Jonny Bast and I actually had some serious problems chatting about his team this month and despite that he got some good work done.  The problems for getting more done have to be lain right on my doorstep and I suppose having a two week long Olympic break didn’t help much since we didn’t discuss his team very much at all during that entire time period.  Anyway, if Jonny feels a disservice with the process then he has my sincerest apologies.

Jonny plays in 16 dynasty CBS roto league with the following categories: G, A, PIM, STPTs (PPP + SHP), W and GAA.  I like STPT as a cat, it favours stars who play in every situation and it evens the playing field by making checking types more valuable in a deep league like this.  Jonny actually sat 1 point behind the leader when I came on the scene and in that situation you just don’t want to make suggestions that hurt his chances at a championship since he’s already so close to the top of the mountain as it is.  Over the course of the month he jumped to the top of the heap and his challenge from here on out is to stay there.

Let’s take a look at Streit, no chaser.

C Ryan Getzlaf ANA –  well I was pegging him for about 1.5 pt/game this season and he’s only provided 1 pt/game but he also was significant for a gold medal this season so the shortfall is easily forgiven.  There’s a reason he was taken often in the top 5 of drafts, he’s got mad skillz.

C Steven Stamkos TB – everybody knew he was going to be good but I certainly didn’t peg him to be THIS good THIS soon.  Seriously, you didn’t peg him for 50 goals this season.  Oh you did not, quit lying.

C Travis Zajac NJ – the Kovalchuk trade has launched Z into pt/game territory as the offense has spread more and created more ice for him and whichever star he gets to line up with.  I completely pegged him wrong a couple years back by saying that I figured he’d only be Matthew Lombardi good but I’m going to revise that assessment and say he has Alfredsson upside.

LW Scott Hartnell PHI – best hair in hockey right now, am I right?  In PIM leagues I love to roster this guy because he seems to get goals in bunches and he always seems to end up with a decent amount of PIMs.  I love that mix.

LW Jussi Jokinen CAR –  this is the guy you should be shopping pretty hard in your league because there’s no way that he duplicates this sort of production next year or any year down the road.  He’s been a gold mine for you this year though, just smile and enjoy the ride.

RW Bobby Ryan ANA –cement this guy into your lineup for the next decade.  I expect a handful of 50 goal seasons over that period.  Resist practically all offers that come your way for trading him.

RW Alexei Kovalev OTT – I don’t care what people say, this guy is simply an enigma.  Some try to pump him up as an elite fantasy option but I just don’t see it anymore.  If the guy WANTS to play he can dominate a game and there is no doubt that he has the skills to do it but … he doesn’t seem to want it anymore.  I also don’t think he’s a good fit in Ottawa and I have no doubt that he’ll try to sign in Montreal again as soon as he can.

F Ryan Malone TB – I wasn’t expecting quite this much offense but I was hoping for more PIMs.   The tradeoff is nice because it benefits most fantasy players who roster him.

F Michal Frolik FLA – he’ll finish with goals in the 20’s somewhere but the upside is 30+ perhaps as soon as next year.  I love this guy as a dynasty option but I suggest patience, the time will come that he’s a 2^nd tier offensive guy.

D Tobias Enstrom ATL – that Thrasher’s D is going to be the best in the league eventually if they all stay together, just give them 5 years or so.  Right now it looks like Enstrom might be the star of the group although Bogo looks like he could give it a run too.

D Mark Streit NYI – he’s the Isles best player right now.  Yeah, I like JT and OH-poso too and DiP’s contract is a huge millstone that they’ll regret for a decade but right now the best Isle is Streit (no chaser).

D Ryan Suter NAS –  I projected him for points in the 40’s this season and it looks as though he’ll fall just short of that, and he doesn’t get enough goals for my taste but overall he’s a decent option.  I really like that Preds D to burst out over the next couple years and Suit will have his share of the credit when it happens.

D Andy Greene NJ – I suspect that Paul Martin is going to steal some thunder from Greene’s job performance again soon but in many ways Greene’s been a godsend for the Devils this season.  If you can get 30 pts out of a D then you’ve got yourself a decent starting option.  He’s tripled any previous stat production this season so I wouldn’t bet on him being able to do this ever again.

G Ilya Bryzgalov PHX – any goalie you can get 30 W’s out of is an excellent option and Cool Breeze has a shot at 40 W’s this season.  With how badly things went for the Yotes last summer things have been amazing for them this season … for BOTH their fans.

G Carey Price MON – things are pretty much a crapshoot for the goalies in Montreal still and I personally say that the guy that needs to be traded out of town is Price.  I think that Canadians get really enamored with the Canadian kid and they neglect that Halak is just more polished than Price is.  Hey, its how I feel.  Now do I care about the Habs goalie situation?  Hell no, I’m a Leafs fan.

G Cam Ward CAR –this is a lost season for him but he’s still among the best tenders in the league.  Don’t forget that, it’ll be important come next season.

BN Jason Pominville BUF – I’d love to say that Pominville is a town where 30 goal guys move to and become 20 goal scorers but Pom was never really a viable 30 goal guy.  He’ll get his 20-something goals this season and that’s pretty much what was expected of him.

BN Andrew Cogliano EDM – I figure he could turn into Daymond Langkow or Travis Zajac depending on his opportunities.  You should hope that it isn’t Langkow.

BN Darren Helm DET – I don’t see him as being anything more than a checking center but at the same time, he’s really good at that.  His faceoff % has improved this year, he blocks shots, he kills penalties … and you don’t track most of that stuff in your league.  I’m just saying that he’s a better hockey player than he is a fantasy hockey player in your league.

BN Bryan Little ATL –  ever since the Kovalchuk trade Little’s PPTOI has jumped up into the neighbourhood of 4 minutes a game and we already know he has a track history for goals when he gets the chance.   I like his chances at goals from here on out for that team as they spread their offense around a lot more.

BN Doug Weight NYI –  he scored his 1^st goal of the season in February this year and he sits with that massive one goal total as I write this.  He is going to have shoulder surgery but still, he’s been playing and doing nothing with the half season of stats he’s put up.  He was always pass happy but this is going way too far, just shoot the puck once in a while old man.  He only has value because your league is insanely deep and it’s not anything close to a sure thing that he’ll be able to return from surgery this offseason.

BN Jason Blake ANA – his traditional fantasy value is locked up in the fact that he shoots the puck more than the norm … that hasn’t been the case this season and you don’t track SOG’s anyway.  A lot was expected of him this year and I can confidently say that he has completely underwhelmed.

BN Slava Kozlov ATL – all the stats that he got last year look to have gone to Maxim Afinogenov this season.  I have little interest in rostering either guy this season but it does seem like perhaps Slava and Max have switched paths when it comes to evaluating ongoing value from season to season.

BN Sergei Samsonov CAR – when I’ve seen his name on the scoresheet this year I’ve thought several times “isn’t he retired?” Yeah, that’s harsh, especially when I consider that he’s still got a shot at 20 goals this season.

BN Evgeny Artyukhin ATL –  I was expecting 150 PIMs out of him this season and I would’ve been thrilled with 20 points … and he’s not going come anywhere near those projections this season.  That’s just a waste of a good PIMy option.

BN Derek Dorsett CBS – another troglodyte, except this one has actually been doing his job when he’s been on the ice.  There’s good PIMs here although the points will never be where you need them to be in order to do anything more than spot-start him.

BN Joel Ward NAS – he should finish with points in the 30’s somewhere this season and with an option to continue that growth in coming seasons.  I figure he’s got 50-60 pts in him one day which will do nicely for a bottom of the roster guy in a league this size.

BN Brandon Dubinsky NYR – every trade rumour involving the Rangers has Doobie linked to it.  There’s reason for that, the kid’s got decent skills and can do a lot when teamed up with some talent.  He kind of reminds me of Tomas Plekanec’s development. 

BN Paul Bissonnette PHX – more PIMs, and nothing else.

BN Jonathan Ericsson DET –  there are lots of growing pains here but there were also plenty of growing pains while all the other D ahead of him on the Wings pecking order grew into their jobs.  I see the kid as a nice complement to Kronwall as they anchor that line together over the next decade.

BN Alex Goligoski PIT – wow man, your D is DEEP.  He’ll be over the next half decade what Gonchar has been to the Pens over the last half decade.  Pardon the difficult sentence structuring.

BN Jack Hillen NYI –  dare I say it but I think Hillen can be as valuable to the Isles as another American D is to the Wings; Brian Rafalski.  Yes I realize that’s a huge jump for Hillen but this is only his 3^rd season in the league and it’ll be his first shot at contributing full time.

