NHL: Reemergence of Two Way Forwards

It has been a long time since the era of the tough guy.  However, the two way game has never been more important than in the modern day NHL.  Offense and point production will always be huge, but advanced statistics have shown us the benefit of having stellar two way players.  All the elite rosters around the league have a few guys on the team who are willing to bring it defensively.  I have created a short list of all the greatest two way forwards from around the league.

Patrice Bergeron: The "second line" center for the Bruins tops my charts on this list.  Last season, he held the title for most face-off wins.  Most of these draws are on shifts where he is expected to shut down the oppositions top line.  Sure, Boston has a good defense core; However, Bergeron rarely gets the chance to play a purely offensive style.  Even while shutting down the opposition, he managed to put up 62 points last season.  He was also second in the league with a plus / minus rating of +38, only beat out by teammate David Krejci.

Marian Hossa: Hossa has found a home playing with some great talent in Chicago.  His style is based purely around puck possession.  He has phenomenal hands, which he uses to create turnovers and take away shooting lines from the opposition.  When he has the puck, he turns into a nightmare for defenders.  He puts the defender on his back and literally skates around looking for openings.  He draws a lot of penalties and allows his teammates to find open spaces.  This big Slovakian winger put up 30 goals, 30 assists and finished the regular season as a +28 skater.  His two way game is unmatched, and I believe he is crucial to the success of any team he plays on.

Pavel Datsyuk: Datsyuk is quite possibly the most dangerous player on this list simply because he has the smoothest set of hands in the league today.  His career is packed with highlight reel goals which most NHL players can only dream about.  He has been a cornerstone on the Red Wings for many years, and has had a lot of success with the team.  He has won the Selke and Lady Byng awards multiple times.  He also had his name engraved on Stanley's cup twice, in 2002 and 2008 with his fellow Red Wing teammates.  His offence has been tailing off the last couple years with age and lack of surrounding talent. He is still nearly a point per game guy, but I am anticipating that these numbers will further tail off this upcoming season.  I anticipate 50-60 points from the future Hall of Famer, and at least a couple highlight reel moves to add to his portfolio.

David Backes: Backes is the captain of the Blues, and has made quite the name for himself in his last few seasons.  I chose him for this list because he plays a very well rounded style.  However, what sets him apart is his "old school" hockey mentality.  He is an extremely competitive player who never quits, even when the whistle blows.  It is not uncommon for him to engage players during and after plays.  He is a hit machine, and drops the gloves fairly frequently.  When he is not engaged in the extracurricular, he is usually grinding down opponents and taking away space for opposing forwards.  He takes the bulk of the Blues' important draws, and is one of the best penalty killing centers around.  Offensively, he is no slouch either.  He put up 57 points, and finished the regular season as a +14 skater.  I expect him to maintain these stats and help the team make a more successful playoff push this season.

NHL Fantasy: Early Injuries

Penguins:  With the season starting in under a month, the Penguins are really just looking to keep injuries to a minimum.  Reports say that both Crosby and Malkin will be taking precautionary measures this pre-season to prevent any long term injuries.  From what I have heard, they have been training together at a very extreme pace for most of the summer.  Coming into pre-season, the team has decided to give them both a break to ensure that they are ready for the regular season.  As of right now, there's nothing to worry about with these guys.  I would not consider them any less valuable on a fantasy league team.  This however, does not apply to youngster Olli Maata.  He is coming off of shoulder surgery in late July and has just started to practice with light contact.  To edge on the side of caution, the team will likely have him sidelined to start the season.  If you have other options, try to avoid this guy in your draft.



Goalies:  J-Quick is coming off of wrist surgery, but is expected to be ready for the regular season.  If the recovery is prolonged, I may take a look into skipping him for Rask or another top goalie.  Honestly though, I would not worry too much unless something drastic delays his recovery.  If he misses any time, it will only be a few games.

                 Josh Harding of the Minesota Wild finds himself stuck on the injury boat to start the season.  He broke his foot apparently kicking a wall.  I have not read into this matter much, but it seems as if he will miss a good chunk of time to start the year.  In my books, he is pretty much done as far as fantasy goalies are concerned.  His value just plummeted, and don't expect him to return to top form any time this year.


            Ben Bishop is coming off of a seemingly minor surgery on his elbow/forearm.  Various reports have been released, and the general consensus is that he will likely not be completely recovered for the start of the season.  This is a guy I would keep an eye on.  If healthy, I would give him serious considerations for a top goalie.  He easily makes the top ten list for my fantasy goaltenders.


