A couple three years ago I was in the minority of those argued that it would be better to move Staal into a Top 6 role and sign a lower cost 3C in free agency (wanted Malhotra that year).

Today, it is accepted by most that Staal needs a Top 6 role and most of the comments on PensBurgh revolve around which marquee center (Crosby, Malkin, Staal) the Penguins should trade OR allow to walk away via free agency at the end of their contract. Neither of those options appeal to me. All three are still part of "the core" and should be re-signed, if possible.

Fortunately, all three ARE signed through next season. So the only issue is how to deploy them...

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The final week of the NHL season. NHL teams are clinching playoff spots and even specific slots. That means their deployment of personnel will vary more than other weeks of the season. Players who are more than the usual "banged up" may be given a game (or more) off. Additionally, few teams put players on IR at this time of year. All of these things complicate the final week of the season--and are good arguments in favor of a 24-week fantasy season.

For those of you in 25-week leagues, in an abbreviated format, I have some suggestions below. I stuck with ESPN leagues because ownership is lower there. If a player is available in ESPN he is very likely to be at least as available in Yahoo!

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
David Perron (90%), Ryane Clowe (86%), Steve Ott (77%)
Mike Cammalleri (61%), Ryan Malone (60%), Tyler Ennis (50%), Andy McDonald (44%), R.J. Umberger (30%)
Matt Cooke (26%), Todd Bertuzzi (15%), Viktor Stalberg (11%)
Marcus Foligno (8%), Chris Higgins (4%)

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Tonight is the moment of Truth. A lot of us are in matchups that are going down to the wire. Good luck to us! Hopefully, we will survive and be looking to load up for our league's championships. There is some talent on the wire, and this week we are back to scouring ESPN pools.

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Mike Cammalleri (55%), Jussi Jokinen (47%), Jamie McGinn (45%), Andy McDonald (44%), Chad LaRose (29%), R.J. Umberger (29%), Marcus Foligno (7%), Brian Rolston (4%), Raffi Torres (0.1%)

Tyler Ennis, LW

Since being moved to Centre, Ennis has responded in spades. The Sabres are hot. Ryan Miller is playing like a Vezina winner again, and everything in Buffalo is coming up aces. They have moved into 8th spot in the East, and will be playing the rest of their slate of games with desperation.

Availability: Owned in 41% of leagues.
Forecast: Over his last 8 games, Ennis has 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists), a whopping +11 rating, and 14 SOGs. Going back even further, he has 17 points in his last 16 games. If you need help in the scoring cats, consider adding Ennis for your stretch run.

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This week, we are fishing in the Yahoo! pool...

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Patrik Elias (80%), Matt Moulson (77%), Ray Whitney (72%), Max Pacioretty (67%), Gabriel Landeskog (60%), Chris Kunitz (58%), Andrew Ladd (58%), Curtis Glencross (37%), Tyler Ennis (35%), Clarke MacArthur (20%), Sergei Kostitsyn (16%), Ryan Malone (14%), Carl Hagelin (11%), Colin Greening (5%).

David Perron, LW

3 goals in his last 5 games, including 1 last night vs. Tampa Bay. Perron is getting top line minutes and seeing top PP duty for the team with the most points in the NHL.

Availability: Owned in 29% of leagues.
Forecast: Should be owned in virtually all standard leagues. Over his last 13 games, Perron has 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) a +7 rating, 8 PIMs, 2 PPPs, and 24 SOGs.

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This week, we are checking the wire in ESPN leagues. Let's see who might help bolster your lineup as you prepare for your playoff push.

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Curtis Glencross (78%), David Perron (77%), Pascal Dupuis (73%), Jussi Jokinen (34%), Vaclav Prospal (27%), Tuomo Ruutu (20%), Carl Hagelin (7%), Jamie McGinn (6%), Chris Higgins (3%), Brandon Prust (2%), Sven Baertschi (0.8%)

Ryan Malone, LW

Tampa's rugged but oft-injured winger is healthy again and piling up points. 10 in his last 12 games (3 goals, 7 assists) to be exact as well as 6 PPPs, 25 PIMs, and 28 SOGs. Gotta love when a player's PIMs are nearly equal to his SOGs.

Availability: Owned in 48% of leagues.
Forecast: Over the past 15 days, Malone ranks 5th among ALL LWs. When he's healthy, he can be that valuable.

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We are back in Yahoo! leagues this week. Scour the wire with me below...

