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Fantasy Friday

Dec 30

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | 1 Comment

The Hot List:

Evander Kane (forward): Kane has had a huge week with three goals, one assist and 11 shots on goal. Kane appears to have found his groove and is poised to easily surpass his career point totals and could top out at the 60-point mark. Take a second look at the Winnipeg forward if you need extra scoring help.

Jason Arnott (forward): Two goals and two assists over the past seven days with points in seven of his last 10 games. He now has 20 points in 34 games and will easily surpass his points total from last season. The Blues are trending upward and so is Arnott.

Tyler Kennedy (forward): Kennedy seems to be on a hot streak in the second half of December with seven points in his last five games. He scored a career-high 45 points last season and will likely settle around the 50-point mark long term this year.

Mikko Koivu (forward): Although sidelined for a few games in mid-December, Koivu has 19 points in his last 15 games played – including a streak of points in nine straight contests. He’s owned in 76 percent of Yahoo fantasy hockey leagues. If he’s available in yours, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be on your roster.

The Cold List:

Sergei Gonchar (defenseman): Gonchar has cooled off considerably with only three points in the last 30 days, and none on the power play.

Vinny Prospal (forward): Only one point in his last five games. However, Prospal has 13 shots on goal during that same span, so it’s not for lack of effort.

Between the Pipes:

The Chicago Blackhawks are set on riding the hot hand this season, and the current flavor of the week is Corey Crawford. Winner of two-of-his-past-three, Crawford has allows just four goals on 97 shots in those three games. However, backup netminder Ray Emery had been the winner of five straight before suffering a 3-2 loss against Pittsburgh last week that relinquished his starting duties. Eventually the Blackhawks will need to choose a starter to prepare for a long playoff run. Until then, expect the back and forth to continue.

Crosby Update:

The Penguins finally released an update concerning superstar center Sidney Crosby – and the outlook isn’t good. After exploding for 12 points in eight games after initially returning from a concussion, the team confirmed that Crosby is again sidelined indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms. However, high ranking Penguins officials have privately stated that they do not believe his symptoms are as bad this time around and are confident that he will play again this season. Until then, toss Crosby on the IR and wait patiently for his return.

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Ottawa Senators

Sep 13

Posted by EB in Season Previews | No Comments

Offseason Losses: Ryan Shannon

Offseason Additions: Zenon Konopka, Nikita Filatov, Alex Auld

Last Season Ranking: 13th in the East

Erik Karlsson becomes a RFA after this season. Can Ottawa wrap him up long term if they miss the playoffs again?

 

Offense: The Ottawa Senators are one of those unique teams who missed the payoffs by quite a bit and have decided to make minimal changes to their roster. Wishful thinking perhaps?

The offense still rests on the shoulders of superstars Daniel Alfreddson and Jason Spezza. Alfredsson is coming off of a back injury that took him out for a quarter of last season. Still, he was capable of marking 31 points in 54 games; 14 goals and 17 assists. A healthy Alfredsson will booster the club with his typical 70 point range production. Spezza will be a player most appreciative of a healthy Alfredsson, that is if he is capable of staying healthy himself. Spezza suffered a right shoulder injury taking him out of 20 games last season. The injury did not seem to hinder him, once returning to the lineup, Spezza had a respectable 21 goals and 36 assists in 62 games played.

Still, with healthy superstars, the team lacks any depth to be competitive. Milan Michalek should wing the top line with both Alfredsson and Spezza, but after that, who are these guys?

Bobby Butler looks to complete a full season and has potential to be a good player. Mika Zibanejad might be a fun name to attempt to say, but he is a rookie drafted in the first round, 6th overall in the 2011 draft. Playing only 26 games in the Swedish league, his NHL caliber of play is still unproven. Oh yeah, he is only 18. Sticking with the young guys, the team has signed trouble maker Nikita Filatov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. I won’t lie, I thought Filatov was supposed to be the real deal, hence me drafting him later last year for my fantasy team. He turned out to be a young Sergei Fedorov without the talent.

Defense: Ottawa has a mediocre defensive squad to match the mediocre offense. Veteran Sergei Gonchar looks to prove his worth after only contributing 27 points. Comparing to the year previous, Gonchar helped the Pittsburgh Penguins with 11 goals and 39 assists for 50 points. To his defense, 20 of his 27 points with Ottawa last year did come on the power play, something he should meet and hopefully beat this year. Note to team, learn to dive like the Vancouver Canucks to gain more man advantage time.

The future of the organization rests with young and talented Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is only in his third year, with his first totaling 26 points, and his second, 45 points. Don’t expect him to jump to 60 points, but it is likely he will slightly increase his last year’s point total. Karlsson becomes a restricted free agent after this year, which the Seantors will of course do everything to keep him in Ottawa. Still, with Nick Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings possibly retiring after this year, expect the Wings to put in an offer if Ottawa cannot wrap him up.

