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Pre-season hockey is upon us and the Fantasy Hockey Cafe is gearing up for the start of the regular season. To get us started, Cafe regular Ryan Wacheldorf takes a team-by-team approach to a season preview, making some predictions along the way and highlighting certain players worth monitoring.
Anaheim Ducks
Overview: The Ducks traded away young talent, Joffey Lupul and Ladislav Smid, to acquire the highly touted Chris Pronger in an off-season trade with Edmonton. Pronger should team with Scott Niedermayer on the power-play unit to form one of the deadliest defensive pairs in recent history. The Ducks also acquired the young and talented Stanislav Chistov whom had been playing in Russia.
Fantasy Stud: Look for Teemu Selanne to lead the Ducks in scoring this season. Also keep an eye on Andy McDonald.
Sleeper Pick: Ryan Getzlaf is the one to watch. He should get a lot more opportunity this season and be able to capitalize on those extra chances. In addition, Bobby Ryan could make the team with a strong training camp, bumping Corey Perry down the depth chart in the process.
Rookie to Watch: Bobby Ryan, as mentioned earlier. Also Dustin Penner who made himself known last year during the playoffs with his large frame and puck-handling skills.
Line Projections:
L1 Dustin Penner-Andy McDonald-Teemu Selanne
L2 Stanislav Chistov-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry
L3 Chris Kunitz-Todd Marchant-Rob Niedermayer
L4 Travis Moen-Samuel Pahlsson-Todd Fedoruk
D1 Scott Niedermayer-Francois Beauchemin
D2 Chris Pronger-Joe DiPenta
D3 Sean O’Donnell-Ian Moran
G1 Jean-Sebastian Giguere
G2 Ilya Bryzgalov
Prediction: 2nd in the Pacific Division.
Atlanta Thrashers
Overview: The Thrashers lost top center Marc Savard to the Boston Bruins this off-season. There is a question mark as to who will be centering the top line this year in Atlanta. This could mean a slight drop in production for Ilya Kovalchuk. The Thrashers made a few transactions trying to find someone who could play on their top line. They signed former Rangers center Steve Rucchin and traded for Niko Kapanen from the Dallas Stars. The Thrashers also traded away Patrik Stefan, who has been a major bust in most people’s eyes, and Jaroslav Modry.
Fantasy Stud: It’s not real hard to pick a fantasy stud in Atlanta. You have Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa, who will be top point getters on this team and are must haves in fantasy leagues.
Sleeper Pick: Glen Metropolit. He has the skills to make his way onto the top line, and if he does, he should be in for a pretty big season playing alongside Kovalchuk.
Rookie to Watch: Jim Slater. If he has a good camp, he might find himself on a scoring line this season. Another rookie to keep an eye on is Alex Bourret.
Line Projections:
L1 Ilya Kovalchuk-Steve Rucchin-Jim Slater
L2 Slava Kozlov-Glen Metropolit-Marian Hossa
L3 Alex Bourret-Bobby Holik-Jon Sim
L4 Serge Aubin-Niko Kapanen-Scott Mellanby
D1 Andy Sutton-Niclas Havelid
D2 Greg de Vries-Steve McCarthy
D3 Garnet Exelby-Vitaly Vishnevsky
G1 Kari Lehtonen
G2 Johan Hedberg
Prediction: 3rd in the Southeast Division.
Boston Bruins
Overview: Boston made their presence known this summer by signing free agents Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard to bolster their roster. Boston has a lot of work ahead of them but they should see some improvement from the effort so far. They will be marginally more competitive this season than last. Boston also traded away Andrew Raycroft to the Toronto Maple Leafs. They also traded away young defenseman Nick Boynton and acquired Paul Mara from the Coyotes.
Fantasy Stud: There are quite a few choices I have here, but I will go with Marco Sturm. If he can stay healthy, he should make quite the impact for Boston this year. Another name that could be your fantasy stud is Marc Savard.
Sleeper Pick: Glen Murray. He may not be a typical sleeper, but he did not perform all to well last year, and is in position to have a stellar season this year.
Rookie to Watch: Phil Kessel. This one is easy. If Phil can make the club out of camp, look for him to find his way onto a scoring line and put up decent numbers.
Line Projections:
L1 Marco Sturm-Patrice Bergeron-Brad Boyes
L2 Phil Kessel-Marc Savard-Glen Murray
L3 PJ Axelsson-Wayne Primeau-Shean Donovan
L4 Jeff Hoggan-Mark Mowers-Petr Kalus
D1 Zdeno Chara-Milan Jurcina
D2 Brad Stuart-Paul Mara
D3 Mark Stuart-Andrew Alberts
G1 Hannu Toivonen
G2 Tim Thomas
Prediction: 4th in the Northeast Division.