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Taylor Hall (84%), Patrik Elias (79%), Matt Moulson (79%), Evander Kane (73%), Milan Michalek (71%), Ray Whitney (70%), Max Pacioretty (62%), Andrew Ladd (56%), Gabriel Landeskog (54%), Steve Ott (35%), Andy McDonald (26%), David Booth (22%), Ryan Malone (10%).

Tyler Ennis, LW

It took him only a few games to shake the rust after missing some time due to injury, and over his last 9 games, Ennis has 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) and a +7 rating.

Availability: Owned in 29% of leagues.
Forecast: Ennis is better in leagues that weight towards scoring as he doesn't provide much by way of peripherals. He and Drew Stafford look to be the primary beneficiaries of the trade that brought Cody Hodgson to Buffalo. Ville Leino was brutal and has been mercifully relegated to 3rd line duties, so the upgrade to the Sabres' 2nd line looks to be substantial.

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"The rumors of my death have been exaggerated." Well, mostly, sort of. Sorry for being out of pocket recently. I was praying at the porcelain altar, hallucinating more than Terence McKenna, and generally just "not right." Fixed now.

For this week's "Free Agents and Trade Targets" we are scouring the ESPN wire. Damn! It has definitely thinned out over the course of the season.

Many of our in-season recommendations have been scooped up: Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Max Pacioretty, Gabriel Landeskog, David Perron, Jordan Staal, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mike Fisher, Jason Pominville, Wayne Simmonds, T.J. Oshie, Steve Downie, Blake Wheeler, P.A. Parenteau, Carl Hagelin, Ian White, Kevin Bieksa, Alex Goligoski, Dennis Wideman, Brian Elliott, Kari Lehtonen, Tuukka Rask, and Evgeni Nabokov.

Other recs haven't fared as well: Chris Stewart, Patrik Berglund, Brandon Dubinsky, Mikko Koivu, Dave Bolland, Kyle Okposo, Justin Williams, Marc Staal, Stefan Elliott, Tyler Myers, James Reimer, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Michal Neuvirth.

Let's see who might be available to bolster your roster for a Cup run...

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If you are looking to make a trade, no deals are more impactful than those involving netminders. Unless you've got Lundqvist and Rinne on your team, take a good hard look at how you might improve between the pipes.

Two possible "Sell High" candidates include Jonathan Quick and Tim Thomas. Both are noted in Cam's Second Half Stinkers post. It might seem strange to consider, but the potential return could be just what you need going forward.

On the flip side, there are several goalies who have had down seasons, recently hit rough patches, or are otherwise potentially undervalued, that may nonetheless be primed for strong, championship winning finishes. Cam Ward and Antii Niemi are both tabbed by Cam as Second Half Stars, Ryan Miller and Jonas Hiller appear to be returning to their All-Star form, an always stout though underutilized Cory Schneider could get moved at the deadline, and Jimmy Howard just saw his value take a hit due to his recent injury. All may be had at a discount.

NOTE: This will be the final month for in-season rankings as next month we'll only have a few weeks left in the regular season schedule. We hope these rankings help you negotiate deals ahead of the trade deadline. Remember: If you're not in 1st place any deal that doesn't get done only helps the #1 team stay ahead of the pack.

Goaltender Rankings -->> Top 30

1. Henrik Lundqvist (1): Last month, I wrote, "The undisputed #1 heading into December, he also posted the #1 best numbers last month. It is no wonder they call him 'King.'" Ditto. Best numbers yet again this month. Barring a catastrophic collapse, the Vezina will finally belong to Lundqvist. If you own him, count your lucky stars.

2. Pekka Rinne (4): An 11-game win streak and a history of finishing strong vaults Rinne into the #2 spot. On the season, has a 2.41 GAA, .924 Save%, and 31 wins (just 1 behind Howard for the NHL lead). He's a workhorse on a defensively-minded playoff team. Hope you acquired him earlier this season during the short stretch in which he struggled because his price is likely prohibitively high at this point.

3. Jonathan Quick (2): Quick maintained his sparkling .934 Save% and actually lowered his GAA from 1.93 to 1.91 last month, however, he's only won 5 of his last 11 starts. Expect Lombardi to be a buyer at the deadline (Jeff Carter?) in order to bolster the team's offence. One word of caution: Quick has a history of fading down the stretch as his numbers have deteriorated after the break in each of the prior three seasons.

