Yahoo Fantasy Hockey: Previewing the West in the middle of the off-season
Dobber Hockey launched in 2005 and Dobber and his staff have hitched their wagons to Puck Daddy to preach fantasy hockey to the Yahoo! masses since 2009.
Now that the smoke has (mostly) cleared from an offseason that saw numerous big names change jerseys, we are now ready to discuss the fantasy implications of these moves. Let’s take a tour around the NHL to find out how these changes could affect player fantasy values entering the 2015-16 season.
Here is our preview of the Western Conference teams. You can read our Eastern Conference preview here.
Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks
The roster purge that seems to hit the Blackhawks after a Stanley Cup win will have a significant fantasy impact, as expected. Top-6 forwards Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp were the victims this time, as they were traded for a group of less significant parts. The roles of Saad, Sharp, and Johnny Oduya may have to be filled by Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, and Trevor Daley, respectively. One of the two forwards will have the opportunity to center the second line, while both should easily slide into the top 9. Daley, meanwhile, is capable of logging the major minutes on the second pair that Oduya used to. The cap reshuffle should also open up more opportunity for Teuvo Teravainen and perhaps even Artemy Panarin. Teravainen may also even fill that second-line center position himself. He will be a major sleeper entering this season after scoring ten points in 18 games during the playoffs. Panarin scored 62 points in 54 games in the KHL last season.
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Colorado Avalanche
Bringing in Carl Soderberg to replace Ryan O’Reilly isn’t really an upgrade, but O’Reilly’s salary demands and the new cap world deemed that necessary. Soderberg’s upside is as a potential second-line center, however he could be more third-line material if Nathan MacKinnon at center again. That could be a huge problem, as Colorado’s scoring talent plummets dramatically beyond the second line. One of those third-liners could be Blake Comeau, who the Avalanche also added via free agency … Meanwhile, Mikhail Grigorenko will try to get his career back on track playing for his old junior coach Patrick Roy. He’s a perfect example of why you don’t bring your prospects up too early … Francois Beauchemin should be able to log major minutes just like he did in Anaheim, but he won’t be leaned on for offense as much as the Avs attempt to reduce their shots against total (33.2 shots against/game in 2014-15, 26th in NHL).
Dallas Stars
After missing the playoffs this past season, the Stars made two of the more interesting moves this offseason. Maybe the most intriguing move of the offseason was bringing in Antti Niemi to battle for the starting goalie job with Kari Lehtonen. Right now, this appears to be a timeshare in the making. Lehtonen has played close to 60 games in each of the past four full seasons, but 2014-15 was his worst season (2.94 GAA, .903 SV%) since his Atlanta Thrasher days. With Dallas’s woeful defense, too bad it isn’t possible for Niemi and Lehtonen to be out on the ice at the same time … The other major move was the trade for Patrick Sharp to add to an already potent scoring attack. With Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin forming a first-line unit, it would make sense to pair Sharp with Jason Spezza on what will be a very potent second line. Expect Sharp to bounce back from the disappointing 16 goals and reduced ice time he experienced in his final season in Chicago.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild’s lineup already seems to be set, so this has been a very quiet offseason. The major order of business of Chuck Fletcher’s offseason was to re-sign last year’s surprise success story, Devan Dubnyk. There is some risk in drafting Dubnyk because of his overall career numbers, but he should be a top-10 goalie in fantasy drafts nonetheless … Playing for his hometown team seemed to factor into Mike Reilly’s choice to play for the Wild. There are numerous defenseman above him that have solidified NHL roles, so there’s no guarantee that he’ll spend the entire season in the NHL. Still, he’s a must-own in keeper leagues … Just when you thought Ruslan Fedotenko had retired five years ago, he’s back in the NHL on a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild.
Nashville Predators
After last year’s somewhat unexpectedly successful regular season, the Predators elected to stay pat with their roster, electing to keep centers Mike Ribeiro and Mike Fisher … Would you have ever thought Cody Hodgson would be the victim of a contract buyout? Yet here he is in Nashville, attempting to revive his career like an old country and western singer. Not only was 2014-15 his worst season, but it could have been one of the worst seasons by any forward who played a full season last season (13 points and a -28 in 78 games). The Predators have a stack of players that can play center, so it’s possible that Hodgson gets lost in the shuffle if he doesn’t find a way to stand out.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues attempted one tweak to retool their core after yet another early-round playoff exit. That need for change meant that the energetic T.J. Oshie was out, traded to Washington for Troy Brouwer. The former Capital, who scored 21 goals last season, seems to be a natural fit on the Blues’ second line. Brouwer is a valued power-play contributor, scoring 14 of his 43 points last season with the man advantage. The danger for Brouwer might be if a youngster such as Ty Rattie or Dmitrij Jaskin makes an impression, which could mean that his minutes are reduced. Other than the Oshie/Brouwer trade, the Blues will enter the season with basically the same lineup as last season.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets, like some of their Central Division rivals, seemed to remain status quo during the offseason. With virtually no significant free agent signings from Winnipeg, the return of Alex Burmistrov was the most noteworthy addition. After scoring 63 points in 107 games over the past two seasons in the KHL, Burmistrov will attempt to prove why he was deserving of a high first-round pick by the organization when it was based in Atlanta. He won’t have an easy time of it, since Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault, and Mark Scheifele also play the center position … This isn’t an addition to the Jets’ organization necessarily, but top prospect Nikolaj Ehlers should be able to jump to the NHL in 2015-16 after tearing it up with back-to-back 100-point seasons in the QMJHL.
