Fantasy Pucks

The Facewash

2017-01-11T10:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Fantasy Pucks. We hope to bring you specific and detailed Fantasy Hockey information and help.

On the right you will find all of your favorite sections under Menu as well as in the links below. Also on the right you will find archives and links to other notable Hockey related sites.

As always feel free to ask either myself, Mr. Fantasy Solution or The Arrogant Puck a question via E-mail or in the Comments sections and look for an answer in Q and A.

I will be away Friday the 9th until Monday the 12th

The Cheese Move Updated Daily

Mr Fantasy Solution's posts can be found here: Updated 11/08/07
Mr. Fantasy Solution

The Arrogant Puck's posts can be found here: Updated 10/31/07
The Arrogant Puck

Q and A posts can be found here: Updated 11/01/07
Q and A

Player Breakdown's can be found here: Update 9/15/07
Player Breakdowns

Tonight's Goalies can be found here: Update *Game* Daily
Tonight's Goalies

Buy-Sell-And What the Hell? can be found here: Updated 10/31/07
Buy-Sell-And What the Hell

Ride the Dark Horse can be found here: Updated 9/25/07
Ride The Dark Horse

Team Cheat Sheets can be found here: Preseason Guide
Team Cheat Sheets

Team Cheat Sheet: Anaheim Ducks

2008-05-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

To kick off Team Cheat Sheets we will start with the Ducks. This is basically a fast list of each team and their players (from last season, UFAs included) and some players in the pipe that could be coming up. As UFA players sign or leave teams I will update the lists. So be sure to check for updates. DND = Do Not Draft!

Anaheim Ducks:

Beauchemin, Francois D- Worth a look in deeper leagues, late round selection at best.

Bertuzzi, Todd RW - UPDATE He could be a fantasy monster in ANH. Beware of his injuries and sagging play. Decent gamble for PIM leagues, high risk, high reward.

Brent, Tim C - Prospect C, not worth a look yet in pools. DND

Bryzgalov, Ilya G - Could be the #1 next season and worth taking in any format. He is good!

Coleman, Gerald G - Don't look for him to see NHL action anytime soon DND

Dipenta, Joe D - No fantasy value unless ANH is hit hard by injury on the blue line. DND

Getzlaf, Ryan C - A must Draft for keepers and should be solid in all formats.

Giguere, Jean-Sebastien G - :UPDATE: Signed a 4 year deal: A top fantasy goalie if he stays in ANH, could struggle elsewhere.

Hartigan, Mark C - Decent 3rd line depth for real life, no fantasy value DND

Hnidy, Shane D - UPDATE This new addition will not add much fantasy pop. DND

Huskins, Kent D - Not much fantasy hope playing behind the stud D of ANH. DND

Jackman, Ric D - A fantasy wildcard, huge offensive talent, late round sleeper potential.

Kunitz, Chris LW - Finished slower than he started, but a must draft, especially in PIM leagues.

Marchant, Todd C - FA add for match up play only. DND

May, Brad LW - FA add for PIM match up. Fights are all this guy has to add for fantasy. DND

McDonald, Andy C - Solid center draft pick in all leagues. Don't take him too high over wingers!

Miller, Drew LW - His strong physical play in game 1 of the cup finals could earn him a spot next year. Keep an eye on him and here for updates.

Moen, Travis LW - Great match up FA, add for shps and PIMs and some SOG. DND

Niedermayer, Rob C - Don't think its Scott and draft him. FA add for match up play. DND

Niedermayer, Scott D - Even at his age he is a must draft for all fantasy leagues!

O'donnell, Sean D - He is ok for deep PIM leagues, late draft. Solid PIM match up FA add.

Pahlson, Samuel C - FA add for shp match up play. Threat to score. DND

Parros, George RW - Best mustache last season. Draft in deep PIM leagues that use fighters.

Perry, Corey RW - Keeper league gold, not ready for solid play in most leagues.

Pronger, Chris D - A top D draft selection all formats.

Rome, Aaron D - not much value next year. DND

Ryan, Bobby RW - Keeper gold, next year's value is uncertain, but not ready for most formats.

Schneider, Mathieu D - UPDATE Will step right into the PP and fill the void if Nieds retires. Solid draft pick in all leagues. Age and groin issues are the only concern.

Selanne, Teemu RW - Keeper beware, all others snag him!

Thats the list so far. Be sure to check for updates during the summer as players change teams and decisions are made about next season's rosters. Anyone left off might be added later if their fantasy stock rises.

Traveling

2007-11-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

I will be away Friday November 9th until Monday, November 12th. There will likely be no updates until Monday.

Sorry gang!

Bergeron Press Conference

2007-11-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

Patrice Bergeron the Boston Bruins talented young center is having a press conference at 2:30PM EST today. There are many speculations of what this could mean, but I fear the worst.

Reports in Boston and aired over Montreal's Team 990 radio say that Bergeron has to arrive at Boston's facilities in a wheel chair and can not walk on his own over 50 ft.

The GM of Boston has also stated in the Boston Globe that he would not rule out that this injury could end his career.

Fantasy owners in keeper leagues will want to stay tuned to this press conference. It could go a long way in preparing us for the future.

I wish Bergeron and his family the best and hope he can recover to a healthy state so he can enjoy a full life. Hockey is certainly secondary.

Slice of Cheese for 11/09/07

2007-11-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

10 Roto ideas:

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

George Parros (Anh - RW) PIMs.

Rene Bourque (Chi - LW) SHPs.

Tyler Arnason (Col - C) Points, SOG.

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

Patrick Sharp (Chi - RW) SHPs, Goals.

Matt Stajan (Tor - C) SHPs, Points, SOG.

Clarke MacArthur (Buf - LW) Points, SOG.

Jannik Hansen (Van - LW/RW) SOG, Points. (This is a gut feeling, not based on stats)

Jared Boll (Cls - RW) PIMs.

Good luck with tonights match ups!

Starting Goalies 11/08/07

2007-11-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Marc Denis TB vs Cam Ward CAR (Check for updates. I hear TB is having a raffle and drawing seat numbers with the prize being "Start in goal for an NHL game)

Marc-Andre Fleury PIT vs Henrik Lundqvist NYR

Antero Niittymaki PHI vs Martin Brodeur NJD

Olaf Kolzig WSH vs Ray Emery OTT

Carey Price MTL vs Tuukka Rask BOS

Mike Smith DAL vs Mikael Tellqvist PHX

Roberto Luongo VAN vs Miikka Kiprusoff

I think its safe to say

2007-11-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

These are simple observations I feel are safe to say at this point in the season.

Jason Blake (TOR-RW) won't score 40 goals. He is having a decnet season so far, but its not what Toronto was hoping for.

Jonathan Cheechoo (SJS-RW) is a fantasy manager killer. No matter what you do with him you end up screwed at the end of the year. Keep him and get nadda, trade him and he lites the world on fire.

Jonathan Toews (CHI-C) and Patrick Kane (CHI-RW) are the real deal.

Peter Mueller (PHX-C) Started slower than some thought, but is going to be a pure beauty.

Nik Antropov (TOR-C) is a dominating player when healthy.

Igor Grigorenko (DET-RW) might prove the Yahoo experts right and score 48 goals this season, but i doubt they meant in Russia.

Kari Lehtonen (ATL-G) might be the next Luongo but his groin can't take the weight of fantasy managers leaning on him for their success in net.

Martin Havlat (CHI-RW) will make a fine replacement for Samuel L. Jackson in the sequel to Unbreakable

Henrik Zetterberg (DET-LW) is a top 5 fantasy talent. Maybe top 2 by the end of the year.

Sedin Twins (VAN-C and LW) should have been triplets so they could have had a RW they could gel with.

Mike Richards (PHI-C) if you kept him in your keper or drafted him this year, you look like a genius.

Scott Hartnell (PHI-LW/RW) is not proving he is an elite power forward.

Jose Theodore (COL-G) still has the skills. We just need to see if the coach will let him run with it.