4. Tim Thomas (3): Sell Tim Thomas? Are you mad? Perhaps, but here's the facts: Historically, TT is better before the All-Star break (and in the playoffs) than he is after the break. Not sure why, but the trend is clear and his recent struggles again this season are consistent with that trend. Since 12.31.11, Thomas is 7-6-0, with a 2.77 GAA, and .906 Save%. However, coming off a Stanley Cup victory and two Vezinas in three years, there is no doubt that you could land a handsome return if you decide to move him.

5. Marc-Andre Fleury (8): Fleury dropped last month due to the fact that his team "leads" the league in man games lost to injury. Last month, Crosby, Letang, and Staal were all on IR. This month, Letang and Staal are both back and there is an increased chance that Crosby will return (in a few weeks?). Additionally, Fleury's D-corps is healthy, and the best month of his career is March.

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Kovalchuk Rockets into Top 3; Hartnell into Top 10; and Pacioretty Sizzles

Over the past month, no LW has been hotter than James Neal. He's now surpassed Daniel Sedin as the #1 LW based on YTD numbers, and his trajectory is up whereas Sedin is sort of flat to declining a bit. No knock on Daniel Sedin, but Neal has earned this after sitting in the 2-hole for several months.

This will be the final month for in-season rankings as next month we'll only have a few weeks left in the regular season schedule. We hope these rankings help you negotiate deals ahead of the trade deadline. Remember: If you're not in 1st place any deal that doesn't get done only helps the #1 team stay ahead of the pack.

Left Wing Rankings -->> Top 30

1. James Neal, LW/RW (2)

2. Daniel Sedin, LW (1)

3. Ilya Kovalchuk, LW (9)

4. Patrick Sharp, LW/C (3)

5. Alex Ovechkin, LW (4)

Continue reading this post »

We're back in Yahoo!Land for this week's edition of Free Agents and Trade Targets. Yahoo! always conjures visions of Gulliver's Travels (or Burning Man) for me, and it definitely feels like an adventure to be prospecting for players in that strange, strange land. The most exciting aspect of journeying to Yahoo!Land is that there are inevitably bounteous nuggets of pure gold just laying about for the taking...

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
James Neal (94%), Patrik Elias (80%), Evander Kane (66%), Ray Whitney (66%), Max Pacioretty (58%), Alex Tanguay (46%) Clarke MacArthur (24%), Ryan Malone (9%).

Gabriel Landeskog, LW

Landeskog may already be the Avs MVP. The rookie is clutch and he puts forth a superb effort each and every night. I know you guys don't care much about effort, but he also puts up pretty prolific #s. On the Avs, Landeskog is 3rd in goals (13), 1st in plus-minus (+15), 8th in PIMs (30), 3rd in ATOI among Fs (18:15 -- and rising), 1st in GP (1 of 4 who have played ALL 56 games), and 1st in SOGs (172). For those of you in advanced formats, Landeskog is also 1st in Hits (169), 1st among Fs in Blocks (37), 2nd in Takeaways (46), and 1st in GWGs (3). Wow. Calder, anyone?

Availability: Owned in 37% of leagues.
Forecast: He's improving and being rewarded for it. Landeskog's ice time has crested above the 20 minute mark in 4 of his last 6 games. Over his last 9 games, he's put up 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists), a +4 rating, 3 PPPs, and a Brobdingnagian 29 SOGs.

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Letang Returns; Doughty, Pietrangelo, and Streit Heat Up

The big movers this month, at least in the top portion of the rankings, are: Kris Letang (returning from injury), and Mark Streit and Alex Pietrangelo (who turned in their strongest months to date). Jake Gardiner, who has appeared on/off the rankings this season, is back on again--and makes the biggest jump among the unranked to grab a spot at #48.

This will be the final month for in-season rankings as next month we'll only have a few weeks left in the regular season schedule. We hope these rankings help you negotiate deals ahead of the trade deadline. Remember: If you're not in 1st place any deal that doesn't get done only helps the #1 team stay ahead of the pack.

Defenceman Rankings -->> Top 60

1.Zdeno Chara (1)

2. Erik Karlsson (2)

3. Shea Weber (3)

4. Alexander Edler (5)

5. Nicklas Lidstrom (6)

Continue reading this post »

Preparing for Week 17, after the extended matchup for the All-Star break, we will again focus on ESPN leagues. For some reason, most of this week's recommendations (7 of 10) are affiliated with Canadian teams.

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Steve Ott (82%), Rene Bourque (48%), David Booth (18%).

