ray Emery OTT

Martin Biron PHI vs Cristobal Huet MTL

Josh Harding MIN vs Manny Legace STL

Chris Osgood DET vs Miikka Kiprusoff CGY

Dany Sabourin PIT vs Jose Theodore COL

Fredrik Norrena CLS vs Jean-Sebastien Giguere ANH

Roberto Luongo VAN vs Dan Ellis NSH

Q & A Segment 11/01/07

Its November already and the Forsberg rumors are already driving me nuts. I love the guy but I don't need to read the same article every day! Mini-Rant complete, onto the Q&A:

Sue
what guys should I unload in my keeper league? I mean, what guys have great value this year, but will have nothing next year?

Sue, thats a good question. If you actually told me who was on your team I could give you a direct answer. I will list some guys that should have lower stock next year.

Brindamour, Recchi, Roberts, Hasek, Sakic, Shanahan. Sakic and Brindy only because we never know if they will retire. Shanny because he is not getting any younger and the slow down seems to be happening. Hasek, Recchi and Roberts might not even have value this season, so next is deff out. Mike Modano is also a guy that might be worth fazing out in your fantasy league next year.

Ryan in Vancouver
As it stands right now,
everyone is wanting my first round pic included with Havlat,
The likes Of Nylander and Getzlaf are options for me, but i feel the price is just a bit too steep
Although, Getzlaf would cost me havlat & a 4/5th rd
would do you think about that?

Ryan (From past convos with Ryan I know he is in a points only pool that only keeps 6 players) That price is too steep for Havlat. He is not hurting you on IR so I'd wait him out for his value to rise. I initially loved the idea of Getzlaf + 4th/5th rounder for Havlat until I remembered it was a points only pool.

As a general rule on Havlat, there is no reason to trade him now when his value is so low. Wait him out. If you can get a young stud, PPG player or a young guy close to a PPG with upside, pull the trigger. Otherwise wait it out for his value to rise. Once his stock does rise (if ever) trade away asap!

Heath
I am falling out of love with Vanek. I hate watching Buffalo games as a Toronto fan and his slow start is annoying. I have been offered Antropov and Tlusty by a guy that knows I am a Toronto fan. I am in a keeper so I am thinking this could be worth it. What do you think?

Heath, you won't find many guys as big on Antropov as I am. I have him in all my leagues and I was able to steal him late in drafts. In my keeper I traded him to a TOR fan when he heated up last year and I was able to redraft him late when he was not kept. I have felt he had this potential all along. That said, you can't make this deal. I predicted Vanek would have a down year. He will be back to form if not later this year, by next for sure. Tlusty looks great, but he is still unproven and the wire is probably full of prospects like him. Antropov has injury issues in the past. My man crush has me believing those days are gone, but its still too early to move a player like Vanek for him, even if it includes a solid looking prospect. Vanek is one of the top 5 Left Wings in the game. That position is too hard to fill, even if you have to wait a year for him to get back to the top 5 status.

Kevin
For Halloween I am going as a Zamboni driver. If you could go as any hockey player in history, who would you go as?

Kevin, a few years back the NYR had a player that was (no disrespect intended) one of the ugliest people I have seen in my life. I think his name was Genome. I might be spelling it wrong, I should research it but I fear seeing a picture of him. Thats who I would go as, so I could scare little kids.

Gerry in Coreytown
I have Marc Andre Fluery. Single season pool. Should I pick up Sabouren? If I do, who should I drop? Hecht, Pyatt, Stumple? Deep league so not much on the wire.

Gerry, I would drop Stumpel and add Sabourin. He has looked great and is getting his first B2B start. MAF is in no long term jeopardy (IMO) but Sabi could steal starts the next several weeks. If the wire is thin you have to add him to protect yourself.

Millsie
I am Boston fan and I am PISSED about Bergeron. To top it off some guy beat me to adding Krejci from the wire and then offered Krejci to me in a trade. This is a keeper league with standard scoring with PIMs and short handed points. Should I reward the little **** and trade him Comrie for Krejci. I'd like to keep Krejci long term and I am not confident in the furniture salesman.