Buffalo Sabres
Overview: Buffalo lost right winger JP Dumont after they decided not to accept the arbitrator’s ruling on his salary. This isn’t as big of a loss as some may think, because Buffalo has many capable right wing options. The biggest signing for Buffalo, excluding the re-signings of their restricted free agents, was Jaroslav Spacek. He had a good year last year and should build on that to become a viable option for Buffalo on the blue line.
Fantasy Stud: Daniel Briere. He should be a top center this year, barring any injuries. I’d also monitor Maxim Afinogenov.
Sleeper Pick: Thomas Vanek. If he can learn to play a little defense, he could boost his stock a little more by getting a chance on a top line.
Rookie to Watch: Drew Stafford. I think this kid has a chance to be a stud, and will have to sit down on the depth chart for a little while, but I could see him taking over for Pominville soon enough.
Line Projections:
L1 Maxim Afinogenov-Daniel Briere-Ales Kotalik
L2 Jochen Hecht-Chris Drury-Jason Pominville
L3 Thomas Vanek-Derek Roy-Drew Stafford
L4 Dan Paille-Paul Gaustad-Adam Mair
D1 Toni Lydman-Henrik Tallinder
D2 Jaroslav Spacek-Brian Campbell
D3 Dmitri Kalinin-Teppo Numminen
G1 Ryan Miller
G2 Martin Biron
Prediction: 2nd in the Northeast Division.
Calgary Flames
Overview: Calgary made a huge impact trade when they acquired Alex Tanguay from the Colorado Avalanche. This should take some pressure of Jarome Iginla this year, and he should be able to out produce his numbers from last year.
Fantasy Stud: This could easily go to Iginla or Tanguay. I am going to give it to Jarome Iginla because he will be the one scoring most of the goals, and goals are usually more important.
Sleeper Pick: Matthew Lombardi. If Lombardi can play his way onto the top line, he should have a very nice year.
Rookie to Watch: Eric Nystrom. Nystrom has the best chance of any rookie to make the team, but I don’t see him making the team or making an impact if he does. I’d just stay away from any Flames rookie.
Line Projections:
L1 Alex Tanguay-Daymond Langkow-Jarome Iginla
L2 Kristian Huselius-Matthew Lombardi-Chuck Kobasew
L3 Jeff Friesen-Jamie Lundmark-Tony Amonte
L4 Marcus Nilson-Stephane Yelle-Darren McCarty
D1 Dion Phaneuf-Robyn Regher
D2 Roman Hamrlik-Andrei Zyuzin
D3 Andrew Ference-Rhett Warrener
G1 Miikka Kiprusoff
G2 Jamie McLennan
Prediction: 1st in the Northwest Division.
Carolina Hurricanes
Overview: Carolina will be without high scoring winger Cory Stillman and talented defenseman Frantisek Kaberle for much of the season. Carolina acquired Scott Walker from the Nashville Predators for oft injured Josef Vasicek. This gives Carolina more depth on the wing after the Stillman injury. Carolina will need some help on the blue line, with Kaberle out and a couple major pieces to the Cup year now gone.
Fantasy Stud: Eric Staal. Staal will center the top line in Raleigh and should be around the 100 point plateau yet again.
Sleeper Pick: Andrew Ladd. If he can play his way onto a line with Brind’Amour, this kid should do good things.
Rookie to Watch: Anton Babchuk. This kid is huge, but raw. He has the chance to make the team out of camp and could be a good pickup somewhere down the line this season.
Line Projections:
L1 Erik Cole-Eric Staal-Justin Williams
L2 Andrew Ladd-Rod Brind’Amour-Ray Whitney
L3 Shane Willis-Trevor Letowski-Scott Walker
L4 Craig Adams-Kevyn Adams-Chad LaRose
D1 Bret Hedican-Mike Commodore
D2 Glen Wesley-Anton Babchuk
D3 Niclas Wallin-Oleg Tverdovsky
G1 Cam Ward
G2 John Grahame
Prediction: 1st in the Southeast Division.
Chicago Blackhawks
Overview: Chicago tried to improve by acquiring young winger Martin Havlat from the Ottawa Senators this off-season. Chicago will have to hope Tuomo Ruutu can stay healthy this year if they want to have success and they will also need Adrian Aucoin to rebound from his abysmal year.
Fantasy Stud: Martin Havlat. He isn’t playing with the same type of cast he had in Ottawa, but playing on the top line and getting a lot of ice team should help him lead the Blackhawks this year. Tuomo Ruutu could also be the stud for the Blackhawks this year.
Sleeper Pick: Radim Vrbata. He should be on Chicago’s second line and could see an increase in ice time, which should translate into much better numbers than in years past.
