Canucksrocks*
*note: this particular preview was written when manager Luc Bourdon was still running the team
Now I
realize that LB has been spouting off basically since the start of the season
how much his team has improved and how he’s guaranteed to make the playoffs,
etc etc… And although yes, his team has improved in some aspects, he needs to
also realize that there are teams improving around him and thus he is not guaranteed
to continually move on an upward trend as the season progresses. Now here is a
look at his team, with a severe attempt to make him cry and quit the league.
Forwards:
Ilya
Kovalchuk is without question LB’s top forward and he paid a pretty price to
get him. As LB himself will tell you (without you even asking him, mind you),
he has basically recuperated the price he paid by reacquiring one of the
players involved, but it still remains notorious as far as trades go. Kovalchuk
had probably his worst season last season, and I don’t really see how he could
repeat this, as I mentioned above, he is incredibly talented and should be more
than motivated to make sure that last season is merely a blip on the radar. He
also brings dual eligibility to the table for LB, so having an elite talent on
both the right and left wing is always a perk.
Henrik
Zetterberg surprisingly led LB’s team in shots last year, as far as returning
players go. He had a solid 80 point campaign, but surprisingly finished in the
negatives for plus minus. This is a guy who has all-world talent, but his
contributions tend to translate better on ice than in fantasy. He’s a big name
guy but he’s not going to touch 100 points, especially when you consider that
Detroit isn’t getting any younger and neither are the guys surrounding
Zetterberg. Look for another point for game pace but not a lot more.
The biggest
gamble LB committed was acquiring dynamic winger Marian Gaborik to go alongside
Brad Richards. The two are new teammates and this presents a situation to
Marian Gaborik where he has the best centre beside him I’m sure he’s ever
played with. Having said that, there is still the question of chemistry between
Brad Richards and his new team/teammate as well as the everlasting question of
whether or not Gaborik stays healthy. As they say, there are three things in
life that are certain, death, taxes and a pulled Marian Gaborik groin. We will
see how it works out, but Brad Richards should stay healthy and have solid
replacements if possible. I think this also explains why Wojtek Wolski is on
LB’s squad as well, maybe he hopes to own all three guys on the same line.
Right now that spot belongs to Brandon Dubinsky but there’s no doubt that
Wolski could get a shot as the season goes on, especially if Dubinsky
struggles. I have to question the strategy of putting so many eggs into a New
York basket, but hey, at least it isn’t the Islanders.
Mikko Koivu
got a pleasant surprise in the form of a Dany Heatley acquisition, and the two
have shown remarkable chemistry over the pre-season. Of course, as we all know,
the pre-season means next to nothing, so whether that chemistry means a career
year for the big Finnish centre…well, it’s still Minnesota. But it’s better for
Koivu than playing with whatever players Minnesota had before bringing in
Setoguchi and Heatley. But breaking more than last year’s 62 points should be
relatively easy.
Martin St.
Louis comes back for one more year. He has cracked 90 points in the last two
seasons and seems to be drinking some magic elixir in order to stay young and
productive. But when the clock on father time strikes midnight, it usually hits
hard and St. Louis could see himself regress if his age dictates. So far
though, he doesn’t seem affected too much by getting old, maybe he’s got the
same trainer as Teemu Selanne. LB tends to prefer players under 18 though, so
I’m sure he’ll shop St. Louis hard, even if he continues on the pace he’s put
up the last two years.
Wayne
Simmonds joins Philadelphia, hoping to stop playing Mario Kart with the fans in
London and try to build on a solid campaign. A good source of PIMs and not much
else, maybe Simmonds can make some magic in the city of Brotherly Love. I’ve
mentioned several times in these previews already that I think Philly is going
to see a decrease in point production, but if they are to avoid that, Simmonds
is a guy who will need to step up. He’d be a good sleeper pick if Luc didn’t
have the patience of a pot head trying to grow his own ‘plants’.
Patrik
Berglund is an interesting case. A guy who could definitely have a breakout
year, he plays on a lousy team but is more than capable of putting up 50
points. Anything more than that might be expecting a little bit too much, but
he’s a kinda guy you love to have on your depth portion of the roster.
Finally,
Zenon Konopka fills up the mascot quota where he’ll be hoping to provide LB
with some juicy PIMs and a one-dimensional game. With a career high of nine
points, I predict many nights where LB overthinks himself and benches a hat
trick in exchange for some cheap PIMs with this guy. It’s a weird strategy and
not one that I’m particularly fond of, but we’ll see if it works. (I know right
now you’re thinking, LB overthink himself? Yeah right!)
Defense:
Holy crap,
this is like walking into a dumpster with Ryan Suter sitting on top of it and a
bunch of trash underneath it. And let’s not forget that Ryan Suter isn’t
exactly a 1A defenseman. I can think of at least three teams off the top of my
head where Ryan Suter would barely make the starting lineup of their team, let
alone the very first spot. LB is delusional if he thinks he’s going to make the
playoffs with this group.
