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.