Millsie, sometimes in fantasy hockey its more fun to have who you want than it is to win. If this is the case with you then make the deal. If you want to win let him hold Krejci. I am a fan of Krejci but Metro is getting Bergeron's spot right now. There is no reason at this point to think Krejci is going to burst into fantasy flames and torch the league. Comrie is the real deal on the island. He will outproduce Krejci for a few more years yet. Wait it out and see if you can get him cheaper later. If he was on the FA list, he can't be in that big of a demand.

Nick
Is it time to drop Selanne in my keeper? If I drop a guy I kept going into the year I can pull a player up from my farm team without penalty. If I drop Selanne which farm team guy should I call up? Setoguchi or Kane?

Nick, thats some nice options on the farm team. Because of the way Wilson juggles his lines and his history of sending guys back to the AHL even when playing well, I'd go with Kane for this year. And yes, I'd drop Selanne ASAP to get one of those kids up. Even if Selanne comes back, he is out of shape, a year older and will his heart really be in it? Its time to let him go. Let the Kane era begin for your team. Not sure what your penalty is for calling up a farm team guy, but it might be worth it to bring up Seto.

Drop Knuble
Should I drop Mike Knuble and add Scott Upshall? He is due back and Knuble has been terrible.

At this point I'd rather have Knuble becuase he can finish and does not have the injury stigma that Upshall does. I like Upshall, maybe you can find a lesser player to drop in order to add him?

Vick
I picked up fantasy hockey to replace my old hobby. Its not as exciting and I am hit by injuries. When one of my players got hurt in my old sport I would just drown them or hang them in a tree. Should I send Lehtonen out to pasture or wait for him to come back? His poor start in net is brutal, I'd like to beat that dog.

Vick, while I encourage humor in questions and originality, I can't say I found your joke funny. Is that because I don't want to pis off PETA or because it was a bad joke? Hard to say. Lehtonen is not hurting anyone on IR. Let him sit there and hope for a big come back.

Randy
I hear Avery is coming off IR. Who should I drop to make room? Lucic or Neil?

Randy, I would rather have Lucic. He fights plenty and he has upside. I think we have seen the best Neil can give. If you have to drop one of those two, its gotta be Neil.

Thats it for now. Keep'em coming.

UPDATE

Pat
Need a quick answer here... full keeper, fairly deep league. I have a couple guys coming back from IR, so I need to drop two of Johan Franzen, Darren Haydar and Colby Armstrong. I'm leaning towards Haydar at the moment since I doubt Franzen will get used much in a scoring role and Colby has just gotten worse and worse in the last seasons. So who do I keep and which two do I drop and why?

Pat, Haydar is an easy drop. he has never been able to transfer his awesome AHL numbers to the NHL. Playing with Kovalchuk is doing nothing for him either. Franzen will outscore Coby this year and play short handed. He should see time with Zetts. That said, I have Armstrong on my main keeper and I feel he is worth holding another year. If PIT has a coaching change that could be all he needs to get going. He showed us he can do it in the past, he might just need a change.

I'd drop Haydar and Franzen or try to take the time to trade Franzen. If its fairly deep someone should pay for him. If you are trying to win this season Franzen might be worth keeping over Armstrong, but I like Armstrong the most long term here. As crazy as that sounds!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Slice of Cheese for 11/01/07

10 ideas for roto play:

Paul Gaustad (Buf - C) PPPs, PIMs, +/-.

Ian Laperriere (Col - RW) PIMs.

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

Chris Gratton (NYI - C) PIMs, Goals.

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

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

Samuel Pahlsson (Anh - C) SOG, Points, PIMs.

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

Jared Boll (Cls - RW) PIMs, SOG.

George Parros (Anh - RW) PIMs.

Good luck with tonights match ups!

