Carl Soderberg – McKeen's Hockey

Mac Attack – Colorado Avalanche 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:18:37 +0000

REVIEW/STATE OF PLAY - Colorado secured a playoff berth on the last night of the season after missing the playoffs for the past three years. A remarkable turnaround after an historically bad season only winning 22 games and 48 points to almost doubling to 95 points. They owned one of the best home records in the league going 28-11-2 which included a ten-game home winning streak and a 18-4-1 record in their final 23 games.

In 2016-17 Bednar was thrust into role on the eve of training camp, and it was a trying season beset by major injuries and low morale. Sakic remained loyal and patient with his young coach and charges and was rewarded. Bednar finished third in voting for the Jack Adams award for coach of the year.

CULTURE SHIFTING TRADE - A big change in culture was executed when GM Sakic traded Matt Duchene for a remarkable hall of prospects and picks, including a first-round pick from the dreadful Ottawa Senators. They also received blue chip prospects Samuel Girard and Vladislav Kamenev who made their debuts as rookies last season. The biggest gain was the lifting of a cloud over the dressing room.

The biggest change on the ice was in its special teams. In 2016-17 they were last in the league (30^th) on the power play (12.6%) and second worst (29^th) on the penalty kill (76.6%). They improved significantly finishing fourth in the league on the penalty kill (83.3%) and eighth on the power play (21.3%) and third in power play goals scored (65).

Nathan Mackinnon seized the leadership in the room with an outstanding season finishing a very close second in the voting for the Hart trophy as league MVP. He finished fifth in league scoring and would have threatened for a scoring title if he had not missed eight games, finishing right behind Connor McDavid in points per game (1.32 vs. 1.31). He formed a powerhouse top line that ranked among the most dangerous in the league by years end along with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. They are 22, 25 and 21 years old respectively and anchor one of the youngest rosters in the NHL.

YOUNGEST ROSTER DRESSED 11 ROOKIES - Colorado dressed 11 different rookies in 2018-18, tying for the league lead. The most effective was 24-year-old Alexander Kerfoot signed as a free agent out of Harvard. He started off with a bang scoring 30 points in his first 40 games (40-11-19-30) but the offense dried up in the second half (39-8-5-13). He was paired with fellow rookie 21-year-old Tyson Jost towards the end of the season. Drafted 10^th overall, he has offensive skills with elite hands that were not reflected in the 22 points posted.

J. T. Compher was another rookie forward who appeared in 69 games with quiet results (69-13-10-23) and was part of the return in the Ryan O’Reilly trade. The ability for Colorado to make it back to the playoffs will be dependent on those three prospects making a step forward and playing key roles in the middle six.

Tyson Barrie

BARRIE ON FIRE - On defense Tyson Barrie established himself as an elite offensive defenseman last season. He led the league in power play time on ice and was second in points per game (0.84) finished third with 30 power play points. He missed time with a hand injury or would have been chasing a defensive scoring crown. He has not been particularly injury prone in his career, so it should not be a concern. Often mentioned in trade rumours, may have put them behind him with his performance last season

Another rookie that made an impact in 2017-18 was puck moving defender Samuel Girard, acquired in the Duchene trade. He posted 23 points in 68 games and showed poise as a 20-year-old. Nikita Zadorov (acquired in the O’Reilly trade) had a breakout season. He was physical force delivering an NHL-leading 278 hits while also blocking 106 shots. Developing into a monster shutdown defender at 6’5”, 200 pounds his 20 points were a nice bonus. He will be motivated entering his fourth season as a pending RFA, and the Avalanche will look to make him a piece of the back end for a long time.

Semyon Varlamov’s fortunes have mirrored the teams over the last number of seasons. Injuries have been a factor in most, 17-18 being no exception, and will turn 31 this year. He had an excellent season in 2018-19 with his highest save percentage in three seasons but injuries bit again. Sakic signed Philipp Grubauer to a three-year $3.3 million AAV as back up. Only 26-years-old he could threaten Varlamov for the starting job after giving Braden Holtby something to think about in Washington with a sparkling 0.923 SV%.

OUTLOOK - The Avalanche will be hard pressed to make the playoffs this year if there is any regression amongst the young core. They went from the second-best team at face-offs (53.6%) to the NHL’s worse at 44.2%. Matt Duchene took over 1000 faceoffs in 2016-17 and had a 62.6% win rate. They were the second worst team with 45.41 CF% and expected goals for percentage was fourth worst in the league (44.54%). Warning signs are there for step back on a climb up the standings in future seasons.

BEAR KRUG

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 00:44:58 +0000

After an Eastern Conference regular season Championship, Boston was the favorite to make it to the Cup finals from the East. A very disappointing loss at the hands of rivals Montreal has not deterred expectations.

The Bruins are up against the salary cap and as such have limited roster options. They lost Jarome Iginla due to cap issues most notably as well as fan-favorite Shawn Thornton. The loss of Iginla raises questions as to who will play the right side on the David Krejci line. The likely solution is to see Loui Eriksson play there full time with Lucic on the left. Eriksson played mainly on the third line last season. With Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Reilly Smith holding down first line duties, there are openings for young players in support roles, on the third and fourth lines for the likes of Ryan Spooner, Jordan Caron, Matt Fraser, and Alexander Khoklachev who will be in competition for a NHL job.

The competition on defense is even tougher with nine NHL quality players, unless as expected GM Peter Chiarelli makes a trade to relieve both roster and cap space there.

Boston has great depth in every position and will once again be at or near the top of the Eastern conference and a Stanley Cup contender.

A deep offense mixed with toughness, the Bruin brand, there are plenty of fantasy rich players to own in a variety of fantasy leagues. One stop shopping for points, plus/minus, penalty minutes, hits, and wins.

