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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
December 8, 2003
Story by: Eric Theis
Well, here we are at week 10, and the intrigue
just gets better and better. I read many pre-season
predictions about who would win what in the NHL
this year - only one had the Toronto Maple Leafs
finishing in first place atop the Eastern Conference,
and none had the Flames, San Jose, Nashville or
Atlanta in the playoff picture. So much for the
experts. It is still a long way to April, but
this week's GBU outlines some of those players
who have helped their teams get into the hunt,
and aided fantasy teams with key weekly contributions
(yeah Shean Donovan!!!). There are also many teams
seemingly ready to self-destruct - the resulting
fallout potentially saturating the fantasy market
with new blood, as teams look to cut salary, get
younger, or simply change their chemistry. That's
good though - mostly because it keeps people like
me employed. Good luck this week, and look for
the newest edition of the Fantasy Shopping List
later this week.
The Good
Marc Savard 4 GP, 4 G, 4 A, 3 PPP, 2 PIM, -1
C - Atlanta Thrashers
The Thrashers currently sit atop the Southeast
Conference due largely to their ability to score
goals with great frequency - 88 in total, 2nd
highest in the NHL. While much of the accolades
have fallen onto the shoulders of phenom Ilya
Kovalchuk, Savard has been integral to Atlanta's
continued success. Consider that Savard's play
has given Atlanta three legitimate scoring lines
on the ice every night; teams do not have the
ability to match up against the Kovalchuk line
if it was the Thrashers' only offensive tool.
As well, and of undoubtedly greater fantasy significance,
Savard has a better point-per-game ratio than
Kovalchuk - 1.26 versus 1.17. Let the buyer beware
however: Atlanta may be at the top in offense,
but they are at the bottom in defense, having
allowed only 4 fewer goals then they have scored;
hence why Savard can accumulate 8 points over
a week, and yet still sit at a -1 when all is
said and done.
Shean Donovan 4 GP, 6 G, 1 A, 1 PPP, 3 GWG, 6
PIM, +6
RW - Calgary Flames
Who is this guy? A career journeyman in the NHL,
who has never played above the 4th line on any
of his 5 NHL teams, Donovan managed 6 goals last
week (including a hat trick on Sunday night versus
Pittsburgh). For those keeping track at home,
that bested his goal totals from 4 of his 9 NHL
seasons - in just one week! For those of you who
read the signs and grabbed Donovan during his
run, praise to you, but be cautioned. Donovan
is on a 6 game point streak, which followed a
9 game pointless streak, which followed a two
game point streak, which followed a 6 game pointless
streak. Get the picture. Make sure he is on the
waiver wire and not your team, when the next cold
streak blows in.
Slava Kozlov 4 GP, 3 G, 4 A, 2 PPP, 1 GWG, Even
RW/LW - Atlanta Thrashers
As the only other Thrasher (after Kovalchuk and
Savard) into double digits in goals, and only
one of 4 Atlanta players with more than 20 points,
Kozlov has clearly had an impact; for both his
team and yours if he's on it. Once thought to
be on his way out of hockey after some injury
problems a few years back, Kozlov had a remarkable
year last season (70 points). After a tentative
dip into the free agent market, Kozlov re-signed
with the Thrashers, and thus far has maintained
the same scoring pace he posted last year. This
is great news for fantasy leagues, as consistency,
rather than talent has always been an issue for
Kozlov.
Miikka Kiprusoff 4 GP, 4 W, 1.00 GAA, .957 SV%
G - Calgary Flames
Think Roman Turek is worried about having a job
when he returns sometime in January? I would be.
On a Calgary team that has not had its entire
starting roster in a game lineup all season, Kiprusoff
has been rock solid on the suddenly resurgent
Flames. In fact, Kiprusoff is undefeated in regulation,
since coming to Calgary from the San Jose Sharks:
6-0-1-1 in 7 games, having not allowed more than
1 goal in all but one start. Oh yeah, and his
salary is $3,200,000 less a year, than Mr. Turek's.
Logic has that Kiprusoff will continue to get
the nod in net for Calgary, but remember that
Kiprusoff has never played more than 22 games
in a season, so keep an eye on him for signs of
fatigue as the season rolls on.
Joe Nieuwendyk 3 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 3 PPP, 1 GWG, +1
C - Toronto Maple Leafs
Looks like the rest did Joe good. Since returning
to the Leafs lineup for good on November 29th,
Nieuwendyk has 8 points in 5 games, including
3 powerplay goals. He has looked particularly
good when paired with the Sundin line, regularly
going to the net and causing traffic for the opposition's
defense. For sure Nieuwendyk has benefited from
the stability of playing on the same line night
in, night out, rather than the juggling that took
place earlier on in the season. It certainly is
reflected in his 0.82 points-per-game, his highest
total since 98-99 with Dallas - the same year
he amassed 28 goals, and oh yes, a Stanley Cup.
