Zdeno Chara – McKeen's Hockey

Home Brewin’ – Boston Bruins 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:33:11 +0000

Review/State of Play - In their first full season under coach Bruce Cassidy they improved by 17 points over 2016-17 finishing fourth in the NHL and second in their division. It was their 10^th 50^-winseason in their history, the most by any NHL team. Bowed out of the playoffs in the second round losing to Tampa Bay 4 – 1 after defeating Toronto in seven games in the first round.

The Bruins have remained a competitive team while adding a remarkable group of rookies in a textbook example of rebuilding on the fly. With its core in place and still functioning at an elite level they added a significant amount of youth in key roles throughout the line-up. Third year in his reshaping of the team Bruce Cassidy filled in around the edges with an eye to further development from within.

Brad Marchand

Dominating trio - Bruins were only one of two teams (Toronto) to feature three 30 goal scorers in Brad Marchand (34),David Pastrnak (35) and Patrice Bergeron (30). Marchand and Bergeron have been the leagues best shut down pair for many years, as brilliant defensively as they are offensively. Dominating on both special teams, along with Zdeno Chara, they led the leagues third best penalty kill (83.7%) – and can strike given an opportunity - Marchand boasts 23 career shorthanded goals – the most of any player since he entered the league. They rank first, second and third in the NHL in plus/minus since the 2010-11 season (Marchand +185, Bergeron (+166), Chara (+157). Bergeron was second in the league in CF% (56.8). The power play finished fourth in the league (23.5%) and they tied for 5^th in overtime wins (12) led by Marchand tying a league record for OT goals (5).

The need for secondary scoring after the top line was a concern heading into the season, but they received surprising rookie support. They had eight players who scored their first NHL goal leading the NHL by a wide margin with 58 goals coming from rookies (21.6% of the team’s goals). Danton Heinen and Jake Debrusk were fifth and seventh in team scoring, each scoring 16 goals in 77 and 70 games respectively. Debrusk would add another six in the playoffs in 12 games. Charlie McAvoy would have been in the Calder conversation if injury had not cut his season short and was on a 42-point pace over 82 games. Grelczyk on the back end played 16:44 a night in 61 games on the blueline while Kuraly held down a fourth line role with 12:15 per game and earning a regular spot in the line-up.

The kids are alright – They will be adding further youth to the forward group in exciting prospect and goal scorer Ryan Donato, who could be a Calder candidate next season. He contributed five goals and nine points in 12 games with the big club after scoring 26 goals in 29 games in his final season at Harvard. He has the potential to be an important top six contributor and was paired largely with David Krejci. The two along with DeBrusk, another frequent linemate of Krejci, should form an effective second line. Krejci looked rejuvenated last season and played at a high level.

Another candidate for a scoring role will be Anders Bjork, who was a promising scorer in college hockey and appeared in 30 games. He will be given every opportunity to earn a spot in the middle six. The departure of Rick Nash opens an opportunity on right wing for one of the youngsters which will also include his 3:18 time per game on the power play.

Towering Defense - The defense is led by stalwart ageless giant 42-year-old Zdeno Chara and offensive dynamo Torey Krug. Krug delivered points and 37 points in his final 39 games while Chara led the team with 22:54 minutes per game and was third in the league with 3:39 shorthanded ice time. Chara and dynamic sophomore McAvoy now form the team’s top pairing and Krug was simply one of the top offensive defensemen in the league from November on. He was paired with 21-year-old sophomore Brandon Carlo giving the Bruins an impressive top four that features two players under 21 (McAvoy is 20). It is a solid group in front of Tuukka Rask that finished fourth in the league in goals against last season.

Rask played in 54 games, the lowest since 2012-13, hadn’t played less that 64 games prior. The goal was to keep him fresh at 32 for the stretch run and playoffs. In the offseason they added Jaroslav Halak, who appeared in 54 games last season as the back up and should also appear in good number of games and some security in case of injury.

Outlook - The team is solid in all three areas, forward, defense and goal. The challenge will be emerging from a very tough Atlantic Division that includes the team that eliminated them last time, Tampa Bay, and Toronto who added John Tavares to a team that took the Bruins seven games to beat in last seasons playoffs.

