Archive for the ‘Fantasy Hockey’ Category

February10

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Waiver Heroes, Sam “Gretzky” Gagner, The Cardiac Ducks

By: Donny Braemer

There has been a slew of unlikely heroes as of late in the NHL and they are paying big dividends for those fantasy owners who took a shot on them plucking them up off the waiver wire. A couple of classic examples over the last couple weeks are:

Radim Vrbata (PHO-RW) (last 16 GP: 9 G, 7 A, 8 PIMs, 2 PPP, 3 GWG, 57 SOG, +6)

Jake Gardiner (TOR-D) (last 12 GP: 2 G, 6 A, 1 PPP, 16 blocked shots, 16 SOG, +11)

and Evgeni Nabokov (NYI-G) (last 9 GS: 7-2-0, 1.33 GAA, .955 SV%, 2 SO)

For Radim Vrbata, he is on a career pace. He is currently on track to blow by his previous career high 56 points in a season with 45 already in only 54 games played. He, alongside other aging veterans Ray Whitney and Shane Doan, are leading the charge for the fan-less Coyotes and helping them stand ground as a competitive team in the West.

Although those numbers for Jake Gardiner are nothing quite eye-popping, it is however quite decent for a defenseman ranked 599th overall in Yahoo!’s original rankings at the beginning of the season. Gardiner is also contributing in the areas that often do not matter in fantasy hockey and helping anchor the Leafs back-end for their forwards continue to score at will.

What a ride it has been over the last 2 years for Evgeni Nabokov. He spent the first half of the 2010-11 season in the KHL and in the second half he was claimed by the Islanders only to be suspended for the remainder of the season for not reporting to the team. Considering the turmoil the Islanders goal-tending situation started off as at the beginning of the season, Nabokov has settled into a starting role and is playing like he was years back with the Sharks. And if Nabokov continues to play the way he has been over the last month-and-half for the Islanders, he will only need Tavares instead of a whole team trying to score.

Stay tuned for “Trending Up” for 2 more unlikely heroes…

TRADE OF THE WEEK

***Ilya Kovalchuk for Eric Staal and Ray Whitney***

Kovalchuk is hotter than Wayne Gretzky’s daughter right now and this is normally the time of year when he tends to shine. He has 20 (10-10) points, 9 PIMs, 8 PPP, 4 SHP and 2 GWG with a +5 plus/minus rating in his last 14 games. Nice to see the Kovalchuk of old having some consistent play.

We all are aware of the hardships Eric Staal has went through this season and although he has not nearly been as bad as he was earlier in the year, he still has disappointed overall but does still have time to redeem himself as the Canes still fight for a possible playoff spot. And as mentioned earlier, Ray Whitney is having an outstanding year for the old-timer he is. He has 49 points on the year and does not appear to be showing any signs of holding off on the score sheet for the ‘Yotes. So where do you stand in this trade? Does the surprise of Whitney ease the disappointment of Eric Staal to take that side of the trade? Or do you believe in Kovalchuk continuing to be a dominate force for the remainder of the season?

Send us your thoughts on twitter @2ForBoarding or @DBraemer, send us a message on Facebook on the 2ForBoarding page or in the comments section below.

TRENDING DOWN

I promised you a continuation of unexpected heroes and I promise to deliver.

David Clarkson has been quite the surprise for the Devils this year and can offer stat-stuffing in both point and PIMs categories. In Clarkson’s last 9 games he has 11 (6-5) points, 16 PIMs, 5 PPP, 1 GWG and a +3 plus/minus rating. It seems as if Kovalchuk’s play is rubbing off on Clarkson and fantasy owners are loving every second of it. Clarkson is nothing more than a waiver pickup and is on pace to nearly double his career high in goals set back in 08-09 when he potted 17. That year in 82 games he recorded 32 (17-15) points (6 on powerplay), so far this year in 53 games, Clarkson already has 30 (21-9) points (12 on powerplay). Clarkson is not a must add for the long haul but for right now he is one of the hottest fantasy players in the league and comes at a price for next to nothing. Pick him up off of waivers and enjoy the multi-category production.