BN Kyle Quincey COL – Q has been pretty cold since Christmas but he still has really good value, particularly if you’re not relying on him to be your main guy, and you’re not.  He really only got his first shot at fame last season and he parlayed that into a nice contract in Denver.  In general he continues to impress.

BN Robin Regehr CAL – he has a lot more NHL value than he has fantasy value.  He’s a shutdown guy that you really don’t need for fantasy, particularly if you don’t count +/-.

BN Justin Peters CAR – Ward has had a rough year and you were fortunate to be able to roster his replacement.  He’ll have value for the remainder of this year and this may actually mean the difference between winning and losing the whole shooting match this year.

That my friends, is one freaking DEEEEEEEEP 14 team league.  35 man rosters, 490 players on somebody’s team.  It took way too long just to list the team itself before I had to breakdown the strengths and weaknesses.  Excuse me while I sit down for a bit and take a breather.

Ok, well I LOVE your C’s across the board, your D is phenomenal and you have 3 starting goaltenders in a 14 team league where you have 3 starting slots.  My first reaction was that this team was obviously among the best in the league already (and the standings page easily bore out that hypothesis).  If you broke down your standings the most movement can be made in the skater categories and that’s what I figured you should target.  If you could find some more goals, or STPT then that’d be ideal but failing that there were a handful of points that could be found in PIMs alone.

Let’s see what we could do.

Waiver Wire Options

Just the fact that there’s anyone with an NHL job on your waiver wire is a huge victory in a league this size.  The fact that these guys were there briefly is testament to the fact that your league is active too.

Ivan Vishnevskiy – with his recent trade to Atlanta he’ll get more exposure since there’s a youth movement going on with the Thrash.  I would’ve thought he’d get a chance in Dallas since there only seemed to be Robidas and Niskanen with the upside to do more offensively than he could but it never happened.  You swapped out Regehr for him.

Tim Gleason – I was very surprised to see him on the wire actually, he’s a quality D that contributes in multiple of your categories.  I suggested you move on him and he got snapped up by someone else in your league.  I’ve got to think he’d be a better option on D than Bissonnette would be.

Dustin Boyd – I had him on my Expert’s Team to start this season … but he had a really slow start.  I was pegging him for getting close to 20 goals this season and that’s definitely not happening.  The good news is that there’s more opportunity in Nashville for him than would’ve been for him in Calgary and if that translates into stats then adding him can be a smart move.

Trading Options

Traded Kyle Quincey and Joel Ward for Lubomir Visnovsky – the price was steep but Loob is in great position for better stats this season including some significant STPT’s from here on out.  If you secure a championship then this move is a stroke of brilliance.

Traded Michal Frolik for Martin Havlat and Teddy Purcell – ok, to be honest I’m not at all nuts about this deal.  I think Havlat is a little girl who kicks, Purcell has never lived up to the promise that has been thrown his way and Frolik is way too high a price for these guys.  Now having said that, you’re looking for some short term goals that’ll put you over the top toward a championship and Havlat has the skills to do just that.  I didn’t like the deal but I get why it is that you made the deal.  If this secures a championship for you then it’s worth the long term loss that you take in it.

Conclusions

I think Jonny made some pretty adept moves this month.  He took some chances but I get why he took the chances that he took.  Most of the progress made was through a couple deals and they were done with purpose.  Visnovsky is going to really affect your STPT totals from here on out as he gets to help QB the PP in Anaheim which is significantly different than helping the PP in Edmonton.  While Havlat will hopefully contribute the goals you want for your squad.  Yeah, it’s a chance you’re taking but it’s a decent chance that has a decent shot at succeeding.  Just look at the fact that you jumped into the lead and realize that you’re on your way my friend.  Well done.

Well that’s a wrap for me this season.  I’ll be back right around draft time sometime to make the remainder of my summer insanely busy.  It might be fun to review a team as they hold a prospect draft during the summer so if that’s you then consider firing off an email to Dobber about it. 

I also want to thank Dobber for the chance to write for the best fantasy hockey site on the planet.  I’m off to try and help Dobberbaseball become the best fantasy baseball site on the planet for awhile.  Come check us out over there, there’s plenty of fantasy advice to go around.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8PfX4VS_Lo

Antti Niemi is now the main goalie in Chicago but Cristobal Huet got the start against Philly.  the Hawks are going back to back and they want to run uncle Antti out there against the Caps on Sunday.  man, that’s going to be one monster of a game.

Dave Bolland was the only Hawk who wasn’t minus for the game and Lukas Krajicek was the only Flyer who was minus.  i really like Bolland as a fantasy option for PIMs and pts but Krajicek is useless unless we’re in a conversation of underutilized X-files characters.

Marian Hossa went 1 and 1 with 7 SOGs and 2 PIMs.  that’s a really good day.  Hossa is a very good fit in Chicago, he’s talented but he doesn’t stick out as a superstar when put up against stars like Kane and Toews on his own team.  good supporting attack though and i like him.

Michael Leighton saw 41 shots, well he saw 39 shots because 2 got past him.  that’s a big win for the Flyers on the road.  if you met Michael Leighton on the street would you know him?  i wouldn’t but he sure has been valuable to the Flyers this season.

i’m so glad we’re past the “hockey hair/mullet” era but having said that, Scott Hartnell has the best hair in the league, don’t ya think?  if you don’t like it then YOU try explaining to him why you think it’s so bad.  he’s also got a mean streak so i hope you’re not a bleeder if you don’t like the look.

Ryan Clowe is on pace for significant power forward stats this season and there’s no way i would have pegged him for this sort of production.  maybe the point potential was there but there’s really no history for the PIM production he’s put up in the NHL.  it’s a rare thing to get 30 pts and 125 PIMs from a forward and Clowe might get there this season.

Tomas Greiss is 6-5 with 10 starts for an excellent Sharks squad.  i’ve got to think you can find a better backup for a team like that, there’s no way that a goalie should be barely over .500 when he gets starts in the teens for a team that has a boatload of wins.  yeah, i don’t like this guy.

Shawn Matthias only has 11 pts in 40 games this season.  he has underwhelmed and been hurt a lot so if i were in a keeper i’d be shopping to see what i could get for him.

Keith Ballard got a goal, 2 SOG’s and 2 PIMs.  this is what he does, well maybe not so many goals but the PIMs will be there.  now on that note please remember that this was the guy who two-handed his own goalie after a goal this season.  strong like bull, smart like tractor.

Hecht from Pominville and Connolly was a common theme for the Sabres, it was the only way they scored on the night.  Hecht is ON FIRE by the way and i seem to recall him not being a slouch for Germany during the Olympics either.

speaking of guys who did well in the Olympics Brian Rafalski got the OT winner and had more ice than anybody else in the game, unfortunately he was also -2. 

i saw The Matrix on a midnight showing on tv this week, caught it just in time for blue pill or red pill.  love that flick.

the Isles are back to giving more ice to Sean Bergenheim at the end of the season again.  they’ve done this for like 3 seasons in a row now and i can only assume they’re trying to figure out what he can do.  they’ve had WAY too much patience with him.

David Clarkson is back and he might just be my favourite PIMy option amongst forwards in the entire league.

i’m planning to make the statement in my next Expert’s Audit that Jack Hillen can be as valuable to Mark Streit as Rafalski is to Lidstrom.  i really believe that’s possible.

Blake Comeau has points in 5 of his last 7 games over the last month, including a hattie.

Sergei Kostitsyn had 2 goals and an ugly hit from behind that almost got him flattened by Milan Lucic.  i personally would’ve loved to see that happen.  it would’ve been a “how do ya like me now” moment but the B’s are pretty much on edge after the Cooke/Savard incident last week.

Looch got 2 minutes after SKost had the illegal hit simply because he gave him the old forearm shiver.  i still would’ve loved to see Looch go off on him.

i’d like Dom Moore better in Montreal if they had some bigger C’s in front of him on the pecking order.  i still maintain that the Habs are too small up front and Dom won’t help that.

apparently Don Cherry met Matt Cooke in a hallway and got nose to nose about his cheapshots after Cooke asked if he’d say the sorts of things to his face that he says on tv.  Grapes doesn’t need anybody speaking up for him and i seldom would anyway but i really respect that he called a cheapshot artist what he is.

i heard a rumour this week that they’re making a Bill and Ted’s 3, how great would that be?  that was actually the first movie that my wife and i saw together although 2 really underwhelmed.  it’s not like Keanu is a stellar talent or something but still, i’m interested.

