Hockey World Blog

All Things Hockey

Posts Tagged wayne simmonds

Fantasy Friday

Dec 16

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | No Comments

The Hotlist:

Wayne Simmonds (forward): Three goals and one assist over the last seven days. With injuries to Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn, Simmonds will see more ice time and be counted on for increased production. Owned in a meager 17 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Bryan Little (forward): Three goals over the last seven days on 12 shots on goal. Little has 20 points in 31 games for the Jets, including four goals in his past five games.

Todd Bertuzzi (forward): Bertuzzi has one goal and three assists in the past seven days. More importantly, he plays on the top line with the red-hot Pavel Datsyuk. He has been a consistent 40-point scorer with Detroit, but he may pay short-term dividends if you grab him while he’s hot.

Matt Carle (defense): One goal, five assists and a plus-four over the last seven days. It was just announced that Chris Pronger will be out for the season thanks to concussion symptoms. Expect Carle to help fill the void on the blue line.

Michael Del Zotto (defense): Owned in only 40 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues, Del Zotto posted four points over the past seven days and was plus-five while rifling off 11 shots and blocking 10. Del Zotto has nine points total over the last 10 games.

Between the Pipes:

It appears as if Luongo has reclaimed the number one spot in Vancouver, but Cory Schneider remains a viable threat for wins, goals against and save percentage when he plays. The Canucks are winners of seven of their last 10 games.

However, another goalie controversy appears to be brewing in Chicago. Ray Emery is winner of three straight games and will get his fourth consecutive start against the Ducks tonight. Remember, this guy backstopped Ottawa to the Stanley Cup Finals several years ago and won seven games in 10 starts for Anaheim last season. Keep an eye on this developing situation.

Tags: , , , , ,

2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Philadelphia Flyers

Sep 4

Posted by EB in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Additions: Ilya Bryzgalov, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, , Brayden Schenn, Jaromir Jagr, Maxime Talbot

Key Offseason Losses: Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Kris Versteeg, Ville Leino, Dan Carcillo

Last Season Ranking: 2nd in the East

Mike Richards and Jeff Carter won't be partying anymore as both players have been traded to different teams.

Offense: It is hard predicting all that the Philadelphia Flyers can achieve this year offensively with the massive amount of trades that happened during the off-season. Captain Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Kris Versteeg all parted ways in the Flyers remodel. Together, the three combined for 80 goals, 98 assists to total a whopping 178 points. Simply put, that is a lot of points lost.

Flyer’s fans will be happy to know that the incoming class will most likely pick up the slack and put forth a mighty good effort in out-doing their predecessors. Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek are both solid two way players that will bring a lot of heart to the game. Veteran Jaromir Jagr is a wild card but is coming off of a slightly higher than point per game season in the KHL as well as a head turning display in the World Championships for the Czech Republic. Throw in gritty, get-under-your-skin-and-draw-a-penalty Maxime Talbot and the Flyers are starting to look like a good mix resembling that of the Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins.

The Flyers still have one more asset from the off-season trades and that being young Brayden Schenn. Schenn only played 8 NHL games last season for the Los angeles Kings but still managed to produce 2 assist and 11 shots. His Junior career was spent with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL where as a rookie, he not only lead the team in scoring, he lead the league amongst all rookie scorers with 28 goals and 43 assists to total 71 points in 66 games played. It is still yet to be determined if he will be playing this season, but the future for the organization has a definite plus side with him in it.

The Flyers still have a very solid core, made up of Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Scott “Carrot Top” Hartnell and recently extended contract James van Riemsdyk. It is important that the four of these players not only assist the new players in learning how to play Broad Street Bully hockey, but also be able to adapt to new line-mates.

Defense: Philly’s defense did not change nearly as much as the offense, as a matter of fact, only 1 new defensive player has been added to the roster. Big 6’3″ Andreas Lilja, who played last season with the Anaheim Ducks and most known for his years with the Detroit Red Wings, will be looking at limited ice time unless he can earn more.

Ilya Bryzgalov looks to be the solid goaltender the Philadelphia flyers have been missing

The team will once again be coddled by veteran and Stanley Cup winner Chris Pronger. Pronger is coming off of an injury plagued season. Pronger underwent two recent surgeries, a plate and pins inserted in his right hand and disk fragments removed from his lower back. It is expected that Pronger will not be ready in time for training camp, but stated his hand which is limiting the majority of his weight training, is between 80 and 85 percent healed.

Overall, the Flyer’s defense looks as good as last year, which saw them as 11th best in goals against average with 2.63. That stat will most likely improve…

Goaltending: Perhaps the biggest move of the off-season was the addition of net-minder Ilya Brzygalov. Bryz played for the Phoenix Coyotes, and in leaving, most likely burned some bridges. But that really doesn’t matter now as becoming the number one goalie over Sergei Bobrovski, Ilya has said all the right things to Philly fans. “This is a team with rich history,” Bryzgalov said. “The highest goal is to win the Cup. That’s what this game is all about. That’s all that matters.”

