Editor's note: Our Ross Devonport and Michael Hurcomb read, write and
analyze everything Fantasy Hockey on a daily basis for CBSSports.com.
They agree and disagree on a variety of subjects on a weekly basis and
will share their opinions on Fantasy-relevant topics each week.
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Should Fantasy owners trade Marian Gaborik
before injury strikes?
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Ross Devonport
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Michael Hurcomb
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Man, this is a tough one. You know Gaborik's going to end up on
the trainer's table sooner or later, but you can never predict
exactly how long he's going to be out for. I think if your goalie
situation is a mess right now and you have Gaborik, then I would
put him on the block and look for a solid mid-range No. 1
goaltender for him. You never know what someone with two quality
guys between the pipes might be willing to give up for a hot
forward like Gaborik -- even with the injury risk.
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Gaborik has missed 138 games the last five seasons and has played
more than 65 games just once in that span. Last year he was
limited to 17 games because of a nagging hip injury, and you know
the ailment had to be legit because he was in a walk year. Much
like Sami Salo, history suggests
Gaborik is going to miss time due to injury. However, he is one of
those few players that you can live with his fragile status
because the rewards are worth it. Don't sell.
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Which goalie will finish with better Fantasy stats: Ilya Bryzgalov or Craig Anderson?
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Ross Devonport
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Michael Hurcomb
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I brought up Anderson in the NHL Podcast on Monday morning, and
the consensus opinion among the experts in the room was that
Anderson is the real deal. He quietly played well with Florida
last season when given the chance, but many people passed him by
in drafts because they weren't sure whether he would beat out Peter Budaj for the No. 1 job in Denver and no one really knew
how good the Avs would be. If Anderson can stay healthy, I can
certainly see him finishing with better numbers than Bryzgalov.
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I've made this argument before when it has been Bryzgalov against
the league and I will stand by the Coyotes goalie since his track
record is solid. He has just missed being a No. 1 Fantasy goalie
the last two seasons and he did that playing on so-so Phoenix
squads. The Coyotes improved their blue line in the offseason and
even their coaching staff thanks to Wayne Gretzky's resignation.
Sorry Great One. We don't know a lot about Anderson since this is
his first go as a full-time starting goalie, but the Avs are
playing way above their skill level.
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Which backup goalie would you add off waivers: Antti Niemi, Antero Niittymaki
or Jeff Deslauriers?
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Ross Devonport
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Michael Hurcomb
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I'm not so sold on the Lightning sticking with Smith, to be
honest. This guy was banged up a ton last year and the Lightning
were awful, two excuses you could certainly use for his 14-18-2
record, but no matter how much Rick Tocchet wants to say he's
their man, he won't be for long if things continue as they have
the first couple of weeks. Niittymaki is just simply playing
better hockey right now, and Tampa Bay isn't good enough to be
able to afford having a sieve back there.
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I would like to say Niittymaki, but the Lightning appear committed
to Mike Smith. If he ever gets on
a roll, Niittymaki won't receive a lot of starts. But I do believe
Deslauriers is going to have to step up at some point this season
for Edmonton. Starter Nikolai Khabibulin
has already told the Oilers they can't expect more than 60
appearances, and he does have the history of injury problems.
Deslauriers could make close to 20 starts, if everything falls
into place.
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Is anyone going to dethrone Daniel Carcillo as the league leader in penalty minutes?
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Ross Devonport
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Michael Hurcomb
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Carcillo is certainly behaving himself so far this season, but I
wouldn't give up on him just yet. If he doesn't catch up though, I
like the odds of Ottawa defenseman Matt Carkner taking home the PIM title. Carkner averages 18
minutes a game, which means he should be able to pick up more
minors than Zenon Konopka, who's
managing just 7:27 if ice time.
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I think this year Lightning enforcer Zenon Konopka has the chance to walk away as the NHL's top
penalty holder. Konopka is finally getting his chance at a
full-time role since Tampa Bay traded away Evgeny Artyukhin before the season. In just 46 career games,
Konopka has 150 penalty minutes and 20 fighting majors. He is
averaging 3.3 penalty minutes per game in his career. Konopka has
enough offensive skills that will likely keep him in the lineup,
so he will get plenty of chances to rack up penalty minutes.
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Do you agree with Ross or Michael? Send your thoughts to DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com
and we'll post the best responses. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy
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