-- FanHouse

Blue Jackets Give New Meaning to 'Fantasy Hockey'

Posted: Sep 3rd 2009 2:00PM ET by Kevin Schultz (RSS feed)
Filed under: Blue Jackets, Fantasy Hockey

It's every fan's dream to own an NHL team, and I'm sure we've all spent some time thinking about what we would do if we actually did own one. Maybe take the Zamboni out for a spin? Challenge the star player to a bit of one-on-one? Or -- if you're really thinking this one through -- you can split up your players and draft fantasy teams during training camp and have a full-on competition. That's exactly what the Columbus Blue Jackets are doing during their first two days of training camp.

Ovechkin's 85-Minute Drought Ends

Posted: Oct 12th 2008 12:09AM ET by Ted Starkey (RSS feed)
Filed under: Fantasy Hockey

0 COMMENTS

Never fear, Capitals fans and Ovechkin fantasy owners - last year's MVP is off his very brief season-opening slump.

There was a lot of concern around the nation's capital last Sunday when the Washington star took a Zdeno Chara shot off the foot in the Caps' final tune-up game, and worry increased when Ovechkin left practice early Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. Then, like most of his teammates, Ovechkin struggled in the team's opener in Atlanta, with the turning point being him getting turned away by Kari Lehtonen on a penalty shot early in the third period in Washington's 7-4 loss.

In that game against the Thrashers, Ovechkin didn't flash his usual speed, and last year's leading scorer was held without a single point despite a wide-open pace to the contest.

Latest NHL Photos

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks tries to catch up to the action during a NHL game on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joe Thornton

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Jeremy Roenick #27 of the San Jose Sharks takes a face-off during a NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeremy Roenick

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings is taken down by Dan Boyle #22 of the San Jose Sharks during a NHL game on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dustin Brown;Dan Boyle

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings tries to control the puck with Christian Ehrhoff #10 of the San Jose Sharks on his back during a NHL game on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Anze Kopitar;Christian Ehrhoff

NHLI via Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 11: Evgeni Nabokov #20 of the San Jose Sharks makes a great save during a NHL game against the San Jose Sharks on October 11, 2008 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Evgeni Nabokov

NHLI via Getty Images

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene, left, checks San Jose Sharks right wing Devin Setoguchi, right, in the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. San Jose won 3-1. (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)

San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, of Kazakhstan, deflects a shot on goal in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. San Jose won 3-1. (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)

Los Angeles Kings left wing Alexander Frolov, of Russia, tries to keep the puck away from San Jose Sharks center Jeremy Roenick, left, in the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. San Jose won 3-1. (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)

Vancouver Canucks' Pavol Demitra, right, from Slovakia, gets pinned to the boards by Calgary Flames' defenceman Cory Sarich, right, during second period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

Vancouver Canucks' Rick Rypien, right, knocks the helmet off Calgary Flames' Brandon Prust as linesmen pull them apart during second period NHL hockey action in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

So, after looking sluggish in the first 25 minutes of Washington's home opener against Chicago, Ovechkin does what he does best - take over the momentum of a game.

Sorry, But Fantasy Hockey is Better Than Ever

Posted: Sep 9th 2008 1:13AM ET by Kevin Schultz (RSS feed)
Filed under: NHL General, Fantasy Hockey

0 COMMENTS

So, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against About.com's Jamie Fitzpatrick. I'm sure he's a nice guy and has a smart hockey mind, but when I read his article entitled 'Whatever Happened to Fantasy Hockey for Regular Folks?', I get a bit confused.

When the hockey pool first gained popularity, back in the 1980s, it was considered a good excuse for drinking beer and talking trash.

Those days are long gone. For starters, it's not called a hockey pool anymore. It's a fantasy hockey league.

And it's not about drinking beer. Fantasy hockey is serious business, an all-consuming, number-crunching hobby for fans who don't get out much.

Wow. Really? I'm not even going to touch on the beer thing. There are already enough excuses to drink in today's world that fantasy hockey does not need to be one of them.

Anyway. So Jamie, you're telling me that all of a sudden fantasy hockey has become too analytical and people are obsessing over it way too much. Not fantasy football. Not fantasy baseball. No, for those leagues people just close their eyes and pick whichever player their finger lands on. For hockey, of all sports, people are going too crazy over it. Right.

And he continues:

So be warned. If you join one of these outfits, you're going up against guys who spent the summer cross-referencing power play line combos and ranking prospects in the Latvian midget league. Good luck.

The Latvian Midget League? Good one. Where have I heard these kinds of disses before? Oh that's right, every time a traditional baseball fan rails against the well-meaning sabermetrics people. And that line before about "fans who don't get out much?" That sounds like it was taken right out of the How the MSM Defends Itself Against Bloggers Playbook. It's an archaic and outdated read, if you ever get a chance.