Daniel Alfredsson:  Alfie looks like he may be retiring earlier than we expected.  He strained his back just two days ago, and he has not released any information to the media quite yet.  Reports say that he was not attending many activities during this seasons training camp.  From what I can tell, he will likely be hanging up the skates soon.  I would avoid him this season and possibly go with a young gun if you really want a good Red Wing forward.  Thomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist might be good players to draft late if given the chance.  Tatar will likely be rounding out line 2, and Nyquist is basically just a wild card at this point.  Regardless, both have talent to put up 40+ points if given enough playing time.

NHL: Shootout

With playoff races being tighter than ever, every point is vital down the stretch.  Pulling out wins in overtime and the shootout can be the difference between golfing and Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  A lot of fans like the shootout purely based on entertainment value, but often overlook the impact those points have over an 82 game season.

For example, the New Jersey Devils managed to lose all thirteen shootouts they had last season.  The team finished in the tenth position within the East, and was 5 points back from a three way tie for the final position in the playoffs.  Hypothetically, if the Devils won just 5 of their thirteen shootouts, they would have tied both Columbus and Detroit at 93 points.  With those 5 wins, they would have reached 40 wins total which is just one win more than the Red Wings.  If this were the case, the Devils would have bumped the Red Wings into 9th and took over the final playoff spot.  Not only do these losses kill you chances of making the playoffs, but the psychological effects on the team can be demoralizing over an 82 game season.


Nashville too, fell victim to shootout woes last season.  They won just two of eleven shootouts, and fell short of the playoffs by three points.  Just like the Devils, just a few shootouts were the difference between a playoff berth and an early exit from the 2013-14 season.  Moving forward, I am sure many teams will focus much more heavily on this area of the game.  It has become a prominent aspect of the NHL, and will be for years.  The anticipation and excitement for fans is overwhelming, which makes it one of the most most exciting elements of today's game.  Individual players are allowed to showcase their talents' in a one-on-one situation which rarely occurs during a regular 60 minute game.

NHL and Advanced Statistics ( Corsi-Number)

The NHL has developed in many ways over the past ten or so seasons.  We have seen rule changes, lockout seasons, and even several unfortunate events which resulted in the loss of some great individuals.  However, one thing that has not changed is the importance of numbers and statistics.

We have come so far from the days where the only stat that counted was a teams' record.  In modern day hockey, we have seen an incredible revolution in hockey statistics.  The value and application of these stats have proven crucial to the game.  When it comes down to it, even hockey is a game of averages and percentages.  If utilized correctly, a team can theoretically maximize their chances of winning.  Of course these systems are far from perfect, but they have proven to be crucial in analyzing an individual's value.  For example; baseball is undoubtedly a game of numbers. Going late into the game, a manager will occasionally change out a pitcher for just one batter.  Sometimes you will hear people questioning the move, and wondering why he would make that change.  The answer is simple, that batter is statistically less likely to get a hit off certain pitchers.  I did some research to prove this point and I found that Ted Williams hit only 12% of his home runs off of left handed pitchers.  Babe Ruth hit only 30%, and Duke Snider hit a measly 8%.  When given those numbers, it seems stupid to NOT make that change.

The same exact thing happens in hockey, except slightly less focus is placed on match ups.  Do not get me wrong, match-ups are key.  However, most of these modern hockey statistics are used to identify hidden information which can help to understand why a team is performing a certain way. I guess it would make sense to use the most talked about modern statistic, the Corsi-Number.

Essentially, each individual player receives a score based on their even-strength play.  This score is very similar to a plus / minus rating, except the score itself is determined by how many shots are directed at the net while that player is on the ice.  This includes shots on net, missed shots, and blocked shots.  Any shot that is directed at one's own net is a minus, and any shots directed at the opponent is of course, a plus.  If you are still somewhat new to the stat, various websites will provide some great info for you.

What stats like this do is break down the game into a very organized set of numbers.  Each and every player earns these statistics, and it helps coaches as well as General Managers make important decisions.  On a very basic level, it is obvious that teams who get more shots win more games.  It is a very basic law of averages, but it can be over-looked.  What the Corsi number does is analyse the score of each individual on the team.  All a coach has to do is take that number, and locate which guys are struggling the most.  Most good coaches will make some slight adjustments to get the team average up.  All of a sudden, each line is maximizing shots for and drastically reducing shots against ( in theory ).

I was scanning through some of the Corsi stats online and it can be a real pain to find.  However, the hockeyanalysis.com website does have a variety of different versions of the classic Corsi-number.  From what I have seen, certain teams have a lot of individuals making the list compared to others.  For example, the LA Kings slaughtered the competition with regards to Corsi and other related statistics.  Over the past two seasons, the Kings have ten players who made the top 100 list for Corsi ratings.  This includes depth players like Jake Muzzin, Dwight King, and Roby Regehr.  I almost expected Kopitar, Doughty and other top tier players to make the cut, but seeing a lot of depth guys is quite surprising.  None of these individuals are known for shooting the puck.  In fact, many of them are role players who focus primarily on making the smart play and limiting time in the defensive zone.  Nonetheless, these stats are vitally important for the Kings coaching staff as they plan to maintain the same level of success moving forward.  


