October 2008 NHL Team Of The Month

It has been a while, but I am back and here with the first Team of the Month for the 2008-09 NHL season. The first month of the season is in the books and it is time to name the best players at each position in the NHL for October.

• Left Wing: Alexander Semin - Alexander Ovechkin has been nearly invisible during the first month of the season, but the Caps have survived in large part thanks to the scoring of Alexander Semin. Semin has paced the Caps with eight goals and eight assists through nine games and has given Washington fans cause to wonder just who their top left winger is.
  
• Center: Brandon Dubinsky - The Rangers were the NHL's best team in October and Brandon Dubinsky was a big reason why. His 12 points are not leading the league, but his three game-winners do. If the Rangers can continue to get this kind of production from Dubinsky while getting their higher profile players going they could be real tough to catch in the East.
  
• Right Wing: Marian Hossa - The big prize of the free agent market has fit right in with his new club, as his six goals and nine assists would attest. After getting off to a bit of a slow start Hossa may just be the hottest player in the NHL right now. I can sense NHL GMs getting their offers ready for next July already.
  
• Defense: Filip Kuba - Not much was made of Kuba moving to Ottawa in a trade with Tampa Bay, but Kuba has been huge for the Sens as his 11 points (all assists) are tops among defenders in the NHL. Kuba will undoubtedly come back to earth at some point, but he is more than capable of continuing to shine on the point of the Senator's power play and helping them stay in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference.
  
• Defense: Shea Weber - Weber has had a great start for Nashville as his four goals and 11 points are both tied for the lead among defenders. Weber also has an excellent plus/minus rating of +5. The Predators could have a tough time staying afloat in the competitive Western Conference, but continued excellence from Weber will be a big boost for them.
  
• Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist - As previously stated, the Rangers were the toast of the NHL through the first month and one of the biggest keys to that has been Lundqvist. He has yet to record a shutout after leading the NHL in that category last season, but he is pacing the league in a much more important stat... wins. King Henrik has eight wins to go along with his 1.99 GAA and .928 save percentage. Lundqvist was my pick to win the Vezina this season and so far that pick is looking on target.
  

Anyone Feel A Draft?

Before things really kick into gear with the NHL season I thought I would take a moment to reflect on my two fantasy hockey drafts. I am in one of Sean's Going Five Hole head-to-head leagues as well as my own sponsored TOFTT roto league. Two very different leagues and two very different draft experiences as you will see. Picks are listed by round with overall selection place in parenthesis.

Team: Black n' Blue Line (GFH league)
Picks:

1. (3) Jarome Iginla
2. (22) Sergei Gonchar
3. (27) Chris Osgood
4. (46) Brenden Morrow
5. (51) Johan Franzen
6. (70) Miroslav Satan
7. (75) Cam Ward
8. (94) Ilya Bryzgalov
9. (99) Teemu Selanne
10. (118) Jordan Staal
11. (123) Duncan Keith
12. (142) Braydon Coburn
13. (147) Ryan Whitney
14. (166) Michael Ryder
15. (171) Joe Sakic
16. (190) Robert Lang

Notes:

• Taking Iginla at #3 was pretty much a no-brainer for me. No offense Geno.
• This draft was the night after Gonchar got hurt, which explains why I took him in the 2nd round.
• My plan was to take either MAF or Henrik Lundqvist in the 2nd round, but they were both gone. MAF was the 6th player off the board.
• Osgood, Franzen, Morrow, Satan, Staal, and Coburn should all be steady producers.
• Teemu at 99 should be a steal. Why won't he score at least 40 goals this season?
• I'm not looking forward to another season of Cam Ward, but I didn't have a lot of other options at that point.
• If Ryder can regain his form under Claude Julien he is a great value pick, as is Sakic at 171.
• I've already dropped Robert Lang to pick up Andy McDonald.

Team: TOFTT Again! (TOFTT league)
Picks:

1. (5) Dany Heatley
2. (18) Dion Phaneuf
3. (27) J.S. Giguere
4. (40) Carey Price
5. (49) Jason Pominville
6. (62) Derek Roy
7. (71) Mike Ribeiro
8. (84) Brent Burns
9. (93) Petr Sykora
10. (106) Pascal Leclaire
11. (115) Jordan Staal
12. (128) Daniel Carcillo
13. (137) Marek Zidlicky
14. (150) Tomas Plekanec
15. (159) Teemu Selanne
16. (172) Sean Avery
17. (181) Patrice Bergeron
18. (194) Alex Goligoski

Notes:

• Heatley could be a beast this year. I could end up regretting not taking him in my other draft.
• I could not be happier that "The Dion" fell to me at 18.
• I am set between the pipes with Giguere and Price. Leclaire isn't a bad third option to have either.
• If Buffalo makes the playoffs Roy and Pominville push me to an easy title here.
• I will own the PIM column with Avery and Carcillo. And they can both provide some offense too.
• Selanne at 159?!?! Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming.
• If Patrice Bergeron is back to 100% he could be a nice asset to trade down the road. Plekanec could fall into that category too.

