Monday, November 24, 2008

Experiencing technical difficulties

Unfortunately both my laptop and my ceiling decided to stop working on the same day. I currently have no working computer to do the blog from and am posting this from a friend's PC. I also have massive water damage and leaking in my bedroom. So needless to say, Blog On The Ice is going to be going through some delays this week. I'll hopefully have things running smoothly again as soon as possible.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Are you feeling sorrow over Morrow?

I was also considering "Does Brenden have you feeling Morrowsful?"then I found out "moroseful" isn't a word.

David Booth - In most leagues he would be one of my top choices to replace Morrow. Scored his 9th goal of the season last night and shows no signs of slowing down. You'll lose a lot in assists and powerplay points but you'll gain a little in SOG and you might end up doing better in +/- than you would have with Morrow, based on how the Stars have been playing. There might be better options in your particular league but Booth is available in over 80% of leagues so he's my fix-all recommendation.

Patrice Bergeron - If Bergeron is available in your league he's an even better option. He's been off to a somewhat slow start but the real test early in the season has been whether or not he can stay healthy. It's looking good for Patrice and as he gets more and more comfortable playing, nights like last night are going to become more commonplace (1 G, 1 A, +1, 3 SOG, 1 PPP).

Kevin Weekes - Had a good game against the Islanders, which my sound like faint praise except the Islanders have been playing much better lately. Like I said before, I think Weekes will be the starter in NJ if they don't trade for another goalie.

Brian Gionta - Has goals in three straight games. I'm not crazy about Gionta but if he's available in your league he's worth a pick up to see how long the hot streak lasts.

Eric Staal - Hat trick, +4, 8 SOG, 4PIM. I don't think you're going to be able to buy low on him anymore.

Joni Pitkanen - After notching 3 assists last night his stats for the season are suddenly looking pretty good. Pitkanen is inconsistent and bad in his own zone, but if the Canes offense continues to wake up he'll be good for a lot of assists.

Steven Stamkos - Points in back to back games, which is a big deal for Steven. Such a big deal that it's only happened one other time so far, and those four games combined make up ALL of his points this season. It's definitely too early to jump back on the Stamkoswagon, but keep your eye on him.

Manny Legace - I'm going to praise him and praise him until he's at least owned in 75% of leagues. Took a shut out bid into the 3rd period against the Ducks and came out with a very nice win in overtime, along with the first star of the game.

David Backes - Interesting points and PIM combo sort of player. Had a goal and an assist last night and has over 50 PIM this season. It looks like he's prone to game misconducts, which are always good in fantasy hockey.

Bobby Ryan - Had an assist but only 1 SOG in 15 minutes of ice time. Although a lot of people are ga-ga over Ryan, I'm still not sure if he's worth going after in shallow leagues. I'd like to see some powerplay points before picking him up.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Kool Moe Dano

Now, I know the Stars didn't win tonight, but 38 year old Mike Modano had a goal and an assist, giving him 13 points through 18 games this season. So I present you this question: is Modano the best forward in the history of the NHL to never break 100 points in a season? Either way you can't deny Mike is one cool customer. Stayed with the organization that drafted him his entire career? Cool. The all-time goals and points leader for US-born players? Fuck yeah America's super cool. Only career fight was against Rod Brind'Amour? You know that cat's out of sight! And let's not sugar coat things, the Stars have been lame ever since they moved to Dallas, but Modano has that old school North Stars street cred. If you own Modano you're probably in a fairly deep league, and good for you. He's worth it just for the leadership he brings to your squad. So here's to you Mikey M, keep showin these kids how it's done.

Scott Clemmensen - Well, I'm not sure exactly why, but it looks like he's taken the starting job from Weekes. He managed to (shockingly) beat the Panthers tonight. I have a feeling that eventually he'll lose the job back to Weekes (or the Devils will trade for another goalie), but in the meantime if you're looking for starts in NJ, Clemmensen's your man.

Slava Kozlov - Netted his 11th goal of the season, has goals in 3 straight games, and is still available in 50% of Yahoo leagues. Kozlov's numbers cover such a wide range over his career that I honestly never know what to expect from him, but he's playing too well to pass up so far.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard - If anyone is still holding onto him, I think it's time to let it go.

Pavol Demitra - I won't be mentioning him again anytime soon, but he's clicking with the Sedins and still available in a lot of leagues. Ride it while you can!

Kris Versteeg - 1 G, 2 A, +1, 2 PPP. He's quietly putting together a run at the Calder trophy this season. Definitely should not be available in any keepers, and it's almost time to pick him up in all other leagues too.