 

NHL Expansion Rumors

If any of you are NHL fans, you probably heard the various rumors swirling around regarding some potential expansions teams sprouting up.  Frankly, I am somewhat surprised by these ridiculous speculations.  How can commissioner Gary Bettman even consider adding teams to the league when so many are failing.  I think that many hockey fans would be shocked by the financial failures of many "successful teams."  I have no idea how this ever got so bad, but if I was Gary Bettman; I would start by addressing the financial disaster which is the Arizona Coyotes and other teams of that nature.  

If it was not for Rogers basically buying the entire league's broadcasting rights', teams like Arizona would be out of luck.  Rogers essentially controls everything now, and is obviously going to limit what CBC and TSN are able to do.  Essentially, the contract will put more focus on teams in the United States than ever before.  Games will be more readily available, and hopefully it can generate a larger fan base for teams playing in non-traditional hockey markets.  Don't get me wrong, the contract is enormous for the league.  However, it just seems like another piece to the puzzle for Gary Bettman.  Intentional or not, the guy works solely for himself and the United States.  He is completely close-minded to any ideas that would involve the relocation of an American team, regardless of how much money the league pays to keep it afloat.  

It is beyond me how Arizona has lasted this long as an NHL franchise.  They honestly have no fans!  Players do not want to play there because the city could not care less about the league, or even the sport.  I can guarantee you that over half of the state cannot name a single player on that team.  The entire well being of that franchise is botched, yet Bettman still insists that they cost the league 30 million a season.  Of course, that is no big deal as Bettman can simply use the revenue generated by the Maple Leafs to cover that loss.  

Now, there's even talk that the league will consider slapping down a new franchise literally right beside the Maple Leafs.  If Bettman opened his eyes, he would see that nearly 99% of all Ontario citizens do not want another team in Ontario.  We already support two teams, and Bettman should have a little bit of respect in this matter.  I am completely open for trying out a team in Seattle or possibly Quebec City.  However, I do not approve of expanding the league by four teams, as projected!  Why does Bettman not simply take Arizona and haul them up North to a real hockey market and see if the team can succeed.  I can guarantee you that the team will instantly improve financially in a Northern location, whether it be Canada or the U.S.

NHL: Canucks Push Back

For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Vancouver Canucks failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  I am a firm believer that this season will be an enormous building block for the team.  Long time Canuck, Trevor Linden rejoined the team recently, not as a player, but as President of Hockey Operations.  From the get go, Linden has made it clear that he wants to completely restructure the definition of Canuck hockey.  Changes came immediately, as the organization relieved both John Tortorella and Mike Gillis from their duties as Head Coach and GM respectively.

At first, many Canuck fans including myself were tentative in buying into these changes.  Benning is a relatively quiet guy, and most fans knew little about him.  I was personally shocked to find out that he had actually played with Linden many years back on the Canucks.  Benning was never a standout NHL player, but he seems to be handling his new role as GM quite well.  Since the start, he has worked with Linden to strengthen the Canucks roster.  He made two vital moves early on; signing Radim Vrabata and trading Ryan Kesler to the Anaheim Ducks.  For the first time in years, the Sedin twins will have a top line scorer to play with.  Getting rid of Kesler was another important move as his agent made it clear that they were pursuing a change.  With media attention already swirling around the team, avoiding further controversy with their players was an easy decision.

Given the previous season, the Canucks decided that it was important to get a legitimate number one goaltender who can act as a guide for young standout, Eddie Lack.  The signing of Ryan Miller should prove to solidify the goalie position.  There is no question about goaltending now, as both Miller and Lack are comfortable with the roles they have been assigned.  Keeping Lack appears to be part of Benning's plan to sustain that internal competition at every position.  Benning clearly intends on building a team internally through smart drafting and development of young players.

For the first time in several years, the Canucks came out of the draft looking great.  Out of every single team this year, the Canucks may have had the best draft based on their position.  First round pick, Jake Virtanen is a clear indication of where the team wants to go.  He is a powerful skater who goes through defenders.  He is dangerous from everywhere on the ice, and brings an edge that the Canucks roster has not seen in years.  Expect new Canucks coach; Willie Desjardins to buy into Benning's ideas. They will be pushing youth into the system in an effort to create internal competition.  The Canucks do not have the luxury of a deep pool of young stars, but they do have numerous players who are closing in on cracking the roster.