So there are my teams. Initially I was pretty down on my GFH league team, but I am feeling more upbeat about it now. I could not be happier about my TOFTT team. I felt better at the end of that draft then I had at a draft in a long time. Probably since my fantasy football heyday. I would seriously be shocked if I don't win that league. Knock on wood...

The 08-09 NHL Prediction Experience

It is the first of October, and that means the start of the 2008-09 NHL regular season is just a few short days away. Like any respectable hockey blogger, I need to chime in with my predictions for the season to come, so without further ado...

• Pacific Division Champ: Dallas Stars - This is going to be a tight division as the Stars, Ducks, and Sharks are all built to win now. While I really like the Ducks' chances this season, I really like what is going on in Dallas and I think they will eek out a division title.
  
• Northwest Division Champ: Calgary Flames - This division is down right now. I think the Wild and Avalanche have regressed a bit, the Oilers are still a year or two away, and the Canucks just are not that good. That leaves Jarome Iginla and the Flames to come out on top. Iginla should get serious Hart consideration again this season.
  
• Central Division Champ: Detroit Red Wings - I hate picking them to win, but there is not another team in their division strong enough to challenge them this season. Maybe next year Blackhawks fans.
  
• Southeast Division Champ: Carolina Hurricanes - This was a tough one to call for me at first. After giving it some thought though I think Carolina comes out on top. I think the Capitals will regress a little bit under raised expectations and there just isn't enough defense/goaltending in Tampa for me to pick them. I think the Hurricanes will take advantage of being able to fly under the radar for a bit and claim the 3 seed in the East.
  
• Northeast Division Champ: Ottawa Senators - Everyone and their mother is picking the Canadiens to run wild over the rest of the Eastern Conference this season, but I just don't see it. For some reason I can not explain I think the Sens are going to make one more go of it before their Stanley Cup winning window officially closes for a couple years.
  
• Atlantic Division Champ: Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers are getting their franchise back on track and look to benefit from some addition via subtraction thanks to Derian Hatcher's injury status. I think this will be the most competitive division in hockey (again) this year, and I see the Flyers ending up on top. I think the Rangers will get off to a bit of a slow start as all of their new faces start to gel, and I think the Penguins will hit too many bumps in the road to win the division. Between the Europe trip and their injuries on defense I think the Pens will be hampered enough that they will have to settle for the fourth or fifth seed in the East.
  
• Hart Trophy Winner (MVP): Sidney Crosby - You will get some argument over this, but I think Sid proved last Spring that he is the best player in the game today. I think the defeat in the Finals will drive Crosby to take his game to another level, something that I am sure is a scary thought for the rest of the NHL. I think the Penguins as a team will have their struggles this season, but I do not expect many for their captain.
  
• Vezina Trophy Winner (Top Goalie): Henrik Lundqvist - I think this will be the year King Henrik breaks through and takes his first Vezina. I expect the Devils to drop off enough to deal a blow to Brodeur's chances. Then again, if Marty can get this year's Devils squad back to the post-season he may be deserving of some more hardware. Hopefully this is the year Marc-Andre Fleury gets his name into the Vezina discussion.
  
• Norris Trophy Winner (Top Defender): Dion Phaneuf - Much like Lundqvist with the Vezina, I think this will be the year Phaneuf breaks Nicklas Lidstrom's hold on the Norris trophy and starts a run of his own. Phaneuf is arguably the best all-around blue liner in the game and he should be a regular Norris finalist for the next ten seasons.
  
• Adams Trophy Winner (Top Coach): Dave Tippett - I already said I expect big things from the Stars and that should translate into some honors for their coach. Hopefully this award will go to a coach who gets continued excellence from his team all season long and not someone who squeaks into the playoffs with a team nobody expected a lot from.
  
• Art Ross Trophy Winner (Most Points): Sidney Crosby- As long as Sid stays healthy this one is a slam dunk. When the game's most gifted offensive player is also its hardest worker you have a recipe for scoring titles.
• Richard Trophy Winner (Most Goals): Dany Heatley - I went back and forth between Heatley and Iginla on this one, but finally settled on Heatley. I think Dany has the edge because he has better talent around him, like center Jason Spezza, and he will face more teams with bad defenses in the Eastern Conference (see Toronto and the entire Southeast Division as a reference). If Ilya Kovalchuk can stay interested for a full season in Atlanta he coule walk away with the Richard easily.
  