Starting Goalies 10/31/07

Projected Starters:

Cam Ward CAR vs Tomas Vokoun FLA

Nikolai Khabibulin CHI vs Marty Turco DAL

Martin Brodeur NJD vs Johan Holmqvist TB

Pascal Leclaire CLS vs Jason LaBarbera LA

Buy, Sell, and What the Hell? Samhain Edition

Buy, Sell, and What the Hell?
-Samhain Edition-

by

The Arrogant Puck



Hey, listen up you trick and treating hosers!!! I'm here to tell you that when given the option, always take treat! Nothing worse than getting tricked after a night on the town - especially the old 'I thought you were this gender but you're not' trick. That is one of the worst!

Hey and who keeps ringing my doorbell and asking for candy? Go away you freakin prostitutes, I didn't order any service. Oh, its just the neighbors kids - sorry. Didn't recognize you in the slutty nurse costume and the barely legal pumpkin costume. What is up with these X-rated costumes now a days anyway? Whatever happened to the old fashion, cut two holes in this musty old sheet and be a ghost costume? Man, the times have changed, that is for sure. Everything is a slutty something.

Anyway, it is clearly Halloween time and with things shaping up in the old hockey league, you clearly need some help.


BUY

Devin Setoguchi (RW) San Jose - He was the Sharks leading scorer in the preseason. He's got a shot like a cannon and can spit fire-lightning out of his ass - he is that good. The freshman's arrival was a bit delayed when he injured his ankle in the last preseason game of the season. His ankle is about 90% healed, but his game is all there. He scored two sick goals his first game up, although they are keeping the fire-lightning for another game, maybe even until the playoffs. I expect his success to continue as long as his health allows him to play. He looked decent on the third line and absolutely amazing on the top line. So grab this kid before his value is beyond bargaining for.

Thomas Vanek (LW) Buffalo - For a fact, most of Buffalo is a buy right now. I'm just picking on Vanek because he's just the wealthiest. It is going to take the team some time to develop chemistry for the new lines, recover from the loss of their two captains, and adjust to their new contracts. But this kid will be a superstar, but maybe not til next year. The team plays an attacking style, and once they come together will be worth it in the long run.

SELL

Rod Brind' Amour (C) Carolina - That's right, Mr. Frankenstein himself is a sell. Listen, you gotta sell guys at their peak - and he started off the season like a bat out of hell. He considered retirement this summer. Next summer, it is probably a given if he old body breaks down or Carolina wins another one. In keeper leagues, you should try to get something for him while you can.

Tomas Holmstrom (RW) Detroit - Tomas is a great player and congrats on drafting him. His stats are hard to find - but he's going to breakdown and cool off. If you can get a great return for him, then do it. Otherwise ride the wave while it lasts, but don't expect it to last all year long. A guy that makes a living screening goalies and banging the boards is just asking for an injury.


WHAT THE HELL?

Jiri Hudler (RW) Detroit - For your Halloween pleasure, if you want to see a real life goblin, you gotta watch the next Detroit game. You won't believe your eyes! They recruited a real one here folks, and his name is Jiri Hudler.



Okay, sorry for the short edition but the lllama needs to run out and get some candy. So take off you trick and treating hosers!

The Arrogant Puck has left the Arena.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Slice for 10/31/07

10 roto ideas for tomorrow:

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

Raitis Ivanans (LA - LW) PIMs.

John Madden (NJ - C) Points, PPPs, SHPs, SOG.

Michael Peca (Cls - C) SHPs, PIMs.

Ville Peltonen (Fla - LW) Points.

Mike Commodore (Car - D) SHPs, PIMs.

Jozef Stumpel (Fla - LW) Points.

Bret Hedican (Car - D) Points, SOG.

Michal Handzus (LA - C) SHPs, PIMs.

Duncan Keith (Chi - D) Assists, PIMs.

Good luck tonight!