Steve Mason got destroyed in the battle of the Masons yesterday.  man the Jackets sure are in trouble eh?  they were in the playoffs last year and they’ve plummetted.

with the exception of March 6th Andy McDonald has been on a points streak since Feb 9.  he went 1 and 2 with a couple PIMs on the night and it’s guys like him that’ll lead the Blues out of the desert eventually (i like Oshie for that too).

my Leafs weren’t on CBC tonite.  i hate it when that happens, then again they were only playing the Oilers so it’s not like that’s a barnburning matchup.

Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and Nikolai Kulemin looked great on the night and i like the promise that the youngs guys show.  i’m trying not to sound too much like a homer on that one but i really do like how Bozak and Kulemin have looked.

PIMy Dion got an assist on the night.  he had more ice than any other Maple Leaf but he also spent 6 minutes in the box.  man do i ever love that trade for the Leafs.

Dustin Penner went 1 and 2 in a losing cause.  he’s had a great season … he’s still not worth all the draft picks they gave up to get him but he’s had a great season.

i was really pleased that the Leafs traded away Lee Stempniak, i never liked the guy.  then he goes out and gets 2 goals for the Yotes.  he didn’t have a single 2 goal game for the Leafs but he has two 2 goal games for the Yotes in March alone.  i hate it when that happens.

Martin Hanzal had the other 2 goals for the Yotes on the night.

the Canucks finally got to play at home again but don’t give me this martyr crap about being on the road for this entire month and a half or however long its been.  they had the 2 wk break in the middle of that like everybody else where they got to sit at home in front of their tv’s and watch BobbyLou do his thing.

you do know that Mikael Samuelsson is teamed up with the twins right?  he has 5 goals and an assist in his last 2 games now.  i haven’t seen him on many waiver wires this season but i did see him on a lot of benches, particularly in roto, GET HIM OFF THE BENCH.

there’s nothing wrong between Ryan Kesler and Roberto Luongo by the way, all that chatter in the Olympics was just one guy trying to get under the other guy’s skin.  i heard some nuck fans who were nervous about that but they don’t need to be.

Kevin Bieksa returned last night, you better not have turfed him.

Chris Neil got me 7 PIMs last night.  there isn’t much nice i could say about the Sens at the end of their Western Canadian road trip and a bad loss.  they did manage to beat the Oilers but that’s been their only win in March so far.

Daniel’s goal went in off a pretty sweet pass by Henrik.  Daniel went 1 and 1 and had 8 SOG’s on the night to go along with a couple PIMs.

Sami Salo is a china doll but he went 1 and 1 anyway.

i’ve mentioned a couple Keanu movies here … but i can’t think of many more, not good ones anyway.  he was in Speed but c’mon, Sandra Bullock was the only reason to watch that one.  he was horrid in Othello and then i suppose there’s Point Blank.  what else you got?  don’t mention the sequels to anything and the chick flicks don’t count (yes i have seen The Lake House and i’ll never get those 2 hours back).

Malkin saw his 15 game point streak come to an end with the addition of Ponikarovsky (1G, -2, 6SOG) on his wing. I expect the line combination to be given a few games to find some chemistry as the Crosby line was buzzing and should not be broken up anytime soon.

Morrow and Ribeiro have rarely lead there team offensively this year but despite the loss they were able to produce offensively. Injuries have plagued both of them this season and the Olympic break may be the best thing to happen to this duo. Morrow was one of Canada’s best players in the tourney and Ribs needed the rest. I’m not saying they will become the duo of the 2007-08 season but 15pts each to end the season is possible.

One of the biggest disappointments this season for me personally has been the play of Tim Thomas. After winner the Vezina I could have traded him in the offseason but instead decided to reap the benefits of another great season. With a 15-15-7 record I was forced to drop Thomas and what does he do…. puts up two straight wins. Here is to hoping Vokoun outplays him.

Blake Comeau has quietly moved onto my fantasy radar. With 5 points in 5 games before the Olympic break, Comeau started the post Olympic break with the 3 point night. He is playing with Tavares and despite going pointless the past two games he deserves to be watched closely.

Looking for PIM? Look no further than Carkner vs Orr whenever the Leafs and Sens meet. Round 4 took place last night with Orr bringing his record to 3-1. In Carkner’s defense he was at the end of his shift.

Gaborik is suffering a lower body injury ….. SURPRISE!!! If you own Ranger players sit them until Gaborik returns as the offense is non-existent without Gabby.

The goalie situation in Washington has just become more complicated as many expected Varlamov to take the reigns upon his return. Although he did get the win, Varly allowed 4 GA. Theodore on the other hand has two wins and a GA of 0.5 since the break. I’m one of the biggest Varlamov fans but the table is tipped in Theo’s favor.

Everyone was raving about the Canes on Thursday after they depleted their lineup at the deadline and then went onto to beat the Sens 4-1. What do they have to say after the 4-1 loss to Vokoun and the Panthers. Let’s not get confused…. the Canes are only as good as Ward can take them. Look for them to contend for a lottery pick.

Every season I look for Cory Stillman to fade away and every season he proves me wrong. He did miss a bulk of games to injury but seems to always show up at key times. The top line was quiet last night but Stillman came through with two points.

After trading away Kovlachuk it looks like the Thrashers have improved and found a way to score by committee. In 8 games since the Feb 5th trade, Bergfors has 7 points, Antropov 12, Little 7, Afino 6 and even Artyukhin has 2 points in 2 games.

Speaking of quick start with their new team, Purcell has 3 points in two games on Lecavalier’s wing. It may be too early to tell but Purcell was buried with all the depth in LA, but in Tbay he has struck gold if he can stick on Vinny’s wing.

The same can be said about Downie who continues to produce on a line with Stamkos and St.Louis. His PIM and points make him ROTO-GOLD but I recently picked him up in a points league. His 10 game point streak ranked him top 5 in points across the league over the past month.

The biggest name to be traded at the deadline was Wolski. He has not disappointed with 3 points in 2 games alongside Shane Doan. I really think a veteran like Doan can bring some consistency to the streaky/inconsistent youngster. Wolski is having a career year but I don’t think he will ever surpass the 60 point mark.

Jonas Hiller had an above average Olympics but has allowed 4 goals against in both games this week. With a new contract and no pressure from his backup it will be interesting to see how Hiller adjusts and finishes off the season. Can he catch fire down the stretch, just like he did last season.

Chris Stewart is unstoppable at the moment with another multi point game. It seems like the Avs have had an infinite number of prospects who have gone on hot streaks this season. Unlike O’Reilly, Yip or Galiardi…. Stewart hasn’t stopped. I don’t see this continuing until the end of the season but he has proven me wrong week after week.

E.Johnson and McDonald each posted a -4 rating. If you own a Blue you will continue to get hit in the +/- category. Try to off set the damage with Cap players.

The frustration continues for Price owners. Price plays an amazing game only to see his win taken away from him in the 3rd period. Halak plays and the team scores 4 goals. It just isn’t Price’s year…. everytime he seems to be on the verge to take back the #1 spot Halak steals it back. How does a team allow 40 SA one game and then 21 SA the next.

At the start of the season who would have picked Quick to be on top of the wins category. The kid has been fantastic and makes many wonder what is going to happen to Bernier. Could Bernier become trade bait? If I was Lombardi I would trade Bernier before a goalie controversy starts.

The Sharks put up another 40+ shot performance and ran into a hot goalie. Once again they were able to pull out the win in the 3rd period. If they continue this offensive pressure, look for a great finish to the season for the likes of Thornton, Marleau and Heatley. Thornton is very familiar with productive second halfs before shutting down for the playoffs.

The only bright spot for the Blue Jackets is the play of Mason who seems to have turned his season around. He may still come cheap in trade talks and is still a great goalie to own in keepers.

rumour is alive and well in the city of Winnipeg.  some hockey boards and at least one certain radio station’s website are alive with the idea that the Thrashers have been or are being sold to a group in Winnipeg and are moving there for the 2010-11 season.  i’ve only seen it on a couple hockey message boards but i’ve read 2 respected hockey guys that it is possible.  outside of that it does seem to be a lot of “my friend’s dad told his son who told me” sort of rumour mongering although i did hear some other info about how MTS would be a major partner in the potential franchise along with the present owners of the MTS Centre and the Manitoba Moose.  for some reason the “announcement” is due to be made at the end of the Olympics.

additionally there have been rumours that the Manitoba Moose have closed up shop and are moving to Saskatoon for next year.  the rumour is that they’ve closed their accounts and have been sold to a group in Saskatchewan.

again, i want to be clear hear, i’m only talking about rumours.  the buzz is alive in this city.  don’t tell me that the city can’t support a NHL team either because the venue is expandable and the economic climate is much different in Winnipeg than it was a decade ago.  additionally the NHL economic climate is different with a salary cap.  the Thrashers wouldn’t have to compete with 100M salary structures and they can fill a venue enough to support a NHL salary cap.

yeah, that’s more speculation … but speculation is fun too.