The next unpredictable hero hails from the city that Gretzky built. The Edmonton Oilers may be suffering from injuries to their younger stars and are struggling to consistently win games, but when it comes to Sam Gagner, Edmonton fans and fantasy owners do not mind if continues to do what he is doing.

Gagner was not doing much up until the 5-game point streak he is currently on. In that streak Gagner’s numbers are staggering (15 (8-7) points, 4 (2-2) PPP and a +6 plus/minus rating). Although the majority of those points came the night he torched the Blackhawks for 4 goals and 4 assists.

Nonetheless, he has been able to continue his scoring output and is definitely worth a pickup for the time being, at least until he cools off. He may not be able to provide your team with PIMs or short-handed points, he has proven he can accumulate points in bunches and does have the talent around him to keep it going at a steady pace. This improved play should also earn him some consideration for some more time on the powerplay. Pick him up if you have the spot.

TRENDING DOWN

Well it looks like Corey Crawford is back on his slide.

His poor play in the new year has finally caught up to him and Ray Emery’s name is being thrown back into the mix and in line to take away some of what would be Crawford’s starts. Crawford’s season has been all over the place, but more often it has been in the dumps. This is not the first time he has been mentioned in this section. In Crawford’s 11 starts in 2012 he is 3-5-3 with a 3.56 GAA and an .887 SV%. Crawford is fortunate he plays on a team with an explosive offense or else there would not even be second thoughts of finding his replacement until he can prove otherwise.

Right now, though, I view Crawford as a Buy-Low candidate. For one, he is a goalie and whenever you have the chance to get a top goalie at a lower price, as long as you are not giving up too much, it is always worth taking the chance. Also, the Blackhawks are destined to come out strong near the end of the regular season and that is when Crawford could make his way back into the winning columns.

SLEEPER ALERT

This week I am going to go off the fantasy board and back into reality for my sleeper alert. This time I am going to nominate a team as a sleeper to make the playoffs with just over a quarter of the season to go. For my choice I will drift over to the West and my fellow collegaues here at 2ForBoarding may frown when they hear my choice — not only because this team has simply just been pretty awful all year long, but also consdiering my “history” with this team and I promise you this, this is purely a business deciosn.

I believe that the Anaheim Ducks will somehow slither their way into the Western Conference playoffs and the road to it begins now. Every year it seems as if the Ducks are on the cusp of not making the playoffs but somehow make their way in with hard-nosed play and extreme production from their top line. So far this year, they have had none of that on top of brutal play between the pipes from Hiller. However, as of late the team seems to be playing with that sense of urgency and Hiller is playing much, MUCH than he was earlier this year. The trade deadline may play a big part in how the Ducks season may finish out but I do believe that if any of the bottom 4 teams in the West will be able to pull off a big run and capture one of those bottom 3 playoff spots, the Ducks are the team to do it.

—–

That concludes this weeks 2FB Fantasy Rundown.

The Rundown will be M.I.A. for the next two weeks as I will be in the M.I.A.. Well, a 3 hour drive away at least. For the next two weeks I am off to Florida for a warm vacation with the family and girlfriend in the Sunshine State.

If plans stick as discussed, I’ll be doing some up-close-and-personal fantasy scouting of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Be sure to check all the other interesting and entertaining pieces here on our website and if you have any fantasy questions in the next two weeks, make sure to send them our way through one of the many social media outlets you can reach the 2ForBoarding crew. Good luck in the next two weeks and as always…

Don’t forget to set your lineups!

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, NHLComments Off comments

February2

2FB Rundown: ASG Wrap-Up, Kenora’s Best Struggling, Tavares for MVP?

By: Donny Braemer

Before we move into the short fantasy week that was, it seems only fitting to look back on the NHL’s All-Star draft and weekend in the Senators hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, Featured, NHL, PlayersComments Off comments

January26

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Good Ovechkin, Better Goalies, Drowning Shark

By: Donny Braemer

In a world where we as sports fans often criticize athletes for their selfishness and reckless behavior on and off the field/court/ice, I cannot help but question the public’s views on Alexander Ovechkin’s choice to skip out on the NHL’s 2012 All-Star game in Ottawa this weekend.

I personally do not see what is wrong with Ovechkin pulling out for the reason he has stated. He is serving a 3-game suspension for his hit on Penguins defensemen Zbynek Michalek. The suspension runs through the All-Star game and Ovechkin feels he does not “deserve” to be a part of the game.