Rookie to Watch: Cam Barker. Barker just recently went down with an injury, but he is still the best rookie Chicago has to offer this season.
Line Projections:
L1 Tuomo Ruutu-Michal Handzus-Martin Havlat
L2 Bryan Smolinski-Patrick Sharp-Radim Vrbata
L3 Rene Bourque-Denis Arkhipov-Brandon Bochenski
L4 Tony Salmelainen-Michael Holmqvist-Martin Lapointe
D1 Adrian Aucoin-Brent Seabrook
D2 Cam Barker-Jassrn Cullimore
D3 Duncan Keith-Jim Vandermeer
G1 Nikolai Khabibulin
G2 Sebastian Caron
Prediction: 4th in the Central Division.
Colorado Avalanche
Overview: Colorado lost star winger Alex Tanguay in an off-season trade with Calgary. The Avalanche also lost a key part of their blue line when Rob Blake left for Los Angeles. This year will be pretty horrific for any Avs fan out there.
Fantasy Stud: Marek Svatos. Svatos was having an outstanding season before his shoulder injury, and I’m hopeful he can continue where he left off last season. Joe Sakic is a close second.
Sleeper Pick: Milan Hejduk. After a disappointing season, Hejduk should bounce back and become more of the player he was when he notched 50 goals.
Rookie to Watch: Wojtek Wolski. He has productive stints with the Avs last year and should continue to build on that.
Line Projections:
L1 Andrew Brunette-Joe Sakic-Milan Hejduk
L2 Wojtek Wolski-Tyler Arnason-Marek Svatos
L3 Brad Richardson-Pierre Turgeon-Paul Stastny
L4 Steve Konowalchuk-Ian Laperriere-Antti Laaksonen
D1 Karlis Skrastins-Jordan Leopold
D2 John-Michael Liles-Brett Clark
D3 Ossi Vaananen-Patrice Brisebois
G1 Jose Theodore
G2 Peter Budaj
Prediction: 3rd in Northwest Division.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Overview: Columbus recently signed Anson Carter to a contract, signaling that Nikolai Zherdev may be on his way out. The Jackets also traded their top goalie, Marc Denis, and got Fredrik Modin in return. The Blue Jackets have a decent chance at winning the division, but I’m not too sure they can hold it together all season, and the goaltending is a question mark.
Fantasy Stud: Rick Nash. He should be able to bounce back from his injury plagued season.
Sleeper Pick: David Vyborny. He should find himself on a line with Nash and could see his production increase from last year.
Rookie to Watch: As if there was any other choice, Gilbert Brule. If he can stay healthy and avoid injury, he should be a top candidate for the Calder this year.
Line Projections:
L1 Rick Nash-Gilbert Brule-David Vyborny
L2 Fredrik Modin-Sergei Fedorov-Anson Carter
L3 Jaroslav Balastik-Manny Malhotra-Dan Fristche
L4 Jason Chimera-Alexander Svitov-Jody Shelley
D1 Adam Foote-Ron Hainsey
D2 Bryan Berard-Duvie Westcott
D3 Rostislav Klesla-Aaron Johnson
G1 Pascal Leclaire
G2 Ty Conklin
Prediction: 3rd in the Central Division.
Dallas Stars
Overview: After dominating the regular season, the Stars choked in the playoffs. They have a solid team this year, and should make the playoffs again, but don’t expect them to go too far. Dallas took a chance on Eric Lindros, and if he can remain healthy for a good part of the season, he could be a great signing.
Fantasy Stud: I like Brenden Morrow, but you can’t go against Mike Modano. He continually performs year after year, so I don’t see why this year should be any different.
Sleeper Pick: Eric Lindros. No, I’m not crazy. If he can find a way to keep healthy, he could be in for a good season.
Rookie to Watch: Loui Eriksson. I believe he has the best chance of any rookie to make the Stars this season.
Line Projections:
L1 Jussi Jokinen-Mike Modano-Jere Lehtinen
L2 Brenden Morrow-Eric Lindros-Antti Miettinen
L3 Loui Eriksson-Jeff Halpern-Stu Barnes
L4 Matthew Barnaby-Steve Ott-Niklas Hagman
D1 Sergei Zubov-Daryl Sydor
D2 Philippe Boucher-Jaroslav Modry
D3 Trevor Daley-Janne Niinimaa
G1 Marty Turco
G2 Dan Ellis
Prediction: 3rd in the Pacific Division.
Detroit Red Wings
Overview: Detroit brought in veteran goalie Dominik Hasek. His health is the biggest question mark at this point, and if he can play 50 games, Detroit should be sitting pretty. Detroit only lost one major player from last year’s team and that was Brendan Shanahan, who signed with the New York Rangers.