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks
Following a trip to the Western Conference Final, the Ducks didn’t make any earth-shattering moves, but they did make a series of minor moves. Carl Hagelin, who was acquired in exchange for Emerson Etem, will probably slot in as a third-line winger with possible second-line upside. Chris Stewart, on the other hand, fits the Ducks’ big and physical style of play to a tee. He could fit in anywhere from the first line to the press box, depending on his level of consistency. He is definitely a wild card entering the season. Shawn Horcoff is no longer a fantasy option, although he could take key faceoffs as needed … Kevin Bieksa was no longer wanted by the Canucks after being dropped to the bottom defensive pair, yet he could end up with top-4 minutes with the Ducks, who extended him for two more years at $4 million per season. He will hold some value in leagues that reward physical play … Anton Khudobin could push Frederik Andersen for playing time. But Khudobin’s acquisition affects John Gibson more, as the goaltending prospect could spend another year in the AHL or could even be dealt.
Arizona Coyotes
The annual summer drama about whether the Coyotes will stay in the desert has overshadowed what is going to be a full-on rebuild. Will the Coyotes be terrible enough to acquire hometown boy Auston Matthews? First-round pick Dylan Strome has a shot to make the team, but we will more likely see Max Domi and Anthony Duclair don the brick red unis come October. Don’t expect either young forward to tear up the league in 2015-16, but you’ll want stock if you are in a keeper league … A more immediate fantasy option for the Coyotes would be newcomer Steve Downie, who led the NHL with 238 penalty minutes while providing more scoring than your average penalty minute leader (28 points in 72 games) … The Coyotes have also reacquired Antoine Vermette, who should return to his role as a top-6 forward for the Coyotes after a brief stint as a bottom-6 rental for the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks.
Calgary Flames
After giving the raspberry to the advanced stats crowd last season, the Flames were all roses for their surprise acquisition of Dougie Hamilton. The former Bruin’s presence now creates a very crowded blue line, where one of T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman, or Kris Russell could end up with third-pairing minutes this season now that Mark Giordano will be back from injury. This will be interesting because all three of these defensemen averaged at least 24 minutes per game in 2014-15 … The other key acquisition, which hasn’t received as much attention, is the Michael Frolik signing. Frolik should slot in on the second line, spend time on both the power-play and shorthanded units, and help the Flames improve their puck possession game. Frolik led the Jets with a 205 SAT last season, which was significantly higher than anyone with a Flames jersey attained last season.
Edmonton Oilers
Some guy named Connor McDavid will be assigned the number 97 jersey this coming season. By season’s end, McDavid should be the number one center for the Oilers, which would push fellow first overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins down to the second line. It goes without saying that McDavid should be scooped up immediately if you have a keeper league, while he should be viewed as a borderline top-50 pick in single-season leagues … Cam Talbot was a standout last season (2.21 GAA, .926 SV%), particularly during his run filling in for Henrik Lundqvist. But while the Oilers attempt to work out their defensive woes, he should be viewed as a risky option between the pipes. The Andrej Sekera signing could help fast track that defensive improvement a little, while Griffin Reinhart has plenty of time to develop into a defensive-minded top-4 defenseman.
Los Angeles Kings
It was a turbulent offseason for the Kings, with the team having to handle various situations involving Slava Voynov, Jarret Stoll, and Mike Richards. However, the Kings still appear to be a strong bet to return to the playoffs in 2015-16. One player that should help with that revival is Milan Lucic, who fits in with Kings’ heavy style. Power forward Lucic probably enough left in the tank to return to a 25-goal, 60-point season if he can gel with a center like Anze Kopitar or Jeff Carter … The Kings’ offseason moves could also open up a spot for Nick Shore, who scored 42 points in 38 AHL games last season … Jhonas Enroth was acquired to be Jonathan Quick’s backup, so don’t expect him to see nearly as many starts as he had last season (44 split between Buffalo and Dallas).
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks made a few changes after missing the playoffs for the first time in ages. The most significant change was in net, where Antti Niemi was let go and Martin Jones was acquired from the Kings via Boston. Jones has some solid numbers as the Kings’ backup (lifetime 1.99 GAA, .923 SV%), but he is still untested as a starter and has never played 20 games in an NHL season. Don’t count Alex Stalock out of the equation either. Surprisingly, Stalock has never played 25 games in an NHL season, and his career numbers aren’t terrible (2.23 GAA, .917 SV%). In other words, this could turn into a goaltending battle… Paul Martin can log major minutes for the Sharks, but his offensive totals last season (20 points in 74 games) weren’t spectacular and he spends very little time on the power play … The Joel Ward signing seemed to be more about bringing in a player with grit and a playoff reputation (35 points in 53 career playoff games). But he won’t matter nearly as much in regular-season leagues.
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Vancouver Canucks
The transactions that Jim Benning made during this offseason were not popular among Canucks fans. So it should be no surprise that the Canucks’ offseason moves probably won’t resonate much in fantasy leagues … The trade of popular goalie Eddie Lack should likely mean that Ryan Miller’s hold as the starting goalie will remain safe, with Quadruple A level (so far) Jacob Markstrom likely receiving no more than one-quarter of the starts. Miller will look to improve on a somewhat disappointing 2.53 goals-against average and .911 save percentage from last season … The Brandon Sutter pickup should help the Canucks more in real life than it will for fantasy teams, although Sutter could end up as the Canucks’ second-line center. Sutter is a faceoff specialist, penalty killer, and overall checker extraordinaire against teams’ top lines. His presence, however, could put young Bo Horvat in more scoring situations, increasing his value.
Ian Gooding is an Associate Editor at Dobber Hockey where you can read his Ramblings every Sunday. You can also find his work over at Today’s Slapshot.
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