Starting Goalies 10/30/07

Projected Starters:

Chris Mason NSH vs Miikka Kiprusoff CGY

Johan Hedberg ATL vs Carey Price MTL

Dany Sabourin PIT vs Josh Harding MIN

Manny Legace STL vs Mikael Tellqvist PHX

Chris Osgood DET vs Dwayne Roloson EDM

Monday, October 29, 2007

Cheese Slice for October 30, 2007

Here are ten roto ideas for tomorrow. I hope you got some practice looking at stats this weekend with me out of town. Roto is just as much a gut feeling as it is looking at the numbers. The numbers help increase the odds of success though.

Derek Morris (Pho - D) SOG, Points, PIMs.

Steve Wagner (StL - D) Points, +/-.

D.J. King (StL - LW) PIMs.

Doug Weight (StL - C) Points, PPPs.

Jamal Mayers (StL - RW) SHPs, PIMs.

Adam Hall (Pit - RW) Against a players old team is always a good play. Points, SHPs, PIMs, SOG.

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

Mark Parrish (Min - RW) Goals, SOG. Hot play with Demitra out.

Brett Lebda (Det - D) Points, +/-, SOG, PPPs.

Jordin Tootoo (Nsh - RW) PIMs, SOG, Points.

Good luck tonight!

Back

It is good to be back after a long relaxing weekend out of town. I didn't get a chance to see any hockey so I feel out of touch when it comes to writing a post. I will touch base on some observations I made while reading the updates on TSN.ca

Carolina is back! They have returned to their fantasy powerhouse status. Even third and fourth line players for Carolina are decent plug in plays. If you own Brindamour, Staal, Williams, Cole or Whitney you are on cloud nine.

Semin is starting out a bust. I have said many times I wanted to see Semin perform more than one great year before I sold the farm to get him. He is hurt and its not healing well. Ankles can be long hard injuries to overcome, just ask Rick Nash.

Jiri Tlusty had a great debut for Toronto. He scored two goals (including the GWG) and had 4 SOG. In his second NHL game he was held without a point but recorded 4 more SOG. A good sign for fantasy managers.

Marc Bell will be over his 15 game suspension by the end of this week. It might be time for you to pick him off the FA scrap pile. Toronto seems to be a fantasy hot bed this season and there is no reason Bell can't step in and produce.

The Minnesota nets have gone cold. Backstrom and Harding could do no wrong to start, but each has struggled of late. There is no need to panic if you own either one of these guys.

Malkin is not showing any signs of a sophomore slump. He has looked better than Sid so far this year. (Then again, a lot of players have. That "C" might be too heavy on his shoulder right now).

Ryan Malone is maybe the only player in the NHL that can skate 5 on 5 with Malkin and Crosby and not register a point.

Gaborik claims his latest groin issue is no cause for alarm. How many people here remember all those times Forsberg used to say he would rest a game or two to be safe?

Luongo is wondering why when he was in FLA they needed a team and right after he left they started saying all they needed was an elite goalie. He is also wondering what happened to that trap efficient team that played in front of him last year.

The Sedin twins are wondering what it takes to get a decent RW to play with.

There was a Chris Clark sighting as he scored 2 goals once he was put back with Ovechkin. Those of you using Fleischmann, Motzko or whoever else WSH throws on Ovy's RW should look for another sleeper. They are not the droids you are looking for. They make Ryan Malone look good.

Only three games tonight, but I can't wait to see some hockey after a long weekend without it. I have started to develop a twitch and need my fix.

Q & A Segment 10/29/07

Ryan in Vancouver
I am in a keeper pool, only points count
goalies get 2 for a win + 3 for a shutout

I have been offered Backstrom (the keeper)
for O.Jokinen

should i do this deal

my starting goalie right now is budjai and i have J.Harding as my backup?


Ryan, I would rather have Jokinen. Harding is going to be the man in MIN very soon. I believe a goalie always pops up each year that no one expects or that you can get for free. Backstrom is very good, but Jokinen is s stud I'd hate to lose in a keeper.
I would try to get Theodore cheap (and I mean really cheap) to lock one net. Who is available on your wire?