NHL's Best Bargains: Johnny Oduya

Posted: Jul 22nd 2008 3:10PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed under: Devils, NHL General, Fantasy Hockey

2 COMMENTS

Johnny Oduya has a really cool name, but that doesn't get the New Jersey Devils defensemen all that much attention. After being selected in the 7th round by the Capitals way back in 2001, the Caps gave up on him fairly quickly and he headed back to Europe, probably thinking he'd never get a shot in the NHL.

The New Jersey Devils, in search of a cheap defenseman to plug into their blue line, ala Brian Rafalski, signed Oduya away from the Swedish league, and the bullish defenseman has quietly become one of the better defensive defensemen in the NHL.

Oduya had 26 points and was +27 (eighth best in the league) in 75 games last season, suggesting he is a pretty solid piece of work. There is more, however, than meets the eye.

One of my favorite bloggers, the man who runs The Puck Stops Here, crunched some numbers to come up with an Adjusted +/- stat. Basically, how does a player affect the game while he is on the ice compared to when he is off the ice?

The top defenseman on the list? Johnny Oduya! That's right, he ranks even higher than pretty boy Nicklas Lidstrom.

Does this mean that Oduya is the NHL's best defensive defenseman? No. The stat does have flaws, but it does highlight the fact that Oduya's defensive play is excellent, and his effect on the New Jersey Devils is very much understated.

And for all of this, the New Jersey Devils had to pay a paltry $600,000 in salary to Oduya last season. Kinda makes that Jeff Finger contract look even worse than it already does.

NHL Fantasy Focus: Jason Blake

Posted: Jul 18th 2008 3:54PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed under: Maple Leafs, NHL General, Fantasy Hockey

0 COMMENTS

Jason Blake is a player I have a lot of respect for and one that I enjoy watching. The dude plays like a border collie, bouncing around the ice with boundless energy. It's hard not to like a player that works so hard and seems to enjoy the game as much as he does.

Blake is also a very adept 2-way player, and is the type of guy a coach can feel comfortable about playing in any situation. Blake's hustle makes him a great penalty killer as well as a team picker-upper. Just look at the way he battled back from his cancer!

What Blake is NOT, however, is a big offensive producer. Yes, he once scored 40 goals for the lowly New York Islanders, but one need only look at his career history to see what an outlier that was.

Here are the numbers ...

NHL Fantasy Focus: Andrew Hutchinson

Posted: Jul 9th 2008 3:06PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed under: General NHL, Lightning, Fantasy Hockey, NHL Free Agency

0 COMMENTS

Looking for a potential Fantasy League steal next season? How about Andrew Hutchinson, the ultimate power play specialist "defenseman" that the Tampa Bay Lightning just signed to a two-year free agent deal.

With Dan Boyle traded to the Sharks, the Lightning are woefully short of blue-line talent that can produce offensively. Filip Kuba led all Bolts' d-men with a whopping 31 points last season. That ain't gonna cut it, sister!

Hutchinson is clearly going to be given a chance to quarterback the Tampa power play, and after spending last season in the AHL (64 points in 67 games), he'll be a very cheap pick-up in any fantasy league you're in.

In 95 career NHL games, Hutchinson has put up 33 points, with 20 of those being on the ice during mad-advantage situations. Consider the fact that Hutchinson averaged just 12:13 of ice time per game, and you realize that the boy knows how to put points up on the board at an efficient and effective rate.

Yes, Hutchinson has many warts in his game, but Tampa has loaded up their forward corps with many offensive talents to feed the puck to. A team that features Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Ryan Malone, Mark Recchi, and Vaclav Prospal front is going to, potentially, do a lot of damage on the Power Play.

Jump on this guy while you can.

Canes Give Ruutu One Year to Start Scoring

Posted: Jun 24th 2008 3:07PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed under: General NHL, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Fantasy Hockey

0 COMMENTS

When Tuomo Ruutu was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks 9th overall back in 2001 draft, pundits expected Ruutu would be the next BIG THING in NHL Power Forwards.

Ruutu started off quite well, putting up and playing a very aggressive crash-and-bang "Canadian" style of game and putting up 23 goals in his rookie season. Ruutu loved to deliver hits, and looked like he'd develop into an effective 35-40 goal scorer for the Hawks for many seasons to come.

Alas, Ruutu ran into injury problems (and was mistaken for an armed robber!), and was never quite the same again. During the past two seasons, Ruutu has put up just 38 points in each campaign and hardly looks like he belongs on the top two lines of any club. The Canes, who gave up Andrew Ladd (another disappointing forward) to acquire Tuomo, are hoping that Ruutu can find his game in a new home, signed the young Finn to a simple 1-year deal that will pay him a cool $2.25M next season.