Fantasy Hockey Mailbag — November Begins

Chris Wassel — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 19:14:56 +0000

October has come and gone. It is hard to believe but Daylight Savings Time is a thing of the past too. We will not look back at October for now but there are a few questions that have come via social media err Twitter. It is a time of year where teams start to play more games and this is about the time of year where injuries and frustrations really begin to mount.

Also, fantasy owners begin to notice rookies that have performed well about this time of season. Then there is inevitably questions on when they will hit the wall or if they hit it. Some rookies just do not at all. Then there are the hot and cold starts from some of the more well established names and of course there are always trade and waiver wire questions.

Now we bring you a few of those questions. It is time for the mailbag.

Fantasy Hockey Mailbag

Who do you think has been the most surprising rookie so far?

You can make a case for quite a few players in October but for me, Filip Forsberg has topped them all. The young Swede is the real pivot on that James Neal line and has been quite a godsend for fantasy hockey owners. This 20 year old has a goal and seven assists for the Nashville Predators and is a rookie leading +11. I will never understand why Washington gave up on him so quickly just for a fix but Forsberg just has an eye for setting up players. There were people that thought the youngster could be good but not this good, this fast. Yes, he did have a solid 34 points campaign in 47 games for the Milwaukee Admirals but the NHL is a different game and in a very tough division.

https://twitter.com/gSchroedes16/status/526913295052472320

Again, that says it all for Nashville and Washington. Although the trade did allow the Capitals to make room for a couple rookies of their own. Either way, will Forsberg be this hot going forward? That is unknown. However, so far he has been so good. The bottom line is if he continues to get ice time with James Neal along with first line ice time, I say why not.

Do you ever remember this many key defensemen going down to injury this early in the season? Are there options out there?

Honestly, 2010 was a pretty high event year as far as injuries and looking back that year saw some huge losses among defensive corps. This year has been tougher in some ways because the fantasy hockey options that are "Plan B's" seem to be getting hurt also. The three biggest losses in October and November 1st have been Victor Hedman, Zdeno Chara, and Ryan McDonagh. Those would be a hand, knee, and shoulder injuries respectively. Each one is or will be out almost a month when all is said and done. The blessing is at least it happened now and not later. No one in fantasy hockey says that however.

Then most people scrambled to their Plan B's and they picked up Torey Krug or tried to trade for him in a lot of leagues. They even picked up Dougie Hamilton. Obviously Krug had his finger nearly slashed off by Zach Parise and Hamilton has had mixed results so far in Chara and now Krug's absence. It is tough to lose that big a chunk of your defense. Just ask Tuukka Rask how it feels right now. I also know that people tried to sneak James Wisniewski off the waiver wire or acquire him. That did not work either as he broke a finger last week. Even Jare Spurgeon was looking promising when even he succumbed to a trip to the IR.

There were others but I will spare you the gory details. If you still find a league that has Damon Severson on the waiver wire, go pick him up. Look at Ryan Ellis in Nashville if you have to. The options are there but honestly if you do not have a Plan C, D, or even E, there may be trouble on your fantasy hockey horizon. We have time for one more.

Are you going to be answering more daily fantasy hockey questions for the mailbag?

Yes I am! If you have the questions, I will answer them. Like I said in the beginning, I don't hide! Now DFS has been quite the challenge this year. October has been filled with more trap doors and pitfalls than I can count. However, I have pulled in a decent amount of money. Honestly, my money put out is not huge but occasionally I pick my spots in bigger cash or GPP tourneys. Conventional stack plays have not been working and on Sunday a lot of people had an early Los Angeles-Detroit stack of players that largely came up producing less than expected.

Whether it is a short (2-5 games), medium (6-9), or large slate (10+) of games, we will try to have plays from a variety of daily sites. Every site has different scoring rules so if you do have a question then please include the platform. There are lots of nuances to learn and over the next five months, we will try to answer those questions as well. Expect at least one DFS question per week here on the mailbag. One of the side questions I did get is which nights do you prefer playing?