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers - Well it looks like Dwayne Roloson isn't the answer to the Oilers problems after all. We'll have to wait until next WEDNESDAY to find out if JDD or Garon gets the next start. Seriously what is wrong with the NHL's schedule? I honestly don't know what the right call is on this situation, but if Three's Company taught me anything, it's that nobody is getting lucky.

Andrew Cogliano - Goals in back to back games after slumping hard for a while. I'll admit I gave up on him, but picked him back up after he started heating up again. Hopefully he keeps it going... although the SIX DAY BREAK before his next game might kill his momentum a little bit!

Mark Giordano - Had an impressive 48 game rookie season last year and is off to a good start this season as well. Had 1 A, +1, 3 SOG, 2 PIM against the Avalanche. He's only worth looking at in very deep leagues and keepers, but in those sort of leagues I like him.

Erik Ersberg - I don't know why he's still available in so many leagues, but he is for some reason, so I have to keep mentioning his name. I would pick him up in my one league if I didn't already own 4 good goalies. Hell now that I mention it I'm going to go back to trying to trade one of them to make room for Double E.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Patience Is Key

By this point of the season, you know the score. You know which guys on your team should be there all season, and which ones are expandable. The problem is exercising the patience to stand by your man (or men) while he (or they) go through dry spells and avoid that ever so tempting free agency pick up that you know deep down in your gut won't pan out. If you happen to catch the box score update, or you happen to be watching the game, and that free agent notches an assist, or worse yet scores a goal, you must be strong! Do not give in to temptation! It's getting to the portion of the season when you have to be looking towards the big picture. Then later in the season, when the big picture comes crumbling down due to injuries, trades and goalie shake ups, then you can start getting trigger happy with the free agency moves again.

Nevertheless, it's always good to keep your ear to the ground.

Sam Gagner - Could he have finally found some linemates he's clicking with? Craig MacTavish sure hopes so. It's very early to say, but if you've stood by him this long you're probably in a keeper and your best bet is to stand pat.

Dany Sabourin - Even though the lack of a second "n" in his first name makes me believe he's secretly a girl, Sabourin could be getting a decent amount of starts depending on MAF's dreaded undisclosed injury. At the very least Dany is starting tomorrow. He's a decent goalie on a good team, and definitely worth picking up in deep leagues.

David Booth - Scored his 8th goal of the season Tuesday. It was his third on the powerplay and he's up to 58 SOG so far. Only 13 players so far have goals in the double digits to give you and idea of where that ranks Booth. Let's play Guess What Percentage Of Yahoo Leagues He's Owned In! 65%? Hell no!!! 50%? Not even close!! 35%? Hahahaha!! 20%? Hmmm gettting warmer! 13%? Ding ding ding ding ding!

Rene Bourque - Hasn't beat anyone up in front of their parents lately but he did score his 4th goal of the season. He's been in a slump but is shooting a lot and I still like him in deep leagues.

Nikolai Khabibulin - Khabi is inching closer to #1 goalie status. Huet owners be warned.

Mikkel Boedker - On the subject of guys to be patient with, Boedker's a good example. Had a powerplay assist Tuesday night and saw 20 minutes of ice time. The best is yet to come with Boedker this season.

Jonathan Toews - Isn't scoring many goals but at least he's fighting people! ...Except the league I own him in doesn't count PIM. Fuck you and your weird last name Jonathan! Nah I'm just joshin, Toews is awesome.

Manny Fernandez - Learned that Tim Thomas' job is harder than it looks, but still got the win. I like Boston's chances this season a lot if Fernandez can keep playing well and giving Thomas some nights off to stay fresh.

Marc Savard - Does this guy ever slow down?

Shane O'Brien - Racking up the PIM again. He hasn't been providing anything else while in Vancouver but in deep leagues, there are worse 4th defenseman out there. If the league counts PIM.

Pavol Demitra- He's been hot since he's been back. He's only available in about 50% of leagues, and he'll probably be hurt again within a month top, but if you can grab him he could be worth a ride for the time being.

Bobby Ryan - The second overall pick from 2005 has been called up in Anahiem and had 2 G, 1 A, +2, 5 SOG, 2 PIM in his second game. Not too shabby. I doubt he's available in any keepers but keep an eye on him in other leagues as well.

Tomas Fleischmann - No longer has that great Carrot Top head of hair, but he does have goals in three straight games. He's also a -3 in those games, which I blame squarely on the lack of luxurious locks.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Monday Market Movers

Before I get into my picks for the week, let me just apologize to all the Andy McDonald owners out there I jinxed by mentioning him the other day. And for all of those considering picking him up, you can scratch that idea. But some guys I WOULD consider going after, would be these four...