Brian
I have Spezza, Cammaleri, Bergeron, Savard at center. I need wing help. Which one should I trade? Single season league with PIMs.

Brian, Since you have two Boston guys I'd try to move one of them. I'd Try Bergeron because of Savard's PIMs but his recent injury could make that difficult.

Wes in the Tank
Setoguchi has been called up. Activate him right away from my farm team or wait? Once we activate we have to drop someone off the regular roster and we can not return the rookie to the farm team.

Wes, Kaspar was also called up. Seto is not 100% yet. I would wait and see how he plays and how long he stays. He might go up and down a lot this season. If he demands a roster spot pull him up, but wait for now.

Jason
I picked up Hedberg and Pavelec on your advice. Hedberg has been hit and miss but he got me wins this week. Pavelec has yet to start. Should I drop him since Hedberg is seeing all the action?

Jason, I would hold onto Pavelec until he is sent down. I would continue to hold him in a keeper but a single season league should be a safe drop if he gets sent down.

Lincoln in New Jersey
My team stinks to start. I am winless head to head. I am thinking about packing it in now and trading my veterans for prospects and draft picks. Is it to early to pack it in?

Lincoln, it is much too early to pack it in. You never know what could happen with active managing, especially if you are in a H2H pool. The stock of Vets will go up when the trade deadline gets closer as well. Be patient but if you can land a lock of a future stud, do it.

Anonymous,
Some chowder head in my league just dropped McCabe. Should I drop one of these guys to waiver him? I have the number one waiver. Should I hold it? Keeper league, standard scoring with PIMs.

Gonchar, Zubov, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Meszaros, Vlasic.

I would drop MAB for McCabe in a heart beat. I love MAB game but the Islanders have Campoli and will get Berard back at some point. I would not worry about burning your waiver on a stud like McCabe.

NYI #1Fan
I loaded up my fantasy team with NYI players. I have Comrie, Guerin, Fedotenko, Tambellini, Satan, Campoli, Dipietro. Keeper league and I had to trade to get some of these guys. Should I trade some now they have started well?

Fan Boy, I would try to move everyone except Campoli and Dipi. I think they will be good fantasy players all year, but if you can package them for a stud in his prime than do it. If you are getting back spare parts you might as well keep the players you enjoy watching.

Lance
I drafted Hudler high in my keeper draft. Should I dump him for a roto spot? I shopped him and no one wants him via trade.

Lance, It could be worse, you could have drafted Igor Grigorenko high like I did. Hudler had a highlight goal the other night. He has proven that when he gets hot he can really score in bunches. I would hold him and wait for that hot streak and then try to trade him. If you just shopped him and then you drop him then it hurts future trade talks when you try to shop a player. Managers might wait you out to see if you drop the player.

Ashley in Richmond
What is the better hockey name? Cumiskey or Semin?

Ashley, I am not sure how to answer. You have stumped me. I am going with Cumiskey for the sake of answering.

That is a good place to end this segment.

One more to add:

Ryan,
Points only pool. We keep 6. My Havlat plus 1st round pick for Brunette?

Ryan,
I would not do that trade for Brunette. Havlat is a mess for sure, but he can produce with the best of them if healthy. I am very worried about his shoulder and feel he could be done this year as well as next if he comes back and takes one good hit.
I like Brunette but Wolski is producing more and while Brunette has done well at RW his PP time has been hurt with Smyth in town. Brunette's age and Colordo's depth is a red flag for me(When it comes to paying high for him). If it was just Havlat I could live with the deal since you can only keep 6 anyway, but the pick is too much.

Starting Goalies 10/08/07

Projected Starters:

Marty Turco DAL vs Evgeni Nabokov SJS

Vesa Toskala TOR vs Olaf Kolzig WSH

Henrik Lundqvist NYR vs Johan Holmqvist TB