Daniel Alfredsson (OTT-RW) To quote Spezza "That guy is a pretty good player"

Marian Hossa (ATL-RW) Is the best buy low candidate in fantasy history.

Sid and Geno (PIT-C and C/LW) Can't do it all by themselves.

Carolina Hurricanes have returned to fantasy dominance for a team.

Cristobal Huet (MTL-G) is a legit starting goalie, but he is not going to get a full time load in MTL.

Ted Nolan (NYI-Coach) is a stand up and respectable guy. Those rumors he grabbed the ass of Al Arbour's wife are baseless and jokes in poor taste.

Thats all I got for this segment. If you have some of your own E-mail them in and I will post them.

Colby Armstrong benched again

2007-11-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

Colby Armstrong (Pit - RW) will be a healthy scratch tonight for his third straight game. While he holds no fantasy value right now, I still feel he is worth holding onto in keeper leagues.

PIT has deep grit forwards in their AHL system, but Army has proved he can click with Sid in the past. I would hold onto Armstrong until we see a coaching change in PIT. If they change the leadership it might spark him.

The other side of the coin is you could drop him and pick him back up later as no one will likely touch him.

I was content with him in my league until the benching. I was willing to ride him out because my league was deep and he was a great SHP threat. He has been a hard hold and I am one with a fast drop click, but he still has some potential if you have a deep keeper league.

The future is bleak right now for Army, if you can replace him with a projected top line prospect in a keeper pull the trigger.

Clarke MacArthur gets the call.

2007-11-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

The Buffalo Sabers called up Dylan Hunter (Buf - LW) and Clarke MacArthur (Buf - LW) to fill in for injuries. Both have been hot in the AHL for scoring. Hunter was the AHL player of the week last week. MacArthur has been leading the AHL in scoring for most of the year.

Tim Connolly made it longer than many joked he would, but he is hampered with yet another injury. A time table is uncertain. While its not thought to be serious, its a cause for concern to all managers who own him.

Adam Mair was providing a nice match up play for some managers but certainly won't impact your fantasy roster.

MacArthur should be added in all leagues because he has the skill to click. Hunter will be a solid match up play but the odds of him producing in the NHL are long.

Cheese Slice for 11/08/07

2007-11-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

10 Roto ideas:

Chris Gratton (TB - C) Goals, PIMs, SOG.

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

Jay Pandolfo (NJ - LW) Points, SOG.

Donald Brashear (Was - LW) PIMs.

Milan Lucic (Bos - LW) PIMs.

John Madden (NJ - C) Points.

Chris Kelly (Ott - C) Points.

Brian Pothier (Was - D) Points, PIMs.

Derek Morris (Pho - D) All stats.

Brendan Morrison (Van - C) Points.

Good luck tonight!

Startting Goalies 11/7/08

2007-11-07T16:23:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Biron NJD vs Sabourin PIT

Thomas BOS vs Miller BUF

Vokoun FLA vs Holmqvist TB

Mason NSH vs Osgood DET

Norrena CLS vs Khabibulin CHI

Budaj COL vs Roloson EDM

Giguere ANH vs Auld PHX

Turco DAL vs Nabokov SJS

Cheese Slice for 11/07/07

2007-11-06T18:14:00.000-05:00

1o roto ideas:

Josh Gratton (Pho - LW) PIMs

George Parros (Anh - RW) PIMs

Ruslan Salei (Fla - D) Assists, SHPs, SOG.

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

Brett Lebda (Det - D) All stats.

Michael Peca (Cls - C) Points, SHPs.

Daniel Cleary (Det - RW) All stats.

Jared Boll (Cls - RW) PIMs.

Dany Sabourin (Pit - G) After a SO he could get a start tomorrow. Only if you need a start.

Milan Lucic (Bos - LW) PIMs.

Good luck tonight!

Starting Goalies 11/06/07

2007-11-06T18:10:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Henrik Lundqvist NYR vs Rick "Ol One Eye" DiPietro NYI

Vesa Toskala TOR vs Martin Gerber OTT

Ondrej Pavelec ATL vs Brent Johnson WSH

Tlusty the next victom?

2007-11-05T19:06:00.000-05:00

This season we have seen guys like Pouliot and Kalus sent down in MIN to protect other players from being sent down and exposed to waivers.

Even if the player has no real value GMs hate to lose a guy for nothing. It looks bad and it can deplete organizational depth.

Jason Labarbera was stuck in the AHL all last season as a prisoner to waivers.

Toronto has some decisions to make and soon. Rookie Jiri Tlusty has played well in his short stint with the Leafs and head coach Paul Maurice has said he has played well enough to stay.

That does not change reality. The reality is Toronto has Bell and Wellwood coming back, Gamache is eligible for waivers if he is sent down and the team seems to have some weird love for Battaglia and Belak.

Belak might be moved or waived if Bell can replace the toughness to the lineup and Battaglia is someone most Leaf fans hope will be waived. Gamache has vanished after starting out strong but he is still an asset. The team won't risk losing him on waivers.

That leaves us with Tlusty. If he can survive past this week, Darcy Tucker will be coming back to eat up another roster spot. Tlusty has outplayed everyone mentioned here, but because of the CBA and Business, he will soon find himself back in the AHL.

Hold onto him in your league if you can. The Leafs might make room for him soon enough.

Kovalchuk on Fire

2007-11-05T19:03:00.000-05:00

Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL-LW) has posted B2B hat tricks. This is not much in the way of fantasy news. What is surprising is that it is Ilya and not Hossa leading this team. Ilya is hitting, fighting, scoring short handed and doing whatever it takes to lead his slumping team.

This is great to see for fantasy managers. If he starts producing more than just points and shots, he will be a godly fantasy player.

If you didn't try to trade for him early, you can forget landing him this season unless you pay through the nose.

Bell and Wellwood time

2007-11-05T18:59:00.000-05:00

Both Mark Bell and Kyle Wellwood will be on the ice Tuesday for the Leafs when they play the Ottawa Senators.

Pick up or activate both immediately. I expect an impact right out of the gate. While Bell is going to see line 4 duty to start, he will at least fight and probably get moved up to a better line during the game.

Forsberg done?

2007-11-05T18:53:00.000-05:00

Most fantasy managers had already given up on Peter Forsberg but today the few remaining hopeful have reason to mourn.

As Forsberg was the reason I fell in love with hockey, this is a sad day.

He left the ice today after just one hour and withdrew from the Karjala Cup that he planned to play in with team Sweden.

as taken from the TSN article, here is a quote from Forsberg.

"I've never been so close to the end of my career," he said. "I'm not going to retire today, I'm going to check with the doctors to see one more time what can be done. They should be able to fix it. I don't want it to be any major procedures, if it's a small thing they can fix, I'll be okay, if not I think I'll let it be. It's looking pretty dark."

It may not be official, but I don't see what new idea the 30 or so specialists he ha seen will have. I won't give up hope as a fan, but as a fantasy manager its time to write him off.

Rask Gets the Call

2007-11-05T18:48:00.000-05:00

Tuukka Rask BOS-G

Has been called up to join the Bruins. This might mean that Manny is hurt worse than Boston is letting on, or it might mean they are ready to have a look and see after seeing the success of Carey Price for Montreal.

Rask is a great pick up for any league. Single season pools are a gamble but he could be worth the look. Keepers must grab him and if you own Manny Fernandez or Tim Thomas then you better get Rask as insurance.

I warned potential Thomas and Manny owners this could happen, hopefully you are prepared for it.

Adds for 11/06/07

2007-11-05T14:30:00.000-05:00

10 roto ideas:

Eric Perrin (Atl - C) Points, SHPs, SOG.

Matt Stajan (Tor - C) SHP, Points, SOG, PIMs.

Mark Bell (Tor - C) PIMs, Points. Grab and hold

Brian McGrattan (Ott - RW) PIMs.

Boyd Gordon (Was - C,RW) Points, SHPs, SOG, PIMs.

Randy Robitaille (Ott - C) Points, +/-.

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

Brandon Dubinsky (NYR - C) Points, SOG.

Matt Pettinger (Was - LW) All stats

Christoph Schubert (Ott - D) Points, SOG.