Fantasy Stud: Henrik Zetterberg. There are a couple others who might be candidates, but Zetterberg appears to be the clear choice to lead Detroit this year.
Sleeper Pick: Robert Lang. He is in a contract year, so he should put forth more of an effort in an attempt to land a contract for next season. Word has it that he has performed great in camp so far.
Rookie to Watch: Jiri Hudler. He has the talent to be a top line center, but is still quite raw. He could find himself of the third line if he plays his cards right.
Line Projections:
L1 Tomas Holmstrom-Henrik Zetterberg-Mikael Samuelsson
L2 Jason Williams-Pavel Datsyuk-Jiri Hudler
L3 Kris Draper-Robert Lang-Kirk Maltby
L4 Dan Cleary-Valtteri Filppula-Johan Franzen
D1 Niklas Lidstrom-Niklas Kronwall
D2 Mathieu Schneider-Danny Markov
D3 Chris Chelios-Andreas Lilja
G1 Dominik Hasek
G2 Chris Osgood
Prediction: 2nd in the Central Division.
Edmonton Oilers
Overview: Last year’s Cinderella story isn’t likely to repeat. They lose their top defenseman in Chris Pronger, but added a scorer in Joffrey Lupul. If Dwayne Roloson can stay away from injuries this year, Edmonton could find themselves back in the playoffs.
Fantasy Stud: Ales Hemsky appears to be the best choice here. Expect a big year from Hemsky.
Sleeper Pick: Fernando Pisani is my sleeper pick. Pasani was a goal scoring machine in the playoffs, and if he can continue scoring goals, he should be in for a good season.
Rookie to Watch: Alexei Mikhnov. Another Russian player who put in his notice to get his release from his Russian club will to try his hand at the NHL. He probably shouldn’t make a huge impact this season, but is a rookie to keep an eye on. Another to keep an eye on is Rob Schremp and Marc-Antoine Pouliot.
Line Projections:
L1 Ryan Smyth-Shawn Horcoff-Ales Hemsky
L2 Joffrey Lupul-Jarret Stoll-Petr Sykora
L3 Ethan Moreau-Fernando Pisani-Raffi Torres
L4 Alexei Mikhnov-Marty Reasoner-Marc-Antoine Pouliot
D1 Marc-Andre Bergeron-Jason Smith
D2 Daniel Tjarnqvist-Steve Staios
D3 Matt Greene-Ladislav Smid
G1 Dwayne Roloson
G2 Jussi Markkanen
Prediction: 5th in the Northwest Division.
Florida Panthers
Overview: The Panthers traded away their stud goalie, Roberto Luongo, and got the troubled Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi should be better after a change of scenery and issues put behind him.
Fantasy Stud: Olli Jokinen. He should be the leading scorer for the Panthers yet again this year, and could see a boost now that he has a better player on his line.
Sleeper Pick: Nathan Horton is due to breakout. He has been troubled by injuries in the past, but he should be able to get his act together and have a solid season.
Rookie to Watch: Anthony Stewart. Though Stewart probably won’t make the team, he could be a player to watch down the road.
Line Projections:
L1 Jozef Stumpel-Olli Jokinen-Todd Bertuzzi
L2 Rostislav Olesz-Joe Nieuwendyk-Nathan Horton
L3 Gary Roberts-Stephen Weiss-Martin Gelinas
L4 Ville Peltonen-Chris Gratton-Juraj Kolnik
D1 Jay Bouwmeester-Mike Van Ryn
D2 Bryan Allen-Ruslan Salei
D3 Ric Jackman-Steve Montador
G1 Alexander Auld
G2 Ed Belfour
Prediction: 5th in the Southeast Division.
Los Angeles Kings
Overview: The Kings dealt away potent scorer Pavol Demitra to the Minnesota Wild, but they got a great prospect in return by the name of Patrick O’Sullivan. The goalie situation in Los Angeles appears to be shaky at best, with no one being a clear cut number one minder.
Fantasy Stud: Alexander Frolov should have a good season. He will most likely compete with Craig Conroy for the points leader in LA.
Sleeper Pick: Michael Cammalleri is due for a big year in LA. He looks like he is going to get a shot on the top line this year.
Rookie to Watch: Patrick O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan should be a top candidate for the Calder this year if he can stick with the Kings.
Line Projections:
L1 Alexander Frolov-Craig Conroy-Michael Cammalleri
L2 Eric Belanger-Derek Armstrong-Patrick O’Sullivan
L3 Scott Thornton-Anze Kopitar-Dustin Brown
L4 Brian Willsie-Sean Avery-Tom Kostopoulos
D1 Rob Blake-Mattias Norstrom
D2 Lubomir Visnovsy-Aaron Miller
D3 Brent Sopel-Tim Gleason
G1 Dan Cloutier
G2 Mathieu Garon
Prediction: 5th in the Pacific Division.