I am personally a little concerned with the youth talent.  All of our strong young guys are still in the midst of development, and Benning has made it clear that they will not be playing on the NHL team unless they are physically and mentally prepared.  Top prospects Bo Horvat, Hunter Shinkaruk, and Jake Virtanen are still very young and are a long shot this year.  Our only young guys who have a good shot at making the team are individuals who have had a shot before, but have not succeeded.  Jordan Scroeder was one of those guys that Canucks fans were expecting to put up big numbers for us.  However, he is already 23 and is still struggling to find that extra gear he needs to succeed at a top level.  I expect Scroeder, Brendan Gaunce and Frank Corrado to bounce around between the AHL and the NHL depending on injuries and other variables.


If you are a Canucks fun, do not expect these off-season pickups to completely turn the team around.  We should make a decent push at one of the later playoff positions, but it will be a struggle.  The Canucks have to jump four full spots in the west this season if they want any chance of making the post-season.  Teams like Dallas, Winnipeg, Phoenix and Minesota are looking to make a push for that final spot as well.  It is not impossible, but the Canucks are going to have to bounce back immediately and start strong early on this season.

Yahoo - NHL Fantasy Drafting

Yahoo Sports has become a serious player within the sports world.  They offer fantasy play for all the professional leagues in North America, and the NHL is no different.  They offer a very engaging and appealing live draft experience, in which users can control the regulations within their league.  The head-to-head style of play seems to be the most popular, and involves weekly match-ups between individuals.  The winner of this match-up is determined by several categories, which can include points, goals, assists, face-offs, hits, etc.  Nearly every player statistic can become a category within this pool type; Which can create a very interesting draft.  Most serious fantasy leagues include statistics such as face-offs, hits and blocked shots.  The inclusion of these statistics makes it much more difficult for users to select players come draft day.  All of a sudden, typically overlooked players will become highly sought after commodities.  Each pick becomes more strategic, and users need to take into account many elements when deciding who will fit best on their fantasy squad.

Research - Unfortunately for all of you lazy fantasy owners out there, you are going to have to do some work if you are going to play in the yahoo fantasy leagues.  The only way you can win is by building a balanced team that will make you competitive in all statistical categories.

Tip #1:  Draft players from good teams!  This will be crucial down the stretch, as bad teams often result in bad numbers for your players.  Avoid teams like Calgary, Buffalo and Winnipeg if at all possible.  These teams have some standout players, but they will not get you the points you need playing on that roster.  Winnipeg has some good picks, but smart fantasy owners will avoid these guys as they play in an extremely stacked Western division.  If you draft the high majority of your players from elite teams, you will almost guarantee yourself a spot atop the +/- category every week.  Do not take a hit in the fantasy ranks because you drafted your favorite player, or a guy from your hometown team.  Draft smart, win big.

Tip #2:  Be a scout!  Every smart manager knows the talent for the upcoming years well before most fans.  A smart fantasy owner will keep his or her eye on players who are looking to break out with a monster season.  This is obviously key when you are selecting late round picks.  Often you will see rookie fantasy owners take runs at heavily spotlighted young stars like Johnathan Drouin for example.  A lot of guys will be looking to pick up the kid, even though many know it is a huge gamble.  Myself, on the other hand; Look towards guys who have a year or two under their belt.  Players moving into their second or third year are usually the best bet for a strong "sleeper pick."
I hate to give away some of my top young guns, but I will throw a few names your way.  One pick that should be a guarantee for 50 points is Reilly Smith.  He put up 51 points last season at the age of 23, and will once again be playing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.  This guy is a steal in the late rounds.

Tip #3: Draft smart, review the surrounding talent of the player you are considering.  This all needs to be done in advance, so it is vital that you do some research.  Many fantasy owners draft based on the reputation of the team and the player himself, which can be good.  However, paying attention to surrounding talent and potential line-mates is huge.  You need to know what to expect from a player going into a season.  Will he be playing on the top line, second line, or third line?  Is there room for that player on the teams' power-play?  If you take the stats from last season, and then review any roster moves; You should be able to get an idea as to where that player sits.  If you want, tonnes of information can be found online for projected starting day line-ups.  Try to draft guys who will be surrounded with talent.  It will only make him that much more likely to pick up points, especially if he is putting up big minutes.  Keep an eye on the power-play unit for that team.  A large chunk of points comes from the power-play in modern day NHL.


Anyway, those are some quick tips on how to crush everyone in your Yahoo fantasy league.  If you want to see some awesome sleeper picks, simply check out my other post titled " My Fantasy Sleeper Picks - NHL."  Some of these guys may not be suited for your particular league, depending on the rules.  However, most picks are pretty well-rounded guys who will be overlooked by most fantasy owners.  Be smart, keep them on your radar.

When in your Yahoo fantasy league, check out " my team" at the top of the page and go down to "watch list."  This will prove useful come draft day.