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27 Jan 2010 |
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| Welcome to this week's installment of the Observation Deck. I see upwards of 10 games a week via Center Ice or in person and this notebook will contain some scouting impressions combined with some numbers when necessary. Lets get to week 17:
The Leafs Jonas Gustavsson will see a heavier workload down the stretch. You're not going to be able to rely on Gustavsson for wins in fantasy but it's obvious that he's the goalie with the best
tools and should be the one they turn to in the coming seasons.All you can hope for in leagues this year is that he continues to get comfortable over the rest of the season. The Leafs are a team that will look very different by this time next season.
Also in the nets Nashville coach Barry Trotz has admitted that he wants to lean more heavily on one of his guys rather than alternating starts the rest of the way. Expect Pekka Rinne to be the choice to play most of the Predators games. The team is solidly in the playoffs at this moment and Rinne has been more consistent than backup Dan Ellis.He should continue to help you in the wins column over the season's last 30 games.
Finally in Atlanta everybody is keen on seeing what the return will be when star Ilya Kovalchuk is dealt at the trade deadline. If I'm a Thrashers fan and resigned to the fact that Kovalchuk is on his way out of town, I'd definitely be hoping that the franchise requires their trading partner to send a goalie back as part of any return. The club has no problem putting the puck in the net (they're 7th offensively entering Jan. 27 games) but have never had a reliable goaltender that would make them a threat to make the playoffs and have some success once they get there. None of Kari Lehtonen (chronically injured), Ondrej Pavelec, or Johan Hedberg can be trusted to get the next strong Atlanta club over that hump.
In Phoenix Petr Prucha just had a run where he had points in 4 of 5 games. His numbers are not flashy but he's one of the few Coyotes who's a proven goalscorer. He combines great speed and very good hands - attributes that should see him continue to get plenty of icetime as the team battles for a playoff spot.
I did get a couple of emails asking for a fantasy perspective on Flyers C Darroll Powe. His best tool is his skating and he possesses very good speed and quickness. He's also such a competitive player that he can slide onto any of the Flyers lines as needed and not look out of place. If you play in a league with liberal adds and drops he's someone you should be looking at when injury strikes, or when you want to replace a player that's not getting it done.
Washington is shuffling defensemen Kyle Alzner and John Carlson back and forth from their AHL affiliate in Hershey. Both guys are going to be very strong fantasy contributors. Carlson is a guy that I think has a chance to be a huge star. He's just 20, but has every attribute that you could want in a young defenseman with excellent puck skills, size, and solid positional play in his own end. He has enough top end talent to score 60-70 points one day at the NHL level. He's a must target for those in Keeper/Dynasty leagues.
Florida lost a key contributor when Nathan Horton broke his tibia this past week. The player who will be leaned on the most to pick up some of the offensive slack is Corey Stillman. Stillman turned 36 years of age in December but still has enough skill to produce at a 50 point level over a full season. As long as he stays healthy he's going to see more minutes, power play opportunities, and would be a solid fantasy pickup if you lost Horton or need a forward as a short term replacement. He's found himself playing alongside Stephen Weiss and Michael Frolik on the Panthers top line.
Several weeks ago I told you Robbie Schremp was looking like he was going to be a key contributor on Long Island. In his last 10 contests (entering Jan.27) he's potted at least one point in 6 of those games. From a scouting perspective he doesn't look like the same player that had trouble making the Islanders starting lineup. He's much harder to play against as he sets up around the net, seems more willing to bang bodies to get in position to get his shot, and is showing a willingness to take abuse in the high traffic areas to make a play.If you stuck with him to this point he should be in your lineups now to reap some of the benefits of that loyalty.
Ottawa's Peter Regin is available in just about any league and has been playing his best hockey of late. He's more playmaker than scorer, boasts excellent hands, and has upgraded his strength (the biggest concern among scouting circles with this player). He turns 24 in April and is the kind of player you should be watching over the season's last 30 games. He appears to be figuring out what it takes to be an NHL player, and has the upside to play on the second line for a long time for the Senators.
On Tuesday the Flames recalled F Mikael Backlund who had accumulated 22 points in 47 games this season at Abbotsford (AHL). With Nigel Dawes having gone on IR with a leg injury the team is looking for one of it's top prospects to fill that void. Backlund has been a slow starter at each level thus far in his career (Sweden, the Western Hockey League, and now the AHL), and shift to shift consistency remains the biggest concern. He does have very good playmaking skills, and could one day be a top liner on the Flames. He's only 21 years old at the moment so he's far from a finished product. Watch this short audition for now. He's only a watch list guy for now unless you're in a Keeper/Dynasty format.
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Tags: onas Gustavsson Barry Trotz Pekka Rinne Dan Ellis Ilya Kovalchuk Johan Hedberg Ondrej Pavelec Petr Prucha Darroll Powe Karl Alzner John Carlson Nathan Horton Corey Stillman Stephen Weiss Michael Frolik Robbie Schremp Peter Regin Mikael Backlund Nigel Dawes.
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