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28 Oct 2009 |
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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.
Let's get to Week 4:
When the Sharks dealt away D Christian Ehrhoff (Vancouver) prior to the season they needed another blueliner to step up to fill more of an offensive role. Into that void stepped Jason Demers a 2008 draftee who spent all of last season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Worcester. Demers is not flashy but has shown the ability to make a good first pass and has been very responsible in his own end.
Coyotes G Ilya Bryzgalov has scuffled the last two outings against the Kings, and the Rangers but prior to those two had been doing an outstanding job bailing his young team out of trouble when they turned the puck over or missed an assignment in their own end. Bryzgalov is a big goalie who will have some difficulty when he flops too much but at least in the early going he's been a big part of why the Coyotes are competitive in just about every contest.
Also in Phoenix, 36-year-old D Adrian Aucoin continues to play at a very high level. He's running their power play and getting a lot of shots off in the early going. Health has been an issue with the veteran in past seasons, but if he's on your waiver wire or could be acquired reasonably it sure looks like the opportunity is going to be there all season long for him to carry important minutes on this young team. Even if the offensive pace slows down a little he's someone to keep in mind when you need an injury replacement because you know the playing time is going to be plentiful.
The Coyotes may be bringing C Kyle Turris back from the AHL sooner rather than later.The team decided at the end of training camp to demote the youngster and have him dominate at that level while playing a lot of minutes. So far that plan is working just fine as he has 10 points in his first 11 games in San Antonio this season as a 20-year old. As soon as you see him recalled by the big club pounce on him on the waiver wire. He's a future star.
Don't be surprised if Columbus sends 19-year-old winger Nikita Filatov to the AHL for some more development. This is a player with terrific offensive upside but right now he looks a little lost and isn't creating any chances.Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock preaches a defense first philosophy and a guy like Filatov must learn what he should be doing when he's not carrying the puck. If he is demoted keeper leaguers should not panic as he'll be just fine in time.
A lot of people wondered what we'd see from the Blackhawks' Patrick Kane this season after his high profile off-ice problems this past summer. The question has been answered and there isn't anything much to worry about. Kane is playing at a very high level and also looks to have added some upper body strength this year. He's a very good bet to improve on the 72 points he put up in 2008-09.
While it would be foolish to talk about Vezina Trophy candidates only a month or so into the season, nobody has performed as well in their conferences as Gs Ryan Miller (Sabres) in the East, and Craig Anderson (Avalanche) in the West. Miller has been a steadying influence (only 12 goals allowed in 7 games entering the Oct.28 contest) on a Buffalo squad that has dealt with offseason turnover, and an injury to star forward Thomas Vanek. Anderson was clearly the top man for Colorado even before Peter Budaj
contacted swine flu, and after a dozen games he's faced nearly 400 shots. He's always had enough ability in previous stops (Chicago, Florida) to be a reliable backup or a 1A-type, but his strong start has him as the clear cut top man in the Avs' crease.
If you have Carolina's Sergei Samsonov it might be time to trade him if you can find a taker or look at what else might be available on your waiver wire. It took him most of October to score his first goal of the season and he's barely noticeable most nights I've seen the Canes. He may struggle to hit double digits in goals this year.
One of the younger players that has caught my eye of late has been Buffalo blueliner Chris Butler. He just celebrated his 23rd birthday and is averaging better than 20 minutes a game in his first NHL season. Tyler Myers is going to get more of the publicity as the rookie defenseman on the Sabres, but the team likes Butler's poise and his sound positional game. He has 30-35 point upside though anything above 20 this year will prove to be a great start to his NHL career.
In a swap of forwards from the 2004 Draft, the Rangers landed Enver Lisin from the Coyotes this past July in exchange for Lauri Korpikoski. Lisin has been one of several bright spots for the Blueshirts in their first 13 contests. He has yet to go two games in a row without registering a point, and has proven capable of meeting coach John Tortorella's high standards night in and night out. He has a very high skill level but in the past contributed very little if the puck was not in his possession. He's playing well enough that he should no longer be on anybody's waiver wire.
The Thrashers added RW Maxim Afinogenov via free agency late in the preseason when it appeared he might bolt for the KHL (Russia). The thought process was that Afinogenov would thrive getting a chance to play alongside superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Well Kovalchuk just broke his foot and will be lost for five weeks and Afinogenov is overhandling the puck and making the same mistakes he did in Buffalo for several years.He's been a minus (plus/minus) in five of the eight contests he's played (entering Oct.28) and it's unlikely he'll respond with a sterling offensive performance with Kovalchuk missing from the lineup.
If you have start/sit questions,trade questions or anything else fantasy hockey related please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with "fantasy hockey question" in the email header. I'd love to hear from you.
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Tags: Christian Ehrhoff Jason Demers Ilya Bryzgalov Adrian Aucoin Kyle Turris Nikita Filatov Ken Hitchcock Patrick Kane Ryan Miller Craig Anderson Sergei Samsonov Chris Butler Tyler Myers Enver Lisin Lauri Korpikoski Maxim Afinogenov Ilya Kovalchuk
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