Bonus pick:

Wade Belak (Tor - RW,D) Risk play. PIMs if in the line up. Only play if willing to gamble that TOR uses him.

Starting Goalies 11/05/07

2007-11-05T14:14:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Olaf Kolzig WSH vs Cam Ward CAR

Martin Biron PHI vs Henrik Lundqvist NYR

Marc-Andre Fleury PIT vs Martin Brodeur NJD

Johan Holmqvist TB vs Tomas Vokoun FLA

Cristobal Huet MTL vs Ryan Miller BUF

Dwayne Roloson EDM vs Niklas Backstrom MIN

Jose Theodore COL vs Miikka Kiprusoff CGY

Marty Turco DAL vs Jean-Sebastien Giguere ANH

Slice for 11/05/07

2007-11-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

10 roto ideas:

Jochen Hecht (Buf - C) Points.

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

Paul Gaustad (Buf - C) PPPs, PIMs.

Jarret Stoll (Edm - C) Points, SHPs.

Chris Gratton (TB - C) Goals, PIMs.

Jay Pandolfo (NJ - LW) Points, SOG.

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

Ian Laperriere (Col - RW) PIMs.

Mike Commodore (Car - D) PIMs, SHPs.

Paul Ranger (TB - D) Points, SOG.

Good luck with tonights games!

Starting Goalies 11/04/07

2007-11-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Pascal Leclaire CLS vs Hannu Toivonen STL

Tim Thomas BOS vs Martin Gerber OTT

Mason NSH vs Khabibulin CHI UPDATE

Vancouver has a rash

2007-11-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-03T09:56:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-03T09:35:00.000-05:00

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

Starting Goalies 11/02/07

2007-11-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Brent Johnson WSH vs Antero Niittymaki PHI

Vesa Toskala TOR vs Martin Brodeur NJD

Jocelyn Thibault BUF vs Tomas Vokoun FLA

Alex Auld PHX vs Mike Smith DAL

Dan Ellis NSH vs Dwayne Roloson EDM

Jean-Sebastien Aubin LA vs Evgeni Nabokov SJS

Lets go shopping!

2007-11-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-01T09:52:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-01T08:12:00.000-05:00

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!

Slice of Cheese for 11/01/07

2007-10-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-31T01:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Slice for 10/31/07

2007-10-30T08:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-30T08:26:00.000-05:00

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

Cheese Slice for October 30, 2007

2007-10-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-29T13:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-29T12:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-29T12:21:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Marty Turco DAL vs Evgeni Nabokov SJS

Vesa Toskala TOR vs Olaf Kolzig WSH

Henrik Lundqvist NYR vs Johan Holmqvist TB

Don't give up

2007-10-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T09:49:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T09:27:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-24T14:47:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-24T14:35:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-23T08:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-23T08:05:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-22T13:59:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-22T13:05:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-22T12:53:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-21T16:46:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-21T14:50:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-21T14:42:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-21T14:37:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters:

Curtis Sanford VAN vs Pascal Leclaire CLS

Peter Budaj COL vs Niklas Backstrom MIN

Adds for 10/21/07

2007-10-20T12:47:00.000-05:00

Ten roto ideas for matchup play:

Lukas Krajicek (Van - D) PPPs, SOG, Assists.

Derek Boogaard (Min - LW) PIMs.

Scott Parker (Col - RW) PIMs.

Mark Parrish (Min - RW) Goals, SOG.

Mason Raymond (Van - LW) SOG, Points.

Stephane Veilleux (Min - LW) SHPs, PIMs.

Michael Peca (Cls - C) Points, PIMs.

Ian Laperriere (Col - RW) PIMs.

Tyler Arnason (Col - C) Points, SOG.

Eric Belanger (Min-C) SHPs, Points, SOG, +/-.

Good luck with tonights roto plays!

Starting Goalies 10/20/07

2007-10-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

Projected starters:

Manny Fernandez BOS vs Henrik Lundqvist NYR

Patrick Lalime CHI vs Vesa Toskala TOR

John Grahame CAR vs Martin Biron PHI

Marc-Andre Fleury PIT vs Brent Johnson WSH

Ryan Miller BUF vs Cristobal Huet MTL

Rick DiPietro NYI vs Kevin Weekes NJD

Craig Anderson FLA vs Ray Emery OTT

Johan Hedberg ATL vs Marc Denis TB

Mike Smith DAL vs Jean-Sebastien Giguere ANH

Josh Harding MIN vs Manny Legace STL

Dominik Hasek DET vs Mikael Tellqvist PHX

Dwayne Roloson EDM vs Miikka Kiprusoff CGY

Chris Mason NSH vs Evgeni Nabokov SJS

Check back for updates.

Match up adds for 10/19/07

2007-10-19T18:58:00.000-05:00

Ten roto matchup ideas:

Nick Foligno (Ott - LW) Coming off his first NHL goal, he could be good. Points, +/-, SOG, PIMs.

Kurtis Foster (Min - D) SOG, PIMs, Goals.

Douglas Murray (SJ - D) PIMs.

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

Steve Wagner (StL - D) 3 Assists in 5 games. +/-, Assists, SOG.

Jay Pandolfo (NJ - LW) Points, SOG.

John Madden (NJ-C) Goals, SHPs, SOG, PIMs.

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

Arron Asham (NJ-RW) Points, PIMs.

Kris Draper (Det-C) Points, SHPs, +/-, SOG, PIMs.

Bonus Trent Hunter (NYI-RW) Points, SOG.

I hope tonights matchups are going well!

Late on the Move

2007-10-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry everyone. Post will be in by 9pm. Long day :(

Starting Goalies 10/19/07

2007-10-19T17:27:00.000-05:00

I was away all day and didn't get time to research them. Only 30 minutes left so please check out goaliepost.com to get the starters for tonight.

Lehtonen Down!

2007-10-18T19:27:00.001-05:00

Kari Lehtonen (Atl-G) is down!!! Looks like it could be the unlucky groin again. The Post Hartley era is starting with a mixed bag. Atlanta is playing well but their main man goes down in net.

Get Hedberg or Pavelec immediately in case its bad. Need to be prepared for the worst. This could insure your safe if you own Lehtonen or get you a goalie or trade chip if you get the knee of the manager that has Lehtonen.

Starting Goalies 10/18/07

2007-10-18T10:25:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters for Tonight:

Marc Denis TB vs Tim Thomas BOS

Henrik Lundqvist NYR vs Kari Lehtonen ATL

Rick DiPietro NYI vs Olaf Kolzig WSH

Kevin Weekes NJD vs Martin Biron PHI

Tomas Vokoun FLA vs Vesa Toskala TOR

Carey Price MTL vs Martin Gerber OTT

Jean-Sebastien Aubin vs Miikka Kiprusoff CGY

Alex Auld PHX vs Dwayne Roloson EDM

Chris Osgood DET vs Evgeni Nabokov SJS

Adds for 10/19/07

2007-10-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

Ten Match up ideas to add for tomorrow:

Chad LaRose (Car - C) SOG, Points, SHPs, PIMs.

Paul Gaustad (Buf - C) PIMs, PPPs.

Adam Mair (Buf - C) PIMs, Points, +/-.

Ian Laperriere (Col - RW) PIMs.

Rick Rypien (Van - C) PIMs, Points.

Raitis Ivanans (LA - LW) PIMs.

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

Jaroslav Hlinka (Col - C) Assists, SOG.

Dmitri Kalinin (Buf - D) Spacek is hurt. Points, PPPs, SOG, +/-.

Frantisek Kaberle (Car-C) PPPs, SOG, Assists.

Good luck with tonights match ups!

Q & A Segment 10/17/07

2007-10-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

Things are moving fast to start the year. We have yet to see a big goalie injury and we have our first head coach fired. Lets get to your questions and see if they reflect other people's thoughts.

Murray in South Plymoth
Who has more upside. Rob Schremp or David Krejci?