Jana traded Andy Greene for Tomas Fleischmann - when i did a team review i suggested that she trade Greene for Andy Stewart but she’s actually done better than that suggestion by making this deal.  she adds some pure offense for a D that was extra on her team anyway.  this is straight up well done.

Ryan traded Drew Doughty for Marc Savard and Tobias Enstrom and then he turned around and flipped Savard and Ryan Malone for Steven Stamkos.  so in the end this deal was Ryan Malone and Drew Doughty for Tobias Enstrom and Steven Stamkos.  Ryan plays in a shallow 8 team keep 5 league where he needs to pursue goals.  he steps down from Doughty to Enstrom but that isn’t nearly as great as the HUGE step up from Malone to Stamkos … particularly in a keeper league.  love this trade man.

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happy VD.  if you don’t have something for your significant other then you’re probably not reading this because you’re stuck in the doghouse.  i actually bought the CD i was linking to on Hockey Day in Canada because it had the theme song and my wife really likes David Francey.  it’s not a bowling ball that says Homer on it but … ok, it’s close.

so it seems like i’ll get away from doing this thing for a couple weeks after this issue is up.  i may do a little Olympic hockey blogging though, i haven’t decided.  i think a couple weeks off might be pretty valuable to me though, i’d get to sleep in on a couple Sunday morns.

on an unrelated note to hockey, i’m really digging the remake of We are the World.  there lots of classic stuff mixed in with a good measure of new stylings thrown into that.

first thing i noticed when i started watching some puck was that Martin Biron is starting for the Isles today.  i’m a bit surprised by that since i was expecting him to be moved (rumour was back to Buffalo) and now that the deadline has passed and since he wasn’t traded then why not give the start to Roloson if you’re going to rest DiP?  i still expect Biron to get moved but it’ll obviously be after the Olympic break and before the trade deadline.

i had Steven Stamkos ranked 92 in my Expert’s League draft list this season.  92.  yeah, swing and a miss.  actually the ball’s already being thrown back to the pitcher before i swung at that one.  now to be fair i had Brendan Morrow at 88 so maybe that isn’t horrible.  needless to say i had him underranked and i didn’t have him on a single team this season.

Doug Weight got his 1st goal of the season in his 30th game on the season.  he was always a pass-happy guy but even this sort of track record is pretty bad.  even I might’ve been able to have 2 by now.  ok, maybe not.

we all knew that Kyle Okposo was going to be good but i just figured that JT would lead the Isles in stats this season.  just imagine what those 2 guys are going to be able to do over the next decade playing together.  this is going to be something special.

i wasn’t a fan of Steve Downie in the least, i didn’t think he’d amount to much as an NHL’er.  he’s showing an awful lot of stats across the board for a fantasy team though and i expect he’s got a shot at 40 pts and 200 PIMs which hardly ever gets accomplished in today’s NHL.  if he even gets close to that he has to be considered a keeper in many multi-cat leagues.  wow, never thought i’d say something like that.

Alex Tanguay is a bad fit for the Lightning.  he’s got nobody to play with and i wouldn’t be surprised if he “discretely” asked for a change of scenery.

Sergei Kostitsyn had a good night against the Caps earlier this week and i noticed that he was skating with Plekanec.  if he gets to hang out with him then perhaps some good things will rub off and he’ll actually start showing some fantasy value.

Aaron Asham was hilarious telling a guy to f***ing get up right after he was whistled for the obvious trip he had just finished committing.  don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.

PK Subban is very green.  he was really energetic, excitable and stupid at the same time.  he was all over the ice in the 1st period and caused a couple of occasions that would’ve thrilled Philly fans if they had capitalized but eventually he’ll come around and be a solid option.  i suspect that the Habs didn’t mind losing Komisarek this season because they knew they had a kid like this guy in the system.

the talking heads spent a good chunk of time talking about how Chris Pronger has a good hate going on right now.  they’re right.  i see loads of production and PIMs coming out of him for the remainder of the season.

that was some slick backhand move out of Briere to get his hattie on the penalty shot.  purely sick.  that’s been a quiet bounceback to get past 20 goals again for him.

Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez each took 6 SOGs in the game (that’s a lot for Gomez actually) and each got a goal.  i mention it because i really should try to say something about someone on each team i look at.

Ian Laperriere would be a great middleweight PIMy option if only he generated more offense.  a few years back he got into 30 pts on the season but just shy of 20 is a lot more common for him and that just doesn’t have enough fantasy value to make him startable.

Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau were -2 on the road in Buffalo and Joe Thornton was -1.  none of them hit the scoreboard and Marleau alone took 7 of their 12 SOGs.  it really is a bitch to face a tough goalie on the road.

Tomas Vanek got his 6th point in February getting his 18th goal on the season.  he led his team in SOGs and has the history of being their best goal scorer.  if the slugs offense is going to wake up then i think it’ll have to do so through Vanek.

Johan Franzen has been back for a good chunk of this last week and last night he led his team in SOGs, got an empty netter and was +1 in nearly 20 minutes of ice.  i like the Mule for a boatload of goals as the Wings make their move in the west.

Peter Regin may not be now but one day will be a Great Dane.

the Sens were red hot before meeting my Leafs last week.  the lost again to the Wing on Saturday this week.  maybe they just don’t like facing Original 6 teams on Saturdays because the rest of the time they were on fire.

Danny Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi seem to be working together to keep hope alive.  they were supposed to dial back their contributions now that their compatriots are all back.  they appear to be getting some PP2 duty and doing enough to remain viable.

Ray Whitney went 2 and 1 for the Canes but odds are pretty good that his days as a Cane are numbered.  he’s got a shot at 30 goals this season.

dude, take it easy i’m Jussi Jokinen has 23 goals on the season and he’s already well past his career high for goals in a season.  he’s always been known a great 2 way option but the dearth in goalscoring for the Canes this season has meant that he’s stepped into that vacuum. 

it could be that the chemistry on the Devils 2nd line has developed quicker than the 1st line.  if they can keep Rolston/Zajac/Langenbrunner contributing goals on a regular pace then you just know that Parise/Zubrus/Kovalchuk is going to explode often from here on out.

Anssi Salmela got absolutely rocked last week and i didn’t think he’d be back this soon.  he got taken off the ice on a back board but he was back and got a rare assist last night.

Tony if you’re reading this then i’m thinking that your Weiss deal was enough.  now if you can get the offers that we discussed last night then do that but if it ain’t working then that Weiss offer is still pretty sweet.  Weiss got his 21st goal and he led his entire team in ice time.

David Krejci was pointless for a week so i benched him in frustration.  of course he then goes out and gets a goal.  i hate it when that happens.

i also traded Dennis Wideman last week and then he goes out and gets 2 assists.  i hate it when that happens too.

Tomas Vokoun made 1/3 more saves than Tuukka Rask did and he still came out on the losing end of a shootout.  can nothing go right for me in this game?

when i put Krejci on my bench i put Mike Ribeiro in my lineup and i got an assist out of the deal.  this is fine except i have a 40 assist lead on the next guy and i really could use the goals.

James Neal and Jamie Benn are going to be very important to the Dallas Stars over the years.  Benn got his 15th goal and Neal got a fighting major.  just remember that they have Loui Eriksson on that team too … why doesn’t anyone preach the Star power?

Marty Turco with a 40 save shuttie.  he’ll be elsewhere before the deadline, i still like Philly as his likely destination.

AO took 8 SOGs but got nothing out of the deal.  the other Alex (Semin that is) took 5 SOGs and went 1 and 1.  Semin is an elite talent who may never get 50 he’ll be a solid 40 every season for a lot of seasons.   he still fights like my sister though.

Cam Janssen got 40 seconds of ice time and 20 PIMs on the night. 

TJ Oshie is a quality NHL option and he’s been red hot in February.  it’s been coming along for quite a while now and it looks like he has pretty much arrived.  more and more keeper leagues need to be looking at him as an option and all dynasty leagues already have him locked in.

the Ducks were all over the Flames in terms of SOGs but they still came out on the short end.  Jarome Iginla with 2 goals on the night to show his elite status.  he just missed the net in the last minute in his bid for the hattie.  he was the star of the game.

Ryan Getzlaf is back skating but wasn’t in the lineup for this game.  nobody was expecting him to play but Canada is waiting to see if he’ll play in the Olympics or not.