Ken Klee 3 GP, 0 G, 6 A, 3 PPP, 2 PIM, +5
D - Toronto Maple Leafs
Defensemen are a unique group within the hockey
universe. While the rule generally follows that
increased age = a gradual erosion of skills, defensemen
seem to operate in the opposite fashion - experience
lends itself to greater play and more awareness
on the ice for these players. Ken Klee stands
out in this regard. Considered the classic "stay-at-home"
defenseman, Klee never compiled more than 20 points
since he broke into the NHL in 1994. Through 28
games this season, Klee has 16 points, including
8 on the powerplay (almost triple his highest
season total). Clearly a great deal of responsibility
for Klee's offensive ascent, comes from playing
for the Maple Leafs this season - he is receiving
an average of 4.01 minutes of powerplay time this
season, versus the 29 seconds per game he received
in Washington last season. However Klee has reinvented
his play to match the demands placed on him, something
that is a product of the player, not just the
team. The results: a potential career offensive
year for Klee, and a great blue chip pick-up in
your fantasy league.
Honourable Mentions
Mats Sundin 3 GP, 2G, 3 A, 2 PPP, 1 GWG, +2
C - Toronto Maple Leafs
Always a target from fans and media in Toronto
for a perceived lack of leadership as Captain
of the Maple Leafs, Sundin has finally silenced
his critics. Mats has been the vanguard of the
Buds' current 8 game win streak, leading the way
both off the ice and on.
Daniel Alfredsson 4 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 3 PPP, +1
RW - Ottawa Senators
With his team noticeably sagging, Alfredsson has
stepped up his game, recording points in 9 of
Ottawa's last 10 games. He remains in the top
10 in the league in points, and will continue
to provide the bulk of the Sens scoring this year.
Martin Prussek 4 GP, 3 W, 1 L , 1.00 GAA, .964
SV%, 1 SO
G - Ottawa Senators
True champion athletes always perform at a high
level, in spite of circumstances surrounding them
(think Derek Jeter for the Yankees). Whether the
Sens backup is a champion athlete or not is debatable,
but no one can doubt his accomplishments this
week: a flu bug knocked Patrick Lalime out of
a slumping Ottawa's lineup, only to have Prussek
post 3 wins in his place (and just a few minutes
away from 4). The only problem is that once Lalime
is healthy, the starting job is his, meaning Prussek
and his talents are back on the bench.
The Bad
Ed Jovanovski 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 2 PIM, -2
D - Vancouver Canucks
Jovo Cop is mired in a 7 game scoring drought,
dating back to the Canucks' November 22nd meeting
with the Maple Leafs. In that time, Vancouver
has gone 2-3-2-0. A top 5 fantasy defenseman pick,
Jovo is playing well below his ability level -
you begin to wonder if something is hurting the
big blueliner, something not new to a player who
has missed a considerable number of games over
his career as a result of injury. Nonetheless,
if he is healthy, he'll rebound.
J.S. Giguere 2 GP, 0W, 2 L, 7.32 GAA, .827 SV%
G - Anaheim Mighty Ducks
The best thing that can be said about Giguere's
week: at least he got some rest - J.S. was yanked
in both of his two starts, after allowing 9 goals
in 52 shots. The problem for Giguere owners is
that his understudy, Martin Gerber, has outperformed
him in his place, including a 32 save shutout
against Dallas on Sunday night. It's quite possible
that Giguere might get even more rest this week,
as he could be relegated to backup duties in place
of the hotter goalie in Gerber.
Jay Bouwmeister 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 2 PIM, -2
D - Florida Panthers
Everyone mentions what kind of player Bouwmeister
will become in the future, and I agree with all
of them. However, it might be some years beyond
that until the young defenseman has a consistent
fantasy impact. While Bouwmeister does get points
in streaks, his team is average on the powerplay,
and below average in goals scored and goals against.
The result: 12 points and a -7 for the year thus
far.
The Ugly
Felix Potvin 1 GP, 0 W, 1 L, 6.00 GAA, .793 SV%
G - Boston Bruins
The only thing keeping Potvin on the Bruins roster
right now is the glut of goaltending in the NHL
right now, meaning there are far more sellers
than buyers, making it all but impossible to move
a high-priced netminder. With one exception, the
last time Potvin allowed less than 3 goals was
back on October 30th. In that span, Potvin has
posted a 3.83 GAA (4.60 if you exclude his shutout
in Columbus), with only a single win to show for
his efforts. Especially depressing was the 6 goal
pounding Felix took at the hands of his old team,
the Leafs, on Thursday (there were honestly times
in that game where I thought Potvin was trying
to get himself pulled, but no such luck). Andrew
Raycroft has all but been declared the starter
by Bruins Coach Mike Sullivan, which means that
Potvin has about as much fantasy utility as a
bag of wet hammers.
Questions or comments about this, or another fantasy
article? fantasy@hockeylink.ca
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