Andrej Meszaros – McKeen's Hockey

2015 Training Camp Round-up – Oct 1st

Ryan Dadoun — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 18:00:23 +0000

A lot of teams choose to make further training camp cuts on Wednesday and that involved the release of several noteworthy veterans from their professional tryouts.

We've already touched on how the evolving reality of the cap era has left some otherwise NHL-worthy players out in the cold this year, but not every player that resorts to accepting a PTO comfortably falls into that camp. In the case of David Booth, a different picture could be painted.

Although there's still time for Booth to prove this wrong, he's looking like a player that peaked early in his career before - partially due to injuries - declining early and steeply. He had 31 goals and 60 points in 72 games in 2008-09 when he was 24 years old (as of Nov. 24 of that campaign), but at the age of 30 he's already fallen to the point where he's a fringe player.

He struggled with the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs over the last two campaigns and his attempt to return to Florida - the origin of his success - finished with the Panthers releasing him from his PTO. Booth believes he's "still a great player," per the Miami Herald, but the unfortunate reality is that his results have been contrary to that statement. We'll see if he can change that.

If nothing else, he can take comfort in knowing he's far from the only noteworthy player to get released from a PTO recently. We've brought up a number of examples this week and you can add another to the pile as Andrej Meszaros was unable to make the Colorado Avalanche.

Meszaros is 29 years old and a veteran of 645 games. He's never played in the AHL, having made the leap to the NHL straight from the junior level, but he might end up spending some time in the minors this season.

There were noteworthy names outside of the PTO group to be cut Wednesday though. One in particular that stands out is Steve Moses.

Moses inked a one-year, $1 million deal with the Nashville Predators, but he will start the season with AHL Milwaukee. Moses is 26 years old and has never played in the NHL, but he was superb with the KHL's Jokerit Helsinki in 2014-15, scoring 36 goals and 57 points in 60 games.

The question is if Moses' game can translate to the NHL and his size (he's listed as 5-foot-9, 175-pounds) is a consideration as well. That being said, the Predators do believe he will be an asset for them after an adjustment period.

“He’s still a player that we’re counting on to be somebody who can produce for us, but I think that there’s a learning curve in coming back [to North America],” Predators coach Peter Laviolette told the team's website. “The best way to get to that is probably to get to Milwaukee and try to figure that out. Being the extra guy or an extra guy here, I don’t think is going to help, so going there and playing some games is probably the quickest way to try and make it back here.”

Moses didn't have to be exposed to waivers though and one has to wonder if the Predators would have made that decision if that weren't the case. The vast majority of players waived during training camp clear, but that doesn't mean it's automatic. The Philadelphia Flyers have lost Chris Porter to the Minnesota Wild after exposing him to waivers on Wednesday.

Interestingly, Porter was put in Philadelphia's preseason game Wednesday night after being waived and he went on to score a goal.

“He’s done a good job and spent a lot of time up and down. Chris is a pro,” Flyers GM Ron Hextall said, per CSN Philly.. “I told him he was going on waivers and he was fine. Goes out and plays a good game. He’s a pro.”

Of course, Minnesota likely didn't claim him just because he performed under trying circumstances. Porter was someone that was already on their radar this season. He's also good friends with Wild captain Zach Parise, to the extent that Parise was the best man at Porter's wedding. This changes Porter from being a player who might have been one of the first injury replacements in Philadelphia to someone that might spend the entire season at the NHL level.

Moving from a focus on individuals, the Arizona Coyotes have been noteworthy as a whole for an unfortunate reason. Through five preseason games, they have scored just four goals, with only one of them coming at even strength.

Of course, exhibition contests need to be taken with a grain of salt.

“We’ve got young players in key roles that are supposed to help provide that offense," coach Dave Tippett noted, per the Arizona Republic.. "That doesn’t exclude any veterans but really the way our schedule has set up, we’ve had one game with our whole lineup in and I like how many chances we created in that game."

The game he's referring with the whole lineup to was a 1-0 loss to Vancouver on Monday.