Generally, I like playing on nights where there are few or a lot of games. Everyone is different but that medium slate of games fouls me up most of the time or I second guess myself.

Good luck this week and keep those questions coming. Thanks for reading!

Fantasy Hockey Mailbag — A Scary Monday

Chris Wassel — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:09:42 +0000

This week is Halloween. Granted, it is not until Friday but you get the idea. It has been a scary week for fantasy hockey owners yet again. There will probably be one question about an injury from now until the playoffs and maybe beyond.

It is time to dig into the mailbag and pull out three questions. That sounds like a nice, round number. Hopefully I can help you this week and maybe hey, I can learn a few things too. Humble pie never hurt anyone at all. Let's dig in!

Fantasy Hockey Mailbag Time

1. It was one thing for Victor Hedman to go down with an injury but now Zdeno Chara is out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury. What in the heck do I do?

This one admittedly hit a lot of us in the gut but if you were unlucky enough to have both of these guys then ouch does not do this justice. Sometimes the fantasy sports world can be so cruel and there is little left to do but find a way around it. However, an owner should be thankful that the early portion of the season is a bit spread out. November does start to get congested for some teams (New Jersey has five back to backs) but at least the injuries are not worse. Chara was feared to have multiple torn ligaments. Fortunately, it was only the PCL. That is not so bad.

So knowing that Zdeno Chara might be back before Thanksgiving is a glimmer of hope. In the meantime, what do you do? First of all, see if T.J. Brodie is available from the Calgary Flames. He is paired with Mark Giordano and that means not only possession goodness but points. I am also seeing if Damon Severson of New Jersey is available anywhere or hell, I am making a trade for him. Then why not look right up to Boston and see if maybe Torey Krug or Dougie Hamilton is on the wire.

Again if this was a season long injury, the players you would try to pick up would be different. Keep that in mind when a more dire malady occurs because they surely will at some juncture.

2. Who do I keep between David Backes, Tyler Toffoli, and Patric Hornqvist? (I get to choose two of the three).

Hey, this is like multiple choice where you can fill in two bubbles. Thanks to Kenny Mulligan for the question by the way. Here is the problem. I know that David Backes has dual position eligibility and that is a good thing (C/RW). However, is his upside enough to offset the potential of Tyler Toffoli and Patric Hornqvist? That is an excellent question.

My problem is this. Patric Hornqvist is a high volume shooter playing with a high volume play maker(s). When you can be flanked with Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin, that has to help, right? Exactly! Hornqvist will stay right around a point a game as long as he stays healthy. Tyler Toffoli plays on "That 70's line" which accounts for 16 of the 21 Kings goals on the season. Yes they will slow down eventually but will that be enough to make Backes viable? I am not so sure of that.

Also, David Backes can be prone to a calamity as well. St. Louis plays a very grinding style and the points are spread all around. That is another strike against Backes. Even though he may possess more value in other categories, his limits on durability could come into question. His knack for power play goals intrigues me but the fact that he has stayed healthy for so long hits the pessimist side of me.

If it is a non-keeper league, I actually hold on to Backes and Hornqvist. For one year I can live with Backes running wild and doing his thing. However, in keeper leagues, I keep Toffoli and Hornqvist because of the years of prosperity ahead. Give me serenity now!

3. Do I play Ondrec Pavelec against New Jersey this week?

This one almost had to come from a New Jersey fan. It had to, didn't it? Whenever the Winnipeg Jets play New Jersey, they seem to look like playoff perennials. Pavelec has a sub 2.00 GAA and a save percentage near .940 in his last four starts against the Devils (3-0-1 record). I had to look this up three times to even remotely believe it.

Yes we can spin small sample sizes until we are blue in the face but Winnipeg has this weird effect against New Jersey. They just play better. Evander Kane often looks like the fantasy hockey stud he should be. Magically, the puck finds its way past New Jersey goaltenders and not past Pavelec quite as often. Now, Ondrej Pavelec has also altered between good and bad starts so if the theory holds true, then Thursday should be a good start. Personally, the Jets play a style that often frustrates New Jersey much like how Buffalo plays San Jose for whatever, strange reason.