Clarke MacArthur, LW

Recently reunited with his usual linemates, Grabovski and Kulemin, and seeing time on the #2 PP unit, MacArthur has turned up the volume. In his last 4 games he has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) a +5 rating, and 9 SOGs.

Availability: Owned in 16% of leagues.
Forecast: Watch his assignments. So long as he stays in the Top 6, he will produce. A 50-point pace from here on out would not be a shock, and he provides a bit of upside from there.

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A Stanley Cup, 2 Vezinas, and loved by taxi drivers everywhere.
Today, however, TT's brilliantly bold statement to the White House makes me like the guy even more.
Reprinted below for those who don't want to leave the page...

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For week 16, we return our focus to ESPN leagues. Let's take a look at who might bolster your lineup this week...

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Tuomo Ruutu (51%), Jussi Jokinen (36%), Viktor Stalberg (33%), Todd Bertuzzi (23%), Ryan Malone (23%).

David Booth, LW

After missing 18 games with a knee injury, Booth returned to the Canucks lineup last Sunday. He's playing primarily with Ryan Kesler, and has 3 points in the 3 games since his return (2 goals, 1 assist). On the PP, the only Canuck forwards receiving more ATOI are Kesler and the Sedins.

Availability: Owned in 16% of leagues.
Forecast: Booth is being treated as a bust or near-bust by most owners, however, even dealing with a significant injury and transition issues, he's scored 15 points in 22 games in Vancouver. Not bad. And odds are that his rate of production will increase going forward (injuries and transition being in the rear view), in which case Booth may score at a 60-point pace from here on out.

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For week 15, we are back in Yahoo! Land. And what a great place it is to be! Kinda like traveling in South America: Target-rich and low-cost! Let's take a look at who might bolster your lineup this week...

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Taylor Hall (83%), Patrik Elias (75%), Matt Moulson (73%), Milan Michalek (72%), Curtis Glencross (41%), David Perron (16%).

Gabriel Landeskog, LW

Landeskog has seen his TOI creep up over the past few weeks, and his production has as well. In his last 13 games, he is scoring at a 50-point (4 goals, 4 assists), 200 SOG pace, with a stout +6 rating, and nearly a PIM per game.

Availability: Owned in 30% of leagues.
Forecast: Depending on the size of of your league, 50 points may or may not seem significant, but he's a multi-cat contributor who is improving as the season progresses.

Continue reading this post »

Right Wing Rankings -->> Top 30

1. Corey Perry, RW (2)

2. Claude Giroux, RW/C (1)

3. David Backes, RW/C (8)

4. Phil Kessel, RW (4)

5. Marian Hossa, RW (12)

Continue reading this post »

1. Henrik Lundqvist (1): The undisputed #1 heading into December, he also posted the #1 best numbers last month. It is no wonder they call him "King."

2. Jonathan Quick (5): Quick leads the NHL with 6 shutouts, has a 1.93 GAA and .934 Save%, good for 4th and 5th best in the league, and his winning % should only improve.

3. Tim Thomas (2): The Bruins are annihilating the league right now and Thomas is still the clear #1. He may be rested more down the stretch though, so keep that in mind.

4. Pekka Rinne (4): Rinne has won 5 of his last 6 starts and has put his mid-season blues in his rear view.

5. Jimmy Howard (7): Howard is #1 in the league in Wins with 24 and sparkling peripherals to boot: 2.05 GAA and .924 Save%. Yes, please.

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Karlsson and Del Zotto Zooming Up

Young rearguards Erik Karlsson, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Michael Del Zotto are three of the biggest + movers this month. And injuries to established stars like Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Letang, Chris Pronger, Christian Ehrhoff, and Mike Green, have opened opportunities for other players as well.

Defenceman Rankings -->> Top 60

1.Zdeno Chara (1)

2. Erik Karlsson (4)

3. Shea Weber (2)

4. Dion Phaneuf (7)

5. Alexander Edler (3)

Continue reading this post »

Damn! It's getting ugly out there...

James Neal, Jordan Staal, Jordan Eberle and Derek Roy are the lastest to be out "weeks, not days." (Condolences to fans of the flightless birds). Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Duchene, and Christian Ehrhoff also went out recently joining other fantasy stars Dustin Byfuglien, Jeff Skinner, John-Michael Liles, Mike Green, Chris Pronger, Mark Giordano, Kris Letang, and, of course, Sidney Crosby.

As a GM you have to do whatever you can to improve your team while your proven commodities are on the mend. Let's see who's available this week on the wire.