BUY


Eric Staal - You know it's funny, now that Eric's in his fifth season in the NHL I don't even think of him when I think of the Staal brothers. Eric's his own man, all the other Staals are just an afterthought. He's hit a real dry spell as of late though, and GMs that own him might be getting fidgety. I still like him to finish around 75 points, so see if you can't wrap up a flavor of the week or two in exchange for the original Staal.

Manny Legace - Yes I'm back to praising Manny! He looks healthy again and will always be one of the most undervalued goalies in the NHL. The fact he's coming off injury problems and has Mason behind him should only help you bargain for him.

Duncan Keith - With Cam Barker and Brian Campbell coming off monster games some owners might be second guessing Keith. This would be a grave mistake as Keith is as good of an all around defenseman as there is in the NHL. What he lacks in powerplay time he'll make up for in inhuman plus/minus.

Ilya Kovalchuk - Kovalchuk will probably still demand a high price tag but considering his good but unspectacular start of the season, this is probably as cheap as you'll be able to get him. The Thrashers are playing much better lately and Kovalchuk sounds like he's determined to make something of this team this season. Whether or not he'll be able to, I won't comment on that, but I do still like him as a player.

SELL

Tomas Plekanec - This may seem like the time to buy low on Plekanec. I say sell low on him while he still has name value. I'm not sold on the Plek, I think he's an inconsistent player on a team with an inconsistent offense that likes to spread their lines too thin. If I had to guess, 50 points would be my generous prediction for him this season.

Alex Auld - I like Auld, he's an underrated goalie and has been for some time. I thought he should have been starting in Vancouver back in the Cloutier days (insert noise Sideshow Bob makes when getting hit in the face with a rake). But I think the Senators have some serious problems this season and Auld's not guaranteed to keep the starting job. I'd be willing to bet his value is higher right now than it will be for the rest of the season. Take that as you will.

Loui Eriksson - Remember when I told you to sell Brunnstrum right after his hat trick? Hasn't done much since then, has he? Well here's another young Swede that just scored a couple goals. Not trying to make any generalizations here, I like In Flames and Soilwork as much as the next guy. But I would sell high on Eriksson while you can too.

Milan Hejduk - Seemingly is off to a much better season than last year. Right? Well, he was off to a better start... when he was shooting the puck. In his past 4 games he has 4 SOG (and 1 point). I don't think it's any coincidence that he had his worst season in five years last year, and also shot the puck the fewest times he had... in five years. Hejduk at his very best upside at this point in his career is a 70 point guy, and at his worst is in the low 50s. I kind of think the latter is going to be the case this season.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Two Day Wrap Up

Let's get right down to the nitty gritty.

Nicklas Backstrom - It looks like most GMs were patient with him, but man are the ones who got restless kicking themselves now. 8 points in 3 games? Ridiculous.

Brooks Laich - Starting to get a bit more playing time, starting to shoot a bit more, seeing powerplay time... in deep leagues it might be time to make a move on Laich.

Jose Theodore - Holy crap, he used Propecia to keep his hair looking like that?! Jose, I feel like I don't even know you anymore.

Lee Stempniak - 3 assists, +1, 5 SOG against the Blackhawks, averaging a point per game through 11 games so far this season. Don't forget that Lee scored 27 goals two seasons ago.

Andy McDonald - Scored two goals, one on the powerplay and one shorthanded in his last game. It's hard to believe that someone with EIGHTEEN points is only owned in 54% of Yahoo leagues. Yes he'll kill you on +/- just like he did last year, but as long as he's playing with Brad Boyes he plain and simple should not be available anywhere.

Johan Hedberg - Coming off 3 consecutive wins. I always liked the Moose and wanted to see him get another shot at starting. This season might be that chance. He's available pretty much everywhere so if you own Lehtonen, it'd probably be smart to pick Hedberg up.

Bryan Little - Riding a 5 game point scoring streak, averaging a point per game, is a PLUS SEVEN on the freakin Thrashers, shooting a good amount... and owned in 36% of leagues. I just don't get what's wrong with some GMs. This kid is legit and should be owned everywhere.

Derick Brassard - Is still awesome.

RJ Umberger - Gumby Umby is starting to get a bit more comfortable in Columbus. I wouldn't make a move on him yet but a few more good games and he's worth a pick up. He's got the talent to put together a 60+ point season.

Fedor Tyutin - Notching a lot of assists lately and playing on the powerplay. Worth a look if you're in a deep league and hurting at defense. Although at 25 he looks like the most miserable 45 year old stereotypical Russian dude ever. "In Soviet Russia, soul crushing depression ages you!"

