My name's Tim Wirzburger, and I'm the new Fantasy Hockey Specialist for UB. This is my first of hopefully many blogs about the subject, so feedback and criticism are much appreciated!
Perhaps more than any other position in fantasy hockey, goalies can make or break your season. Draft the right ones, and you'll be on the fast track to winning the championship. Draft the wrong one, however, and your fantasy aspirations will dissapear faster than you can say "Gary Bettman." It's important to keep an eye on those NHL teams that have questionable situations in net. Goalie is a dynamic position and some teams change theirs several times throughout the season. Every year, goalies breakout from no-names to fantasy stars; just ask Steve Mason, Craig Anderson, and Jimmy Howard. It's also important to recognize which goalies might lose their jobs. Here are a couple goalie situations that are worth watching this season:
Boston: Last year, the Bruins made the long-awaited shift to the future-superstar Tuukka Rask, acquired from Toronto via trade in 2005. Tim Thomas, coming off a Vezina-winning season, immediately felt pressure from Rask's stellar performance. Thomas did not lose the job as much as Rask won it. Coming into the 2010 season, Rask is expected to make the majority of the starts, but 2 games into the season, Rask stands 0-1 with a 4.00 GAA and Thomas boasts a 1-0 record with his 18th career shutout. Not to say Rask won't be the number 1 starter, but the two goalies might be closer than you think and it's worth keeping an eye on this fantasy season.
Chicago: The Stanley Cup champions suprised a lot of people by letting playoff hero Antti Niemi walk this offseason and bringing in veteran Marty Turco. Though the Blackhawks are not quite the same team they were last year with the loss of many key pieces to trade and free agency, they are still among the best in the league and whoever their starter is should get a good amount of wins in front of their impressive defensive corps. Turco, if he plays at the elite level he once did, could be one of the fantasy steals of the year as he is typically available much later in the draft. However, he is getting up there in age and the young and talented Corey Crawford is waiting in the wings should Turco falter. Many expect Crawford to be starting for the Hawks by December, but only time will tell.
Washington: Washington has the best offense in the league. Period. As a result, the netminder for the Capitals will likewise get a lot of wins behind that offensive cog. Young phenom Semyon Varlamov won the starting job last year when Jose Theodore struggled with injuries. Upon his return, Theodore managed to win back some playing time down the stretch but Varlamov won out come playoff time. Now Theodore is gone and Varlamov is backed by the even younger and even more talented Michael Neuvirth. Neuvirth won the MVP in leading his AHL team, the Hershey Bears, to the Calder cup in 2009. He now hopes to make some noise in the NHL by being the tender for the early favorites to lead the East. With Varlamov already on the IR due to a nagging groin injury, Neuvirth is a great short-term solution for your fantasy goalies. If Varlamov continues to battle injuries, Neuvirth will take over the starting job and making him a fantasy stud. Get him on your team and see what happens.
Philadelphia: The Flyers have had a sticky situation in net for several years now, and have not had a legitimate number one goalie for quite some time. They came into the season expecting Michael Leighton to play with Brian Boucher as back-up. However, Leighton wasted no time landing himself on the injured reserve, and instead of playing Boucher, the Flyers threw young Russia Sergei Bobrovsky into the fire against the Penguins in game 1 of the season. Bobrovsky responded brilliantly by stopping 29 of 31 shots for the win. It's still unsure what the future holds for the Flyers when Leighton returns, but for now Bobrovsky continues to play well so ride his hot streak for as long as you can.
Los Angeles: Jonathon Quick broke out last year, along with the rest of the Kings. He quickly (pun intended) became one of the better fantasy goalies in the league and a fantasy ace. Coming into the new season, the Kings hope to continue their success and Quick intends to reap the benefits. Except for one thing: Jonathon Bernier. Bernier started for Team Canada in the 2010 AHL All-Star game and won the Outstanding AHL Goalie award for the season. Similar to the Boston situation, this might not be a case of Quick losing the starting job, but Bernier winning it. Bernier is their goalie of the future and if he plays well early, Quick might become expendable and a possible trade candidate. Keep a close eye on Bernier.
Florida: Simply put, Thomas Vokoun is one of the best goalies in the league and Florida is not very good. Vokoun's contract expires this year, so if Florida falls out of contention by the deadline then you might see Vokoun dealt to a contender (Philadelphia?). Count on him to produce great stats now but slightly low on wins, but if he gets dealt to a good team he becomes fantasy gold.
eat your heart out K shep great article like to see more of this!
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