Mike Cammalleri – McKeen's Hockey

Training Camp Notes – October 3rd, 2017

Ryan Dadoun — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 22:25:53 +0000

Anaheim

Ryan Getzlaf – Sustained a lower-body injury last week and hasn’t resumed skating yet. A couple days back Ducks coach Randy Carlyle did say on Saturday that he expected Getzlaf to play in the opener, but that’s on Thursday so we’re cutting it pretty close now.

Patrick Eaves – Didn’t end up playing in any preseason games. His lower-body injury might keep him out of the season opener as well. He’s another player Carlyle projected to be available for the opener while speaking on Saturday though, so we’ll see.

Arizona

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Good news on this front. His recovery from his knee injury has progressed to the point where he’s been practicing with the Coyotes. It looks like he’ll be ready for the season opener.

Antti Raanta –A lower-body injury kept him out of the Coyotes’ last preseason game. He practiced with Arizona on Sunday though, so he’ll probably be fine for the opener.

Boston

Torey Krug – The Bruins are hoping that his jaw injury only sidelines him for the first three-to-five regular season games. In the meantime, he has been skating. For what it’s worth, when he does return he’ll be wearing a protective mask.

Buffalo

Benoit Pouliot – Was on a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo during Sunday’s practice. He had been practicing as a bottom-six forward previously, so it will be interesting to see if he ends up on that unit to start the campaign.

Zemgus Girgensons – It was bad news for Girgensons. He was previously on Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo’s line, but Girgensons was knocked down to the third unit with Sam Reinhart and Jason Pominville. The Sabres’ third line has potential though.

Rasmus Ristolainen – After averaging 26:28 minutes per game last season (up from 25:17 minutes in 2015-16), Sabres coach Phil Housley wants to cut Ristolainen down to 22-23 minutes per game. The hope is that will keep him fresher for the final stretch.

Calgary

Jaromir Jagr – Signed a one-year contract with Calgary that comes with a $1 million base salary. Not sure what line Jagr plays for, but here’s a fun aside: Jagr was drafted the same year as Matthew Tkachuk’s father Keith. Keith Tkachuk retired seven years ago.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak – His hip/back problems remain something of a mystery. On Monday Hurricanes coach Bill Peters remarked, "We've got to get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later." Stempniak is questionable for the season opener and how much time he might miss beyond that seems like anybody’s guess.

Chicago

Connor Murphy – Sustained a lower-body injury on Saturday and didn’t practice on Monday as a result. It’s not clear if he’ll be available for the opener.

Colorado

Jonathan Bernier – As mentioned before, he sustained a groin injury on Sept. 25. The good news is that he resumed practicing with the team on Monday.

Columbus

Brandon Dubinsky – Got into the preseason finale on Saturday after missing all the previous exhibition contests due to a wrist injury. He should be fine for the season opener.

Pierre-Luc Dubois – Although the Blue Jackets have experimented with using him as a center, it looks like he’ll be serving as a left winger to start the campaign. His projected linemates are Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Calvert.

Boone Jenner – His back injury will keep him out of the season opener. Beyond that there’s no timetable for his return. He hasn’t skated with the Blue Jackets yet.

Detroit

David Booth – Signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Red Wings. It sounds like he’ll be in the lineup for the season opener, probably alongside Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening.

Florida

Owen Tippett – He’ll be part of the Panthers’ roster for the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The downside is that it might be as a fourth line forward, so he might not be a fantasy factor for a while still.

Los Angeles

Mike Cammalleri/Jonny Brodzinski – The two might find themselves on either side of Anze Kopitar to begin the season. Obviously that would be great news for both of them, but it’d be a particularly big opportunity for the rookie Brodzinski.

Minnesota

Zach Parise – Is now expected to miss the first two games of the regular season due to his back problem. He also missed the Wild’s whole preseason schedule.