I am hearing a lot of people, in and out of the media, saying that this is wrong and that he should not be skipping out. That players that are voted in should be going, apart from injuries, no ifs, ands or buts.

From my point of view, this seems like a very responsible move by a top player in the league that does in fact have a history of “dirty” hits. Yes, this could be a perfect opportunity for Ovechkin to take the easy way out and avoid having to participate but, conspiracies aside, I have no problem with this move from Ovechkin.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, Featured, NHLComments Off comments

January19

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Mid-Season Awards, Super Senators, Greening Giant

By: Donny Braemer

(Cover image by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

With the NHL All-Star draft only a week away (January 26th), I thought I would offer my first-half fantasy winner, loser, bust and sleeper awards. And for those of you that cannot identify the difference between loser and bust, in my opinion, the bust’s season is beyond repair. No, Marc Savard is not a candidate. Goaltenders have been excused from this portion.

Lets begin!

WINNER

Evgeni Malkin (Pit): With 22 goals, 30 assists, 34 PIMs, 18 PPP, 6 GWG and a +7 plus/minus rating, Malkin has proven to be the best overall fantasy performer so far this season. He also has managed to do all this while missing 7 of Pittsburgh’s games and with the majority of the teams other top playmakers on the shelf with their own injuries. Props to those of you who drafted Geno this season.

LOSER

Bobby Ryan (Ana): I was expecting big things from the Ducks forward but as the team has struggled, Ryan has followed suit. The left-winger has only managed 28 (17-11) points on what is arguably the best line in hockey. He has also only accumulated 25 PIMs, 3 PPP, 1 SHP, 1 GWG and a -5 plus/minus rating. Inexcusable for a high-end fantasy player and draft pick. His season is not entirely lost but it is definitely not what owners had wished for.

BUST

Mike Green (Was): I know he has been injured most of the year but let’s tell it like it is; Mike Green is one of the biggest busts in recent fantasy hockey memory. For the last 2 years he has been touted as the one of the top fantasy defensemen in the league and both years, especially this year, he continues to find ‘DTD’ or ‘IR’ next to his name. Injuries or not, this guy is as big of a bust as they come.

SLEEPER

Joffrey Lupul (Tor): Yes, James Neal and Erik Karlsson would have been fabulous choices here as well but honestly, at the beginning of the season, who expected what we are getting out of not only the Maple Leafs, but journeyman Joffrey Lupul? Not even Leaf fans did. 20 goals, 28 assists, 40 PIMs, 14 PPP, 3 GWG and a +3 plus/minus rating is pretty darn good for a guy that was probably picked up off of the waiver wire. Did someone say keeper?

And there you have it, my mid-season fantasy hockey awards (good and bad). Do you have any other choices? Agree or disagree with mine? Send us your opinion on Twitter to @2ForBoarding or @DBraemer, leave us a comment on our 2FB Facebook page or in the comments section below.

(Trade of the Week, your fantasy stars, busts, and sleepers are all after the jump!)

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, Featured, NHLComments Off comments

January13

The Sens (and 2ForBoarding) take over the NHL’s All-Star Draft

By: Tyler Childs

The NHL released the rosters for the 59th NHL All-Star game in Ottawa yesterday. The list is full of surprises like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin — both having break out years in Dallas and Boston respectively.

Players like Jason Pominville, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter, and Dan Girardi made the list this year giving some of the unsung heroes a tip of the cap. Keith Yandle also got the nod, after many believe he got shafted last year, and is quietly having yet again another product season in desert (5 G, 20 A).

No names that turn heads between the pipes if you don’t count Brian Elliott, who absolutely deserves to be there with a 15-5-1 record as a result of a sparkling 1.68 GAA and .937 SV%. The remaining goaltenders includes Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Jonathan Quick, Jimmy Howard, and, of course, Tim Thomas.

Here at 2ForBoarding we decided that it would be fun to do our own All-Star Fantasy Draft. Jared and I decided to try our hand at being the captains of the best pick up game on the planet.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fans, Fantasy Hockey, NHL, PlayersComments Off comments

January12

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Kane for Kovi, Zach Attack, Turris Time

By: Donny Braemer

With the holiday season in the rear-view mirror, it is time to shift our full-focus back to everything fantasy hockey. I hope everyone remembered to set his or her line-ups in between present shopping and turkey dinners.

