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As NHL fantasy owners everywhere prepare themselves for an agonizing 2 nights without any action in their fantasy leagues, I plan on going into 2 day retirement mode and filling myself to the gills with turkey, stuffing, and possibly one or two rum and nog’s. Despite there not being any box scores for you to check in the morning for a day or two, there is the World Junior Hockey Championship kicking off on December 26th. Canada is looking for their sixth straight gold medal performance, and are so deep in talent that once again they cut a projected top pick in next year’s NHL Entry Draft, Tyler Seguin. Get an edge on your fantasy rivals for next year and evaluate who will come in and have a fantasy impact for you in the 2010/11′ rookie class.
If you can pull yourself away from watching TMZ for the latest Mike Fisher and Carrie Underwood news, it would be a great time to look ahead to 2010 and how the rest of your fantasy season will take shape. In the first of two columns, I’ll go over the Eastern Conference and tell you what to look for in the coming months of fantasy puck action on the East side.
Atlantic Division
New Jersey Devils
Once again, the Devils have proven that they are a force in the East, lead by my fantasy goalie of the decade, Martin Brodeur. While Brodeur is seemingly breaking a new record every night and continuing his fantasy dominance, the team in front of him is in first place as of December 22.
The usual cast of Parise, Elias, and Langenbrunner have been nothing short of awesome. Only one player (Ovechkin) has scored more goals in the 2009 calendar year than Zach Parise. It has been the surprise play though of defenseman Andy Greene, and forward Nicklas Bergfors that have fantasy owners in hot pursuit on their waiver wires. The Devils have given up fewer goals than any other team in the east, and are scoring at a much higher than normal Jacques Lemaire rate. The return of David Clarkson in another week or two should also draw much waiver attention, especially for those of you in need of grit and PIM’s. Defenseman Paul Martin will miss another month of action after undergoing surgery on his injured forearm this week.
My guy for the second half: Jamie Langenbrunner. Historically has played much better after new year’s, and with the RW position seemingly the toughest forward spot to fill in most fantasy hockey leagues this year, Lag’s is a great fit across the board.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The defending Cup champs have shown no signs of slowing down, and will once again be one of the top teams to beat come playoff time. Superstar’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, both top 3 picks in nearly every draft held this year, accompanied by goalie Marc Andre Fleury have been the driving force behind the Pens success. Crosby’s goal scoring touch has taken off this year, and despite 34 points in 30 games, Malkin’s start could be deemed as a touch slow. I am looking for Geno to pick it up in the second half and propel his way back up the NHL scoring list.
The Penguins cannot seem to get all of their defenseman healthy at one time. Sergei Gonchar has been as valuable as ever in fantasy circles, especially with his PP production. Once this team can get a healthy Alex Gologoski, Kris Letang, Jay McKee, and Gonchar all in the line up together, look for this offensive juggernaut to show that they will not be an easy team to score goals against in the second half while at the same time, having the ability to score in mass amount. One guy I would be wary of owning is LW Chris Kunitz, who let’s face it, has dropped off the fantasy map in the last 12 months, even while playing alongside Crosby.
My guy for the second half: Evgeni Malkin. I mentioned his his “slow start” where he has still averaged more than a point per game, but everyone knows he has more in him than what he has shown so far. His ability to take over a game by himself can only be matched by his teammate Sid, and some other guy named Ovechkin.
New York Rangers 
After posting an incredible 7-1 start to the season, the Rangers fell flat on their faces and went 7-18 in the next 25 games. They have managed to turn it around here in the last week winning 3 straight, but the offense that had them off to such a hot start to the season has all but vanished with the exception of star RW Marion Gaborik. Gabby is showing owners that when healthy, he’s top 5 in the world. Vaclav Prospal, and Ales Kotalik both got off to scorching starts but have gone M.I.A. over the past 6 weeks. Kotalik has the third worst plus/minus rating in the league right now with a -16 rating. Still own him? You shouldn’t.