Murray, right now I would go with Krejci. The team and management loves him and he has great skill. Schremp is fighting to get out of the dog house and could be looking at being a PP specialist and not a guy that can be counted on 5 on 5. If Schremp can turn it around he has more natural talent, but Krejci is the safe pick right now.

The Nick in Freeland
With Hartley gone will Atlanta score some goals? Are they still a match up to seek in roto play?

Nick, Atlanta should see an increase in production. That is common after a coaching change. While the best pick ups in roto were the guys playing against ATL, I would expect them to be solid plays after the first or second game under the interim coach.

James,
Play him or bench him? Bill Guerin.

James, Hard to answer that with such little information. I say play him. A guy like Guerin can go for 2 goals and a fight when you least expect it.

Max in Alberta
I have been offered Ryan Smyth and Tobias Enstrom in my standard scoring/PIM keeper. I would have to give up Huselius. I would have to drop a defensemen. I have plenty of scrubs. Thats not a concern.

Max, I would prefer Huselius in a keeper because of his age. He is starting out like last year was no fluke. I would think Huselius + roto spot will net you just as good stats as Smyth and Enstrom.

Chris in NYC
Dawes is going to play tonight. Should I activate him from my farm team or wait?

Chris, I would wait. Most farm teams, once you activate them they have to stay up. Dawes is a long way from sticking yet. I would give him 10-15 games before I activated him.

Anonymous
I have been offered Kobasew and Lucic for Jack Skille. Take it? I could use the production over the NA, but I don't want to lose a long term power forward stud.

Take the deal if you need stats now. Lucic has as much upside as Skille right now. Skille might prove a better goal scorer down the road but right now Lucic is the only one playing in the NHL.

Ben in NJ
Rick Nash has a sore groin. Will he be missing games?

Ben, right now it looks like they are just resting Nash from practice. Keep an eye on him and check for updates. He has a pattern of leg injuries that are reason for concern.

thats all I have for now. Keep them coming.

Hejduk is DTD, Smyth Shines.

2007-10-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

Milan Hejduk (COL-RW) is out with a bad back. He is listed as DTD but we all know how tricky those back injuries can be. Adjust your rosters accordingly.

With Hejduk out Ryan Smyth (COL-LW) picked up the slack. He scored a goal, had an assist and registered 11 SOG. This is the game owners were waiting for.

Hartley Fired, Souray Hurt

2007-10-17T14:50:00.000-05:00

The hammer finally dropped on Atlanta head coach Bob Hartley. This is a fantasy blog so I won't slap out a bunch of Hartley info. Bottom line, ATL will finally become worth having in fantasy leagues now. Expect real numbers from their fantasy players now. They should see a big pop the next few games.

Sheldon Souray (EDM-D) Sustained a shoulder injury while fighting Byron Ritchie during the game against the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night. No word on when he might return or how bad it is. Fantasy owners who have Souray should adjust their rosters immediately.

Adds for 10/18/07

2007-10-17T14:31:00.000-05:00

10 ideas for match up adds:

Jan Hlavac (TB - LW) - SOG, Points.

Nick Boynton (Pho - D) PIMs.

Fedor Tyutin (NYR - D) +/-, Points.

Chris Campoli (NYI - D) Points, PPPs, SOG.

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

David Krejci (Bos - C) Assists, +/-.

Rob Schremp (Edm - C) SOG, Points.

Chris Gratton (TB - C) Goals, PIMs, SOG.

Steve Reinprecht (Pho - C) SOG, Points.

Craig Weller (Pho-RW) SOG, Points, PIMs.

Starting Goalies 10/17/07

2007-10-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

Projected starters for Wednesday 10/17/07:

Mason NSH vs *Giguere ANH

Norrena CLS vs Smith DAL

Khabibulin CHI vs Legace STL

Broduer NJD vs Fluery PIT

* Check back for updates

Buy, Sell, and What the Hell? Crappy Coaches Edition

2007-10-17T01:55:00.000-05:00

Buy, Sell, and What the Hell?
Crappy Coaches Edition

by

The Arrogant Puck

--Hey, Listen Up Hosers!!!!! I'm here to tell you who looks good, who looks bad, and who looks like that funny guy/girl with the hairy mustache at your local grocers. You know who I'm talking about. And even after that one night stand with the hazy breakfast, you still don't know the gender do you?

BUY

Paul Gaustad (C) - Sabres -- It never pays to draft high profile Centermen. This year, Gaustad is seeing loads of powerplay time. You should be able to pick him up for free on the wire and plug him in for spot duty. Word on the street is, that the infamous McCabe goal heard around the world actually touched Gaustad the Human Goalie screen before McCabe slammed it home - so he got a lucky GWG. As long as he's plugged in front of the crease on the pp, expect the luck to continue.

Milan Lucic (LW) - Bruins -- For deep keeper leagues only, Lucic joins the small group of up and coming prospects that might be the next great power forward. Scoring a Gordie Howe hat trick the other night, Lucic brings it every night. He's worth the add until we see if he gets sent back to juniors or stays on with the big club.

Jordan Staal (LW) - Penguins -- For keeper leagues, be sure to talk about the sophomore slump. But if you caught the last pitt game, you'll know that Staal was a monster on the puck and shot it like a man posessed. His value may never be lower than it is right now. His massive frame matches his massive upside, so strike before it is too late.

Thomas Vanek (LW) - Sabres -- This week might not be the time to do the trade, but you should get started on feelers. Vanek is going to have a cold start to this season. The key will be to trade for him once his owner panics. I think he'll turn things around mid-season or maybe not til next year - so he's a perfect buy low candidate in keeper leagues.

SELL

Tomas Holmstrom (LW) - Red Wings -- He's good and on fire. But don't count on it to last the entire season. Just like stocks, you have to try to sell high and buy low. Holmstrom's stock will never be higher, so strike while you can. Obviously, don't sell him for anything - only if you can get great value in return.

Niklas Hagman (LW) - Stars -- I normally don't like to sell LWs at all, and I have two listed as sells. Be sure to include something about LW being the most difficult position to fill, when you send out those Hagman trade offers. He's on fire out of the gate this year, but it won't last. Hurry trade him while you can get great value for him. Do it now!

Bob Hartley (Coach) - Thrashers - For you diehard punks that draft coaches in your fantasy leagues, drop this cat to the wire! He sucks and Atlanta is playing for him to be fired.

Nathan Horton (RW) - Panthers -- I've watched this kid, and I am not sold on his talent. He's posting good numbers, but I'd try to get out while the getting is good. I want no part of Florida, so I'd look to sell him for the best player/package you can.

What the Hell????

The Ottawa Nets - Senators -- If you picked up Gerber on the cheap this summer, good for you. If you paid heavily for Emery in that keeper league, bah, that sucks. Anyway, if you don't have Gerber or Emery, I would be looking to trade for either one, if you can get them on the cheap. Gerber owners are nervous he'll lose his #1 job. Emery owners are nervous that Gerber is the new number one in town. Based on history, players have a tough time having a good season when they miss the preseason like Emery has, so he has a tough hill to climb. But either way, try to use this nervousness to grab one or both of these goalies on the cheap.

--That's it, I'm outta here.

The Arrogant Puck has left the Arena.

Jonathan Bernier sent to juniors.

2007-10-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Bernier (LA-G) was sent back to the minors yesterday by the LA Kings. Bernier is still a good long term hold in keeper leagues, but he should be dropped in all single season pools.

The kid might be sad to be out of the NHL this year, but I have a feeling he will enjoy this year a lot more now.

If you are considering picking up J.S. Aubin in your league, don't. Sure he could have good games but he can also let in 8 any night. I like Labarbera but he is a highly risky start as well. I'd stash him on the bench until the team shows signs of life.

Match up adds for 10/17/07

2007-10-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

Here are ten ideas for roto plays:

Jordan Tootoo (NSH-RW) PIMs.

Darcy Hordichuk (NSH-LW) PIMs.

George Parros (ANH-RW) PIMs.

David Koci (CHI-LW) PIMs.

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

Nicklas Bergfors (NJD) Points, SOG.