Although it has been a topic beaten to death this year, my first order of business will be acknowledging the ongoing list of players going down with concussion injuries leading into the New Year. Over the holidays, fantasy relevant players such as Sami Salo, Pierre Marc-Bouchard, Alexander Steen, Simon Gagne, Victor Hedman, John-Michael Liles, Colby Armstrong and Al Montoya, to name a few, have been victimized by a concussion or concussion-like symptoms. These players joined the likes of Joni Pitkanen, Jeff Skinner, Guillaume Latendresse, Kris Letang and obviously Sidney Crosby — players that went into the Christmas already on the shelf.

We have said time and time again that these concussion stories are ruining the NHL. Brendan Shanahan is doing his best to correct what he can and discipline where needed. There has been a lot of talk how the “goons” of the league have to go and where I do believe that is story for another day, we can only hope 2012 brings much cleaner and concuss-less rest of the NHL season.

It is now time to get into the meat and potatoes of this piece, fantasy talk. I have a lot to get into so let’s get right to it.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, NHLComments Off comments

December15

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Concussions, J-Howw, The Stars are Falling

By: Donny Braemer

It looks like sports channels across Canada do not have to worry about filling airtime for the next 6 months because, yet again, Sidney Crosby is hurt. A couple weeks back when Crosby returned and embarrassed the New York Islanders, I seriously believed that those who were able to snag Crosby outside of the first 2 rounds had hit the ultimate jackpot. Unfortunately, you cannot predict injuries and your all-world 3rd round keeper is looking more like he has a brain made out of porridge.

It really is a sad thing to see the best hockey in the world go down with such an unfortunate and career destroying injury. I am no doctor, nor do I have the experience of playing a professional sport, but from what the response sounds like coming from Penguins personnel, sports analysts and pretty much anyone that has some form of experience with concussions in sports, Crosby’s career looks to be in grave danger and if Crosby wants to remember what his name is by the age of 35, it may be in his best interest to call it quits now before he is forced too. It is an awful thing for hockey but hopefully young kids making their way into the big leagues can learn from this and help make the game as safe as possible down the road.

TRADE OF THE WEEK

For this weeks “Trade of the Week” I will shift focus to the goaltenders. I have said it many times already this season, many of the top goalies heading into this years campaign have really failed to play at an elite level and have generated extreme frustration for many fantasy owners, including myself.

***Jonas Hiller for James Reimer***

In my time writing for 2FB, Jonas Hiller’s struggles have been well-documented and he really has done nothing to change that trend. It has been a very disappointing season for Hiller and he is very lucky he does not have a young guy sitting behind him on the depth chart looking to make a name for himself in this league because Hiller’s time in net would put on a serious leash.

James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs has not had an outstanding season by any means but he was also slowed by an injury. He has had a couple of medicore starts in net. Reimer does appear to be that young emerging goalie in the NHL and with Toronto’s play taking a turn for the better this year, Reimer may become one of the next upper-echelon goalies. Key word here, may. Don’t forget to share your opinion on the trade of the week on Twitter and Facebook. Every week on Facebook we will have a “Trade of the Week” poll so go choose and leave your comments!

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy HockeyComments Off comments

December8

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Semin Sucks, Thomas Doesn’t, Can’t Stop Toews

By: Donny Braemer

Last week I talked about the regression of Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals as a whole and the struggles they have faced so far this season. Little did I realize how lost in the shuffle Alexander Semin has become in the Capitals downward spiral.

Although Semin is currently battling a shoulder injury, his time prior to being a guest on the daily injury report was nothing to write home about. In Semin’s last 19 games played he has only been able to produce 5 (3-2) measly points, 1 PPG and a –6 plus/minus rating. In this stretch Semin has managed to somewhat reward fantasy owners with 30 PIM.

Again, this is a perfect example of a frustrated player taking bad penalties. Nevertheless, the PIM category is not where his value comes from and I am sure I can speak for fantasy owners around the world, they would prefer his point totals rapidly increasing over the penalty minutes. Right now Alexander Semin is a buy-low candidate but I would advise to not break the bank for him, you would have to see more consistency from Washington’s offense before he can reclaim that “Top-Dog” status.