We have posted profiles of David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Carl Soderberg, Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton, Tuuka Rask

Scouting for 2014 Fantasy Hockey Draft

Peter Harling — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 15:46:30 +0000

With the regular season winding down in the NHL and the playoffs just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about your next fantasy draft coming up in the fall.

Yes, I am serious. If you are in a deep keeper league, then now is prime time to be digging for next year’s next breakout player.

Several CHL and College players’ seasons have completed now and those players are released from their obligation to those teams and are free to join the NHL club, or affiliate that drafted, or signed them. Edmonton Oilers top prospect Darnell Nurse joined the Oklahoma City Barons, Connor Crisp will finish the AHL season in Hamilton and Shea Theodore was sent to Norfolk to name a few examples of junior players turning pro.

The AHL playoffs are also well worth watching. If you watched the Grand Rapids Griffiths games during their Calder Cup run last season, you would be well aware of players such as Gustav Nyquist, Petr Mrazek, Tomas Tatar, and Tomas Jurco.

Some players who are making late season contributions this season currently include John Gibson who made his NHL debut for Anaheim recording a shutout. In Buffalo, Matt Hackett, Andrey Makarov, Jake McCabe, and Johan Larsson have looked impressive. In St. Louis rookie Dmitrij Jaskin has also arrived and gives the Blues even more depth for the playoffs

Furthermore, once the playoffs begin, teams gain some salary cap flexibility and can bring up some players from the AHL to join the NHL team.

What kind of players should we be looking for?

Here are some examples of players from previous seasons that had late season, or playoff auditions and gave us a glimpse of what to expect.

Last season Torey Krug joined the Boston Bruins in the first round as an injury relief and has never looked back. In 15 playoff games as a rookie, he scored six points including four goals. Prior to his playoff coming out, Krug was a relatively unknown commodity and largely un-owned. Because most leagues recognize a roster freeze between the trade deadline and the draft, he was available at the fantasy draft in many leagues.

Keep an eye out for players coming over from Europe as well. Recently several gems such as Jakob Silfverberg, Carl Soderberg and Mats Zuccarello have joined the NHL near the end of the season and have been sneaky good value

There are players making their NHL and North American debut recently including super prospects Evgeni Kuznetsov and Teuvo Teravainen. Teravainen however was recently assigned to the AHL. That assignment should not scare you off as he will get quality ice time and development and adjustment opportunity in the AHL. Besides, you are scouting for fantasy options for next season, not waiver options for the playoffs.

Regardless of where you find your fantasy team in the standings as this season comes to a conclusion, if you want to be at the top this time next year, you need to start doing some homework now. By doing so, you will have a leg up come draft day and will be able to walk away with a roster full of high value picks.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Watch: Quarter Mark

McKeen's Hockey — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 04:38:49 +0000

The first quarter of the season is now over and by now you should have a pretty good idea if you will be competing for a championship in your fantasy league this year or not. Regardless if you are or not, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on the waiver wire for potential valuable players who may be available. If you are in contention, these players may be the difference maker giving you injury relief or increased depth. If you are not a contender, they give you some trade value to help improve your teams future in keeper leagues.

Nikolai Kulemin – Toronto Maple Leafs, Left Wing 28.4% Fantrax Owned

Kulemin missed the first 12 games of the season with an ankle injury. He had two points in his first two games but has only scored one in his next seven. Kulemin does provide a healthy amount of hits however with 23 giving him added value in some leagues and he is a former 30 goal scorer. Kulemin is worth a free pickup at this point.

Carl Soderberg – Boston Bruins, Left Wing 25% Owned

Soderberg is in his first full NHL season, but the 28 year old has been playing pro hockey in Europe for years. His season debut was delayed due to injury and he has been slow to produce offense out of the gate with eight points in his first 15 games. However he has been playing better lately and had a multi-point game NOV 18 against Carolina. He is playing on the Bruins third line with Reilly Smith and Chris Kelly averaging over 13 minutes a game. His modest cap hit makes Soderberg a low risk fantasy option with decent offensive upside. Perhaps his game winning goal and assist against Carolina is a hint of what to come.

Peter Holland – Toronto Maple Leafs, Centre 24.6% Owned

Recently acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for Jesse Blacker, Holland provides the Leafs with some depth down the middle and relief for injured centers Dave Bolland and Tyler Bozak. Holland was a first round pick by the Ducks (15^th overall in 2009). In 21 NHL games last season Holland produced five points and didn’t look out of place. More impressively, he scored 39 points in 45 AHL games. This is also a contract year for Holland so expect him to use this opportunity to place a bid for a one way NHL contract next year. He is a keeper.

Luke Adam – Buffalo Sabres, Centre 12.3% Owned

Adam had fallen out of favor under the old regime in Buffalo. But with a clean slate, Adam will be given the opportunity to work his way back into a top six role. He has an impressive 18 points in his first 15 games this season in the AHL and the size at6’2”, 206 LBS that new Coach Ted Nolan loves. Adam was recalled to Buffalo on Nov 20^th and will play on the second line with Steve Ott and Zemgus Girgensons.

Brian Gibbons – Pittsburgh Penguins, Centre 7.4% Owned

Gibbons is an undrafted College find of the Penguins who signed him after he had two 50 point seasons in Hockey East with Boston College. After two average 30 point seasons in the AHL, Gibbons has exploded with 22 points in 15 games this season, and made his NHL debut. All he did in his first game was score a goal and an assist, not bad. He is small at 5’8” 160 LBS but is very skilled and great hockey sense. He is certainly running hot right now and is well worth a gamble, ride out this hot streak and hope it lasts the whole season.