Last Minute Fantasy Tips
Written by Robert R Falcione, Tuesday September 29 2009
As the beginning of the hockey season is upon us, here are several players that may have gone overlooked on your fantasy draft board.
Atlanta Thrashers
- Rich Peverley- Scored 44 points in 66 games. He was also a plus 13 with 33 PIMs
Burning Question: Will Illya Kovalchuk still be on the team by the trade deadline?
Boston Bruins
- Matt Hunwick- Will be opening the season on the second defensive-pairing with fellow offensive-defensemen Dennis Wideman. Had 27 points in 53 games last season while also coming in at a plus 15. He will see plenty of time on the second power play unit. Also saw some time on the first line at left wing alongside Marc Savard.
- Patrice Bergeron- Only had 39 points in 64 games after returning from a serious concussion. Should do much better this season after a strong showing in the playoffs. Will start the season as the second line center due to David Krejci being injured. Bergeron should also find himself as a forward on the power play this season as the signing of Derek Morris gives the Bruins four defenseman capable of running a power play (Zdeno Chara, Wideman, and Hunwick). He should also benefit from having Mark Rechhi on his wing for a full season
Burning Question: Can Marco Sturm return from injury and be as productive as he has in the past?
Carolina Hurricanes
- Erik Cole- After struggling in Edmonton last season he returned to form after a late-season trade back to the Hurricanes. He averaged almost a point-per-game in Carolina (16 points in 17 games)
Burning Question: Can Cam Ward play as strong as he did this regular season as he did during the playoffs? The loss of Denins Seidenberg this offseason may make it difficult.
Colorado Avalanche
- Craig Anderson- Has been finally given a chance to prove that he is a No.1 goaltender after being a late-season fantasy favorite last year. Colorado is not very good, but their defense should be better than last season
Burning Question: Can Paul Stastny stay healthy for an entire season?
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Derick Brassard- Had 25 points in 31 games before falling to a season-ending injury. Will either be on the first or second line this year and will see plenty of time on the PP.
- Kristen Huselius-Potted 21 goals last season (56 points) and no one is talking about him. Look for him in FA.
Burning Question: Is Steve Mason able to build on his stellar performance in net last season?
Red Wings
- Patrick Eaves- Surrounded by talent-in a great system, and in one of the best enviroment's in the league-will he finally be able to live up to being the first round draft pick the Senators used on him?
Burning Question: Same as last year. Are they good enough in goal?
Edmonton Oilers
- Sam Gagner- He is too talented of a player to repeat last year's dismal performance (41 points in 76 games)
Burning Question: Will Dustin Penner continue to make the Oiler's front office look like complete morons?
Florida Panthers
- David Booth- 31G and 29A make him a very solid pickup on a team no one looks at. He doesn't turn 25 until November
- Keith Ballard- Out of the desert and into the swamp, Ballard blossomed last year as a Panther. 34 points and 72 PIMs would make him a great addition to your blueline
Burning Question: Can Tomas Vokoun show the consistency to backstop them to the playoffs this season?
Los Angeles Kings
- Jonathan Quick- Will be the goaltender everyone overlooks this season even though he is garnering Olympic consideration
- Jack Johnson- Coming back from serious injury, he should return to top-form that will make him one of the best two-way defenseman in the game
- Drew Doughty- At the tender age of 19, this rookie netted 27 points and proved himself to be a mainstay on the Kings' blueline by averagine over 23 minutes per game
Burning Question: Will Justin Williams be able to stay healthy enough to reach his potential as a legitment scoring threat?
Minnesota Wild
- Owen Nolan- He potted 25 goals in 59 games last season. He doesn't get the PIMs like he used to, but is still worth a late look. Could benefit from a more aggressive attack this season.
Burning Question: How quickly will the Wild adjust to new coach Todd Richards more offensive style of play?
Montreal Canadiens
- Yannick Weber- While he will be starting the season in the AHL, look for him to be called up at some point. A very gifted offensive-denfenseman with a fantastic shot will be used on Montreal's second PP unit this season. He showed flashes of his potential in last year's playoffs against the Bruins.
Burning Question: How quickly will the Canadiens be able to adjust to the massive roster overhaul they undertook this off-season?
Nashville Predators
- Colin Wilson- They're expecting big things from the gifted center. Will be given every opportunity to excel and has had a strong preseason.
- Steve Sullivan- Played well after a long-time away from the game (32 points in 41 games). If he stays healthy, he could be a steal.
- Jason Arnott- Yes, he's still in the league and he scored 33 goals last season
Burning Question: Do they have the offense to return to the playoffs?
New Jersey Devils
- Jamie Langenbrunner- He had more points than Travis Zajac and Brian Gionta.
- David Clarkson- The trendy pick is Milan Lucic, but Clarkson also had 17 goals and more PIMs (164 to Lucic's 136). He doesn't posses the same upside as Lucic, though.
Burning Question: Which Martin Brodeur will we see this season? The one who finished out the regular season superbly after overcoming a serious injury. Or the one who looked past his prime against the Hurricanes in the playoffs?
New York Islanders
- Doug Weight- A solid depth-center who is still capable of putting up respectable numbers but you have to worry about his plus/minus.
- Kyle Okposo- The second-leading scorer on the Islanders last season should benefit from the arrival of John Tavres.
- Mark Streit- He lead them in scoring last season. He's their No.1 defensemen.
Bruning Question: John Tavres.
New York Rangers
- Sean Avery- This super-pest is capable of putting up very respectable offensive totals while raking in loads of PIMs. You may hate him, but you'll love him on your team. Unless of course, he gets suspended for half the season again.
Burning Question: Is their blueline good enough to allow Henrik Lundqvist to continue putting up fantastic numbers?
Ottawa Senators
- Nick Foglino- He thrived under coach Cory Coulston late, last year. He should see more ice-time with the departure of Dany Heatley via trade.
Burning Question: How far will Jonathan Cheechoo's game regress this season?
Philadelphia Flyers
- Scott Hartnell- He had 60 points and 143 points last season.
- Claude Giroux- Will see more ice-time after garnering 27 points in 42 games while only playing 15 minutes per game. With the departure of Joffery Lupul and Mike Knuble expect a bump-up in PP-time and overall ice-time
Burning Question: Who will be the first Flyer suspended this season?
Phoenix Coyotes
- Shane Doan- Yes, there is a good player on the Coyotes
Burning Question: Will they still be playing int he desert come season end?
St. Louis Blues
- David Backes- The second-leading scorer on the Blues is also capable of racking up some serious PIMs
- Erik Johnson- Returning from missing all of last season due to injury after being a top-two defensemen the previous year. Will see a lot of PP time.
- Paul Kayria- He had 15 points in 11 games before going down with a season-ending injury
- Patrick Berglund, David Perron, T.J. Oshie- Could all be in for big seasons.
Burning Question: Can Brad Boyes improve on his minus 20?
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Steven Stamkos- Over-came a slow start to show his potential as a top-flight NHL center. Will see more ice-time this season after building late-season chemistry with Martin St. Louis.
- Mike Smith- A very solid goaltender who should benefit from the improved defensive play in front of him.
Burning Question: Can they build on their late-season succes and improved blueline to finally make it back into the playoffs?
Vancouver Canucks
- Alex Burrows- Will get you goals (28 last season) and PIMs (153 last year). Should finally see some PP time after doing almost all of his scoring even-strength.
Burning Question: Can Roberto Luongo rebound from his dismal playoff performance in net?
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