Minnesota Wild
Overview: The Wild made a bunch of moves in the off-season to help improve themselves, and they did just that. They bolstered their blue line and added some offensive punch. They added guys like Pavol Demitra and Kim Johnsson to help their quest this year.
Fantasy Stud: Marian Gaborik. Gaborik is a stud, and should only improve his point total playing along side Demitra.
Sleeper Pick: Petteri Nummelin has been a sleeper pick for me this year. He has the potential for 60 points this season if he can find himself on the PP.
Rookie to Watch: Mikko Koivu. Saku’s younger brother has the skills to be a top forward on this team, but is blocked right now. Another name to keep an eye on is goalie Josh Harding.
Line Projections:
L1 Marian Gaborik-Pavol Demitra-Mark Parrish
L2 Pierre-Marc Bouchard-Todd White-Brian Rolston
L3 Pascal Dupuis-Wes Walz-Branko Radivojevic
L4 Derek Boogaard-Mikko Koivu-Stephane Veilleux
D1 Kim Johnsson-Kurtis Foster
D2 Brent Burns-Keith Carney
D3 Nick Schultz-Petteri Nummelin
G1 Manny Fernandez
G2 Josh Harding
Prediction: 1st in the Northwest Division.
Montreal Canadiens
Overview: GM Bob Gainey made quite a few moves this off-season. The major moves included signing winger Sergei Samsonov and trading away disappointing winger Richard Zednik. Montreal appears to have a more improved team this year, but anything can happen.
Fantasy Stud: Alexei Kovalev. He should be poised to put up some big numbers this year for the Habs.
Sleeper Pick: Chris Higgins. He should find himself on the top line this year, and should get plenty of opportunities to prove himself.
Rookie to Watch: Andrei Kostitsyn. If he can make the roster, he has a good chance to make an impact this season.
Line Projections:
L1 Chris Higgins-Saku Koivu-Alexei Kovalev
L2 Sergei Samsonov-Mike Ribeiro-Michael Ryder
L3 Alexander Perezhogin-Tomas Plekanec-Mike Johnson
L4 Andrei Kostitsyn-Radek Bonk-Steve Begin
D1 Andrei Markov-Mike Komisarek
D2 Sheldon Souray-Craig Rivet
D3 Mathieu Dandenault-Francis Bouillon
G1 Cristobal Huet
G2 David Aebischer
Prediction: 3rd in the Northeast Division.
Nashville Predators
Overview: The Predators are a lot of people’s dark horse to play for the Stanley Cup, and rightfully so, they are a very solid team through and through. Tomas Vokoun appears healthy, and he should be able to put up another great season in net.
Fantasy Stud: Paul Kariya. He had a great season last year and I don’t see a reason why he shouldn’t repeat that again.
Sleeper Pick: Martin Erat. He is being set up for a breakout year this season.
Rookie to Watch: Alexander Radulov. He might be sent back to minors, due to the depth at right wing this year. He could still make the team, though, and could potentially get 50 points.
Line Projections:
L1 Paul Kariya-Jason Arnott-Steve Sullivan
L2 Martin Erat-David Legwand-JP Dumont
L3 Scott Hartnell-Josef Vasicek-Alexander Radulov
L4 Jordin Tootoo-Vernon Fiddler-Scottie Upshall
D1 Marek Zidlicky-Dan Hamhuis
D2 Kimmo Timonen-Shea Weber
D3 Ryan Suter-Alex Henry
G1 Tomas Vokoun
G2 Chris Mason
Prediction: 1st in the Central Division.
New Jersey Devils
Overview: The Devils are in a heap of trouble right now. They are currently over the salary cap and have yet to sign Brian Gionta, Paul Martin, and David Hale. The Devils might be forced to trade away speedy center Scott Gomez.
Fantasy Stud: Patrik Elias. He played well after he returned from his battle with hepatitis and was nearly a point per game player. Expect big numbers from Elias this season.
Sleeper Pick: Zach Parise. He will be centering the second line in New Jersey this season and is likely to put up some decent numbers.
Rookie to Watch: Not much to work with here, but I’ll go with Travis Zajac.
Line Projections:
L1 Patrik Elias-Scott Gomez-Brian Gionta
L2 Sergei Brylin-Zach Parise-Jamie Langenbrunner
L3 Alexander Mogilny-John Madden-Grant Marshall
L4 Jay Pandolfo-Travis Zajac-Barry Tallackson
D1 Paul Martin-Colin White
D2 Brian Rafalski-Brad Lukowich
D3 David Hale-Vladimir Malakhov
G1 Martin Brodeur
G2 Scott Clemmensen
Prediction: 4th in the Atlantic Division.