Outside of Gaborik and his torrid scoring pace, the Rangers possess only one other fantasy stud on the roster right now and that’s net minder Henrik Lundqvist. The King, as he is known in NYC (at least until Lebron James arrives this fall with the Knicks) will play 75 games this year, and despite the repeated poor performances put on by the team in front of him, has not lost any value in fantasy ownership. He is still a top 10 fantasy goalie regardless of how the Rangers are playing.
My guy for the second half: Brandon Dubinsky. The Rangers tail spin started right around the time that Dubnsky went down to injury, and they started picking it back up last week when he returned to the line up. The blue shirt’s have a history of doing this, more notably when Sean Avery is in or out of the line up. If he can stay healthy, watch for Dubinsky alongside Gaborik, which isn’t bad for anyone. Don’t add him just yet unless you have a gaping hole at C, but have him on your watch list.
New York Islanders
For the first time in a looooong time, the New York Islanders are no longer the laughing stock of the NHL, and if not for the over-achieving efforts of the Phoenix Coyotes, the Isles could be viewed as the turn around team of the year despite sitting 4 games under the .500 mark as of Dec. 22.
Rookie John Tavares has fulfilled all expectations that were placed on him with being the number on overall pick in last summer’s entry draft. Tavares is clearly the Isles offensive leader and they are relying on a supporting cast of not exactly household names to help Tavares along. On of the biggest surprises in the NHL this year has been Matt Moulson and his 15 goals. No one had Moulson on their radar as even a late round pick in drafts this year, but he is now owned in nearly all leagues.
My guy for the second half: Rick Dipietro, and not for good reasoning. Ricky D and his MASSIVE contract will haunt the Isles for years to come, and after Xmas we should see him in his first game action of the year. Dwayne Roloson has been a great pick up as insurance for the Isles and will likely hold on to that starters job unless Dipietro comes in and plays way over his head. Unfortunately for the Isles, they have no choice but to put RD in the nets to try and get some of their money’s worth and see where it takes them. My gut feeling, with Ricky D in nets, the Isles will head due south in the standings. Do not pick him up, leave him on the wire where he belongs.
Philadelphia Flyers
Like the Rangers, the Flyers came out of the gate to an impressive 6-2 start and then hit a stone wall. A coaching change in Philly has not made any difference and as of Dec. 22, the Flyers sit dead last in the Atlantic, possibly marking the biggest surprise let down of the year so far.
As always, goaltending questions in Philly continue to be the major issue. Ray Emery started the season looking great, but quickly fell back down to earth and then went down with an absominal injury, leaving career back up Brian Boucher as the Flyers go-to guy. How the Flyers have struggled offensively with the potent line up that they possess is one of the biggest head shakers of the season so far. Jeff Carter is putting on his best Jonathan Cheechoo impression and has been involved in a lot of trade talk concerning pending UFA Ilya Kovalchuk coming north to Philly. Despite not scoring like they should be, the Flyers in my opinion need to address their always questionable goalie situation before even thinking about making a play on Kovalchuk.
My guy for the second half: The aforementioned Jeff Carter. If Carter does not pick up his play here in the next month or six weeks, he will be the obvious target for the Flyers to move on deadline day and will attract lots attention from around the league. Turmoil in the Philly dressing room has reportedly left Carter in the bad books of some of his Philly teammates, but only time will tell if he can snap out of it, or start packing his bags. A Carter for Tomas Kaberle swap has been rumored, but again, would surprise me greatly as lack of D is not Philly’s prime concern.
For all the latest news, follow along with the fantasypuckdude on Twitter.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
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Today’s THW Marketplace – in-depth fantasy analysis
Fantasy Implications Of Trade Deadline Day
It’s Crunch Time for the Pittsburgh Penguins
Devils Defeat First Place Bruins in OT
Twitter Updates for 2009-07-30
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