Even with all that in mind, the Coyotes showing is still troubling because Arizona's was the second worst offensive team last season and with the upgrades Buffalo made, it's entirely possible that the Coyotes will score fewer goals than any other team this season.

As touched on earlier in the week, the Coyotes have a lot of promising forward prospects, but the returns on that might not begin in 2015-16. In other words, this might be a season of pain for the Coyotes, which is unfortunately nothing new for this franchise.

NHL trade deadline fantasy review

Peter Harling — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 14:32:51 +0000

The NHL trade deadline is the second most exciting hockey day of the year, second only to the fantasy draft.

Most fantasy leagues have a trade deadline of their own, and the fallout of the NHL trades weighs heavy on what happens in your fantasy trades.

To help make sense of it all let’s look at some of the players who benefit, and some who’s value hurt from the NHL trade deadline

Increasing Value

Marian Gaborik, LA Kings

To start his tenure in LA, Gaborik will play on a line with Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. This should give him a boost, as well the Kings anemic offence. Gaborik has slightly struggled to produce offensively in Columbus this season, partially due to injuries. Injuries will always be a concern with Gaborik who is scheduled to be a UFA this summer. It is difficult to gauge what type of contract he can command, but in the range of $6 million is not out of the question. With his age, susceptibility to injuries and uncertainty of his contract, this could be a sell high opportunity for some one looking at Gaborik for a playoff run.

Lee Stempniak, Pittsburgh Penguins

Often players enjoy a “honeymoon period” when they join a new team. The streaky Stempniak personifies this and with the Dupuis injury, he may see time on a line with Sidney Crosby. He went on a tear after joining Phoenix from Toronto and is only 30% owned in Fantrax leagues. He could be a sneaky great waiver or free agent pick up.

Andrej Meszaros, Boston Bruins

Injuries have cost him his top four pairing rankings and the Flyers have given up on him. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is familiar with Meszaros from their time in Ottawa and he played in Sochi with the Czech team with Zdeno Chara. The pair looked good together and with the injury to Denis Sidenberg the Bruins need a top four option. Meszaros could be it. Or he could be the next Tomas Kaberle. Given Meszaros is only 28 and has managed 17 points in only 38 games I think he is worth the risk.

Ales Hemsky, Ottawa Senators

Hemsky was once considered the future of the Edmonton Oilers. But that was a long time ago it seems and now the Oilers belong to Taylor Hall, RNH and Jordan Eberle. Hemsky is a highly talented player who desperately needed a fresh start on a new team with a top six opportunity. Expect the Sens to try desperately to find some chemistry between Hemsky with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek in an attempt to sneak into the playoffs. If the experiment is successful, the trio could be lightning in a bottle and fantasy hockey gravy.

Ryan Miller, St. Louis Blues

All season long this trade was highly speculated and final came to fruition. Miller had been having a spectacular season with the Sabres, his win stats do not support it but the eye test does not lie. Maybe you can catch a Miller owner sleeping and snag him quick. Now that he is a member of the Blues expect the number of saves to drop, and the wins and shut outs to pile up. It is also reasonable to expect Miller to resign with the Blues as well for keeper leagues.

Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres

With the trade of Miller (and Halak) the door has never been more open for the starting position in Buffalo. Enroth will battle with Neuvirth for the job. Neuvirth has had chances in Washington and failed to seize the job where as this is Enroths first kick at the can. On a poor Buffalo team this season, he has a GAA of 2.9 and a save % of .911 which is comparable to Millers 2.71 GAA, and .923 save %

Brandon Pirri, Florida Panthers

Former Chicago and current Florida GM Dale Tallon is very familiar with the upside of Brandon Pirri. Pirri was buried behind the depth of the Stanley Cup Champions deep roster, but will be given an opportunity to blossom in Florida. In 29 games ha has only 11 points, but has only played an average of 12:10 minutes per game. Pirri played his first game on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and he is only 39% owned. Another player worth a pick up if he is available.

