Category: NHL

Buying Low- Lubomir Visnovsky

With a minus three on the year and zero points in two games, Lubomir Visnovsky’s season has not been productive.

Analysis: Impatient fantasy owners love to hype early season success and this year is no different. Just a few games in and Kris Letang is either the number one or two D-Man in fantasy hockey all of the sudden. I’m sorry, but can we wait until the end of the month before we start “crowning” people.

With Visnovsky we have a defenseman that will be playing 24-25 minutes per game on a team with some serious firepower. Visnovsky may not reach 68 points again this year but he contributes extremely well in six categories like few D-Men can. His ice time, goals, assists, plus/minus, power play points and shots will all be there for you by season’s end. Visnovsky remains a top seven defenseman and it’s worth a shot to go after this guy in a trade. With everyone on the Kris Letang and Dustin Byfuglien bandwagon, going after Visnovsky is a solid under the radar play.

Right Wing Depth- Joffrey Lupul

Joffrey Lupul recorded an assist, four shots and over nineteen minutes of ice time Thursday against Montreal.

Analysis: If you are a Toronto fan then you have to love what Joffrey Lupul is capable of. Although he has not had a twenty goal season in three years, Lupul has been productive despite missing some significant time. Lupul has only played in 77 games over the last two years but in that span he has scored twenty-four goals while playing just fifteen minutes per game. Expect to see at least seventeen minutes of ice time if not more from Lupul this year in Toronto and with it some solid time on the power play. Keep in mind that Lupul spent over four minutes on the power play with Phil Kessel Thursday night.

With Lupul available in about ninety percent of leagues you have some time to decide team need and see who is injured. With right wingers like Ales Hemsky and Martin Havlat who always seem to miss time and with Havlat already set to miss the opener, Lupul should get a look from some serious fantasy owners during the course of the season.

Nikita Filatov Fantasy Value

After fitting in with the Columbus Blue Jackets as well as Jamarcus Russell does with cheeseburgers, Nikita Filatov is ready to make an impact on the NHL with the Ottawa Senators.

Analysis: Nikita Filatov will be getting top six forward minutes this year and if he’s lucky he just may wind up on the first line with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson at some point. Filatov wasted the past three seasons with the Blue Jackets but still at age twenty-one Filatov is primed for his break-out campaign. He’s a pure goal scorer and with top six minutes he’s good for 25 goals and at least 25 assists this year. If Ottawa can stay healthy they just may make a playoff run in the east.

The shots on goal, ice time and points should all be there for you in deep leagues but the big question will be his plus/minus. I wouldn’t expect anything worse than a minus seven to ten but he and the Senators just may surprise us all this year. Filatov is certainly worth taking a chance on deep into drafts over some of the rookies that may not see enough ice time to make an impact in the fantasy world.

Crosby/Malkin Fantasy Value

Sidney Crosby should not find himself anywhere near your fantasy roster this year. Considering it’s only “likely” that he’ll return this year and that the goal of his doctors is a Christmas return- it’s just not worth owning a guy that will have a bull’s eye on his head for the entire season. On the other hand you have Evgeni Malkin who has played the best hockey of his career with Crosby out of the Pittsburgh lineup. Geno is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, so there are some question marks, but he if looks good in the preseason he is a top five fantasy pick.

It was only two to three years ago that Malkin lead the lead in points in the regular season and in the playoffs. He also won the Conn Smythe(playoffs MVP) while Crosby went without a point in games five, six and seven against the Wings. If Geno looks healthy in the preseason expect a top five fantasy performance from the Russian with the potential for much more. Crosby now has a built in excuse for his lack of heart. We already know about his disappearing act against the Wings but take the Vancouver Olympics for example- although he scored the gold medal winning goal with a shot he never saw… he was not the best player on Team Canada, not even top three. Jonathan Toews was by far the best forward for team Canada as he led the squad with eight points and a plus nine rating. I’m sure Crosby will play a few games and take a few off this year. Even if he doesn’t get targeted with some head shots he’s still not worth what his ADP will be.

Havlat To San Jose- Fantasy Impact

The Martin Havlat for Dany Heatley trade is a solid move for both clubs but Havlat’s fantasy value gets a huge lift.

Analysis: The 2010-11 season was a return to form for Marty Havlat who had perhaps his most disappointing professional season in 2009 with Minnesota. Havlat scored 22 goals and tallied 40 assists in 78 games last year on a team without any offensive talent with the exception of Mikko Koivu. Fast forward to the 2011-12 season where Havlat finds himself on a line with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau or in the worst case Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe. It is certainly a huge boost and will take tons of pressure off of the speedy winger. Health is always a concern for Havlat but if he can stay healthy he should be able to put up top forty forward numbers. Havlat could even pair up with twenty-two year old Logan Couture who put up 56 points as the Calder runner up. Either way you slice it, San Jose has the depth Havlat needs to produce with relative ease.

Projection: Havlat should put up seventy-five to eighty points with at least twenty-five goals in the coming season. Expect his minus ten rating this past season to be at least a plus ten in 2011-12.