CCF23
CCF was one of the two big benefactors from SelKesler’s
decision to blow up his team, allowing him to pick up some huge cogs in his
team in exchange for some scrap pieces. As such, he remains a perennial
contender, despite several overpayments early in the first year of this league
that could’ve set his team back years. But instead, the fantasy gods repay
stupidity by making CCF another top contender at a league title.
Forwards:
Right behind Getzlaf in terms of importance is Captain Serious,
Jonathan Toews. A year removed from a Stanley Cup title, Toews took a step
towards becoming one of the next great two way players in the game. As I’ve
mentioned throughout these previews though, having a good two way game impacts
very little fantasy wise, but it doesn’t hurt the ol’ plus/minus. Toews is
getting closer and closer to becoming a point per game player though, and
combine that with the surrounding cast he has around him and you’ve got a guy
who could be primed for a breakout season.
After that is Danny Briere, a guy who once broke 90 points in
Buffalo! Of course, he’s never going to do that again, yet for whatever reason,
people continue to consider this guy to be a top fantasy player. I suppose him
being a centre, right wing eligible player doesn’t hurt his cause, but he’s
coming off two seasons now after his injury where he failed to crack 70 points
When a guy like this is a keeper for you, maybe your forward corps has more
issues than you would like to think about. Having said that, Philadelphia has
started the season hot, and Briere has had nothing to do with it, so keep that
in mind moving forward. (That nothing has changed, I mean!)
Speaking of the Flyers, Jakub Voracek comes over as the guy
who has to replace Jeff Carter. Acquired in a trade with the Blue Jackets,
Voracek has some solid draft pedigree but has yet to really live up to it.
Philadelphia should afford him every opportunity to take the next step in his
game and unlike his situation in Columbus, there is some veteran leadership in
Philly that could definitely help guide him. At the very least, he’ll play with
some talented young players, something the Blue Jackets were devoid of.
Magnus Paajarvi comes back after a fairly mediocre first
year. On a team filled with rookies who actually produced admirable, Paajarvi’s
production doesn’t exactly stand out. The acquisition of Paajarvi doesn’t
really make much sense, considering that Joe Pavelski went the other way. Having
said that, Paajarvi is a talented guy playing with other talented guys, so
although they are all young, they could still produce at a decent tilt.
After being traded from Phoenix to Colorado, Peter Mueller
looked to have new life. He produced at a rapid pace, scoring over a point per
game in Denver before suffering a serious injury. He missed the entire next
season and now, on a whim, CCF has acquired him with hopes that his production
in Denver was actually a sign of things to come and not just a case of a guy
exploding on a new team for no apparent reason. With questions of health and
fitting in both an issue, it remains to be seen what Mueller can do. (Aside
from bringing CCF Centre, LW eligibility).
Steve Ott is on for another year, a feisty PIM producer, he
has shown the ability to score 20 goals while throwing down fists, and as
always those players can prove to be valuable, especially when trying to steal
a category or two. Having said that, Dallas still has some serious consistency
issues and Ott is a prime candidate to experience a “Shanaban” or two. It’s a
shame shorthanded points don’t count for anything in this league.
Patrik Elias hits 35 years of age this year, and is back for
another season with the Devils. Last year’s campaign was abysmal for New Jersey
and Elias was no exception, putting up a low total by his standards, only
managing 62 points while only missing one game. It was encouraging to see his
health stay up to par, but he’ll need to produce more if the Devils are to
avoid another top five draft pick. It is a new experience for him to not be the
most talented player on his Devil’s lineup.
Alex Tanguay returned to Calgary last season where he showed
new life being paired up with Jarome Iginla. Tanguay had struggled in Montreal and
Tampa Bay before returning to the Flames for the second time in his career.
After putting up almost 70 points, Tanguay hopes that the Flames getting
substantially worse doesn’t affect his chemistry with Iggy, as the two of them
complement each other very well. Having said that, don’t expect his plus minus
to be even this year.
Teddy Purcell was a hero in the playoffs this year, but will
he follow the leads of guys like Fernando Pisani and flake out in the regular
season after a good playoffs? It’s quite possible, but a guy who put up 51
points in his first real season who gets to play alongside some seriously
talented guys? I think it’s very possible that his playoff performance will
prove to be not a fluke. I suppose it depends primarily on whether or not Guy
Boucher’s magic wears off this season or if the Lightning are for real.