Teemu Selanne is 4 goals shy of tying Jari Kurri in career goals.  that is HUGE news in Finland where Kurri is a hockey god.  Kurri is coaching the Finnish team at the Oly’s i believe too.

 Jonas Hiller has the worst goalie mask in the league.  it’s like he went after Martin Gerber’s Darth mask and fell WAYYYYYYYY short.  it’s all metallic red or rust or something and it just doesn’t work.  maybe he’s going for something else and i just don’t get it.

man did it ever seem strange to see Jason Blake and Ian White in a race for an icing call.  i almost didn’t recognize either guy.

Niklas Hagman had the most SOGs in this game even though he went pointless.  i have Nik on my Expert’s League team and i really need him to find lots of chemistry in Cowtown.  like i said earlier, i need goals.

Dave Bolland has been back for February and only got his 1st pts earlier this week since returning.  Bolland will be a significant addition to an energy line for the Hawks.  he got a goal but was -2 on the night.  nevertheless he’s worth rostering in standard leagues or deeper.

Evander Kane might just end up as the defacto leader of the Thrashers.  he’s too young right now but there’s just something about him that strikes me as the sort that you don’t want to mess with, even if he’s on your own team.

i’ve been waiting for Johnny Oduya to provide the elite +/- that i’ve been rostering him all season to provide.  he just recently got above freezing and since he doesn’t help in any other stat category i’m really hoping he really bursts out for a lot of +/- over the last 20 games.  yeah … not happening … but i also don’t think i can cut ties.

Kim Johnsson got a goal for the Hawks but i still say that’s going to be a rarity for  him.  they don’t need him for that anyway, his real value is in the salary the Hawks DON’T have to pay to Barker for the next 2 years.  they’re thrilled with this deal and rightly so.

Patrick Sharp has 50 pts now.  50 pts in 60 games, that’s a lot for a guy that is not “elite” right?  yeah, that’s why he’s pretty close to elite in my books.

Jonathan Quick has 35 wins on the season which is not only 14 more than his career high it’s also starting to get into elite numbers for goaltenders.  he should easily get 40 wins and the ratios will be money.  i actually saw him sitting on waiver wires earlier this season, how wrong is that?

Richard Clune had 2 assists and 7 PIMs in his 2nd NHL game ever.  to be honest i know nothing about the guy and i can’t find him on Dobber’s prospect listing either.  sorry.

Jack Johnson went to Vancouver for the Opening Ceremonies then hopped a plane back to LA for this game.  apparently he only would’ve gotten 4 hrs sleep or something but he still got 2 assists on the night.  good for him.  i still say he has no fantasy value this season.

Oscar Moller scored on his only shot of the game and he got limited ice on the night to begin with.  i think he’s got decent upside and he’ll get opportunity on that young squad.

i’m pretty sure i was walking behind the Swiss Hockey team on my break one day this week here in Winnipeg.  i was racking my brain to remember any Swiss hockey player who might be there and all i could think of was “isn’t Martin Gerber Swiss?”  i didn’t recognize anyone.

i thought Cody McLeod had a shot at 15 goals and 175 PIMs but he isn’t going to hit either mark.  i thought that if he got the goals mark then he could probably get close to 30 points but that isn’t happening either.  until he gets closer to those levels he has little fantasy value.  he got into a fight last night which helps his stat line but there was nothing else on the night.

the Wild get a triggerman who’s better than anyone they have on the point on the PP.  i see a HUGE burst in stats for Barker over the final third and another big beneficiary will be Miikko Koivu as he gets to pass to someone with a hammer off the point.  Barker will see a lot more PP time on the Wild although i don’t see much of an increase in even strength play.  even if they only use him as a specialist and minimally otherwise it’ll still help their PP and the overall stat line of everyone with the extra man for the Wild.  if your league counts PPP as an option then Barker is a decent target to go after for a relatively good price for the remainder of this season.  Barker has another 2 seasons signed for the Wild at a decent price for a young D.

the Hawks get cap space for next year and a young 1st rounder to keep around beyond this season.  as far as short term is concerned they get a steady stay at home type who’ll play more and better minutes than Barker would’ve although there will be less stats out of Johnsson than Barker would’ve provided.  Leddy is a decent asset that Hawks fans will love to see on their team at some time in the future, although it won’t be soon i don’t imagine.  so essentially the Hawks get to take a financial breath next season as they part ways to Johnsson and wait for Leddy but in the meantime they’re also in a better defensive position this season.  as far as fantasy benefits for the Hawks … there aren’t any that weren’t there before.  the Hawks PP will still be anchored from the back by Keith and Campbell with some help from Seabrook and the occasional forward.

from a fantasy perspective this trade benefits Barker the most, after that it benefits Miikko Koivu, Marek Zidlicky, Martin Havlat, Guillame Latendresse, and to a lesser extent Brent Burns if he can get past his injury woes this season (and last).  i suppose if i were to pick a Hawk that it benefits then i’ll choose Brent Seabrook who’ll get to sub in for Keith or Campbell more often than he would’ve with Barker in the way.  other than that i don’t see much of a change in how the Hawks chase stats as a team.

Anthony Furino is an Isles fan who contacted for a little advice on his fantasy team.  He’s built his team to win now and wanted a little nudge to put him over the top.  He plays in a 20 team dynasty H2H where he’s solidly positioned for the playoffs and anxious to make a run.  The stat categories are G, A, P, +/-, PPP, SHP, and GWG for skaters and W, GAA, SV, SV% and SHO for goalies.  My advice in a league like this is to target goal scorers since that’ll count in several cats and get goalies who get lots of saves.

Well let’s take a look at the Manhatten Supermen.

C Steven Stamkos TB – I wasn’t expecting the sort of breakout that he has put out this season.  Like all fantasy typing heads I knew he was going to be special but I just didn’t think it was happening THIS year.  I’ll repent my unbelief in my own time.

C Rob Schremp NYI – he’s really found his niche on the Island and he’s really well liked on his own team.  I’m happy for him but I still don’t ever see elite stats coming his way.  I suppose in a best case scenario I see him with 50 pt upside some day.  You’re an Isles fan so that’s probably not what you want to hear.

C Tyler Kennedy PIT – the only thing this guy brings to the table is a decent SOG rate, in fact I had him on one of my teams at the beginning of the season for that very reason but come on, he’ll never be an elite fantasy option.  We discussed his value briefly and you and I have vastly different views for what he can provide to your team.

LW Bobby Ryan ANA – now this kid is going to be a superstar.  I see 50 goals a season for a lot of years out of him, although probably not this season. 

LW Brian Rolston NJ –  Rolston’s best asset in fantasy is SOG, which you don’t track in this league.  However he still has decent value as a LW since it’s hard to find projected 25 goal guys anwhere, let alone LW.  Rolston has a shot to finish in the top 25 goal scorers at LW and since your league rosters 60 LW’s everyday, that’s valuable.

LW Tomas Vanek BUF – he’s an elite goal scorer who just has plain stunk it up this season.  I still say he has a shot at 30 goals this season and that’s a dropdown from the 40 I was expecting from him.  In a league that rosters so many options at every position it’s significant to have a guy like this as your 3^rd LW.

RW Daniel Alfredsson OTW – Alffy has been putting up nearly a point per game when not injured this season.  He’s also your best SHP option which is so rare a category it’s seldom worth chasing at all but when you have someone contributing there then you hang on to him, particularly if he’s top 60 in scoring in the first place.

RW Jamie Langenbrunner NJ – another more than solid citizen and it’s fairly remarkable to have so many good options in a 20 team league.  I always viewed him as a bit of a plumber before last season but I see no reason why he can’t pull off a string of close to 70 point seasons.

RW Bill Guerin PIT –  the only down side is that he’s pretty long in the tooth but for right now he’s getting significant play with some of the best PP options in the game.  I think that 60 points is a nice ceiling for him this season although 50 pts is probably more realistic.

D Sergei Gonchar PIT – he has a history of being one of the best PPP options in the entire league and that to often gets lost in the discussion of upside for Goligoski.  NHL teams don’t like to lose quality options and that’s why I figure a move to the KHL isn’t happening too soon.  Of course, I could be wrong.

D Scott Niedermayer ANA – I was a bit annoyed that he got named Captain for Canada because his +/- has been hurting me all season and then he gets rewarded for that?  Oh well, he’ll show himself the leader that he is and I don’t expect the +/- to continue to plummet like it has over the first 2/3rds of the season.

D Mark Streit NYI – he’s only on pace for 40 some points this season and not the 60 some that was expected but nevertheless when that Isles offense finally bursts out with all the excellent assets at their disposal then I figure that Streit might be in line for his first Norris.  The two way play is already in place and if he starts to put up Niklas Lidstrom type +/- then we might be seeing some interesting things on the Island.