New York Islanders
Overview: The Islanders don’t have much to look forward to, as they will put up one of the weakest offenses in the league. Don’t expect too much out of the Isles this year.
Fantasy Stud: I’d be tempted to pick no one, but since I have to, I will choose Miroslav Satan. He appears to be the most solid player on the team.
Sleeper Pick: Trent Hunter. He had a good year before the lockout, and could find himself putting up numbers similar to that year.
Rookie to Watch: Jeff Tambellini. He could potentially earn a spot as a top six forward, so he should get plenty of ice time and it could translate into a solid year.
Line Projections:
L1 Trent Hunter-Alexei Yashin-Miroslav Satan
L2 Jason Blake-Mike York-Robert Nilsson
L3 Jeff Tambellini-Mike Sillinger-Viktor Kozlov
L4 Shawn Bates-Andy Hilbert-Petteri Noakelainen
D1 Chris Campoli-Alexei Zhitnik
D2 Brendan Witt-Tom Poti
D3 Sean Hill-Radek Martinek
G1 Rick DiPietro
G2 Wade Dubielewicz
Prediction: 5th in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers
Overview: New York has a solid team yet again. They helped themselves by signing veteran forward Brendan Shanahan. Jaromir Jagr is coming off an outstanding year, and he should continue with that type of play this coming season.
Fantasy Stud: Jaromir Jagr. Is there any other choice here? He is the most dominant player on the team, and one of the most dominant in the entire NHL.
Sleeper Pick: Petr Prucha. He was hurt for a part of last season, but he could find himself getting to the 40 goal mark this year.
Rookie to Watch: Jarkko Immonen. He should be a good player for the Rangers, but with them being pretty stacked at center, he is stuck.
Line Projections:
L1 Martin Straka-Michael Nylander-Jaromir Jagr
L2 Brendan Shanahan-Matt Cullen-Petr Prucha
L3 Marcel Hossa-Jarkko Immonen-Adam Hall
L4 Ryan Hollweg-Blair Betts-Nigel Dawes
D1 Michal Roszival-Marek Malik
D2 Fedor Tyutin-Aaron Ward
D3 Darius Kasparaitis-Sandis Ozolinsh
G1 Henrik Lundqvist
G2 Kevin Weekes
Prediction: 1st in the Atlantic Division.
Ottawa Senators
Overview: The Senators are one of the most dynamic teams in the league, and should be again this season. They dealt away young winger Martin Havlat, but improved their defense in the process. I think this team is pretty well-rounded.
Fantasy Stud: You have a lot of choices to choose from here, and I’ll go with the obvious choice of Dany Heatley. There are also guys like Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza who deserve recognition here.
Sleeper Pick: I don’t think there is a choice as clear as Patrick Eaves. Eaves will be playing on the top line with Heatley and Spezza this year.
Rookie to Watch: Alexei Kaigorodov. He will be lining up with Alfredsson this season, and that should help Kaigorodov do well in his first NHL season.
Line Projections:
L1 Patrick Eaves-Jason Spezza-Dany Heatley
L2 Peter Schaefer-Alexei Kaigorodov-Daniel Alfredsson
L3 Antoine Vermette-Mike Fisher-Chris Neil
L4 Dean McAmmond-Chris Kelly-Brian McGratton
D1 Wade Redden-Joe Corvo
D2 Tom Preissing-Andrej Meszaros
D3 Chris Phillips-Anton Volchenkov
G1 Martin Gerber
G2 Ray Emery
Prediction: 1st in the Northeast Division.
Philadelphia Flyers
Overview: After the controversy GM Bob Clarke stirred up, the Flyers look poised to have a solid season. They had two veterans in Eric Desjardins and Keith Primeau retire and leave holes on the roster. Coach Ken Hitchcock is moving Jeff Carter to the wing to help his team be more productive.
Fantasy Stud: If healthy, you have to go with Peter Forsberg. If Forsberg can’t stay healthy, then I’d go with Simon Gagne.
Sleeper Pick: I like Kyle Calder this year in Philadelphia. He had a career year playing for the Blackhawks last year, and is looking to improve some more in Philadelphia.
Rookie to Watch: Steve Downie. He has been playing great hockey at Flyers camp, and could make the roster.
Line Projections:
L1 Simon Gagne-Peter Forsberg-Mike Knuble
L2 Kyle Calder-Mike Richards-Jeff Carter
L3 Geoff Sanderson-RJ Umberger-Sami Kapanen
L4 Randy Robitaille-Petr Nedved-Niko Dimitrakos
D1 Joni Pitkanen-Mike Rathje
D2 Derian Hatcher-Freddy Meyer
D3 Denis Gauthier-Nolan Baumgartner
G1 Antero Niittymaki
G2 Robert Esche
Prediction: 2nd in the Atlantic Division.