Finally we have Blake Wheeler, a huge Right Winger who was
picked up in exchange for Brett Connolly. Whether or not that move comes back
to bite CCF is really irrelevant but Wheeler’s Jets proved tonight that they
aren’t going to be a very good team at all and it is doubtful that Wheeler has
a very good season to begin with. Granted this guy has been touted as a
breakout star for several years after his rookie campaign of 45 points, but
since then, nothing really special has translated from his game. I suggest you
watch for that trend to continue, as playing with third liners doesn’t do a lot
for one’s confidence or evolution as a player.
Defense:
Mike Green leads this defensive corps, and it seems like a
long time ago that he was putting up 70+ points on the blueline. After an ugly,
injury filled affair, Green looked like he had taken a giant step backwards,
putting up a meager 24 points on the year and subsequently getting jettisoned
for practically nothing to CCF’s squad. If Green can get his game back and
return to being one of the premier defenseman in the league, CCF got a hell of
a steal. If he continues to struggle with staying healthy and putting points on
the board, CCF might have his patience tested.
After that, we’ll avoid making this post Streit Streit jokes
and try to be serious. Mark Streit missed all of last year with an injury and
upon his return to the Islanders, he was named captain of the team. He’s come
close to back to back 50 point seasons before his injury, so a couple questions
will linger about him. First, will he be as effective coming back from injury,
and more importantly, can he stay healthy this year? But Streit and Green are
both high risk high reward type players that could provide CCF with a very nice
one-two punch on the blueline.
Stephane Robidas joins CCF’s ragtag group, coming off the
“most odd All-Star game inclusion” season where he put up 30 points, starting
out with a bang and puttering out in the most embarrassing of ways, as Dallas
bumbled their way out of a playoff spot. If Dallas is to rise above this
ownership mess and the loss of their best player Brad Richards, Robidas is
going to be a guy they lean on heavily, and CCF probably hopes that Robidas can
bump up the point production a bit.
Victor Hedman has two successful NHL campaigns under his belt
and the 21 year old (in December) is going to be hoping for a third. I’m sure
CCF is hoping that his third season can produce some offense out of him as
well, as 20 and 26 points for the towering Swede is just not going to cut it
for a team that has serious championship goals. Now whether he can manage that
will depend a lot on who he ends up playing with and if he can get some much
needed powerplay time.
John-Michael Liles trades in his burgundy and blue jersey for
a blue and white jersey, being acquired by the Maple Leafs. Since the Leaf
blueline has a low degree of talented offensive minded defensemen, Liles will
get every opportunity to forgo playing defense and try to shoot the puck in the
net. As such, we could see the former Av put up career highs in points. Then
again, being that the Leafs are involved, we could end up seeing yet another
player struggle on route to a career in broadcasting. The Leafs are a tough
team to read, but Liles should be a nice addition.
Finally, the team is rounded out by Dan Hamhuis. A huge beast
on the ice for the Canucks, unfortunately the point production doesn’t always
signify just how important Hammy is to the Canuck blueline. He’s more of a
shutdown type defenseman, so as such, he won’t be leaned on by CCF for point
production (at least one would hope). He can produce ample plus/minus totals
and chip in on SOGs and the occasional point. Playing on the first pairing
should help his case.
Goalies:
Ryan Miller has a superb team in front of him, as the Buffalo
Sabres finally have an owner willing to spend money. As a result, another
Vezina trophy could be a consideration if he plays like he should in the
regular season. Of course, if he plays like he does in the playoffs, it could
be a very ugly year for CCF. With a
young unproven goaltender behind him, it’s safe to say that this is Miller’s
team and he will be leaned on heavily. If the Sabres were smart, they’d rest
him a bit before the playoffs and maybe decrease their workload, but they
haven’t had a backup they can trust in years.
Finally Jacob Markstrom, a guy CCF held onto stubbornly all
of last season despite his playing in the AHL the entire last year. Add onto
the fact that he plays on the not so good Florida Panthers, and it makes you wonder
why he bothered handcuffing himself onto an anchor all season long. I’m quite
certain that he would’ve been available in the last week of the season and it
might’ve been the difference in where he placed for the year. Anyway, this year
he’s the back up for Jose Theodore, so you can imagine that Theodore is only
keeping the spot warm until they turn it over to Markstrom, as this is a young
team who is most certainly not looking to contend this year.
Closing Thoughts:
CCF23’s goaltending is the only reason I did not rank him
outside of the playoffs, but honestly, I’m starting to wonder if maybe I made a
mistake. His forward group has a lot of questions, but if his defensemen can
bounce back and get back to the form they are capable of, my prediction won’t
look so asinine come March. Obviously if his team can manage to play to its
potential, no one will be looking back at this going, huh? He came in 10th!
For his sake anyway, I hope so.
FINAL PREDICTION:4th OVERALL