"We are happy he'll be back with our team and we hope that he can stay healthy and return to the 20-goal plateau that he reached during his rookie season," said Rutherford.

Is Tuomo simply a bigger version of his pesty and unproductive brother, Jarkko, or will he actually provide above-average offensive numbers? 20 goals is hardly much of an exciting target.

Good News for Pens Fans! Malkin Is Gonna Stick Around For a Long Time

Posted: Jun 13th 2008 3:10PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed under: General NHL, Penguins, Eastern, Fantasy Hockey, NHL Rumors

0 COMMENTS

With the Salary Cap hovering over the Pittsburgh Penguins like a dark cloud over a Sunday picnic (cue dark and evil background muzak), many pundits and fans have wondered if the Penguins will be able to keep the dynamic duo of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby together for the long-term. Given the Penguins are having to spend big bucks to keep the likes of Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fleury in the fold, can and will the Penguins be able to have enough cap room to keep Malkin while icing a successful club?

It has been widely speculated that Malkin would demand "Ovechkin!!" money, and might price himself out of the Penguins ability to keep him. Would the Pens have to trade Malkin rather than risk losing him on the Restricted Free Agent market to some poacher?

Well, it appears that Pens fans need not worry any longer. Reports from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and TSN.ca indicate that the Pens and Malkin are close on a new deal which will see Malkin and Crosby stay together for a very long time.

"I'm thinking maybe five or six years," said Malkin, set to enter the final season of his three-year entry-level deal. "I'm an easy guy to deal with. I'd love to stay in Pittsburgh."

Malkin told the newspaper he does not need to exceed the $8.7 million salary of captain Sidney Crosby but sources tell TSN the likely target for Malkin is a five-year deal worth more than $9 million per season.

Obviously, this bodes well for both the Penguins and the league. Having THE dynamic duo together and maintaining a popular 'dynasty' (for lack of a better term) will provide the fans with a must-see team for many years, and give the league a team that it can promote. As great as the Wings are, their style of play, and their quiet superstars, just aren't as marketable as the Golden Boys.

Part of me worries that the Pens could end up like the Tampa Bay Lightning: Stacked with a few highly-paid superstars and a whole bunch of chaff. On the other hand, the Pens have a much better farm system, plenty more quality depth, and a salary cap that continues to rise. The future is bright.

With Dominik Hasek Gone, Will Jimmy Howard Get His Chance?

Posted: Jun 10th 2008 3:18PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed under: General NHL, Wings, Fantasy Hockey

1 COMMENT

The problem with being a hockey goalie prospect is that there are so few job openings for your position. Each team carries 13 forwards and seven defensemen, but usually only two goalies. It's kind of hard to crack the big time when only 60+ positions are open at any time.

For the Wings' Jimmy Howard, it must have been a huge relief to see Dominik Hasek retire and open up a job within the NHL ranks. No prospect, no matter how good there are, is going to get a lot of playing time when Chris Osgood and Hasek are on the roster.

So, is this now Howard's time to get himself a regular spot?

"I think Jimmy Howard is very close, if not there, to playing in the NHL," Holland said. "I'm guessing Ozzie can play 50 games, maybe more. The 20-30 games that Chris doesn't play in a parity league, those are key points. The hardest thing is, we're trying to continue to be a Cup contender. How do you move young people into your team at a key position?"

The Wings have always had the mentality of breaking in their kids slowly, giving the likes of Jiri Hudler and Nicklas Kronwall tidbits of ice time while the old guys got the bulk of the work.

In Howard's case, he certainly shouldn't count on the Wings' backup job being his, given that there are a few factors working against him.

Glen Wesley Retires After 20 Seasons

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 3:20PM ET by Jes Golbez (RSS feed)
Filed under: General NHL, Hurricanes, Fantasy Hockey

2 COMMENTS

Another one of the NHL's longest serving players, Carolina's Glen Wesley, has called it quits after a career that has spanned 20 seasons, and over 1600 NHL games (Regular season and playoffs).

Given that Wesley is approaching the big 4-0, and has been rumored to be retiring for the past few years, today's announcement is no surprise.

Just like buddy Ron Francis, Wesley will remain with the Hurricanes in the role of "Director of Defensemen Development". Who comes up with these titles?

"There were a lot of memories, alot of great things that I can reflect on," said Wesley. "But I think for right now I'm going to enjoy time with the family and hopefully improve my golf game."

"It's [Director's role] a new role that the organization has given to me and I think it's something I'm going to enjoy in working with the younger defensemen," said Wesley. "Hopefully I'll be able to help them in different perspectives."

Besides being quite easy to notice with his fiery red hair, Wesley will always be remembered, by myself at least, for being part of the most lopsided deals of all time.