Left Wings

Variously owned LWs worth adding (depending on the size of your league) or worth targeting via trade:
Curtis Glencross (89%), Brenden Morrow (83%), David Perron (64%), Ryan Malone (2%)

Brandon Dubinsky, LW

Over the last 10 games, Dubinsky has spent about half his TOI with Callahan and Richards. In his last 8 games he has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists), a +6 rating, and a prolific 26 SOGs.

Availability: Owned in 81% of leagues.
Forecast: He appears to have regained his form from last season, and the Rangers are one of the best--and hottest--teams in the NHL.

Continue reading this post »

As we near the halfway mark of the NHL season, some centres who were highly ranked have disappointed so far (Getzlaf, Briere) while others have been held back by injuries (Crosby, Carter). Moving up this month: The Bruins (Bergeron, Krejci), Pavel Datsyuk, and Logan Couture.

Centre Rankings -->> Top 30

1. Steven Stamkos, C (1)

2. Henrik Sedin, C (3)

3. Evgeni Malkin, C (4)

4. Jonathan Toews, C (5)

5. Nicklas Backstrom, C (6)

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We're almost at the halfway point in the NHL season, and some pre-draft darlings just aren't cutting it. I'm looking at you Bobby Ryan, JvR, and, to a lesser extent, Rick Nash. Jeff Skinner gets bumped down because of the dreaded "C" word.

Moving up: "Fat" Ovi. You're welcome, owners of #8. Nothing like calling out someone as a fat ass to get 'em back in gear. Scott Hartnell. Dude just keeps producing. I had him much higher than consensus pre-draft, but he's bested even that. Brenden Morrow. When healthy, he's a Top 15 option.

Left Wing Rankings -->> Top 30

1. Daniel Sedin, LW (1)

2. James Neal, LW/RW (2)

3. Patrick Sharp, LW/C (3)

4. Alex Ovechkin, LW (6)

5. Ryan Kesler, LW/C (7)

Continue reading this post »

Welcome to 2012, Puckheads!

To celebrate the new year, we are changing things up a bit and sharing the love with the Yahoo! faithful. This week, instead of perusing the ESPN wire, I will be culling through options on Y!

Right Wings

Commonly owned RWs worth adding or worth targeting via trade: Patrick Kane (100%), David Backes (92%), Dustin Brown (84%), Jordan Eberle (79%), Ryan Callahan (75%), Justin Williams (53%), T.J. Oshie (43%), P.A. Parenteau (36%), Blake Wheeler (27%).

Steve Downie, RW

Back on the #1 line with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. Is there a better situation in the entire NHL? With his new assignment, Downie has really picked it up the last 3 games with 2 goals, 5 assists, 4 PIMs, a +5 rating, and 8 SOGs. And, perhaps even more noteworthy, Stamkos is absolutely tearing it up. A happier more prolific superstar indicates that Downie will be riding shotgun for the forseeable future.

Availability: Owned in 33% of leagues.
Forecast: Always one of the top PIM monsters in the league, he can also contribute on the scoresheet--esp. when drawing his current assignment. Should be owned in virtually all leagues.

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Merry Christmas and Hockey New Year!

There are some good players available on the wire as well as some players who may be had at considerable discounts. Take advantage if you are offered an "after Christmas discount" on the likes of Sidney Crosby or Brenden Morrow. They are injury risks, but are currently carrying favorable risk-reward ratios.

Centres

Commonly owned Cs worth adding or worth targeting via trade: Sidney Crosby (100%), Jordan Staal (96%), Travis Zajac (64%).

Kyle Turris, C

Wow. I really thought the Sens overpaid for this heretofore underachiever, but they need a 2C and so put the turkey on the table for Turris. In his first three games, he has 3 points and a +3 rating playing primarily with Foligno and Condra. I'm not a huge believer, but it is rare that a player with his talent level walks into a brand new Top 6 role and is so universally available.

Availability: Owned in 1% of leagues.
Forecast: That is not a typo. If you want him, you are very likely to be able to get him. Don't expect the point-per-game pace to continue, but he's landed in a very favorable situation and 50-60 point pace is possible.

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Is it really Week 10? This hockey season is zooming by!

With 1/3 of the season in the books, this is a good time to evaluate your team.

Do you have what it takes to win it all?
Second place is USELESS.
Don't be timid. All too often, I see GMs who are afraid to make moves.
They get comfortable locked in with a 3rd or 4th place team. It is almost like their very identity is tied to their hockey team's performance. I love passion for our game, but really, that's just too much. "All or Nothing" is my motto, and it applies here. Fortune favors the bold.