Nashville

Viktor Arvidsson – There’s been talk of him not opening the season with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg. Two potential candidates to replace him on the top line would be Kevin Fiala and Scott Hartnell. None of that’s been finalized yet though.

New Jersey

Jimmy Hayes – More of an FYI because he doesn’t have fantasy value, but he did earn a one-year, $700,000 contract with New Jersey after attending the Devils’ training camp on a PTO.

Pavel Zacha – He’s getting a big opportunity off the bat as he’s projected to open on a line with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. It’s not set in stone, but Devils coach John Hynes called it a “strong possibility.

NY Rangers

Kevin Shattenkirk – It’s not surprising, but it looks like Shattenkirk will be paired with Ryan McDonagh to start the season.

NY Islanders

Jordan Eberle – Another bit of anticipated, but nice to be basically confirmed news is that Eberle will be starting the campaign alongside John Tavares. The third member of that unit should be Anders Lee. Islanders coach Doug Weight has been happy with that trio so far.

Ottawa

Derick Brassard – Has been cleared for contact, so he might be able to play in the season opener. He’s been recovering from a shoulder injury.

Erik Karlsson – Still dealing with a foot injury, it’s now very unlikely that he’ll play in the opener. Not sure when he’ll be back.

Philadelphia

December 5, 2015:Philadelphia Flyers Defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) moves the puck out of the Flyers zone in the first period during the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

Shayne Gostisbehere – Sustained an upper-body injury during Sunday’s game. There hasn’t been an update yet, but he did join the Flyers’ flight to San Jose (ahead of Wednesday’s opener), so you could take that as an encouraging sign.

Travis Sanheim/Sam Morin – They were battling for a spot on the roster, but if Gostisbehere isn’t available then they could both stay on the roster for now. Fellow rookie defenseman Robert Hagg did make the roster so he should remain with the squad regardless of Gostisbehere’s status.

San Jose

Joe Thornton – He made his preseason debut on Saturday, clearing the way for him to participate in the opener. He underwent knee surgery to repair a torn ACL/MCL.

St. Louis

Scottie Upshall – Not of much fantasy relevance, but he did sign a one-year contract with the Blues. He began on a PTO with Vancouver, but found an opportunity with the Blues instead due to their injuries. Upshall is likely to enter the season on the fourth line alongside Kyle Brodziak and Chris Thorburn.

Washington

Tom Wilson – He’ll have a hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) for boarding the Blues’ Sam Blais. He already served a two-game preseason suspension over interference, so maybe this will be a harsher punishment as a result.

Brooks Orpik – Capitals coach Barry Trotz is tentatively planning to pair Orpik up with John Carlson to open the season. Orpik usually played alongside Nate Schmidt last season, but he’s not with the team anymore. Similarly, Carlson’s most common 2016-17 partner, Karl Alzner, is also gone.

Jakub Vrana – Not set in stone, but there’s a chance that Vrana not only opens the season with the Capitals, but does so on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Winnipeg

Matt Hendricks – Is on the injured reserve after sustaining an undisclosed injury during Wednesday’s preseason contest. He’s regarded as day-to-day.

Andrew Copp – Suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s preseason contest. Jets coach Paul Maurice hasn’t ruled out Copp for the season opener though.

Let’s Make a Deal

Carl Lemelin — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 13:45:30 +0000

Thirty games or so are in the books and we have a much better read of things than when the season began. Time to assess our roster and determine who out there is about to take off, because in fantasy sports we’re in the business of value speculation. It may be now or never for the trade that could be the difference between second place and the Big Prize everyone seeks.

Here are some ideal “buy low” and “sell high” candidates at the moment.

BUY LOW

Mike Cammalleri (LW) – CAL: The sniper is in a funk with only 2 points in his last 8 games. This is a contract year for the 31 y/o and the Flames, although a competitive group, clearly are not a playoff team. That means Cammalleri will be moved to a team that will have a much better supporting cast, especially where the winger makes his money, the PP (Calgary’s ranks 24^th at 15%). Take advantage of a trigger-happy owner right now, before Cammy starts another scoring streak!