Jason Chimera (CLS-LW) SOG, SHPs. He plays well vs DAL.

Maxime Talbot (PIT-C) He is on fire. Points, SHPs, SOG, PIMs.

Christian Backman (STL-D) PPPs, SOG, +/-, PIMs.

Kent Huskins (ANH-D) SOG, +/-, Points.

Good luck with tonights matchups!

Starting Goalies 10/16/07

2007-10-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Projected starters for Tuesday night 10/16/07:

Lehtonen ATL VS Biron PHI

Huet MTL VS Vokoun FLA

Kiprusoff CGY VS Budaj COL

Backstrom MIN VS Labarbera LA

More Cheese Please?

2007-10-15T19:57:00.000-05:00

I saw this comment of "More cheese please" under yesterday's post for The Cheese Move. Sadly I didn't see it until tonight. I check my E-mail more often then I check for comments. While comments are a fine way to ask questions, it is faster if you E-mail me . Comments I usually get to every two days. E-mail is daily (if I am in town).

In the future if you want a reply or information for the next day, E-mail me. I try to check them before I call it a night.

I will try to post before I travel and I will try to nudge The Arrogant Puck into posting when I am out of town.

Thanks for the continued support.

No Hard Feelings

2007-10-15T19:44:00.001-05:00

I was one of the people that questioned how life for Kristian Huselius (CGY-LW) would be when Mike Keenan got to town. Its well documented how Keenan ran ruff shot over Huselius in FLA. Then he traded him to Calgary. Perhaps Iron Mike was just planning for the future!

When Keenan got to town he said all the right things. He praised Huselius and said how he could see the improvements in his body and attitude. People skill questioned how it would work out once real games started.

Huselius has 4 goals and 1 assist in 5 games this season. He has registered 15 SOG and looks to have all the confidence in the world with the puck. Coming off last season's totals of 34 goals and 77 points in 81 games, Huselius is picking up where he left off.

Calgary fans and fantasy managers can stop holding their breathe, everything is going to be fine. So it seems now!

Matthew Lombardi (CGY-C) is also starting off well. He had a slow start the first three games, logging just 1 assist. He has broke out with 3 goals in his last two games including a SHG and a GWG.

NHL Starting Goalies

2007-10-15T18:48:00.000-05:00

I look up all the starting goalies I can. As I have mentioned I use various sources to find this information. Beat writer blogs, local newspapers, radio and TV stations. Sometimes I miss something, or there is an update when I am away from the computer and can not catch it in time.

You should always use a couple of sources when deciding who to start. I want to suggest you check out our friends over at Goaliepost.com

This site has great information on goalies and breaks down stats on that nights starter. I often use this site as a double check to the information I find.

Give them a look but don't forget us here at Fantasy Pucks either! :)

Come on NHL, get it right!!!

2007-10-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

OK, this is not exactly fantasy related in terms of advice. However, I sit here mad and looking to rant and the advantage of having this outlet at my disposal is about to be realized.

For years position eligibility has been a burr in the saddle of fantasy managers. Each year we complain and get the same token replies. Each year we think that they must fix this as its one of the biggest problems with fantasy hockey. Each year we are left tearing our hair out as players we see play the wing nightly are listed as Center all season while a guy like Wade Belak gets RW/D.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind it. I was relieved when Malkin started out the year as LW. I didn't care if he got center, I wanted him as LW. I feared he would never get the LW. I was thrilled when I saw the Yahoo listing for him. He also gained the C/LW very fast as he is high profile. If Ovechkin was playing defense you can bet he would be listed as LW/D in a couple days. If Yahoo gets enough requests or the player is a big enough name they will fix it. There are also the ones they randomly add that don't add up.

I was told this is due to Yahoo using official NHL team sites. They go on that information. Low and behold, the NHL sites are full of roster errors. How can a team site not list all the positions a player plays? Does the NHL not realize they need to market and promote their sport? Who is in charge of this information and sites? I would think one person is more than capable of doing this job. I am also certain it should be no more than two days work to fix!!!

I might need to spell this out for the NHL. They have never seemed the most business savvy bunch. If you want to promote your sport, one of the fastest growing markets to do that in is fantasy sports. People not at all interested in hockey will play fantasy just for something to do. They have a team, they watch some games to watch the players they have. If they have some good players they will start watching more, probably get hooked. However, if all they see is inconsistencies and wrong information they will think that fantasy hockey is dump. They won't watch games anymore because they have no reason to follow the sport (lord knows they won't try to find the VS channel!). The NHL and Yahoo and all the fantasy outlets the NHL sells permission to should get on the same page. We are not talking a very difficult thing to do, and the little effort they put into making it smooth and accurate would go a long way in gaining a following. Otherwise its hard to get new players to come back the next year. I have seen this all too often in the past with managers leaving because they think its backwards and mismanaged.

That brings me back to Yahoo. I spent the $5.00 on their draft kit this year. I normally don't as their expert advice seems obvious. However, it was reduced in price when buying stattracker at the same time. Given I was writing this blog I felt it a good investment as a frame of reference. I certainly was wrong! Their depth charts listed players under the wrong wing. They projected Igor Grigorenko at 48 goals (still time left, he could get them!) and in their many files they list guys as different positions than those listed on their very own rosters. So, I ask Yahoo, "Who writes this crap?" I am still awaiting a reply.

Its one thing to list it and blame the NHL. Its another to list it wrong and different in various spots on your own fantasy site. I'm not sure who these "experts" are that Yahoo has working for them, but it seems clear they don't watch many games. Their crack reporting on injuries are always the day the player plays or the day after. Never the day before when managers need the information.

If you manage a team and are frustrated, I urge you to send your fantasy hockey provider an E-mail. Send the NHL an E-mail. Let them know you are sick of the sloppy effort and you want things to be streamlined.

Thank you for listening to my two cents. Please write those E-mails! We can improve fantasy hockey because if we don't, no one will!

Adds for 10/16/07

2007-10-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

Ten matchup ideas for Tuesday 10/16/07:

Brian Smolinski (MTL-C) Smoke has been bumped up on the depth chart and has been playing well. SOG, Points, +/-.

Randy Jones (PHI-D) +/-, assists, SOG, PPPs.

Ian Laperriere (COL-RW) PIMs.

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

Jozef Stumpel (FLA-C) SOG, points.

Nick Schultz (MIN-D) Points, +/-, SHPs.

Mark Streit (MTL-D) PPPs, SOG.

Bobby Holik (ATL-C) He had life last game and is a mad player. PIMs, Points.

Mark Parrish (MIN-RW) Goals, SOG.

Rostislav Olesz (FLA-C) SOG, SHPs, PPPs, Points, +/-, PIMs.

Good luck with tonights matchups.

Starting Goalies 10/15/07

2007-10-15T12:56:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters 10/15/07

Raycroft TOR VS Thibault BUF

Nabokov SJS VS Luongo VAN

Bryzgalov ANH VS Hasek DET

Saturday Night Roundup.

2007-10-14T10:04:00.000-05:00

Last night was a lot of fun for hockey. My remote control needed new batteries from all my channel switching between games. NHL Center Ice is a great joy of my life. Here are some fantasy highlights for managers.

Marian Gaborik (MIN-RW) scored his first goal of the season. He has been playing well and now that he has broke the seal, look out! Also had 6 PIMs, 4 SOG.

Daniel Carcillo (PHX-LW) Scored 2 goals and had 10 PIMs. Avery who?

Nik Antropov (TOR-C) Knocked down in the corner, he stood up threw his body into Malkin and Malone to separate them from the puck, grabbed the puck, drove the net and crashed in a goal. Ant had a goal, and assists, was a +1, 5 SOG and collected 14 PIMs.

Alex Steen (TOR-C) He is flying with confidence and looks great with Sundin and Blake.

Wojtek Wolski (COL-LW) Played on the top line with Sakic and Brunnette. He collected 2 assists and was a +2.

Mathew Lombardi (CGY-C) Scored a SHG. His 3rd goal in 2 games.

Patrik Elias (NJD-C/LW) Had 8 SOG, 2 goals and an assist, including the GWG.