Phoenix Coyotes
Overview: Phoenix made a few moves this off-season to help their chances. They signed a couple veterans that are high risk/high reward type players in Jeremy Roenick and Owen Nolan. The Coyotes also signed Ed Jovanovski to help bolster their blue line.
Fantasy Stud: Ladislav Nagy. He was a point per game player before he was injured last year, and I’m optimistic he can come back from that injury.
Sleeper Pick: Owen Nolan. If he can regain any part of him from his San Jose days, he could be worth owning.
Rookie to Watch: The rookie I’d suggest watching is goaltender David LeNeveu. He could find himself getting plenty of starts in place of Curtis Joseph this season.
Line Projections:
L1 Ladislav Nagy-Mike Comrie-Shane Doan
L2 Jeremy Roenick-Steven Reinprecht-Owen Nolan
L3 Fredrik Sjostrom-Dave Scatchard-Oleg Saprykin
L4 Bill Thomas-Mike Ricci-Georges Laraque
D1 Ed Jovanovski-Nick Boynton
D2 Keith Ballard-Zbynek Michalek
D3 Derek Morris-Dennis Seidenberg
G1 Curtis Joseph
G2 David LeNeveu
Prediction: 4th in the Pacific Division.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Overview: The Penguins have a lot of young talent, but the question is if they can all put it together. They have a good mix of veterans that should help the youngsters learn quicker. I think the Penguins are going to surprise a lot of people this year.
Fantasy Stud: Sidney Crosby. No other choice here, Crosby is the man and will lead the Penguins again this year.
Sleeper Pick: Colby Armstrong. A full season playing on Crosby’s line should help boost his point total.
Rookie to Watch: Evgeni Malkin. Malkin should be the Calder winner, barring any injuries. He could reach 80 points, but 65-70 seems more reasonable.
Line Projections:
L1 Nils Ekman-Sidney Crosby-Colby Armstrong
L2 Ryan Malone-Evgeni Malkin-Mark Recchi
L3 John LeClair-Dominic Moore-Ronald Petrovicky
L4 Jarkko Ruutu-Maxime Talbot-Andre Roy
D1 Sergei Gonchar-Brooks Orpik
D2 Ryan Whitney-Mark Eaton
D3 Noah Welch-Josef Melichar
G1 Marc-Andre Fleury
G2 Jocelyn Thibault
Prediction: 3rd in the Atlantic Division.
San Jose Sharks
Overview: San Jose is arguably one of the best teams in all of hockey. They feature Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. They also have some good young players who have a ton of potential.
Fantasy Stud: Joe Thornton. The league’s reigning MVP should be back for another dominating season on San Jose’s top line.
Sleeper Pick: Steve Bernier is my choice. He should be playing alongside Patrick Marleau and should get plenty of scoring chances.
Rookie to Watch: Matt Carle. Carle won the Hobey Baker award last year, as the best collegiate player. He is offensive-minded and he should be ready to step into the lineup and help produce.
Line Projections:
L1 Mark Bell-Joe Thornton-Jonathan Cheechoo
L2 Milan Michalek-Patrick Marleau-Steve Bernier
L3 Marcel Goc-Curtis Brown-Mike Grier
L4 Ville Nieminen-Mark Smith-Pat Rissmiller
D1 Scott Hannan-Christian Ehrhoff
D2 Matt Carle-Kyle McLaren
D3 Josh Gorges-Doug Murray
G1 Vesa Toskala
G2 Evgeni Nabokov
Prediction: 1st in the Pacific Division.
St. Louis Blues
Overview: St. Louis was active this off-season, signing players such as Bill Guerin, Martin Rucinsky, and Jay McKee. The Blues are trying to do a quick fix by signing these guys, but I don’t believe that is the way to go. They will be improved a little bit, but not by much.
Fantasy Stud: Tough choice here. I’ll go with Keith Tkachuk because he showed up to camp in shape this season, and is in position to improve on last season.
Sleeper Pick: Bill Guerin. He should find himself on the top line after the Vladimir Orszagh injury, and could look to redeem himself for a bad year.
Rookie to Watch: David Backes. There isn’t much to choose from, and I think this is as good as it gets.
Line Projections:
L1 Keith Tkachuk-Doug Weight-Bill Guerin
L2 Martin Rucinsky-Petr Cajanek-Radek Dvorak
L3 Lee Stempniak-Jay McClement-Jamal Mayers
L4 Dallas Drake-Ryan Johnson-Dan Hinote
D1 Jay McKee-Eric Brewer
D2 Barret Jackman-Christian Backman
D3 Dennis Wideman-Bryce Salvador
G1 Manny Legace
G2 Curtis Sanford
Prediction: 5th in the Central Division.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Overview: The Lightning look to rebound from a disappointing season last year. They have two solid scoring lines and their defense is solid, but they lost Pavel Kubina to free agency.
