Sleeper Watch

The Buffalo Sabres certainly appeared to be the biggest free agency losers as the team’s two captains left. Daniel Briere will center the much improved Flyer’s first line, and Chris Drury will join a talented group of New York Ranger forwards. Buffalo fans were outraged and management had to answer questions as to whether they were going to become the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL (I’m from Pittsburgh and believe me you never want to be called the Pittsburgh Pirates). Furthermore, GM Kevin Lowe of the Edmonton Oilers signed sniper Tomas Vanek to a contract for $7 million that Buffalo was forced to match. That brings us to Derek Roy and your fantasy team.

All of the above may be bad news to everyone except center Derek Roy, who finds himself sky-rocketed up the depth chart. Despite Briere and Drury’s departures, the Sabres still posses a very talented group of top six wingers in Vanek, Maxim Afinogenov, Jason Pominville, and Ales Kotalik. Roy will likely be supplanted between Vanek and either Pominville or Afinogenov, and ahead of fellow center Tim Connoly (Connoly is another sleeper). This bodes well for the 24-year-old who scored 63 points in 75 games last year.

Although his undersized 5’ 9” 180 pound frame concerns some, his production should increase 10 to 15 points this year. Good chemistry could put Roy above the 80 point range, ahead of more notable centers like Patrice Bergeron, Daymond Langkow, Andy McDonald, and Rod Brind’Amour, which would make for a nice late round draft pick for your fantasy team, so keep him in mind when the time is right.

Related Cafe Articles

• Other articles by Ryan Moorman
• Michel Ouellet by Ryan Moorman (posted on 01/17/2006 in Sleepers)
• Jonathan Bernier by Arlo Vander (posted on 04/19/2006 in Sleepers)
• Marc-Andre Fleury by Hongfu Chen (posted on 01/06/2006 in Sleepers)

Ryan Moorman is one of a growing number of fantasy experts who write for the Cafe. You can catch up with Ryan in the Cafe's forums where he posts under the name of TheHammer24.