Shea Weber - Norris trophy bound? You heard it here first.

Alexander Ovechkin - TWELVE SHOTS ON GOAL last night. I like how 18 points through 15 games is a slow start for AO.

Joey MacDonald - Joey Mac for Vezina? You heard it here... no.

Jordan Staal - Starting to score goals and score them in bunches. He's available in exactly half of Yahoo leagues, and even though I'm not ready to forget about his pathetic season last year, he'll most likely be closer to his rookie season form this time around.

Alex Goligoski - Very surprised to see he's only 47% owned. Realistically I find it hard to believe you have 4 defensemen more valuable than Goligoski on your team.

Mark Parrish - Just when I was considering dropping him he comes up with a powerplay goal. Coming from someone who has owned him before, this is what you can expect it to be like with Parrish, slow sailing with just enough bright spots to keep him bregrudgingly on your team in deep leagues.

Dustin Penner - Healthy scratched. If you still own him I'm sure you're in a very, very deep league so you might as well wait this out a little longer and see if the motivational tactic works or not.

Friday, November 14, 2008

The Price Is Wrong

Get it?? There's a TV show called The PRICE Is Right, and there's a goalie that plays for the Canadiens named Carey PRICE!! I am almost completely certain that I am the first person to EVER think of that play on words!! I better use it again at least 20 times this season to make sure EVERYONE KNOWS HOW CLEVER I AM!!!

Seriously, I wish Price had 6 goals scored on him every game so I never have to read one of those headlines again.

Derick Brassard - I've mentioned him before, but at 21% owned in Yahoo leagues I'll keep mentioning him until Blogspot decides to change the name of my Blog to DerickBrassardOnTheIce. Even in a bad losing effort for the Blue Jackets Brassard still manages a goal and an assist. This kid is just flat out good.

Patrik Berglund - Speaking of rookies playing well despite their team sucking, Berglund has a 5 game point streak with 4 goals, in 5 straight losses for the Blues. I just picked him up in my keeper and I think he's a good move in any keepers. Still a bit early to say for normal leagues though.

Lee Stempniak - 4 game point streak. If the Blues can figure out what's going on in net maybe they'll start winning some of these games!

Toni Lydman - For the thrifty fantasy hockey GM looking for a free agency pick up to help with his or her plus minus, I present Toni Lydman. Toni is a +7 so far on a good defensive Sabres team and is usually in the 20+ point range. He is also available in burgundy and periwinkle.

Travis Zajac - Keeps scoring points (11 through 15 games, 3 game streak right now) and also shooting a lot, and people keep not picking him up. And you know what? I can't blame you, he's about as boring a paint drying.

Cory Stillman - Remember when I told you to consider picking up Stillman? Forget I ever said that.

Marco Sturm - Not one of my favorite Bruins but it looks like he's for real this season. Check if he's available, because at this point he shouldn't be in any leagues.

Taylor Pyatt - Was probably just as surprised as I was that you get a +1 for scoring on a penalty shot. I feel like I've noticed that a bunch of times in the past but each time it feels like I've never heard of it before.

Milan Lucic - Remember when I told you to sell Lucic? Forget I ever said that.

Joey MacDonald / Erik Ersberg - Remember when I told you to go after Joey MacDonald and Erik Ersberg? Over and over again? Remember that. Remember that in your dreams.

Joe Pavelski - Shockingly only 26% owned. I've given some Sharks wingers crap on here in the past but I'm a big fan of their centers (well, if you pretend Marleau is still playing C and Marcel Goc isn't on the team). I tried to draft Pavelski in my keeper but didn't go after him high enough, and I'm kicking myself now. He keeps getting better and has a natural goal scorers touch. I also like that he's an American dude with a Polish sounding last name. There aren't enough "-skis" in hockey.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Has Your Goaltending Left You Weekes In The Knees?

These recent weeks have been a fantasy GMs nightmare when it comes to goaltending. Goaltending is an interesting position from both a general sports perspective and from a fantasy sports perspective. There's no other position in the four major US sports that is anything like it. I would argue that it's the most exclusive and important position in all of fantasy sports. And yet a lot of the time GMs will neglect drafting three strong goalies. Why? I guess offense is sexier than a guy dressed up like the Michelin Man, I don't know. Every fantasy hockey team I've had success with has been based around strong goaltending. But don't fret, if you didn't draft the best goaltending, it's not too late. Take a look at who's available on free agency, or make some trade offers and don't be afraid to give up whatever it takes for the goalie you need. Come the playoffs, you'll be glad you did.