Could Bryzgalov take the Flyers to the promised land? Not sure, but being known as a somewhat difficult teammate, it will be interesting to see if the Flyers later down the road want to dump him as they did Richards and Carter, only to be denied by his 9 year, $51 million dollar deal taking him to 40 years of age.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ryan Smyth Trade Rumors

Jun 26

Posted by EB in News, Rumors, Soap Box | No Comments

For those not living under a rock, news media everywhere are reporting on the potential return of Ryan Smyth to the Edmonton Oilers.  The trade is currently put on hold though, leaving this story to have more drama than a soap opera.

The frenzy began with TSN reporting that Ryan Smyth had removed his no trade clause in hopes of returning back to the Edmonton Oilers. Smyth, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings, started his career in Edmonton back in the 1994-1995 season as a rookie and played for 12 seasons with the club.

The rumors began to continue from there, as it was then reported that Smyth would be moving to the Calgary Flames. The deal seemed possible as the Calgary Flames have asked defenseman Robyn Regher to remove his no trade clause. With the removal of Regher, the Flames look to be cleaning up cap space. Once again, the Calgary rumor began to fizzle.

Rumors and talks are not done yet. A “done deal” trade between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings has Captain Canada in exchange for a Gilbert Brule and a fourth round draft pick. Oh what another disappointment for fans as the deal is yet again falling through.

Why you ask? Because Brule is currently injured. The Los Angeles Kings had the intent of buying out Brule, however the collective bargaining agreement forbids teams from buying out an injured player.

Where this story ends no one knows. What I do know is that there has been some lousy reporting. Sure Smyth could have gone to the Calgary Flames, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch. And the report of Smyth going to the Edmonton Oilers for Brule seems like a no brainer when it is known you cannot buyout an injured player’s contract. Why even print stuff when you know it cannot be done? Heck, Yahoo! even has Smyth already on the Edmonton Oilers.

If I were Smyth, I would stay in L.A.. At 35 years of age, I would want a chance at the Stanley Cup, a chance the developing Oilers will not have for another 3-5 years. The Kings on the other hand, recently picked up star center Mike Richards from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forwards Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn. Throw in a healthy Anze Kopitar, the Kings will not only look to make a push to the top of the tough Pacific Division, but a push for the Stanley Cup.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Los Angeles Kings

Sep 16

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Alexander Frolov, Randy Jones, Raitis Ivanans

Key Offseason Additions: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Willie Mitchell

Last Season Ranking: 6th in West

Offense:

Leading the way for the Los Angeles Kings will be their young and talented center, Anze Kopitar. Halfway through November, last season, Kopitar was leading the league in points after picking up 30 in his first 19 games. While he cooled down at times, his season was exceptional as he finished with a career best in goals (34), assists (47), points (81) and plus/minus (+6). In addition to Kopitar, the Kings feature Ryan Smyth and Dustin Brown. Smyth is pretty consistent scoring 20-30 goals each season, but has missed time the past few seasons due to injury. If he stays healthy, his production could certainly increase. Brown, the Kings captain, produces much like Smyth does. However, Brown is due for a real break out season, and this could be it. He will start coming in to his prime over the next few seasons.

Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles KingsNewcomer Alexei Ponikarovsky should fit in well in LA. He will see good ice time, and play alongside several stars who could really help improve his game. Wayne Simmonds should also see an expanded role on the squad after posting 16 goals and 40 points last season. He’s a great two way player who’s young, full of energy, loves to hit and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves either. Beyond that, players like Justin Williams, Michal Handzus, Brad Richardson and Scott Parse will provide the depth up front. Williams is a skilled veteran who saw time with Smyth and Kopitar when he was healthy, unfortunately, he missed 33 games due to injury last year. He hasn’t played a full season since 2006-07, which was only one of two seasons he’s played a full 82 games in his nine year career.

Defense:

The Kings feature two of the top young defenseman in the league on their unit, Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Both players are in their early twenties, and already see significant ice time playing against the oppositions top line. They’re already quite experienced for how young they are, seeing time in the playoffs last season, and both winning medals in the 2010 Olympics as well (Doughty won gold with Team Canada, Johnson silver with USA). You can bet both of these guys are hungry for another season, and ready to make another run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Kings will also be deploying Rob Scuderi back on the blue line this season. He plays more of a stay at home game and won’t see much power play time, but will instead kill penalties. In addition, they’ve brought in Willie Mitchell through free agency. He played 48 games with the Canucks last season, but missed the second half of the season with a concussion. The concussion, the 3rd of his career, scared off a lot of interested teams, but Mitchell insists that he is healthy and fully recovered. The Kings would love to get a full season out of him, as a veteran in the league, he could really help stabilize the Kings defensive corps.