Mats Zuccarello (RW) – NYR: OK maybe this guy is hot right now (3-3-6 in his last 5 games) and may not look more like trade bait than a “buy low” candidate, but I believe in “The Hobbit’s” staying power. At 26, this could just be the tip of the iceberg for this offensive dynamo. The former Swedish Elite League scoring champ has uncanny vision and finally has a coach who gets him and is giving him all the ice-time and offensive responsibility he’s been craving. If you’re in a keeper league, go after him before his current owner realizes exactly what he has.

Matt Moulson (LW) – BUF: After registering 4 multi-point games in his first 8 games as a Sabre, the pending UFA has considerably cooled off (2-1-3 in his last 10 games). Make no mistake, he was acquired to be moved and parlayed into a prospect/draft picks bonanza for the troubled Buffalo franchise. Much like Cammalleri, Moulson will soon find himself in a much better scoring environment. A 4-7-11 line in 17 games for a team on record pace for offensive mediocrity (1.60 G/G) is still impressive. An impulsive fantasy owner may be an easy prey for you here to make a steal of deal.

SELL HIGH

Mark Giordano (D) – CAL: The Flames’ new captain came back from injury as hot as he was before, scoring a goal and assisting on another in his first game back. He is currently the only defenseman in the league to average a point-a-game (11-3-8-11). The 7-year veteran’s best season was in 2010-11 (82-8-35-43) and his career PPG average is 0.41. He is “Mister Everything” for Calgary, therefore he can never focus strictly on his offensive game; his point production has always come in bunches and this fast start is just one of those bunches. Time to get as much value back for this asset as you can.

Semyon Varlamov (G) – COL: This one may have come one game too late (coming off an awful 8 GA performance), but Varlamov is still having a career year (13-7-0 and .923 SP). If you can identify an owner desperate for goaltending, the 25 y/o is at the peak of his potential value; even more so in keeper leagues. Focus going forward may become difficult, with the pending trial and possibility of deportation on his mind. Another issue that may hurt Varlamov’s numbers going forward is that the Colorado defense is starting to revert to what we thought they would be before the Avs shot out of the gate with that great October run.

Jaromir Jagr (RW) – NJD: At 41 there is no getting around the likelihood of a dip in Jagr’s PPG in the season’s second half. Yet his line of 31-11-13-24, +9 is very appealing to someone in need of a boost on the wing. You could get much more for Jagr however in a seasonal format rather than a keeper league. The fact that the Devils are an unlikely candidate to acquire offensive help before the deadline is yet another reason to parlay the big Czech into a bigger asset.

Buyer Beware – Don’t Overvalue

Carl Lemelin — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:09:18 +0000

DO NOT OVERVALUE

My last posting dealt with players that might be under-valued or underrated fantasy assets going into the 2013-14 season. But what about those players that may be overrated? As a fantasy team owner, identifying overvalued stars is at least as important as trying to find those hidden gems at the draft. In fact, there are probably more championships lost via ill-advised early round picks than won because of later rounds strokes of genius.

There are many reasons why your opponents tend to overrate the pre-season fantasy value of a player: reputation, career stats, projected line-ups, overall team outlook and media hype surrounding the player. Conversely, some critical factors are too often overlooked: age, injury concerns, career trends, actual value versus fantasy value, and chemistry issues as they relate to the type of player.

Here are the players I feel you should think twice before drafting too soon or paying too much for (in the case of salary cap and auction type leagues).

1- Nathan Horton (RW) – CLB: Was viewed as one of the top free agents from this year’s crop and was awarded a huge 7-year deal by the Jackets at a $5.3M cap hit. His career best PPG (0.87) came in his final season in Florida (2009-10), in which he only played 65 games. Horton has never approached that kind of offensive prowess since. He isn’t expected back in the line-up until late-December and will be hard-pressed to find the playmaking centerman help he had in Boston when he does reintegrate the Columbus line-up. Superb playoff performer and key contributor on a contending team, but a risky fantasy proposition.