Goaltending: Craig Anderson and Alex Auld are expected to split time until one proves to be the number one goalie. Both have potential of taking that spot, so expect a goalie war throughout the whole season. This, for Senators’ fans, is a positive.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Not playoff bound.

New Head Coach Paul MacLean, coming from the Detroit Red Wings, will have his work cut out with a depth deprived, young, unproven squad. For Senators fans, don’t expect too much this year.

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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Ottawa Senators

Sep 13

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Anton Volchenkov, Matt Cullen

Key Offseason Additions: Sergei Gonchar

Last Season Ranking: 5th in East

Offense:

The Ottawa Senators return essentially the same guys up front which lead them to a postseason birth, as well as another early playoff exit, last year. The biggest loss up front for the Sens is Matt Cullen, a trade deadline pick up last season. He didn’t add a whole lot coming down the stretch, but was effective in the playoffs as he picked up 8 points in 6 games against the Penguins.

Jason Spezza and Daniel AlfredssonReturning scorers for the Senators include Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Alex Kovalev, and Mike Fisher. Alfredsson had another outstanding season last year, posting point per game numbers, while missing 12 regular season games. Jason Spezza saw time on the IR as well. If he can stay healthy the entire season, he could head back up near the 80-90 point range, and continue his domination as the Sens top center. Milan Michalek made an impact last season, his first in Ottawa, as a 20 goal scorer. However, he too spent a great deal of time injured. Playing alongside Alfredsson or Spezza, he shouldn’t have a big problem contributing offensively. Kovalev struggled to find his true scoring touch last season, but it remains to be seen if he’s on the decline, or can still make plays. As one of the most skilled puck handlers in the game, he should rebound and find his touch again this season, at least enough to score his 600th career assist (22 away) and 1000th career point (10 away).

Both Mike Fisher and Peter Regin had impressive seasons last year, and both will look to build on that success heavily. Regin, entering only his 2nd full season in the NHL, proved last season that he deserves a spot on one of the top two scoring lines. If any of the aforementioned players fall in to a drought, Regin could make his way up the depth chart quite quickly. He should see more time on the power play this season as well.

Providing some great scoring depth, as well as grit and toughness, are Chris Neil and Jarkko Ruutu. Neither player is going to light up the score sheet with points every game, but they definitely will in penalty minutes. Both players know how to agitate, and get under their opponents skin very well. They’ll be sure to drop the gloves for any reason, whether its protecting their own star players, or just to give the team an energy boost. Definitely great assets to an offensively skilled team.

Defense:

While the Senators lost star defenseman Anton Volchenkov to free agency, they picked up Sergei Gonchar to replace him. Gonchar is one of the games elite defenseman and will fit in great playing alongside Spezza and Alfredsson. His contribution on the top power play unit will be felt as well. Last season, he picked up 30 power play points with the Penguins, and should improve upon those numbers if he stays healthy this season. Complimenting Gonchar will be a core group of solid defenseman. Chris Phillips is a big body, a great shut down player and will be very responsible defensively. Filip Kiba is another big body to man the blue line, and will be effective on the power play as well. He has good vision and moves the puck well on the break out. Erik Karlsson should improve upon last years marks, and maybe make his way up the depth chart. He’s a young defenseman (20 years old) from Sweden, but had a great rookie season with the Sens as he posted 26 points in 60 games. At only 5’11”, he needs to pack on the muscle to be more effective defensively, but his contributions will surely be felt as a fast puck moving defenseman on the power play.

Goaltending:

Splitting time between the pipes this season will be Brian Elliot and Pascal Leclaire. Elliot ran the show for the majority of last season, but Leclaire saw his fair share of time as well, starting 31 games. It still doesn’t look like Ottawa has a true number one in yet, so the goalie battle may ensue again in 2010-11. We’ll see if this brings out the best in both goalies, or if the rotational system gets real old, real fast.

Season Outlook:

The Senators are a hungry team, and bring back a number of highly skilled players on offense. Players like Spezza, Michalek and Kovalev need to produce like they’re supposed to, and stay healthy, for the rest of the offense to kick in to high gear. The top power play unit could be one of the best in the league with Gonchar joining Spezza and Alfredsson. They will  be very dangerous. The question mark remains in goal, as it was for last season. If we see either Elliot or Leclaire develop in to a true number one goalie, things are looking good for the Senators. They should remain in about the same position as last year, as long as the team stays healthy. They simply can’t afford to lose a player like Spezza for any extended amount of time if they want to make a run. Come playoff time, the Senators could be kicking on all cylinders, and are definitely capable of surprising a few people.