Goaltending:

Jonathan Quick will be back between the pipes for the Kings this season, which should come as no surprise. He posted good numbers last year with 39 wins, a .907 save percentage and a 2.54 goals against average. If he can improve on those numbers a bit, as expected, the Kings will be in even better shape this season. Backing up Quick will be Erik Ersberg.

Season Outlook:

The Kings went from 2nd to last in the West two years ago, with only 79 points, to a 6th seeded playoff team with 101 points last season. While they won’t make a 20+ point jump in the standings as they did from 2008-09 to 2009-10, the Kings should be able to compete with last seasons numbers. The addition of Alexei Ponikarovsky and a healthy Willie Mitchell will help this team repeat last years performance. With the hunger and determination of this young squad, they should be able to make a deeper run into the playoffs. The Kings could even surprise some people and be a sleeper team in the West come next spring.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Hot Fantasy Free Agents You Can Pick Up

Nov 4

Posted by Eddie in Fantasy | 6 Comments

Don’t you hate it when you’re searching through the free agent wire in your fantasy league, only to have slim pickings? I went through this earlier this week when I was trying to get my team to rise out of the cellar. I usually give the players I draft the first month of the season to prove their worth before I drop them unless they were injured. The fortunate thing is, I did not have any injuries. The bad news, is that I’m in last place. Some of it was due to my own negligence such as owning four fantasy football teams and worrying about those more. But now I have a little time on my hands and I can handle what’s on my fantasy plate. Here’s a list of the best players available in the free agent world, along with the percentage of Yahoo! Fantasy teams own that player.

Note: Players owned on 60% or fewer teams were considered.

Center:

Ryan Kesler, Vancouver (5-8-13, 53% Owned)

Kesler is one of the hottest players on his team. With 5 goals the first month of the season, he’s shown that he can find the net as he is tied for third in goals and is second in points on the Canucks. He’s also valuable on special teams as he as six power play points.

Honorable Mention:

Mike Fisher, Ottawa (5-6-11, +3, 3PPG, 2GWG, 22% Owned)

Brendan Morrison, Washington (4-6-10, +6, 6 PIM, 2 PPG, 15% Owned)

Wayne Simmonds

Wayne Simmonds

Right Wing:

David Clarkson, New Jersey (3-6-9, 40% Owned)

Clarkson started off hot, but midway through October he went through a five game goal-less drought. Clarkson ended that drought last week. Don’t be afraid to pick him up. I strongly believe he will warm up or get hot before he becomes ice cold. His 20 penalty minutes are worth using if you need someone to raise your team penalty minutes.

Honorable Mention:

Nathan Horton, Florida (3-7-10, 20 PIM, 55% Owned)

Wayne Simmonds, Los Angeles (4-4-8, +9, 9 PIM, 5% Owned)

Left Wing:

James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia (2-11-13, +6, 3 PPA, 27% Owned)

While he may only have two goals this young season, #2 overall pick in the 2007 draft James van Riemsdyk has made an impact through the assist for the Flyers. You have to take notice of someone that has more points than games played, as the Flyers have played only 10 games. He leads the team in assists and is third in plus-minus. If you’re in need of assists because your defensemen aren’t coming through, I recommend his as only 1 in 4 teams own him. Unfortunately in my fantasy league, Chris picked him up Monday afternoon.

Honorable Mention:

Matt Moulson, New York Islanders (6-5-11, 6 PIM, 3 PPA, 45% Owned)

Jarkko Ruutu, Ottawa (4-3-7, 27 PIM, 6% Owned)

Defense:

Jason Demers, San Jose (0-10-10, +7, 4 PPA, 32% Owned)

Rookie Demers has been producing on the blue line for a solid Sharks team. While he haven’t scored a goal this season, his team-leading plus-minus rating is worth taking note of. Look for him to see increased playing time from coach Todd Mclellan.

Ryan Suter, Nashville (2-5-7 8 PIM, 2 PPA, 59% Owned)

I had several defensemen to consider picking. But Suter was the best out of a good bunch along with Demers. Suter is an experienced player who is in the top-five on his team in points and penalty minutes. He also has three power play points in 13 games this season.

Honorable Mention:

Jaroslav Spacek, Montreal (1-4-5, +6, 14 PIM, 49% Owned)

Roman Hamerlik, Montreal (4-2-6, +6, 12 PIM. 22% Owned)

Goalie:

Ondrej Pavelec, Atlanta (5 W, 2.75 GAA, .921 SV%, 42% Owned)

Just like everyone else before the season, I didn’t have much faith in the Thrashers. But they got off to a good start in the first month of the season, and that’s what they need. In goal, Pavelec has solidified his #1 spot over Johan Hedberg. He’s owned in 2 out of every 5 leagues, so chances are he’s available for you.

Honorable Mention:

Jaroslav Halak, Montreal (5 W, 2.85 GAA, .893 SV%, 39% Owned)

Dwayne Roloson, New York Islanders (4 W, 2.70 GAA, .914 SV%, 34% Owned)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,