Speaking of
Ryan Suter, when it comes to him or Shea Weber, I think Weber is always going
to be the one who puts up the big time points. Suter is a guy who does more in
the defensive end, and yeah, he’ll put up near forty points on the campaign,
but he’s not a fantasy stud by any means. As Nashville improves year in and
year out, his plus minus totals will improve as well. That’s a good thing, as
he’s got some trainwrecks and needs all the contributions he can get.
Travis
Hamrlik, I mean Hamonic, joins the team this year. I think Hamonic was like the
trendy pick of this fantasy season, where everyone who picked him up would
gloat about what a smart pick he was. Mostly it was the managers who picked the
guy, as I personally don’t see what the big deal is getting a rookie off of the
Islanders who put up 30 points and 100 PIMs…wait, maybe I answered my own
question. But as goes with the rookies, the S squared Sophomore Slump is always
lingering. And yes, oh my goodness, he was a positive player on the Islanders.
But he’s still not that great.
Joe Corvo
comes over to the Stanley Cup Champion Bruins. He’s a little injury prone and
tends to only really produce on Carolina. How he’ll fit in on Boston’s already
crowded blueline, well, that remains to be seen, but there’s only so much ice
time to go around, and I don’t see him slotting in any higher than 4th
spot. I don’t really see him replicating last season’s production, where he
played big minutes in Carolina.
Roman
Hamrlik gave me a WTF moment when I saw his name as I could’ve sworn he was
retiring. Anyway, he is 37 years old and joins a new squad after spending the
past four in Montreal. In Washington, they don’t really play defense, so I
suppose that helps “Hammer” out, but again, he’s probably going to be below 3
or 4 guys on the depth chart. (ARE YOU SENSING THE TREND YET?) It looks to me
that LB’s plan was simply to click the sort button during the draft and pick
the five defensemen with the highest point totals. I’m onto you LB.
Sheldon
Souray joins LB’s squad after failing to make the 30th placed
Oilers. Let that statement sink in for a minute. I personally believe that
Sheldon has seen better days and probably won’t make much of an impact on the
awful Dallas Stars, but I suppose he still has a booming shot and no one in
THAT dressing room hates him yet. Add
another aging veteran past his prime to the scrapheap that LB calls his
defense.
Finally, Ian
White joins the Red Wings as he hopes to do his best Brian Rafalski impression
but will most undoubtedly fail miserably because let me tell you, a guy with a
career high of 26 points is no Brian Rafalski. I suppose joining the Wings
makes LB think that this guy is going to change the way he plays, but spoiler
alert, he’s going to play the exact same in Detroit as he played in the other
four teams he’s competed for.
Goalies:
Luc’s big
time coup was acquiring Tomas Vokoun after he joined the Washington Capitals.
Vokoun becomes the best goaltender the Washington Capitals have never had and
in the process make Michal Neuvirth a completely redundant possession. I suppose
if you wish to own a goaltending duo, Washington’s set would be one of the ones
to shoot for, nevermind the Caps tendency to never play defense, but I don’t
really see why you would want to own a backup and a starter…unless you have
some secret lingering doubts about whether the Vokoun experiment in Washington
will really work.
Of course,
LB has another guy who has a young goaltender waiting in the wings, the ever
replaced before he is actually replaced, Jonathan Quick. It’s been a couple
years where talk has been everywhere about Quick being replaced by his backup
Jonathan Bernier, yet Quick has continued to weather the storm and look good in
sporadic parts of the season, whereas Bernier has done nothing to claim
ownership of the starting position. Yet the talk won’t die down, which usually
means there is at least SOMETHING to it. Having said that, Quick is still a
good regular season goaltender and should provide Luc with some stability,
especially if the Kings own the Western Conference like many are predicting.
Finally, we
have Optimus Reim, the saviour of Toronto, James Reimer. In his first full
season, Reimer did more than anyone ever expected, he didn’t completely fall
apart in net once he put on a Leaf jersey. Time and time again, goaltenders
come to Toronto only to fall apart while wearing Blue and White. Was last
season just a fluke? Will Reimer be able to produce in his first full season as
a starter? Is the Monster Jonas Gustavsson truly gone away into the backup
role? All of these questions will have answers once the season begins.
Closing
Thoughts:
LB as a manager
has a certain madness to him. He makes trades out of boredom not necessity and
he has some serious holes in his defensive corps. Although his goaltending
looks good on paper, it remains to be seen whether everything translates onto
the ice the way it should. There are question marks scattered throughout his
lineup and a lot of players need to have bounce back years in order to give him
even a slight chance at the playoffs. Granted, this is a team where if it gets
going, LB could be a darkhorse to contend for a playoff spot, but personally I
just don’t see it happening, especially with the inability to let his team
grow. If he could get the trade thing under control and make more trades out of
necessity, he’d be better off in the long run.
FINAL
PREDICTION: 8th PLACE
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