• Stanley Cup Finals: Dallas Stars v Pittsburgh Penguins - Only Detroit stood in the way of this dream matchup (as a Penguins fan withing driving distance of Dallas) last season, but I think I might just get my wish this time around. A lot can change between now and then (especially if someone like Marian Gaborik gets moved), but for now I'm taking this Finals matchup with the Pens skating the Cup on home ice with a six game series victory.

That's all for me from now. There's not much else to do except wait for the puck to drop in Prague and for Yahoo Fantasy to put Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney on IR (more on that later). So for the time being I guess I'll just sit back and wait for all the Caps, Habs, Sharks, and whoever else fans to tell me how stupid I am in the comments section. Game on!

A Look Inside Penguins Vs. Rangers

I have a million thoughts racing through my head regarding the series between the Penguins and the Rangers. I figured I might as well voice some of them since everyone and their mother seems to have an opinion on this series. So away we go!

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People keep referring to Marc-Andre Fleury as the big question mark in this series. Normally this would be where I would go on a rant about how dominant he has been since coming back from his ankle injury and how he has now made it just as deep into the playoffs as Henrik Lundqvist ever has, but instead I'll let the numbers do all the talking:

Marc-Andre Fleury's Post-Season Stats:
6-0, 1.51 GAA, .944 SV%, 2 SO

Any more questions?

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The NHL media is reacting to Pittsburgh's 2-0 Game 2 win like the Pens have never played defense before. I know the Penguin offense is what gets all the press, but the boys in black have been one of the top defensive teams in the NHL since we all unwrapped our 2008 calendars. The only reason I can think of for all this sudden amazement on the part of these so-called experts is that they picked the Rangers to win and have to act shocked that the Penguins are this good. Otherwise why wouldn't they have picked them to win the series? Honestly, the Penguins are just as good as the Rangers defensively, if not better, yet they don't get any credit because they actually score goals to go along with it. Die hard Penguin fans know that guys like Gill, Letang, Orpik, and Scuderi have been just as important to the Penguins in the playoffs as Sid and Geno. It doesn't hurt having the hottest goalie in the game between the pipes either (see above).

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No, the Penguins have not lost a game in the playoffs yet, but there is still a lot more work to be done in this series. As much as I would love to see the Pens sweep the Rags, and as good as they are playing right now, I would be perfectly happy with taking one of the next two and returning to the Igloo for Game 5 up 3-1 in the series. The Rangers are still a good team and the biggest competition to the Penguins in the East for my money. I don't expect Pittsburgh to take their foot off the gas, but I don't think the Rangers are ready to roll over yet either.

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So much was made heading into this series about the impact Sean Avery would have on the Penguins. Despite his Game 1 goal, Avery hasn't had much of an impact on the series thus far. At least not until the end of Game 2:


I have a few reactions to the scrum at the end of the game:

• Why has nobody mentioned the tomahawk slash Avery took at Hal Gill after the linesman stepped in? Watch closely at about the 1:15 mark of that video and then tell me why Avery should NOT be suspended. That is a flagrant and vicious stick swing and Avery should be out for somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 to 6 games at least. It was an indefensible act by a despicable player and he should be held accountable for it. I am literally in shock that I have not seen this mentioned anywhere.
• People are going to talk about how Avery was going after MAF and how he was setting the tone for Game 3, but who is to day MAF hasn't gotten to Avery instead. MAF is a smart kid. You know he knew Gill and Laraque were nearby when he decided to show Avery the business end of his stick and Avery fell for it. If not for the bravest (or stupidest) linesman ever they'd still be picking pieces of Avery out of the end boards.
• How great was it to see Scuderi and Talbot arrive on the scene and then turn to keep the oncoming wave of Rangers from coming to the aid of Avery? Part of me wondered if any of the Rangers were even going to bother going to help Avery. I would not have been shocked if they had just headed for the locker room and left Avery to clean up his own mess.

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You can tell that there is really something special going on between Penguins fans and this team. This group of guys is just so likable and easy to get behind that it is not too surprising. But there is something to be said for the fact the Penguins are in the midst of a sellout string better than the teams of the glory days of the early '90s ever enjoyed. I am right in line with this too. This Penguins squad is right there with the '92 Cup winning team as probably my two favorite teams ever. To put it simply, as many others already have...

I love this team!