Daymond Langkow (CGY-C) Had a goal and two assists last night. He is on fire.

Travis Zajac (NJD-C) Recorded a goal and two assists. Had a PPP and 4 SOG.

Jaroslav Spacek (BUF-D) Netted 2 goals.

Tim Thomas (BOS-G) Threw more dirt on Manny with an impressive 2-1 victory over the SJ Sharks. Win, 1 GAA, .963 sv%.

Paul Martin (NJD-D) logged 3 assists.

Olli Jokinen (FLA-C) Had 1 G, 2 A but he was a -1.

Jason Arnott (NSH-C) Had a solid fantasy line. 1G, 1A, +1, 2PIMs.

Daniel Sedin (VAN-LW) A good looking 2 goal performance.

Ruslan Salei (FLA-D) 1 G, 1 A.

Stephan Weiss (FLA-C) 1 G, 1 A, 3 SOG, +1.

Robert Lang (CHI-C) 1 G, 1 A, 5 SOG.

Martin Biron (PHI-G) Win, 1 GAA, .967 SV%.

Patrick Lalime (CHI-G) Win, 1.01 GAA, .944SV%.

Joe Sakic (COL-C) HAT TRICK!

Milan Hejduk (COL-RW) 2 goals and an assist. GWG.

Henrik Sedin (VAN-C) 3 assists, +2.

Maxim Afinogenov (BUF-RW) 1 G, 1 A, +3, 2 PIMs, 7 SOG. Nice!

Brian Campbell (BUF-D) 6 SOG and 4 assists, +1, 1 PPP.

Roberto Luongo (VAN-G) Win, 1 GAA, .964 SV%.

Cam Ward (CAR-G) Win, 1 GAA, .958 SV%.

Thomas Vanek (BUF-LW) 2 assists.

Patrice Bergeron (BOS-C) 1G, 1A.

Marco Strum (BOS-LW) 2A.

Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL-LW) 2 goals.

Andrew Brunette (COL-LW) 2A, +2.

Mike Green (WSH-D) 1G, 1A, 2PIMs.

J.P. Dumont (NSH-RW) 1G, 1A.

Derek Roy (BUF-C) 2 goals, 3 SOG, +3.

Martin Gerber (OTT-G) Win, 1 GAA, .973 SV%.

Peter Budaj (COL-G) Win, 1 GAA, .960 sv%.

Sidney Crosby (PIT-C) 2 goals, 2 PIMs, 4 SOG, GWG.

Kristian Huselius (CGY-LW) 2 Goals, 4 SOG.

Mats Sundin (TOR-C) 1G, 1A.

Jerome Iginla (CGY-RW) 1G, 1A, +2, 6 SOG.

Nathan Horton (FLA-C/RW) 1G, 1A, +2, PPP.

Vaclav Prospal (TB-C) 2 goals.

Patrick Kane (CHI-RW) 1A, 2 PIMs, 6 SOG.

Phew! Those are my Saturday night stand outs.

Adds for 10/15/07

2007-10-14T09:55:00.000-05:00

10 matchup ideas for roto slots:

Dmitri Kalinin (BUF-D) Points, SOG, +/-.

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

Alex Burrows (VAN-LW) PIMs, SOG, SHPs, Points.

Jeff Cowan (VAN-LW) PIMs, SOG.

Rick Rypien (VAN-C) PIMs, Points, SOG, SHPs.

George Parros (ANH-RW) PIMs.

Alex Steen (TOR-C) If he is not taken in your league, get him. He is flying! More than Roto play.

Kris Draper (DET-C) Points, SOG, SHPs, +/-.

Adam Mair (BUF-C) Has been playing strong. Points, PIMs.

Daniel Paille (BUF-LW) Points, small chance at PIMs, SOG.

Good luck tonight with your matchup plays!

Starting Goalies 10/14/07

2007-10-14T09:52:00.000-05:00

Projected Starters for Sunday 10/14/07

Harding MIN VS *Giguere ANH

Labarbera LA VS Osgood DET

* Check for updates.

Starting Goalies 10/13/07

2007-10-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

Projected starters for Saturday 10/13/07.

Holmqvist TB VS Vokoun FLA

Johnson WSH VS Miller BUF

UPDATE Sabourin PIT VS UPDATE Toskala TOR

Brodeur NJD VS Lehtonen ATL

Ward CAR VS Huet MTL

Dipietro NYI VS Biron PHI

Gerber OTT VS *Lundqvist NYR

*Kiprusoff CGY VS Mason NSH

Turco DAL VS Lalime CHI

Leclaire CLS VS Budaj COL

Backstrom MIN VS Auld PHX

*Roloson EDM VS *Luongo VAN

Thomas BOS VS Nabakov SJS

* Check back for updates.

Roto Adds for 10/14/07

2007-10-13T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here are 10 ideas for who you can add:

Derek Boogaard (MIN-RW) PIMs.

George Parros (ANH-RW) PIMS.

Raitis Ivanans (LA-LW) PIMs.

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

Dallas Drake (DET-RW) PIMs.

Daniel Cleary (DET-RW) Points, PPPs, SHPs, SOG, +/-.

Sean O'Donnell (ANH-D) PIMs, +/-.

Todd Marchant (ANH-C) I know he has just 1 assist, but he plays well vs MIN. Points, SHPs, SOG.

Derek Armstrong (LA-C) Points, SOG.

Kent Huskins (ANH-D) +/-, assists.

Hot and Cold Starts

2007-10-13T08:22:00.000-05:00

We are just a hand full of games into this NHL season. Managers are looking to see how their team is. They see guys that are hot and guys that are cold. How can they decide who to jump ship from and who to promote to fantasy star status? You can't. Not this early. Lets all remember Zetterberg and Heatley last season. They had terrible starts to the season and managers were in full panic mode. They did just fine. I believe that Heater guy even scored 50 goals, lol.

When guys are hot to start it is easier to trade them, and wen guys are cold its easier to land them from a panicked manager. I never condone bogus deals and trying to screw another manager. Thats bushleague. However, if you make a fair offer for a slumping star and the manager takes it, so be it!

Who has started of fantasy hot:

Nik Antropov (TOR-C) If I asked you, "How would you like a center with 3 goals 2 assists in five games. By the way he is also a +6 with 8PIMs and has a SHP, PPP and 9 SOG." You would likely say "I'd love him!!!" until you heard his name is Antropov. Injuries have destroyed his value and his current stock. He closed last season playing like this and its no surprise he has started this hot.

Alex Steen and Matt Stajan (TOR-Centers) have started out hot like Antropov. Steen is the more solid add here because of his offensive ice and SOG. But they are both great plays right now, and Stajan is showing he can finish to start the year. If Stajan ever put it all together and did what he is capable of, he would be fantasy gold.

Daniel Alfredsson (OTT-RW) No shock here but he has 9pts in 6 games with 5 of those points goals. He has a sick 24 SOG and has a shp, 3ppps and a GWG. Strange, but he is an even player. Thought he would be a plus with those numbers. Dany Heatley(LW/RW) has almost the same numbers minus the SHP. He has scored 2 less PPPs but also has 9 points. He has 22 SOG. Lets finish off the line with Jason Spezza(C). He has 10 assists in 6 games and 18 SOG. Worry not, his goals will come.

Chuck Kobasew (BOS-RW) He has 3 goals in 4 games. I know one was an EN goal but he has scored two beauties. One short handed. The other stats have yet to bloom but given he only had 5 goals all last season, its safe to call him hot!

Henrik Zetterberg (DET-LW) No slow start this year! He is looking great with 9 points in 5 games and 20 SOG.

Paul Stastny (COL-C) Hat trick opening night, skunked, 5 point night then a goal last night. 9 points in 4 games with 5 goals. 5 Goals is tied for the early league lead.

Niklas Hagman (DAL-LW) 5 goals in 5 games with an assist to boot. I used him for roto a couple times but i didn't see this coming!

Daniel Briere (PHI-C) He has 7 points in 3 games (3 goals, 4 assists). He is not missing a beat in PHI.