Nikolai Khabibulin - He's available in about 40% of leagues right now, and you better believe that's not going to last much longer. Khabi is the prime candidate to get traded to a team like New Jersey. Even in his platoon currently he's worth owning in all leagues and is an absolute neccesity for all Huet owners.

Kevin Weekes/Scott Clemmensen - I'm amazed at how little I know about Clemmensen for how long he's been around. I'm fairly sure that Weekes is the only goalie of the two worth owning right now, despite the fact he's coming off back to back losses. Weekes is a better goalie than most people give him credit for, which isn't all that surprising when you look at his bad career record (99-161-33) along with his very good career SV% (.902) especially considering he's been playing since 1997. Still, all that said, a Devils trade for a goalie is a realistic possibility, so if Weekes has become one of your top 3 starting goalies, start looking at a backup plan for your backup plan.

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers - His ridiculous name and douchey Yahoo profile picture are no excuse for the fact he's only owned in 17% of leagues. This kid is playing out of his mind right now and even when Garon and Roloson are healthy neither one are a sure fired bet to take the job from him. This is another situation where a trade seems likely in the near future, but for the time being unless your have three very good #1 goalies, JDD should be on your team.

Erik Ersberg - I know I just mentioned him earlier this week, but 8% owned?! Seriously?? News flash people, the Kings don't suck anymore, and chances are Ersberg is the #1 goalie from here on out! To quote Gob Bluth, COME ON! (Speaking of which, some great news from Jeffrey Tambor regarding the Arrested Development movie)

Joey MacDonald - Okay, a lot of this update is me beating a dead horse. But I see too many people saying "I need someone to trade me a #1 goalie!" while decent starters sit on the FA list. I mean seriously, with the goaltending catastrophes that some fantasy teams are going through right now, if I told said GM that there was a goalie already available in 80% of leagues that has a 4-6-2 record with a 3.04 GAA and a .902 SV%, they'd probably be at least a little interested. Marty Turco would kill for those numbers. Nabokov's SV% wishes it was that good. But as soon as you tell the GM that the goalie with those stats is Joey MacDonald, they run in fear. Fantasy GMs, they are a fickle bunch.

Manny Legace/Chris Mason - I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. And when it comes to my constant pimping of Manny Legace so far this season, I was wrong. Of course I have Sarah Palin to blame for that, but I never let Palin stop me from managing good fantasy hockey teams before, and I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to let her stop me now. If you own Legace, now is the time to bite the bullet and carry Mason as an insurance plan. I'm not sure when Manny is going to be 100% again, but I think it's safe to say that it isn't the case right now.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Monday Market Movers

Well I know this isn't going up on Monday (despite what the heading might say) but I had it started then and I've had trouble coming up with anything past these 6 guys, so I figured it was time to get it up and keep things rolling.

BUY

Joey Macdonald - Macdonald and the Islanders both haven't played as poorly as the numbers suggest. The Isles actually look like the young hungry team they're supposed to be, shooting a ton and staying aggressive all game long. Now there's no doubt that Joey Mac is a mediocre goalie at best, but if you need a bonafied #1 goalie on the cheap because you drafted Gerber/Kolzig/Theodore/Garon/Labarbera, then Macdonald is a good option.

Danny Briere - Looks like Danny "Don't Call Me Daniel" Briere is injured yet again. I bet GMs that own him are getting pretty sick of it, and I also bet he continues to score at better than a point per game pace when he does play. Be a nice fellow and take this problem off your fellow GMs' hands.

Vincent Lecavalier - Vincent "I Don't Care If You Call Me Vinny But Now That We Have Prospal Back It Makes Things Kind Of Confusing" Lecavalier hasn't quite been putting up the numbers his owners were hoping for. While Lecavalier was a late bloomer as an elite player, I do think he bloomed and I don't expect him to end a season with less than a point per game anytime soon.

SELL

Corey Perry - His numbers this season are inflated because of a five point game last month. I do like how much he's shooting, but I don't see him finishing the season with more than 60 points. Meanwhile, there are probably plenty of guys who will finish with more than 70 that you could trade him for.

Devin Setoguchi - Coming off a great game and playing at a high level early this season. Why should you sell him? Because the second that he cools down and someone else starts to click next to Thornton, just watch as his stock plumets.

Mike Smith - While I may tell you to buy Lecavalier, it doesn't change the fact that the Lightning suck and Smith has never played an entire season as a starter before. He's a good goalie and he's been exceptional so far, but who knows how the rest of the season will play out. If you have two other capable goalies, you could probably get a very nice return from a team hurting at goalie.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

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.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Short Hiatus

I'm in the process of moving so I'm taking some time off from the blog. I'll probably resume regular updates around the middle of next week.