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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
November 6, 2003
Story by: Eric Theis
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
I'm not sure what to make of the fact that two
Stars and two Flyers round out the top tier of
this week's review: to be sure it completely random,
even though there is a certain synergy to it.
This week contained some costly injuries, goalie
controversies, and talk of how to create more
offense in the NHL. Milestones were reached, streaks
were started and ended. All in all a busy week
in hockey, which means plenty of ammunition to
fire in the name of exposing greatness, and denouncing
mediocrity in the world of fantasy hockey. Hope
this week is a good one!
The Good:
Bill Guerin 3 GP, 6 G, 1 A, 3 PPP, 1 GWG, 6 PIM,
+3
The big winger from Worcester finally found his
stride in the past few games, nailing down his
second hat trick of the week (not a misprint),
vaulting himself into second place in goals behind
Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk. After missing the final
portion of the season last year after surgery
to repair damaged blood vessels in his thigh,
and enduring early trade rumours when the Stars
staggered out of the starting gate, Guerin has
paced his team with 14 points. This might be the
year Mike Modano surrenders his perennial Dallas
MVP award.
Michal Handzus 4 GP, 3G, 3 A, 3 PPP, 2 PIM, +4
While earmarked by observers as an excellent
defensive forward (Handzus was runner-up for the
Selke Trophy in 99-00), his offensive prowess
has slid under the radar. Handzus chipped in 23
goals in the regular season for the Flyers last
year, and 8 points in 11 games in the playoffs.
At 6' 5", Handzus is able to create significant
traffic in front of the net, is difficult for
defensemen to clear away, and is very adept at
pouncing on rebounds. It also doesn't hurt to
have a good offensive club behind him - Philadelphia
is sitting at fourth in the NHL in scoring, possess
the 4th best power play, and have four players
with at least 4 goals each on their roster.
Jason Arnott 3 GP, 2G, 4 A, 2 PPP, 1 GWG, +3
Riding shotgun for teammate Bill Guerin this
week, is Stars Center Jason Arnott. Both are receiving
much esteem from their teams and fantasy owners
alike in response to the week each produced, including
game winning goals for each player. Arnott has
come on particularly strong after only posting
one assist in his first four games this year.
Since then, he has registered 12 points in the
last nine games Dallas has played.
Robert Esche 3 GP, 3 W, 0.67 GAA, .970 SV%, 1
SO
What would hockey be without a bit of controversy
in Philly. This off season, GM Bobby Clarke dealt
the unorthodox Roman Cechmanek to the LA Kings,
brought in Jeff Hackett, and named the former
Boston netminder as the incumbent number one for
the Flyers. And the number one Hackett was, that
is until Jeff started to surrender goals en masse
- 15 goals in 4 games to be exact. Enter Robert
Esche. Slated to serve as the backup for Hackett,
Esche has allowed just one goal in his last 3
starts, all Flyer wins. Flyers Coach Ken Hitchcock
has refused to name either goaltender his declared
starter, wanting each to start in "big games."
What this translates into over the span of 82
games is anyone's guess, but Esche seems ready
to claim the starting job for himself - considering
he makes less than 1/5 of Hacket's salary, Clarke
might be ready to give it to him.
Honourable Mention:
Dan Cloutier 2 GP, 2 W, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
Cloutier spent his week reminding teams that
Vancouver's overwhelming offense is not the only
weapon the Canucks wield. Vancouver trails only
Tampa Bay for the best goals against average in
the National Hockey League, and is a mere .07%
off the lead in save percentage.
John LeClair 4 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 1 PPP, +4
Considered too far removed from his prime years,
and too injury prone to take seriously this year,
LeClair has managed just 5 points this year. Mind
you all of those points came in the four games
since LeClair returned from a broken foot. LeClair
might indeed be held together at this point by
nothing more than duct tape and bailing wire,
but it seems to be enough to keep him on the ice
and on the scoresheet.
Mariusz Czerkawski 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 1 PPP, +3
Czerkawski has yet to appear in this column this
season, for reasons far surpassing the difficulty
in spelling his name. The Polish Prince is a case
study for incompatibility. After 70, 62, and 51
point seasons, Czerkawski accounted for just 14
points last year (he appeared in only 43 games)
for the Canadiens. Montreal literally paid him
to not play for them this year by buying out the
last year of his contract in July. As a result,
it has been difficult to predict which Czerkawski
would return to play in Long Island, and many
fantasy owners shied away from drafting him. He
clicked early with 3 goals in the first 4 Islander
games, but the competition in those games included
Atlanta, Buffalo, and Florida. Czerkawski has
held his own however, failing to register a point
in only 3 of 11 games. I still hold my reservations
about him, as he plays on a team prone to inconsistency,
and on a line that can be targeted by good defensive
clubs - Czerkawski, Yashin and Kvasha have 18
of the Islanders 37 goals this year, or just under
half of their total offense.
The Bad:
Hendrick Zetterburg 3 GP, 1 G, 0 A, -2
After finally being reunited with the line which
saw him score 22 goals and 44 points last year,
a broken fibula suffered in Monday's game will
sideline Zetterberg for 4 - 6 weeks. Zetterberg,
relegated to minor power play minutes and third
line ice time early in the season still managed
7 points in 12 games, and is viewed by many as
a future star. His re-teaming with Brett Hull
and Pavel Datsyuk would undoubtably resulted in
an upgraded fantasy output, but that will have
to wait for now. Look for Detroit to start finding
players to fill holes in their lineup, including
the absence of Zetterberg.
Jason Spezza 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -2
In the grand scheme of things, last week was
a to be expected off week for a still-developing
young talent like Spezza, and for any other team,
his week might go unnoticed. However Spezza could
become an easy target for Coach Jacques Martin,
who some say was pushed by upper management, against
Martin's wishes to find a full-time role for Spezza
this year. It is unthinkable that Spezza will
find himself a healthy scratch any time soon,
especially with C Mike Fisher still out of action.
It is conceivable though that his top line minutes
might shrink until his play improves.
The Ugly:
Jaromir Jagr 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -1
Oh how the mighty have fallen. It seems as if
a millennia has past since Jagr last performed
at a level that even approached justifying the
$11 million a season that Washington is paying
him. Yes there are other stars on the Capitals
who share equal responsibility for the team's
woes, but none of them have the talent or the
ability to effect the course of a game the way
Jagr can. Yet success has all but eluded him in
his stay in the U.S. capital. There does not appear
to be any quick fix to be found for his team or
fantasy owners. While a change of scenery has
been suggested by many hockey analysts as the
necessary element in order for Jagr to relocate
his scoring touch, there are few teams able to
take on his salary - even if a large portion of
it is absorbed by the Capitals. As a result, especially
with the CBA looming overhead, Jagr will probably
end this season with the same team he started
on. And unless there is someone in your fantasy
league who is a Jagr fanatic and is willing to
deal, you are probably stuck with him too.
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