Mike Comrie (NYI-C) While hot, he has had a couple of nothing games. 7 pts in 5 games.

Eric Stal (CAR-C) 5 goals and 8points in 5 games. Looks like he is back to form.

Sam Gagne (PHI-LW) He should take Briere out to dinner. 2 goals, 6 pts in 3 games.

Jeff Hamilton (CAR-C) 5 points in 5 games is impressive.

Niklas Backstrom (MIN-G) Just gets SOs

Pascal Leclaire (CLS-G) two starts, two SOs.

Brent Burns (MIN-D) He is only outscoring Gabby.

Henrik Lundqvist (NYR-G) He is only 2-2 but with a 1.77 gaa and a .944 sv% we can forgive that.

Olaf Kolzig (WSH-G) He is on fire right now.

Old reliables. These are guys that we expect to produce and be PPG guys. So far, so good:

Justin Williams (CAR-RW)

Mike Cammalleri (LA-C)

Rod Brindamour (CAR-C)

Honorable mentions:

Jason Arnott, Paul Karyia, Bill Guerin, Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Evgeni Malkin, Manny Legace, Martin Gerber, Cam Ward, Tom Thomas, Johan Holmqvist, and Nikolai Khabibulin.

A look at the colder side of fantasy:

Sidney Crosby (PIT-C) 2 assists in 3 games. Not Sid type numbers (hope this does not jynx me, I am H2H with a Crosby owner this week!)

Alexander Ovechkin (WSH-LW) 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games. 19 SOG. Not cold? probably true. However he has not looked like himself on the ice at times and he could be putting up bigger numbers. He is a victim of his own success in this instance.

Alexander Frolov (LA-LW) Could someone explain how Dustin Brown is getting more ice than Frolov? No goals and just three assists in 5 games. Even worse he is a -3.

Joe Thornton (SJS-C) 3 points and a minus player so far? Blah!

Marian Hossa and all of Atlanta Hossa is hurt now to boot.

Martin Havlat (CHI-RW/LW) His shoulder went wonky from what was basically a Jagr like swat. He just went cold for the year.

Jerome Iginla (CGY-RW) 3pts in 4 games is not bad, and he usually starts slow. No biggie but he makes the list anyway.

Pavel Datsyuk (DET-C) 4 assists in 5 games. Come on man, look at Zetts and get going!

Maxim Afinogenov (BUF-RW) Sluggish start and Stafford is looking to steal his spot with Vanek and Roy (and he is stealing it right now)

Olli Jokinen (FLA-C) Like Iginla, 3 pts in 4 games. No biggie, but the way he tore up preseason I thought he would come out on fire.

Marian Gaborik (MIN-LW/RW) 2 assists, thats it...no goals???

Jonathan Cheechoo (SJS-RW) With Bernier and Setoguchi chomping for RW ice he better pick it up. No points and a minus 2 on the ice. If I numbered this list he would be number one.

Chris Pronger (ANH-D) 3 assists and a -3 rating. Blah.

Lubomir Visnovsky (LA-D) 2 assists and a -4. Bigger Blah than Pronger.

Tomas Vokoun (FLA-G) I know he just had a SO, but that does not save his early stats.

Thomas Vanek (BUF-LW) I think I had this one predicted before the season started.

Miikka Kiprusoff, Roberto Luongo, Peter Budaj, Ryan Miller, Chris Mason, Vesa Toskala.

Honorable mentions:

There is nothing honorable about giving your fantasy owner the cold sweats!

Thats how I size it up right now. I will bring some more hot and cold posts as the season moves on. Its all about what have you done for me lately in fantasy!

J. Bernier gets shelled again

2007-10-13T08:18:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Bernier (LA-G) has been shelled in net two games in a row. Coming off from an almost perfect NHL debut, this is a shock.

Managers in keepers have no reason to panic yet. This kid is the real deal. It might be best for him to continue to develop a year in juniors and not in the NHL. Time will tell what the kings will do. Lababera has not done any better, so can you say team defense?

Managers should leave Bernier on the bench until he gets back on track. No need to hit the panic button yet.

Chris Mason

2007-10-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

I hope Chris Mason (NSH-G) owners took my advice and tried to trade him after his opening game SO. He is starting to return to the form I feared he had in him. I know the team has played poor and yadda, yadda...bottom line is I don't trust Mason as a #1 and fantasy owners should not either.

Chris Mason is going to beat me up one day. I understand Chris, its OK.

Hanzal vs Mueller

2007-10-12T13:44:00.000-05:00

In my deep keeper I drafted both Mueller and Hanzal for PHX. With players like Wheeler and Turris coming up through the ranks, PHX is going to be a fantasy hot bed. Thats a few years off, what about right now?

Right now Hanzal is the player to have over Mueller. Hanzal is bigger, stronger and he can't be knocked off the puck. More importantly, he is playing with confidence and like he belongs on the ice.

Mueller has been struggling. He can't keep the puck on his stick, is not getting shots on net and he even missed the wide open EN last night.

Long term its good to keep both, but if you have to pick one to play and one to bench, play Hanzal.

Toronto Centers a nice play

2007-10-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

Matt Stajan, Alex Steen and Nik Antropov have all gotten off to good starts. They have solid fantasy numbers and are skating well. The main problem here is they are all listed as centers. If you are in a Yahoo league this is very annoying. These guys never get wing eligibility and probably won't this year either.

If you are in a bind and need an early injury fill in then take a stab at one of these guys. They might just keep it up for a couple weeks. Antropov is the most likely to be consistent based on his ice time.

Adds for 10/11/07

2007-10-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

Here are ten ideas for Match up roto play:

Douglas Murray (SJS-D) PIMs.

Jared Boll (CLS-RW) PIMs, points, SOG.

Alex Auld (PHX-G) He should get the start VS MIN. If you need an emergency start.

Chad LaRose (CAR-C) Filling in for Ladd, he looks great. Points, SOG.

Matt Stajan (TOR-C) He has been on fire to start the year. Points, SHPs, SOG.

R.J. Umberger (PHI-C) SHPs, points, SOG, PIMs.

Kurtis Foster (MIN-D) Heavy shot. Points, PIMs, SOG.

Arron Asham (NJD-RW) PIMs, maybe points.

Rick Rypien (VAN-C) PIMs.

Adam Burish (CHI-RW) He is going to skate on an offensive line. Points, PIMs, SOG.

Good luck with tonights matchups!

Starting Goalies 10/11/07

2007-10-12T12:59:00.001-05:00

Projected starters for Friday 10/11/07

Lundqvist NYR VS Kolzig WSH

Khabibulin CHI VS Hasek DET

Theodore COL VS Legace STL

Kiprusoff CGY VS Turco DAL

Luongo VAN VS Roloson EDM

Thomas BOS VS Bernier

Starting Goalies 10/11/07

2007-10-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

Ward CAR VS Gerber OTT

Broduer NJD VS Vokoun FLA

Dubielewicz NYI VS Raycroft TOR

UPDATE Lehtonen ATL VS Miller BUF

*Auld PHX VS UPDATE Mason NSH

* Auld and Ellis could change. Auld is the only G yet to play in PHX and Mason could use a rest after last night's thumping. Check for updates today/tonight.

Roto Adds for 10/12/07

2007-10-11T08:45:00.000-05:00

Roto has been giving off some good stats early. Lets keep it going.

Here are ten options:

Patrick Lalime (CHI-G) I was requested to highlight goalies. CHI has played pretty well defensively. Lalime is set to get 30 starts this year. CHI is B2B tomorrow and Saturday so if you need a start he will get one in the next two days.

Marcel Hossa (NYR-LW) Looked strong on line 1. SOG, Points, +/-.

Niklas Hagman (DAL-LW) He has been roto gold so far. Goals, SHPs, SOG, PIMs.

Ryan Shannan (VAN-RW) UPDATE He was sent to the AHL. Do not use for roto

Milan Lucic (BOS-LW) He is due for a fight. PIMs.

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

Daniel Cleary (DET-RW) SOG, PIMs, Points, PPPs, +/-.