With that in mind, I've included one 100% owned player per position as a trade target. Typically, they have hit a bit of turbulence, and that may provide the opening you need to wrangle that player onto your roster.

Regarding the free agents, look for upside. All or Nothing, man. All or Nothing!

Left Wings

Commonly owned LWs worth adding or worth targeting via trade: Jamie Benn (100%), Valtteri Filpulla (95%), Taylor Hall (94%), James van Riemsdyk (94%), Dustin Penner (30%), Tuomo Ruutu (29%).

Brenden Morrow, LW

Morrow was off to a relatively slow start (9 points in 20 games), and then missed 6 games due to an issue with his back. Dallas management said he would not return until he was "100%," and in his first game back on Thursday night he did not disappoint. The Captain contributed across the board with 2 points (a PP goal and an assist), 2 SOGs and 2 PIMs.

Availability: Owned in 56% of leagues.
Forecast: Should be owned in virtually all leagues. Morrow has a proven track record of delivering scoring punch + PIMs. Last year, he produced 33 goals and 76 PIMs. While he is not likely to reach that goal total again this season, his should pick up his scoring pace now that he's healthy and he's already amassed 41 PIMs in just 21 games.

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Chara Reclaims Top Spot!

Some key injuries to premier defencemen (Letang, Giordano, Green, Pronger, etc) have contributed significantly to the reordering this month's blueline rankings, and Chara reclaims his familiar position.

1.Zdeno Chara (3)

2. Shea Weber (5)

3. Alexander Edler (2)

4. Erik Karlsson (7)

5. Nicklas Lidstrom (6)

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The Montreal Canadiens have acquired Tomas Kaberle from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Jaroslav Spacek.

Kaberle was signed as a free agent this summer to a three-year contract worth $12.75 million (cap hit: $4.25 million per year). Carolina GM Jim Rutherford regretted that move, especially as the Canes are a budget team. Spacek's salary is not a whole lot less ($3,833,333), but at least he's a free agent at the end of this season.

The Hurricanes get: 1) Cap relief plus the ability to undo what they believe was a mistake in giving Kaberle such a lucrative contract, and 2) a physical, two-way defenceman who provides cap/contract flexibility this summer.

The Canadiens get: 1) A proven PP QB, albeit one who has struggled since leaving Toronto, and 2) a somewhat expensive contract.

My take on how this will impact specific players below...

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Claude Giroux is new #1!

The Top 6 remains the same, although they were shuffled with the Flyers' Claude Giroux taking over the #1 spot from last year's MVP, Corey Perry. Three new wingers move into the Top 30. Check 'em out.

Right Wing Rankings -->> Top 30

1. Claude Giroux, RW/C (3)

2. Corey Perry, RW (1)

3. Patrick Kane, RW/C (2)

4. Phil Kessel, RW (4)

5. Joe Pavelski, RW/C (5)

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Pens and Flyers stay together. Hooray!

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What are your thoughts on the proposed NHL realigment?

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Welcome back, David Perron!

Hope you picked him up a few weeks ago when he was first rec'd here as a sneaky stash. He missed 97 games (concussion) -->> more even than the much ballyhooed Sidney Crosby. Then he scored a goal on his 2nd shift back. Awesome. Just awesome.

This week, all waiver wire recommendations come in 2s: At RW, we've got two truculent PIM monsters, at LW we've got two scorers returning from scary injuries, at C we've got two young players in search of consistency, at D we've got two rookies, and at G we've got two Russians...

Right Wings

Commonly owned RWs worth adding: Chris Stewart, Blues (71%), Erik Cole, Canadiens (65%), Michael Ryder, Stars (55%), Cal Clutterbuck, Wild (23%).

Steve Downie, RW

Downie missed three games due to an upper body injury before returning last night. He lined up with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, and received 2nd unit PP time. Niiiice. Oh, and he scored a goal, too. But that's not why you should consider adding him. Downie is someone you add primarily for PIMs. Over the past 3 seasons, he's averaged a whopping 2.72 PIMs/game -- that's 200+ over a full season. The fact that he plays with elite talents and garners signficant PP time is just tasty gravy.

Availability: Owned in 26% of leagues.
Forecast: Should be rostered in all leagues with an emphasis on PIMs. Regarding scoring, over the past two seasons Downie has averaged a not-too-shabby 0.57 points/game. Given that, expect about 30 points from here on out, and gobs of PIMs.

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