TRADE OF THE WEEK

***Mike Green for Brian Campbell***

The title for this rundown should be “Let’s Hate on the Caps”. Seriously though, how much of a bust has Mike Green been? The guy cannot stay healthy, and when he is he is either in a slump or somehow finds a way to end up back on the injury report. Green has only played in 8 of Washington’s 26 games this season (coincidentally all wins for the Capitals) and for a guy that makes $5,000,000 a season, his numbers have been anything put spectacular.

Brian Campbell, in a way, has been a form of “Bizarro Mike Green” (Seinfeld anyone?).  The often inconsistent and sometimes injured Brian Campbell is playing at an elite level for a defensemen and seems to be regaining the all-star status he seemed to have lost after a 52-point season with the Blackhawks back in 08-09. These two defensemen have been complete opposites of what their recent track record suggests and could make for quite an interesting trade. As always you can respond and comment on this trade on Twitter at @2ForBoarding or @DBraemer or in the comments section below, let the discussions begin!

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, NHLComments Off comments

December1

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Quick Rising, Kane Returns, Goalie Woes

By: Donny Braemer

It is often debated which players in sports are underrated, or on the other side of the coin, overrated. This kind of talk goes hand-in-hand with fantasy sports and I would like to bring up a player that I believe is very underrated in both fantasy and reality.

Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, in my opinion, has to be one of the most underrated goalies in the league. Technical mechanics aside, it seems to me that over the last two-and-a-half years, Quick has not received the attention he deserves for the stellar play and consistency he has provided in net for the Kings. This year seems to be no different.

Quick leads the league with 4 shutouts, he is in the top-ten in wins with 10 and has a tremendous 2.02 GAA and .933 SV%. Barring a catastrophic breakdown, from here on out Quick should be considered a top-5 goalie come draft day and if you were lucky enough to get him low in your draft this year, your keeper should already be decided.

Now, who is ready for the trade of the week?

*** Joffrey Lupul AND Tyler Seguin for Sidney Crosby ***

Can someone say blockbuster? Joffrey Lupul is currently the number one overall ranked player in fantasy hockey and Seguin, a projected rank of 215th at the beginning the season, is the Bruins top scorer and should solidify himself at the top of NHL scoring ranks for many, many years to come. And of course, we all know about Sid the Kid and how hot he has been since coming back from injury. Tough one here for sure, would love to here what you guys think. As always, send a tweet to @2forboarding or @DBraemer or leave it in the comment sections below.

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, NHLComments Off comments

November24

2FB Fantasy Rundown: Crosby Returns, King Richards, Iginla Flames Out

By: Donny Braemer

(Every week on 2ForBoarding, Donny Braemer (@DBraemer) will stop by with some fantasy advice to help you along as your chase for the championship moves forward.  Bragging rights, big money, or just the satisfaction of finally getting out of the basement and being the butt of all those jokes — Braemer is here to help with all of that.  Questions for him?  You can reach him on Twitter @DBraemer or send us a message @2ForBoarding)

——————————-

I guess I am obligated to talk about Sidney Crosby right?

Well, what a return it was for number 87. In just over 15 minutes on the ice, the Penguins captain’s stat line looked like this: 2 G, 2 A, 1 PPP, +3, 1 GWG. Needless to say he posted some very impressive numbers for his first game back after suffering a concussion back at the beginning of the calendar year. This however does not alter my thoughts from last week in terms of Crosby’s potential participation in the 2012 All-Star game.

Then again, if he keeps it up at this pace, I may be changing my feelings on Sid the Kid very fast. I will say this though, it sure is looking good for those of you that drafted Crosby in the 3rd round or lower, good drafting. Do not sell high.

Moving on to the trade of the week. This week I am going to use an example from one of the leagues I am in. This trade was completed a couple days ago and I thought it was a perfect candidate for this section.

*** Ryan Getzlaf for Tomas Plekanec ***

Continue Reading

Posted in: Fantasy Hockey, NHLComments Off comments

© Copyright 2ForBoarding. All Rights Reserved.