Chris Backman (STL-D) PPPs, Points, SOG, PIMs.

Ian Laperriere (COL-RW) PIMs, Points, SOG.

Martin Rucinsky (STL-LW) Points, SOG, +/-.

Good luck tonight with yesterday's adds!

Q & A Segment 10/11/07

2007-10-11T08:16:00.000-05:00

Its that time again. I'm pumping out the questions I have received for the masses.

Nathan
Stafford of Wolski? Standard scoring with PIMs. Keeper league.

Nathan, can't go wrong with either one. I'd keep both and find someone else to drop! If its a trade you are thinking of then I give the long term edge to Wolski because he is LW and has a bigger scoring history. You can't go wrong with Stafford who is proving he can score at this level consistently and has an all around game. Style wise, Stafford plays the game like Marian Hossa and Wolski plays the game like Dany Heatley. You can't split hairs over that. One day they will have big stats as well.

Zander
I added Boll, Grattan and Hagman because of your match up recommendations. I now am leading the week H2H in goals, short handed points and PIMs!!! Thanks so much! Keep up the good work!

Zander, thank you. I loved you in Buffy. I miss match up guys too. Its hard listing only ten. The key is to remember guys I suggested in the past as well. I try to throw in new names when I can and that leads to overlooking great match ups. The key is getting in the habit of the roto style. Once you do then you will become familiar enough with the wire players and what they can do. Its not and exact science but its fun and it can be very rewarding.

Elisha Cuthbet
Did you see that poser at the NYI game last night? Hillary Duff can't sing, she can't act and she clearly knows nothing about hockey based on that reaction to her midget boyfriend getting killed in the corner.

Elisha, you are by far my favorite and would kick Duff's butt in a fight. I feel weird saying that since this question likely came from a man that is a stay at home, 400 lbs shut in.

BamBam
I have Pascal Leclaire and Nick Backstrom in net. I am rolling in shut outs. I also have Lundqvist. Should I move Lundy or Backs for offensive help?

BamBam, I would wait and make sure that a combo with Leclaire can carry you. Lundy will have value all year if you need to land a big fish on offense.

Brian
Richards had a huge game last night, should I pick him up and drop Mueller?

Brian, I just wrote about Richards this morning. I loved his game. If you are in a keeper league I would hold on to Mueller. He is bad right now but he has high end upside. If its a single season league I have no problem with dropping Mueller for Richards right now. You can always ride another hot hand if Richards tails off.

Thats it for this batch.

Richards is back on the fantasy map

2007-10-11T08:01:00.000-05:00

Mike Richards(PHI-C) burst on the fantasy scene in 05-06. He only netted 11 goals but he also had 65 PIMs and 168 SOG. The future was bright and with a chance to get better ice the following year, Richards went high in many keeper drafts. in 06-07 Richards only scored one less goal but he was a -12 (down from a +6 the year before) and he had 30 less SOG. Not the 20 goals and increase of stats owners were looking for.

Richards was dropped in most leagues after months of waiting. This year, In my draft for example, he was not even taken. He was young and has a great two way game. The problem was be had Briere and Carter in front of him and he had a forgettable sophomore season. I was offered Richards in trade many times the year before. I replied I liked Richards long term but I didn't think the owner could keep him so I would wait. I waited, he was there, and he was off my radar.

Richards recorded his first 4 point night on the road against a tough defensive team in Vancouver. He had two goals and two assists that included a 5 on 3 short handed goal. He is officially back on the radar! He now has 5 points in three games and 11 SOG. He is a plus player again and will pick up mid-range PIMs as the season rolls on.

I picked up Richards last night after his second point vs VAN. I know its one game but Richards effort has been there in the first three. He even saw time with Briere last night. Richards is known more for his two way play and passing ability but he is looking to net goals and is shooting again.

R.J. Umberger made his season debut last night as well. He scored a goal and an assist. I added Umberger for good measure. I like guys that can score SH and that have upside. I started in this keeper league with the idea of building for a dynasty in 3-4 years. Richards fits that mold and Umberger could prove a good trade piece later.

Pick up Richards in your leagues and ride him while he is hot. Stick with him if you are in a keeper. He could certainly overtake Carter for the #2 center.

No Hitch in Columbus to Start...

2007-10-11T07:48:00.000-05:00

...But there is a Hitch behind Columbus's good start. Hitchcock has turned that team around on effort. If they continue to win is one thing, but the effort in CLS is going to be much different.

Last night CLS's best line was Jason Chimera(LW) - Manny Malhotra(C) - Jared Boll(RW). They chipped in goals, fights, SOG and just about anything a fantasy manager could hope for from a 3rd line player.

Jared Boll is a player that made the 'Jackets out of camp and the type of guy Hitch loves. Boll has ben in a fight every game of his new NHL career and he netted his first goal last night. He energized the best line on the ice and good be a rising depth player in fantasy leagues.

Rick Nash has looked better this season to many owners delight. Chimera could really be starting to figure it out and is worth a look if you are shallow on LW. The best part of Chimera is he should be free on your wire where Nash would cost an arm and a leg to trade for.

Leclaire is finally showing what keeper managers saw in him a few years back. If he can stay healthy he will win out over Norrena for #1. Starting out with two shutouts is always good. Managers should remember Luongo's magical start in FLA a few years back. He started off with three or four SOs in his first 6-7 games. Then he stunk up the ice becuase he had no team in front of him. Leclaire has a better team in front of him than Luongo had but owners should think about selling high on Leclaire. I love him but his injuries and CLS track record should be a consideration. You never know what you might get for a goalie with B2B shut outs!

Debuts last night were great

2007-10-11T07:36:00.000-05:00

Last night we got to see the NHL debut of Carey Price (MTL-G) and Jonathan Toews (CHI-C). We also saw the season debut of Bryan Berard (NYI-D) for the Islanders.

Toews set a franchise record for fastest goal scored by a rookie. Thats an impressive record when you think of the talent CHI has had come through as rookies. Meaningless, sure, but impressive none-the-less. He looked strong on the puck, in his own end and on the ice. He is going to be fantasy gold.

Price was very strong. Some felt he looked shaky but thats just his style at times. Huet was hoping PIT would chew Price up but it was the other way around. Price is here to stay in the NHL and could prove a franchise goalie for the future to fantasy owners. He is still young and its just one game. The MTL media machine could chew him up yet but he is worth the risk!

Berard scored the GWG in his debut and people are whispering that Nolan can turn his career around. Fantasy owners would be thrilled to have the old Berard back on offense and if he could manage a -10 it would be an improvement! Berard could be very good for the NYI and fantasy owners. He hurts the value of Camploi and Marc-Andre Bergeron.

Toews and Price were worth the small wait and now they are here to impact fantasy leagues for years. I can't wait to see them develop. I envy the keeper owners who have these guys!

Possible adds for 10/11/07

2007-10-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

Loads of games. Mostly Dmen will be available for most roto managers who have full forward slots. I was going to include Craig Anderson for a goalie starting tomorrow but he has been switched to playing today. Oh well. There are some B2B's coming up. We will get a goalie in there!

10 Match up ideas:

Arron Ashem (NJD-RW) We don't know if Bergfors will play and Ashem was good the last two games. PIMs, SOG, possible points.

Dmitri Kalinin (BUF-D) SOG, points, +/-.

Dan Hamhuis (NSH-D) ppps, sog, +/-.

Bryan Allen (FLA-D) Chance at all stats.

Nick Boynton (PHX-D) PIMs.

Jordan Tootoo (NSH-RW) PIMs, SOG.

Chris Kelly (OTT-C) SHPs, points, SOG, +/-.

Matt Stajan (TOR-C) He has been playing well. Goals, SOG, SHPS.

Eric Perron (ATL-C) With Hossa out he will get more chances on offense. Points, SOG.

Derek Morris (PHX-D) NSH has been stingy but I like Morris. SOG, PIMs, points.

Thats ten. get used to checking your FA wire and you will see names of guys you like personally. Guys you like to watch are fun to roto in.