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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Pittsburgh Penguins

Sep 3

Posted by Chris in Season Previews | 1 Comment

Key Offseason Losses: Bill Guerin, Sergei Gonchar

Key Offseason Additions: Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek, Arron Asham

Last Season Ranking: 4th in East

Offense:

Boston+Bruins+v+Pittsburgh+Penguins+JQKJBWrNI-glThe Penguins will again be anchored by the offensive production of team captain Sidney Crosby and winger Evgeni Malkin with secondary scoring coming from Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal. However, in the off season the Penguins again failed to address the pressing issue of finding a suitable right winger to play alongside Sidney Crosby, prompting many to believe that Malkin and Crosby could end up together on the top line this season. Such a move would extremely hinder the offensive depth of the Penguins. A more likely scenario will see Staal moving up to the second line where he will center Malkin, which should benefit both players immensely and put Malkin back up to 90-100 points this season. Players like Pascal Dupuis and Maxim Talbot may be called upon to help provide more offensive depth while players like Eric Tangradi will need to show that they deserve a consistent spot with the big club this season.

Whatever Pittsburgh lacks in offense they make up for with grit. Tough guy Arron Asham signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh where he will have good company in fellow tough guy Eric Goddard, who accumulated 76 penalty minutes in 45 games last season, and super pest Matt Cooke. Asham may even get an opportunity on the wing of Jordan Staal on Pittsburgh’s second line, which would be beneficial for Pittsburgh if Asham can create space for the other scorers.

Defense:

Pittsburgh lost a lot of skill on their power play with the departure of Sergei Gonchar, who was the team’s third-leading scorer with 50 points last season. But the team hopes that defenseman Alex Goligoski will help fill the void left on the point by Gonchar’s departure. The additions of Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek will also help solidify the Penguins’ blue line and make the team difficult to play against. Martin has twice been plus-20 or better in his past three seasons and could have career highs in points with a more offensive-minded team like the Penguins.

Goaltending:

Marc-Andre Fluery and Brent Johnson will again handle the workload in net. Fluery had a solid season last year with 37 wins and a 2.65 goals against average along with a .905 save percentage. Expect more of the same from Fluery this year as the Penguins will need to him to steal a few games along the way. While Fleury will handle the majority of the workload, Johnson is more than capable as a backup and could get himself 15-20 starts and around 10 wins again this year.

Season Outlook:

Any team that boasts the likes of both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is dangerous offensively, but the Penguins will need to be good on defense this year too. The loss of Sergei Gonchar will hurt the team, especially on the power play, but the additions of Martin and Michalek will certainly help fortify the team’s blue line and make them tough to score on. Expect the Penguins to definitely be playoff contenders come next April.

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Free Agency Starts at Noon Eastern

Jul 1

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

First and foremost, happy Canada day to those viewers from abroad.

Today starts the first day of free agency period at high noon eastern. Top players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Nabokov are only few names of many that are out there for general managers to persuade to play for their clubs.

The wheeling and dealing is expected to be good this year with many big names out there. HWB will keep you updated with recaps of some of the big names taken, how it will impact the team signed to, and our overall impression of the whole event.

Sit back and enjoy the fireworks!

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League’s Suspension Consistency

Jan 12

Posted by EB in News, Soap Box | 3 Comments

In last nights contest between the Minnesota Wild and the visiting team Pittsburgh Penguins, Pen’s Sergei Gonchar laid a questionably dirty and hgih hit on Wild winger Cal Clutterbuck.

The league this season is cutting down on head shots and recently displayed this by handing a suspension to Phoenix Coyote defenseman Ed Jovanovski for his elbow to New York Islanders John Tavares. The question becomes though, will the league suspend Gonchar?

The league has been under scrutiny for wanting to make the game a cleaner, safer game for the players, by removing dangerous plays. This year specifically by the means of removing head shots. Yet earlier in the season, when time to muscle up and stick to their guns, the league did not suspend Philadelphia Flyer’s Captain Mike Richards for a hit on Florida Panther’s star David Booth, leaving Booth on the IR to this day. So the question becomes, is the league playing favorites?

Recently stated, the league suspended defenseman Ed Jovanovski for an elbow to John Tavares’ head. Was this done because it was dangerous and shouldn’t be in the game? Was it done because it was blatantly obvious?  Or was it done because the person being hit was The John Tavares, the next greatest thing to hockey according to Canadian news for the past few years?

One would hope that that the league intends on removing dangerous plays, for the betterment of the players, but sometimes you do wonder if favorites are being played. Are you more likely to get a suspension if you hit a prominent figure in the NHL, or is the justice blind?

Underneath is the play where Gonchar took a run at Clutterbuck. You be the judge on a suspension or not.

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