2009 NHL Off-Season: The Impact on Fantasy Hockey (So Far)

We’re 2 months into in the off-season and the transactions have been plentiful, so let’s take a look at how these moves are impacting the fantasy hockey world and see if we can make sense of what’s going on.

We’ll start all the way back in late June with the trade that brought Steve Reinprecht to Florida. On the surface, managers may overlook this move, but for those who play in a little bit deeper of a fantasy league should keep him in the back your mind. Center is the deepest position in fantasy hockey, but with budding talent around him, Reinprecht offers veteran experience which should fit right in with a growing team. When all is said and done, he could have 40+ points next season and could be a late round steal for managers who draft wingers ahead of the game.

While some managers in year-to-year leagues will overlook players with a little mileage under their belts, just remember that some of the more proficient scorers in the league are up there in age. If you can overlook his sick playoff beard, consider taking on Bill Guerin at some point. He’s in a good place in Pittsburgh; has a ton of talent around him and should produce just fine this year. The same goes for Keith Tkachuk. He’s back for another year in St. Louis and should be a veteran anchor for a team full of young, rising stars.

The Carolina Hurricanes have made a couple key signings that could impact your fantasy hockey team this fall. They have shored up Erik Cole for two more years, which is good news for fantasy managers. Those who acquired Cole last season came to the realization that he can’t quite seem to put up the numbers without his good buddy Eric Staal. So those hesitant to draft Cole again this season should feel comfortable knowing he’s in good hands. The ‘Canes also locked up Jussi Jokinen for 2 more years. Jokinen was brought in from Tampa Bay last season and had quite a successful run with Carolina, especially in their uncharacteristic playoff run. If you’re in a moderate to deep fantasy hockey league, don’t overlook Jokinen for some secondary scoring at wing.

If you’re a fantasy manager that always seems to get hosed when it comes to goaltending, there were a couple of shake ups this year that could lead to starts and/or trade bait. Anyone who has owned Peter Budaj knows the frustrations of goaltending in fantasy hockey. Well, there’s relief in sight. Craig Anderson has landed himself in Colorado and will certainly give Budaj a run for his money when it comes to the starting job. Now, is Anderson going to lead the ‘Lanche to the Cup this season? Probably not. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance he won’t pick up too many wins as Colorado’s offense isn’t as promising as it once was. However, if you’re able to land Anderson in the draft as a 3rd, or possibly 4th option behind some solid goaltending, sit on him and use him as trade bait for managers who catch injuries between the pipes. Plucking starting goaltenders off the waiver wire mid-season is never an easy thing to do. Those who had plans on drafting Ty Conklin at the end of last year with the hopes of him having another winning season in Detroit should toss those plans right out the window. Conks is out of old Hockeytown and has joined their 1998 arch-nemesis: the St. Louis Blues. He’ll act as a backup to Chris Mason to start the season. As long as Mason plays like he did at the end of last season, Conklin may see very few starts this upcoming season, so look elsewhere for that 3rd option in net. Similarly, Dwayne Roloson has lost a bit of his fantasy luster as a bona fide starter playing 2nd fiddle to Rick DiPietro this season in New York. The good news in this situation, however, is DP’s ability to catch the injury bug. Be certain have your hand on the trigger in case Rick goes down again this season. Lastly, don’t forget an Emery meltdown in imminent this season, so keep Brian Boucher in the back of your mind.

Keep an eye on where the Caps play Mike Knuble this season. If they take Alexander Semin off of the right wing and slide him back to his natural left wing position, he’ll drop to the 2nd line, sky rocketing Mike Knuble’s fantasy value. Being in to the company of AO and Backstrom will certainly have its benefits.

Some players to be skeptical of this season may surprise you. Marian Hossa is one. Hossa could be considered a bust last season and going from one saturated market to another certainly makes one wonder if he can reach that 90+ point plateau that we expect first round draft picks to reach. Now, it seems like Chicago is still looking to make some moves, so that could all change, but just keep in the back of your mind that if you have Hossa sitting in front of you as an option on draft day, you may want to look into Kovalchuk or Iginla instead. Along similar lines, Marian Gaborik’s supporting caste in New York is somewhat comical at this point. We’re looking at Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery as possible first line running mates for Gabby; certainly not what you want to hear from a fantasy perspective. If his ability to get injured doesn’t scare you away, that certainly may.

Saku Koivu rounds out a strong top six for the Anaheim Ducks. A solid 2nd/3rd center option for fantasy hockey teams.

Lastly, it would only be appropriate to try and make sense of what’s going on in Montreal next season. While we’re unsure of the chemistry Michael Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta will have on the ice, we can certainly speculate a bit. In 2005-2006, Gomez and Gionta were one helluva scoring tandem in New Jersey, so hopefully they can come together for a reunion tour in 2009-2010. Cams is a goal scorer, so if they can click, he could have a helluva year as well. Again, this is all speculation. It’s so hard to tell what a team’s chemistry will look like when that team has changed so dramatically over the past month. If anything, just remember this: Anderi Markov will be a solid source of points from the blue line again this year, and should be considered a top defender.

We’re just getting back into the swing of things when it comes to fantasy hockey. Keep checking The Hockey Writers as the season approaches for more season outlooks, and don’t forget to bookmark Saucerpass.com for all your fantasy hockey needs.

Posted by Schrembs on Jul 20 2009. Filed under Eastern Conference, Fantasy, Featured Articles, Western Conference. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.