D Bryan McCabe FLA – ok, I’m a Leaf fan and I wasn’t sorry to see McCabe move on.  He’s on pace for 40 something pts this season and he’ll get over 100 PIMs which has significant value in most leagues … and I’m still fine with the fact that he’s no longer a Leaf.

Util Trent Hunter NYI – another unsung Isle.  He’s a solid option although he’ll never be a star.  Another 40 pt season seems reasonable for him.

G Roberto Luongo VAN – arguably the best goalie to have in this system.  He wins a lot, he makes a lot of saves and he keeps the ratios low over the course of a season.  He started off very slowly this season, like most seasons, but he should be locked into your starting slot for every game you can.

BN Chris Mason STL – he’s a solid option as a 2^nd goalie on a young team that looks like it could jump up and bite some other teams in the ass.  His used to have this full beard with a bald head and I couldn’t help but think it made him seem very Grizzly Adams to me.

BN Alexander Salak FLA – we had a discussion about this guy.  I pretty much think he has zero value to your fantasy team and you should turf him for anybody that’ll help you win now.  You don’t agree.  Ok.

BN Sean Bergenheim NYI – every season for the last several Bergenheim has shown a burst of stats late in the season as the Isles try to discover just who they have rostered.  That was when they were fighting for position at the bottom of the league but this season the Isles are fighting for a playoff spot so I don’t see them doling out ice time in an effort to find out what they have.  He’s a viable NHL’er and that’s about it.

BN Manny Malhotra SJ – he’s put in a checking role in San Jose and that’s pretty much where he belongs.  I think in a perfect world he could be what Joe Pavelski already is for them but since that seat is taken then I don’t see monstrous things in store for Manny.  His best asset this season is strong defensive play and it can be seen in his solid +/-.

BN Corey Locke NYR – he’s been a career AHL option who has been given a cup of coffee for the Rangers while they look for more C’s who can help their abysmal offense.  He’s not the answer for them, or for you.

BN Sheldon Souray EDM – he’s a china doll and his days with fantasy relevance are numbered.  This very month he tried to exact some retribution on Jarome Iginla for the concussion put on him earlier this year, and he broke his hand on Iggy’s melon.  This is a train wreck and I’m telling fantasy guys to run away in droves.

BN Steve Sullivan NAS – he’ll be fortunate to reach the 60 pt level this season but much of that is due to his horrid start to the season.  He’s just a bench winger for you though and I’d certainly be happy to have 50 pts from a bench guy in a 20 team league.

IR Dave Bolland CHI – I would’ve pegged him for at least 20 goals this season if he had stayed healthy.  As it is you’re getting a nice bonus as he returns just in time to help you in the playoffs.

IR Patrik Elias NJ – he’s eligible at C which is your weak spot and he (plus Bolland) will solidify your team where you need it most.  I find he’s the sort of NHL’er that responds bests when he’s surrounded by talent who can keep up with his game.

IR Milan Hejduk COL – his 50 goal seasons are long behind him but 20 is still very possible for him now that the Olympic break is nearly upon us.  He’ll return just before the break and then he should just relax his way back to good health and production.

Waiver Wire Options

Shawn Horcoff – in a dynasty league I’d like to add him because I expect some bigger things from him again next year but … not this year.  Someone else snapped him up.

Steve Ott – PIMs are his best asset and you don’t track them in this league.  I like him, but not in this format.

Brooks Orpik – well the pickings are slim.

Brett Clark – he’s normally fairly decent for assists but there are a couple names ahead of him on the depth chart in Colorado now.

Trading Options

Traded Tomas Vanek for Rick DiPietro – Well … I didn’t tell you to do this.  You were in discussions to acquire Tomas Vokoun for Vanek and you ended up making this deal.  I would think that if you had thrown in Chris Mason you could’ve gotten both Vokoun AND DiPietro but in my opinion you sold a lot short on Vanek in this deal.

Traded Sheldon Souray for Dwayne Roloson – you made this deal to cover your own butt and get a handcuff for DiP.  In my opinion this move was designed to make up for selling short on Vanek so it’s like your own little kick save.  At least you have both goaltenders for a team with some upside.

Traded Corey Locke for Jean Sebastien Giguere – now this move I liked.  You traded a minor league center for a goalie who would eventually get moved into a starting slot in Toronto.  Everyone knew the Ducks were trying to trade Giguere and you got him on your roster before the deed was done so you could be the beneficiary.  You won big on this deal.

Traded Chris Mason for Alex Tanguay – you had 5 NHL goalies and a minor league tender in a deep league that only had one goalie starting slot.  You were in discussions to trade for Antti Niemi which would’ve been fine normally but it wasn’t something you needed.  I tried to steer you toward trying to land a forward (preferably a winger) of some kind and this is where you settled.  This is a decent deal for a team that is looking to win now and we’re both relatively happy with it.

Conclusions

We actually didn’t see eye to eye this month.  I HATED the DiPietro deal and I told you so.  Let me apologize if I came off as more than a jerk that I know that I am sometimes.  Having said that, I figured you rebounded from that trade decently over the course of the month.  You secured more goaltending as the month wore on and you went from a tandem of Luongo/C.Mason to Luongo/Roloson/DiPietro/Giguere which should be more than enough.  You were able to add Alex Tanguay to the fold and I’m of the opinion that he’ll return to the decent option that he once was.  Finally, you had the bonus of having a few quality skaters sitting on your IR that eventually jumped into your lineup like you just made a trade yourself and that’s a very nice bonus indeed.

Well, you’ve got yourself a shot at it Anthony.  One of the truly fun things about H2H is that you get your shot just by qualifying for the playoffs and then you can sneak up on some teams and beat up on them.  You’ll get your chance to do that. 

It’s just one guy’s opinion but the team I’d be most worried about in your league is the Heroes.  You’ve got a real shot though.  Seriously.  Good luck on it.

Chinny has been very active in this section over the last month or so and yes i truly think he’s just showing off but still, he traded Brent Burns, Daymond Langkow, a swap of 2nd round picks (he’ll drop 7 spaces or so) and a 5th round pick for Ryan Smyth and Danny Briere - he’s going for a 4-peat in this league and actually this is a nice example of trading for vets when you’re making a run while giving up future resources.  i’m a big Burns fan for next year but i was one for this year too and that hasn’t worked out so well.  Langkow hasn’t shown anything to me this season but with the recent trades in Cow-town then somebody has to step into the center vacuum created by moving Jokinen and Langkow is probably the best candidate.  in exchange he got 2 guys who have produced plenty this season and who don’t look to be stepping back from that production anytime soon.  this move is a short term win for Chinny and could be viewed as a bit of a push for him down the road too although realistically longer term its a loss for Chinny if Burns is the 60 pt defender he’s threatened to be.

Chinny also traded Martin Havlat, Brian Rafalski and Milan Michalek for Bobby Ryan and Radim Vrbata - i can’t stand Havlat and i think i’m in love with Bobby Ryan (ok maybe not) so i’m a bit conflicted on this deal.  Ryan is the best player in the deal but it sure looks like Chinny moved an awful lot to get this one done.  he defends it by stating that he had to make room for Johan Franzen coming off the IR next week and he wanted to upgrade on his SOGs.  well, he did that.  if getting the best player means winning a trade then Chinny wins this one but the Sens are on fire so Michalek may make him regret this move.  we also haven’t really heard from Rafalski this season and that may be another regret in this trade.  Martin Havlat is still a little girl.

Ryan traded Stephane Robidas and Scott Niedermayer for Tomas Fleischmann - Ryan plays in an 8 team H2H where he’s trying to free up bench space so that he can stream for the playoffs.  he was in a quest to find goals and he has certainly done that, he’s also really helped his +/- a lot too.  this is a solid deal for Ryan, Flash is poised as secondary attack in one of the top offenses in the league.  he’s poised to finish close to 30 goals on the season.

**********************************************************************************************************

this is a huge weekend.  not only was there a full slate of Saturday games to peruse but also there is the freaking SuperBowl where MY Saints get to take their shot.  i can’t believe how excited i was at the prospect of this weekend and i was thoroughly unproductive because i sat in apprehension for all the fun to happen.  Wendy went out and bought me some Saints garb to celebrate the day.

i’ve got to think that the Leafs loss on Friday night is directly linked to the knee to the head that Gustavsson took in the last couple minutes of the game.  i think he was in a cloud for the last couple of minutes and i suspect the best move should’ve been to put Giggy in the twine to finish the game.  hindsight is 20/20 though.

so i have this old 6 string and i was playing my own version of Guitar Hero (i say it that way because i don’t own a game system) when i realized that the matinee had started on CBC.  it was the middle of the 1st when i picked up the Habs/Pens.