2- Jay Bouwmeester (D) – STL: Has always been a tantalizing skater and that’s what made him the 3^rd overall pick in the 2002 draft (Florida). Showed signs of an eventual offensive breakout when he averaged 41.75 points per season between 2005-06 and 2008-09; proceeded to average a measly 27.3 over the next three seasons. Jumped back up to approach the 40-point mark (pro-rated 38.4) last year, but an obvious lack of elite vision from the back-end along with a diminishing offensive role within the Blues line-up (Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo ahead of him) all but guarantee he won’t be able to maintain this kind of pace. Durable, but an unreliable source of offense.

3- Troy Brouwer (RW) – WAS: To the untrained eye, last season was a breakout for Brouwer: entering his prime at 28, he posted career-high numbers (0.70 PPG, pro-rated 33 goals). But that all came in a season where the Caps’ PP was on fire. Brouwer benefitted from the brilliant passing of Mike Ribeiro and Nicklas Backstrom on the man-advantage, where half his points came from. Also played on Ribeiro’s right most of the season. No more Ribeiro, no chance at 30 goals. Let someone else take a flyer on him in the third round.

4- Artem Anisimov (C) – CLB: We just mentioned the lack of elite playmaking skills in Columbus (see Nathan Horton). Anisimov has all the NHL-quality individual skills scouts rave about, but 4 years into his NHL career, it’s clear he lacks the offensive vision to help make his wingers better players. He is likely the Jackets’ no. 1 center yes, but there are no pass-first wingers on the roster that could help bolster his fantasy outlook this season.

5- Ryan Miller (G) – BUF: It may surprise you to learn that Miller has only authored one season with a SV Pct. of .920 or above (.929 in his Vezina Trophy winning season of 2009-10). In every other year, Miller has statistically been a very average goaltender. In leagues that put a premium on wins, he has always had the stamina to collect them in bunches on traditionally good Buffalo squads. But the Sabres are entering a semi-rebuild and will likely be overwhelmed in the newly formed, powerhouse Atlantic Division. Now 33, Miller simply isn’t worth wasting a high pick on anymore.

6- Devan Dubnyk (G) – EDM: Don’t get me wrong, I like Dubnyk as an up-and-coming talent in the crease. He recorded an impressive .920 SV Pct. last season on a weak defensive team (Oilers ranked 19^th with 2.73 GA/G). The problem is that most fantasy formats love the wins. Well, the Oilers have a new coach, are still learning how to win and are now in the toughest division in the league. They will get there, just not quite yet.

7- Jonas Brodin (D) - MIN: Overwhelmingly viewed as a snub when the NHL announced its Calder Trophy nominees last year, the youngest rearguard in the NHL had a stellar rookie campaign. The 10^th overall pick of the Wild two years ago lived up to the hype playing along-side stud Ryan Suter. Taking a closer look at the numbers however, we quickly realize that almost all of his offense came with the help of his All-Star playing partner (9 of his 11 points at ES). Brodin has no track-record for producing significant offense. He will be an NHL workhorse, but likely never become the true PP quarterback that fantasy owners seek.

8- Mike Cammalleri (LW) – CAL: Yes, he is coming off a nice bounce-back season; yes, he is still only 31; yes, he is clearly the offensive leader in Calgary; and yes I believe Cammalleri can repeat that same success. But after last year’s rebound, most will expect a return to the point-a-game player he was in the final season of his last stint in Cow-Town (2008-09). Cammalleri did find his sniper-type game, as we saw his patented one-timer from the RW dot on a more regular basis in 2013, but who will feed him those pin-point passes now that Alex Tanguay has been shipped to Colorado? At best expect 60-70 points, but only if Calder candidate Sven Baertschi proves ready to step in right away as a top PP unit playmaker.