Fantasy Stud: Brad Richards is my pick for fantasy stud. He will easily reach the 90 point mark again this season and lead the team to the playoffs. Vincent Lecavalier is another guy to keep your eye on in Tampa Bay.
Sleeper Pick: Martin St. Louis. A very disappointing season for St. Louis last season could mean he is ready to return to his MVP type player he was before the lockout.
Rookie to Watch: Andy Rogers. Rogers is a huge defenseman and could play his way onto the team this year.
Line Projections:
L1 Vaclav Prospal-Brad Richards-Martin St. Louis
L2 Ruslan Fedotenko-Vincent Lecavalier-Dimitriy Afanasenkov
L3 Ryan Craig-Tim Taylor-Rob DiMaio
L4 Andreas Karlsson-Nick Tarnasky-Nikita Alexeev
D1 Dan Boyle-Filip Kuba
D2 Cory Sarich-Paul Ranger
D3 Luke Richardson-Andy Rogers
G1 Marc Denis
G2 Johan Holmqvist
Prediction: 3rd in the Southeast Division.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Overview: Toronto made a few splashes in the free agent market. They were able to sign Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill to shore up their blue line. They also traded for goalie Andrew Raycroft to get a number one minder.
Fantasy Stud: Mats Sundin. He is going to get more ice time this year, and that should help him rack up a few more points this season.
Sleeper Pick: Kyle Wellwood. Wellwood should be playing with Sundin on the PP unit and feeding him the puck, and could see his production increase.
Rookie to Watch: Johnny Pohl. He played well when he got a chance last season.
Line Projections:
L1 Alexander Steen-Mats Sundin-Jeff O’Neill
L2 Nik Antropov-Kyle Wellwood-Alexei Ponikarovsky
L3 Darcy Tucker-Michael Peca-Matt Stajan
L4 Chad Kilger-Johnny Pohl-Jeremy Williams
D1 Bryan McCabe-Tomas Kaberle
D2 Pavel Kubina-Carlo Colaiacovo
D3 Hal Gill-Staffan Kronwall
G1 Andrew Raycroft
G2 Mikael Tellqvist
Prediction: 4th in the Northeast Division.
Vancouver Canucks
Overview: The Canucks were able to make a trade for one of the most skilled goaltenders in Roberto Luongo, but they have also lost familiar names such as Ed Jovanovski and Todd Bertuzzi. It could be a long year in Vancouver.
Fantasy Stud: Markus Naslund. I like his chances of bouncing back from a somewhat disappointing season.
Sleeper Pick: Jan Bulis. If Bulis can stay on the line with the Sedin twins, he should be able to have a career year in Vancouver.
Rookie to Watch: Luc Bourdon. He is highly regarded by Vancouver and could be someone to be worth owning down the line.
Line Projections:
L1 Markus Naslund-Brendan Morrison-Matt Cooke
L2 Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Jan Bulis
L3 Marc Chouinard-Ryan Kesler-Alexandre Burrows
L4 Taylor Pyatt-Trevor Linden-Brandon Reid
D1 Mattias Ohlund-Kevin Bieksa
D2 Luc Bourdon-Sami Salo
D3 Willie Mitchell-Lukas Krajicek
G1 Roberto Luongo
G2 Wade Flaherty
Prediction: 4th in the Northwest Division.
Washington Capitals
Overview: Washington was able to get back a couple of players who were with the team in previous years. They signed Alexander Semin and traded for Richard Zednik, and those two should help with the depth in Washington.
Fantasy Stud: Alexander Ovechkin. No other way to go here. He is good for 100 points.
Sleeper Pick: Alexander Semin. If he can find his way onto the top line with Ovechkin, he could be in for a pretty good season.
Rookie to Watch: I’d be sure to keep an eye on defense prospect Mike Green.
Line Projections:
L1 Alexander Ovechkin-Dainius Zubrus-Chris Clark
L2 Alexander Semin-Matt Pettinger-Richard Zednik
L3 Kris Beech-Brian Sutherby-Ben Clymer
L4 Donald Brashear-Brooks Laich-Eric Fehr
D1 Brian Pothier-Steve Eminger
D2 Jamie Heward-Shaone Morrison
D3 Mike Green-Bryan Muir
G1 Olaf Kolzig
G2 Brent Johnson
Prediction: 4th in the Southeast Division.
Ryan Wacheldorf, familiar to forum members as Real_Deal_Ryan, is a regular Cafe contributor and an active member on the message boards. Get more of the real deal! Ryan would like to extend his thanks to fellow Cafe member, Blades of Steel, for his contribution to this submission.
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