CBC normally puts PJ Stock and Kelly Hrudey later in the night and i think they’re bright lights for HNIC that i want to see more of.  they break down production and upside like few others.  when they’re onscreen, stop what you’re doing and listen to the talking heads.

Mathieu Darche is the definition of plumber.  man is he an ugly skater, reminds me of Mike Foligno.  i’ll say this for him though, he was a good part of energy that was noticeable on the ice.  he was the reason the Habs got their first goal (it was interference though that got missed though) and eventually got himself a goal in the 3rd that MAF just should’ve had.

i was getting my lunch and i got to hear Montreal score twice.  i hate it when a game turns on its edge and i don’t get to see it.  in the replay it looked like MAF moved too early and failed miserably.

Brian Gionta seems to be taking up the slack left by the injury to Mike Cammalleri.  he’ll get plenty of opportunity and i can see him plenty with it.

Scott Gomez went 1 and 1 and he was still -2 when his team only let in 3 goals.  i’ve only liked him for assists and that’s only if he has a sniper beside him who can create his own offense in addition finishing off Gomez’sssss.

i just don’t get Tomas Plekanec.  i’ve never liked him as a fantasy option and he doesn’t seem to care that i think he sucks.   hmm, maybe the world doesn’t revolve around me after all.  what am i saying, of course it’s all about me.

the Canucks and Avs are in a battle for the division lead but the nucks play a lot of games on the road over the 2nd half while the Avs get home cooking for something like 20 games.  judging by how the nucks have fared on the road this trip so far i’m thinking that the Avs are probably the surprise winner of the Northwest this season.  wow.  bear that in mind when you’re considering your goalie starts over the 2nd half.

Bobby-Lou stole a game and got a SOW against the Bruins.  the B’s had the game well in hand after 1 and the nucks stormed back over the last half of the game (particularly the 3rd period) while Luongo barred the door.

Pavol Demitra with his 1st goal of the season to tie the game and secure the first point.  Demitra is a good option for the bottom of a roster in 12 team leagues or more.  the nucks need to anchor their secondary attack and Demitra may just be the answer for them.  he got the shootout winner too.

there was no way i was pegging Mason Raymond for 21 goals on the season let alone getting there with 25 games to go.

Michael Ryder took 7 SOGs, got a goal but was still -1.  i had him as a bench RW in my deep league but he has comepletely underwhelmed me all season.  the B’s are starved for more offense and he has 22 pts on the season.  maybe i’ll just start calling him Wynona, did you know she played Spock’s mother in last year’s Star Trek?  i didn’t.

Michal Handzus has always been an excellent checking center in my mind but i’ve never really viewed him as a valid offensive option.  Handy got his 15th of the season and in total he went 2 and 1.  you can’t tell me that production like that can’t help your team.

the Wings took it to the Kings in the 1st and then the Kings took it to the Wings in the 2nd.  they went into the 3rd tied at 3 and the Wings took the play again … only to lose.  i was really excited that i had started Jimmy Howard for this game and then the 2nd period came.

Henrik Zetterberg has had 8 games where he got zero points since he returned from injury 16 games ago.  half the time with zilch just doesn’t cut it.  he got 2 goals against the Kings but i hope it isn’t a trend that he disappears half the time.

something woke Alexander Frolov on this day.  he had 6 SOGs and went 1 and 1.  when he’s on he’s really on but he’s also REALLLLLLLY streaky when he’s not on.

Nik Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski were both +3 in a game they lost.  what more do guys have to do in order to win a game?

there was a respectful moment of silence for Brian Burke’s son before the Leaf game.  classy move and i’m sure that Burkie knows that his guys are supporting him.

wow, Leaf fans are still booing Alffy whenever he touches the puck.  Mats Sundin is retired guys, let it go.

my brother is a Sens fan so i love these sorts of nights … unless the Sens are beating the tobacco juice out of my Leafs.  thankfully last night was not one of those nights.

Alex Kovalev took 2 stupid and lazy penalties against the Leafs.  sometimes nobody has a clue where his head goes in the middle of the game.  maybe he’s up at the concessions getting a beer.

Jonathan Cheechoo got 56 goals three seasons ago.  he had 93 points that season.  he was a key ingredient in the Heatley trade this past fall and he has 5 goals this season.  5.  i often say that you don’t forget how to score but i think that maybe Cheech  may’ve “forgotten”  man (he says in his best Cheech and Chong voice).  ok that’s not fair, i don’t know that he’s a Cheech character at all.  maybe he just plain sucks … is that a better label?  i think i know which one i’d prefer if it were me.

by the way, the Sens got OWNED in that Heatley trade, but we knew that going into the season.

Pascal “made of fine china” Leclaire took over for Brian Elliott in the 3rd period.

for a Sens team that had been on fire they sure looked willing to fall into some bad habits and lay down for the Leafs again.  Elliott got beat at least once on a shot that he’d want back but there sure seemed to be a lot of shots that got through that never should’ve gotten through.

Luke Schenn with 2 goals.  that’s an entire season for him and he has had a more than rough year so far.  i really think the addition of Phaneuf to that corps helps him because he’ll get to see the example of how to play big and tough without getting into too much trouble.  both of them will need to remember not to run around hitting everyone on every play but they’ll find and hit their spots.

Mike Milbury agreed with me on the Kovalchuk deal.  i’m not a fan of Milbury the interruptor but i still say the Thrashers didn’t get enough.  close your mouth for a bit though Mike, you’re not the only one with a hockey opinion.

JS Giguere hasn’t been scored on as a Maple Leaf.  Grapes was whining about how they should’ve run him out there against the Devils again on Friday but i believe it was the right move to put monster in there.  once monster got his bell rung though i believe that Giggy should’ve gone in and then the Leafs would’ve preserved that win too.

Jamie Benn with 2 goals and both Loui Eriksson and James Neal went 1 and 1.  this is the future of the Stars attack for a lot of years to come.  man that is going to be freaking huge.

Marty Turco with a shuttie and although he’s old he still has plenty of fantasy value left in him.  the Stars are shopping him around the league and there has to be a team that can use a vet goalie who can steal a game on his own.  interesting that Turco got an unsportsmanlike minor in a game where he throws a shuttie.  PIMs don’t count for goalies but it’s interesting anyway.

Mike Ribeiro should return to the Stars lineup this week, possible Tuesday.  get him in your lineup.

Brandan Prust got an assist and 2 fights before the game was half over.  i guess he really wanted to make an impression as the newbie eh?

Marty Brodeur faced 25 shots and 3 got past him.  Henrik Lundqvist saw 42 shots and only 1 got past him.  since i’m one to compare i’m hoping this ain’t no omen for the upcoming Olympic tourney.

Ryan Callahan led Rangers forwards in ice time and went 1 and 1.  there were rumours that he would be moved in a Kovalchuk deal but in all honesty he wasn’t going anywhere.  they seem some real future for him, and so do i.  i can see 50 some pts for him this season and i can see a jump toward 70 next year.

Ilya Kovalchuk outshot everyone in the game but didn’t hit the scoresheet unless you count the 4 PIMs he took.  he’ll get comfortable and goals are going to come in bunches for him.

Joni Pitkanen has 19 points and is only -1 since Christmas.  he was -9000 or something over the first couple months but he’s really turned it around over the last couple.  i’ve seen him on waiver wires because of his brutal start and that’s just wrong.

Jussi Jokinen has 20 goals this season.  did you know that?  if i were to ask you who leads the Canes in goals this season would you think of him?  well actually he’s tied with Eric Staal for the goal lead on the Canes but still, think about that.  Jokinen is tied with Staal in goals this season.

Rick DiPietro only faced 25 shots but 3 got past him.  i’m still cringing about that guy’s future.  they have him locked in forever and i can’t shake the thought that he’ll be injured more than he plays for the length of that contract.  you won’t find him on MY team i’ll tell ya that.

hmmm, interesting … Doug Weight returned at New Year’s and i haven’t noticed at all.  seriously, i didn’t notice him once in a month of watching hockey.

Ray Whitney might just get moved this week.  i don’t know that to be the case but it does seem likely since the Olympic freeze is coming up.  it’s just a gut call i guess.

Andrej Meszaros scored the OT winner (it was pretty weak actually) to beat the Flames.  he was pretty big for the Sens a few years back but he’s never really shown the same flash as a Lightning.  he’s good for blocked shots if your league counts that.

the Flames have been flaming out but i still say they’re making the playoffs.

