Back In Action

My apologies to the few people who might have been checking back on a regular basis through that downtime. I made a 650 mile move so as you can imagine it took a little while to get settled in. But here I am and here we are. The big news since I've been gone is obviously Brodeur's injury, which I'll touch on in my Tuesday update. Right now though let's just get into the thick of things with some players who have been on my radar in the past week.

Cam Barker - I think part of the reason Barker is only owned in 13% of Yahoo leagues is due to his injury earlier this season. Well he's 100% healthy now and has 5 points in 5 games. Barker is a former 4th overall pick who has shown flashes of big talent in the past, and plays for a very good Blackhawks team. You do the math.

Mikhail Grabovski - I don't know whose job it was to send Toronto the memo that they're not supposed to be good this season, but apparently it didn't get to Grabovski. I don't know anything about the guy but he has 6 goals in the past 4 games.

Craig Rivet - He's back from his injury and while he isn't getting the same amount of ice time yet, he's still a very good option at defense especially in leagues that count PIM.

Blake Wheeler - Only worth a look in keeper leagues, but he has been Wheelin' and Dealin' a bit this season. The former 5th overall pick netted a hat trick two games ago. Also take into consideration he's a RW, a very thin position.

Manny Fernandez - While I think Thomas has made it clear that he's the #1 goalie, Fernandez is a very capable backup who has played pretty well this season. In leagues deep enough to own backups he's absolutely worth a roster spot.

Tyler Kennedy - I'm going to be a complete hypocrite here because he's available in my extremely deep league and I still haven't picked him up. But only 4% owned in Yahoo leagues? Are you kidding me? In his last game he had 6 SOG and 2 goals.

Brent Johnson - Is probably one more good start away from taking the starting job from Theodore. If you're hurting at goalie there are a few interesting options available in just about every league right now, but Johnson is one of the most realistic and on a good team to boot.

Derick Brassard - He's at nearly a point per game pace so far this season. Simply put, he shouldn't be available in any leagues.

Olli Jokinen - Here's what I had to say about Olli a little while back: "Jokinen will be exploding for multipoint games soon enough and is worth almost any price you have to pay for him." Yeah I stand by that.

Mikkel Boedker - Had a 2 goal game Saturday night and is still getting some serious ice time. He's cooled down a bit as of late but as long as he's seeing time on the Jokinen line, you want to be as patient as need be.

Mark Parrish - Started his career in Dallas with a hat trick. I wouldn't be shocked if it was the last of his career. Still I like Parrish and picked him up in my deep league. It helped his case that he's a RW and Kyle Okposo hasn't instilled the utmost faith in me as my backup on the right side.

David Booth - Scored a natural hat trick against JS Giguere no less. In the modern sports climate the term "natural hat trick" could confuse some younger fans who may assume all other hat tricks were scored by Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds. But as for Booth, I've mentioned before that I like him, and I like him even more when he's scoring hat tricks, natural or enhanced.

Drew Doughty - Has been logging huge ice time and playing well all season. Now he's starting to get the points to make him worthwhile in fantasy leagues to boot. He's a must-own in keepers and worth keeping an eye on in other leagues as well.

Erik Ersberg - You know, scratch what I said about Brent Johnson earlier. While I've got no problems with LabbyBarbera, I think there's a pretty good chance that Ersberg stays the #1 guy for most of the season. The Kings are a better team than most realize, with a good young defense corp that will only get better when Jack Johnson returns. Ersberg is a capable goalie that looks a little like Harvey Pekar. In other words I strongly recommend owning him.