Joni Ortio, Calgary Flames

Ortio was not traded at the deadline, but Reto Berra was. With Karri Ramo still injured that makes Ortio the current starting goalie in Calgary. Ortio is only 14% owned this week.

Decreasing in Value

Thomas Vanek, Montreal Canadiens

Vanek had an embarrassing Olympic performance. He is a streaky scorer will not be playing with John Tavares anymore. With a cap hit north of $7 million and heading to free agency, I would not touch Vanek with your ten foot pole.

Martin St. Louis, New York Rangers

St. Louis will still score and provide offense, but expect a slight decline now he is not on the high flying Lightning, and is no longer with Stamkos.

Tim Thomas, Dallas Stars

Thomas was the starting goalie in Florida when healthy. It will be difficult for him to usurp Kari Lehtonen in Dallas and see regular starts. On the bright side, when he does play his stats should be much better as the Stars are a much better team.

Dustin Penner, Washington Capitals

Penner may not respond well to being traded from Anaheim where the team was extremely successful and he was playing on the Getzlaf – Perry line and enjoying individual success. Penner is traditionally a streaky scorer subject to long droughts of indifferent play and motivational issues. This could be project that blows up on the Caps, don’t make the same mistake.

Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

The addition of Jaroslav Halak in Washington ends the rotating three man goalie circus. Halak will be the starting goalie and Holtby will be the backup. The only saving grace for Holtby could be Halak is a UFA this off season, but it looks like the Caps have made a decision on Holtby.

Rene Bourque, Montreal Canadiens

Bourque has struggled this season and his value continues to decline. The addition of Vanek could see Bourque see more time in the press box and fourth line which all but kills his value.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Watch

Peter Harling — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 13:40:14 +0000

The NHL season is just past the half way mark and the Olympic break is upon us. This means it is crunch time in fantasy hockey. Time to fish or cut bait on the season. Are you a contender? Or should you be looking to the future? If you want to go for it you can look to trade with a bottom dweller offering picks or prospects for current producing NHL players. Another and much cheaper option is to look at the waiver wire where you can snag a player for free. Here are five players to look at who may be available in your league depending on its size and format

Tyler Johnson - Tampa Bay Lightning, C, 63% Fantrax Owned

Johnson went undrafted in the NHL, and if he also went undrafted in your fantasy league take advantage. Johnson has eight points in his last five games including a hat-trick against Colorado on January 25^th.

Ondrej Palat – Tampa Bay Lightning, LW, 49.7% Owned

Palat and Johnson are line mates and the pair has been red hot as of late. I am a big fan of owning teammates ever since the duo of Brett Hull and Adam Oates made me a fantasy hockey Champion. Palat has five points in his last three games played. If you can’t snag Johnson, snap up his wing man.

Zack Kassian – Vancouver Canucks, RW, 41% Owned

Kassian is a streaky player in that he is often either scoring on the first line, or in the coaches dog house riding pine, or worse in the press box. The Canucks have been hot lately winning four of the last five and Kassian has been a big part of their success. He has three points and 16 PIM’s in that span. Kassian has the skill, size and mean streak to be a dominant forward and is having the best year of his career. He may be on the cusp of his long awaited coming out.

Andrej Meszaros – Philadelphia Flyers, D, 28.8% Owned

Meszaros has been plagued by injury and missed all but 11 games last season and has often been a healthy scratch this season. However, he has had a good month, scoring 11 points in 13 games and sporting a plus/minus of plus-2 in that span. He carries a heavy cap hit $4 million which expires after this season and could find himself on a new team as a UFA or sooner via trade.

Brian Gibbons – Pittsburgh Penguins, RW, 11% Owned

Gibbons made this list earlier in the season, but in case you missed it here he is again. He was first called up after scoring 22 points in 15 AHL games and he had a two point NHL debut. He has been back and forth between leagues a bit, and was injured but now has six points in 14 career games and is playing on a line with Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby. His cap is the league minimum of $550,000 and he is well worth the gamble.