Steven Stamkos has 32 goals.  i wonder if the Canadians get a significant injury if he might just be the call that they make.  that’ll certainly piss Ryan Smyth off but Stamkos has just been a superstar this season.

i love the Phaneuf trade for the Leafs but i’ve got to be honest, Mark Giordano has made Phaneuf unnecessary for the Flames this season.  they did get an awful lot back in the deal too and Ian White will be very good for them.  i still like the deal for the Leafs but i don’t dislike the deal for the Flames either.

Milan Jurcina got his 1st of the season as a dump-in bounced out front and into the net off Patrick Lalime’s skate.  that was the game winner too.

Steve Mason got a deserved shuttie.  his GAA is 3.22 but his SV% is a Toskala-like .891 and that just won’t cut it.  i still believe and i may even try to draft him next year if i have the chance.  i suppose it depends on how they play under their new coach.

Anton Stralman was the 3rd star on the night but he was 1 and 1 (he didn’t contribute on the fluke goal either), +1 with 2 SOGs and 2 PIMs.  got to love variety in a fantasy game, it’s good to be able to do so much.

Jakob Voracek had 2 PPA and a 3rd assist on the fluke winner.  if he gets opportunity under a new coach then i’d expect more stats out of him, particularly goals.

Niclas Bergfors got the winner in his 1st game as a Thrasher.  the Thrash had to come back from a 2-0 deficit to get the win.

Nik Antropov is going to be pretty key for the Thrashers.  i expect him to dish a lot and i expect guys like Bergfors, Little and Kane to finish for him.   Kane in particular gets a big boost in value because he now becomes the top LW option for them.

i expect the Thrashers will run much of their offense through their D more now so i expect a boost in stats from Enstrom, Bogosian and to a lesser extent Kubina.

Anton Khudobin saw 39 shots and only 1 got past him to give him his 2nd win this week in his NHL career.  he’s been playing this week after Josh Harding had a hip injury and Niklas Backstrom was been waylaid by an “illness”.  i couldn’t discover what the illness was.  i wouldn’t rush to add Khudobin, i imagine that Nikl-Back will take the reins again soon.

Michael Leighton started for the Flyers after Ray Emery was scratched with a hip injury.  Leighton might have some fantasy value given the injury problems that Emery has had this year although he’ll be evaluated further on Monday.

apparently the Thrashers wanted one of Claude Giroux or James Van Riemsdyk if they were going to trade Kovy there and that’s just a no-go.  there’s a fairly large difference between JVR and Bergfors (who they eventually got from the Devils) if you ask me.

Cam Barker got a fighting major last night but he has been absolutely ice cold for fantasy value ever since i added him to my team a month ago.  he has given some PIMs but his ice has been cut back a lot and there has been no offense to speak of whatsoever.

Patrick Sharp is a 70 pt player and many fantasy guys see him as a 50 pt player.  if you’re in a multi-cat league that includes some form of SHP then he has a track history to help you a ton for stuff like that.  there have been rumours around him all season and i’d just like to say that he’d be welcomed in Toronto if the Hawks want to add some expiring contracts and move some guys they can’t afford next year.  i’d love to see what affect he’d have on the Leafs special teams.

Wade Belak and Jody Shelley squared off on 2 separate occasions last night.  neither guy has much fantasy value whatsoever but 2 fights against the same guy on the same night is such a rare occasion that i had to mention it.

Jason Arnott took 9 SOGs and got nothing for his trouble.  i spent much of this season trying to find a C who shot and i’m glad to have traded for Arnott a month ago.  i just need more goals now.

the Sharks trailed 3 times and eventually won the game 4-3.  heartbreaking loss for the Preds.

JP Dumont hasnt been heard from nearly enough this season.  he had 65 pts last year and 72 pts the year before but at the rate he’s going so far he’ll be lucky to reach 50 this season.  he had 9 goals going into the game and got 2 on the night but still, he needs to be doing better than this.

Dany Heatley went 2 and 1 and both Marleau and Thornton got 2 assists as the Sharks clawed back against the Preds.

the Preds were 25 and 43 on the faceoff dot.  that’s got to be one major reason why the Sharks were able to come back in that game, they had the puck much of the time.

Wojtek Wolski got his 9th point since Christmas and people are tabbing him as a superstar?  Matt Duchene is a superstar in waiting.  Craig Anderson is a superstar (probably already).  Wolski has had some incredible streaks to his season but in his BEST season he’s only gotten 22 goals.  it’s not like he’s a rook with a whole whack of promise either, this is his 4th full season in the league.  i’m not saying he doesnt have value, i’m saying he has less value in keeper leagues than some are thinking he does.

i like Brandon Yip for his quick release.  he’s big and he’s a decent skater.  he looks like he’ll have good value as a keep down the road too.

Jeff Deslauriers got shelled but he kept the score manageable over 41 SOGs.  JDD looks to have won the goalie wars in Edmonton.  congratulations kid, you’ll get to be the backup on a bad team for years to come.  then again, as soon as the Oil add Eberle and Hall (probably) then eventually they’ll rival the Pens for offense.

well, i’m off to prepare for the SuperBowl.  i’m wearing my Saints garb to church and i’m supposed to lead communion too.  i think it’s very appropriate that a Saint leads communion.

i’ve got to think that the Thrashers didn’t get enough and i don’t care that it “technically” could just be a rental for the Devils.  it is my belief the Devils will do all they can to sign Kovy for something that makes sense in their salary structure.  if they don’t or can’t then they actually didn’t lose all that very much here.

Kovalchuk is one of the best pure goalscorers in the game and i’ve got to think that Travis Zajac is just plain giddy tonight.  there’s a chance that the Devils will move Parise over to the right side and then they’ll have to give a plum assignment to someone who’ll get to center two of the best snipers in the world.  no Z, it isn’t Christmas and your birthday isn’t til May but still, it’s ok to do a little jig.  if the Devils decide not to move Parise to the right side then i would think that Brian Rolston wins the lottery because he’ll get playing time with one of the big guns.  at the very least if Parise switches sides then Rolston gets Langenbrunner and that’s not a horrible consolation prize.

the Thrashers get an underrated fantasy D-man in Oduya and a young sniper with loads of upside.  Cormier won’t amount to much of anything and the 1st rounder is going to be around 28th overall (ish) so that actually doesn’t amount to much. 

the value in the deal is in Bergfors.  he can be a 40 goal guy eventually.  the offensive vacuum will be filled by Bryan Little and Bergfors primarily.  Oduya has always been a shutdown guy who can put up some decent points and i think he may be the perfect complement to young D options like Enstrom and Bogosian.  he’ll fit in just fine with the Thrash although i don’t imagine the +/- strength that he’s put up will be a strength for him this year or next (since the defensive play on the Thrash is vastly different than the defensive play on the Devils).

ok, in general i’ve got to think that this deal helps in order:  Ilya Kovalchuk, Travis Zajac, Bryan Little, Brian Rolston, and Nicklas Bergfors.  i don’t imagine that any of the other names mentioned in the deal get affected too much.

i still say that i don’t think the Thrash got enough.  the Devils just might be the team to beat in the East now and yes i realize that there are some pretty monstrous offenses in the East.

in short, the Flames got owned in this one when you look at fantasy value alone.  Jokinen is the best player in the deal and he was just a bad fit in Calgary.  in moving him they sold short on his value and they came away with little serviceable value in Higgins and Kotalik.  their hope is that Higgins returns to the value that he showed as a Hab but that isn’t a guarantee by any means and if he doesn’t … then … where’s that paddle again?  oh yeah, they’re up that creek WITHOUT a paddle.  and Kotalik is a PP specialist, and that’s if i look at him in a generous, you married my sister so i have to like you sort of light.

the Flames let Cammalleri go this past summer so that they could keep Jokinen around and now they have virtually nothing to show for it.  Jokinen didn’t mesh well as a Flame because he’s a SOGger, a sniper, and they already have enough of that.  if you can’t dish to Iggy then you’re not a good fit and Olli likes to shoot, traditionally anyway.

rumours still abound that the Flames have something more going with the Stars and Flames fans are drooling that it might be a pass happy forward like Brad Richards.  i’ve got to think that they need something like that but i don’t know how that’ll come about.   i also don’t know how Olli is a good fit on the Rangers either, i suppose i’d suggest that they team him up with Brandon Dubinsky and they resist the urge to put him with Gaborik except on the PP.

so … who does this trade help?  the Rangers.  Brandon Dubinsky.  maybe it helps Christopher Higgins, at least the Flames hope that it helps Higgins.

if i were a Flames fan then i wouldn’t be liking this deal …  but i’m not a Flames fan.