It sounds crazy but I actually play Pavelec on Thursday. Now, let me have it New Jersey and fantasy hockey fans!

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That is enough for now. See you next Monday with more of your questions. As always, you can fire off comments, questions, and more on Twitter @ChrisWasselTHW or right here on the site. Bring the heat hockey fans!

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

NHL Fantasy: Stretch run studs and duds

Carl Lemelin — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 13:00:24 +0000

This is an odd time of year for fantasy owners making roster decisions for the stretch run. For one, dealing the fall-out from the Olympic break is an unusual challenge: injuries, fatigue, broken momentum and a readjustment period are all real issues players need to deal with at the moment. But the A.O. (After-Olympics) isn’t all negative. Some players will benefit from a boost of confidence gained from a solid showing in Sochi.

Then there is the upcoming trade deadline (this Wednesday): Who will be moved? Where? How will the traded players’ performance be affected by the move? How will the move affect their former teammates or their new ones? I won’t pretend I have the answers to all these questions, but I will attempt to identify some late-push studs you should ride and some duds who should be riding the pine.

STUDS

Jarome Iginla (RW) – BOS: The vet is having a revitalizing campaign playing for a contender. This former Olympian was probably very happy to surrender his spot to a younger Canadian this time around. At 36, a power forward needs the rest at the three quarter mark of the season. A nice vacation combined with a spot on the first line and PP unit, centered by playmaking wizard David Krejci, should result in a solid final quarter.

Nathan MacKinnon (C-RW) – COL: The leading Calder Trophy candidate has been moved up to the top line (with Olympians Paul Stastny and Gabriel Landeskog). If his linemates feel any fatigue from the Games, this is the guy to inject some juice back in their legs. This time of year is usually when we expect rookies to hit the proverbial wall at the highest level, but the two week break may have been a blessing for MacKinnon. He only seems to be improving with every game he plays (5 assists and 11 SOG in three games since “Game Back On”).

Mikael Granlund (C) – MIN: I called it in our Olympic previews: “I believe these Olympics will be Granlund’s coming out party.” Well, he tied for third in tournament scoring with a 3-4-7, +3 line in 6 games against the best in the world. I do believe we have a new star. Mikko Koivu’s lingering injury might give the super-skilled Granlund an opportunity to grab hold of the number one center job and run away with it. He has a point in each of his two games (1-1) since his return to the Wild lineup.

Ryan Miller (G) – STL: It had been rumoured since before the break, now it’s done. Miller’s move to St-Louis obviously gives his fantasy value a huge boost. Not only in basic leagues, in which wins are gold, but Miller’s chances to earn shutouts are now vastly improved and his odds of suffering clunkers of 4 or more GA are greatly reduced for game-by-game, Sv. Pct. leagues. He was already worthy of Vezina consideration. Miller now has a realistic chance of beating out current favorite Ben Bishop. Of course, for completely opposite reasons, Jaroslav Halak should now be permanently benched.

DUDS

Kyle Okposo (RW) – NYI: Possibly the single biggest Olympic event in terms of its fantasy impact was John Tavares’ crippling knee injury. No player will feel the brunt of this critical Islander setback more than Okposo. His emergence as a top-flight power forward this season should not be overlooked, but much of this breakthrough is owed to the impact an elite player like Tavares exerts on his linemates. Okposo is still a player on the rise, but don’t expect as much consistency in his production the rest of this season.

Zdeno Chara (D) – BOS: Coming off a shockingly underwhelming Olympic showing in which the Slovak giant looked either uninspired and/or anemic. Whichever it was, the bottom line is that his owners should be worried (and I include Bruins’ owner Jeremy Jacobs in that group). It certainly seems like Chara’s dominant perennial Norris-contending days are over; plus Torey Krug now gets most of the PP point opportunities from the defense position.

Carey Price (G) – MON: This benching notice may be temporary, depending upon developments on the injury front. A groin strain for a goalie is always tricky, especially since it was revealed Price had been dealing with it since sometime in December. Despite the confidence boost he should receive from his Olympic dream experience, I would definitely advise his owners to wait a few games after his return to action before taking a chance on him as a starting option.