By KiPA
When Calgary's Mark Giordano took a holding penalty in Friday's game at Philadelphia, my first thought was, "Good, I should own most of the Flyers on the ice right now." I'm serious. That got me thinking: Which teams have the most fantasy hockey-worthy players on their roster?
The first of a multi-part series looks at seven teams in alphabetical order.
Anaheim
Must-own: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Lubomir Visnovsky
Should own: Jonas Hiller, Teemu Selanne
Could own: Saku Koivu
Depending on the league: George Parros (PIMs); Toni Lydman, Paul Mara, Andy Sutton (hits, blocked shots)
Comments: Hiller's early-season struggles (3.13 GAA, more losses than wins in October, occasionally lost starts to Curtis McElhinny) kept him off the must-own list. Keeper leagues can look at Cam Fowler. Koivu adds more value in leagues with faceoff wins.
Atlanta
Must-own: Dustin Byfuglien.
Should own: None.
Could own: Ondrej Pavelec, Andrew Ladd, Tobias Enstrom, Evander Kane, Rich Peverley, Nik Antropov
Wouldn't berate you for owning: Zach Bogosian
Comments: I wouldn't have Byfuglien as must-own if he wasn't eligible as a defenseman. The points he's putting up though can't be overlooked, especially as a blue liner. Pavelec and Enstrom just missed earning "should own" status; need to see both guys do it for longer. Same with Ladd. Kane's a good pick for keeper leagues, as is Bogosian, who's been a stud-in-the-making for what seems like three years now but it hasn't happened yet. Trust me, I keep drafting the SOB.
Boston
Must-own: Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara
Should own: Tuukka Rask
Could own: Nathan Horton, Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic
Depending on the league: Dennis Seidenberg (hits, blocks, occasional offense)
Comments: Even with a healthy Marc Savard, I don't think any Bruin forward should be owned in every league. Their offense is woeful. Lucic is starting to score more but isn't getting PIMs. (Quick aside: I strongly disagree with the presence of PIMs in fantasy leagues. Now that Hits is becoming a common stat, that's a much better indicator of toughness if you ask me.) Bergeron's a good faceoff guy. Tyler Seguin will get there eventually, I'm sure, but not yet.
Buffalo
Must-own: Ryan Miller
Should own: Derek Roy, Tyler Myers
Could own: Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly, Jordan Leopold, Jason Pominville, Tyler Ennis
Depending on the league: Steve Montador (hits, blocks)
Comments: Despite the struggles, Miller is still a really good goalie, even if not many people seemed to realize this until the Olympics. Myers looks more like the kid he is but he's not having a horrid season. Pominville's was derailed in part by a concussion. Ennis is worth looks in keeper leagues for sure. Vanek is one-dimensional and isn't good any more at that one dimension. I guess the potential for Vanek is always there so maybe he should be in the "should own" list. Or maybe not.
Calgary
Must-own: None. Yeah, you heard me. None.
Should own: Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Rene Bourque
Could own: Mark Giordano, Alex Tanguay
Do not own if you want to win your league: Olli Jokinen, Jay Bouwmeester
Comments: Age is catching up to Iginla and the Flames suck, so Kiprusoff's numbers are going to suffer. That's why I consider neither as must-own. In fact, I've considered cutting Iginla in multiple leagues. I haven't, but still. As a former owner of Bouwmeester, I'm seeing, well, I'm seeing flames, so let's move on.
Carolina
Must-own: Eric Staal
Should own: Cam Ward
Could own: Jeff Skinner, Jussi Jokinen, Joni Pitkanen, Joe Corvo
Depending on the league: Tuomo Ruutu (hits), Tim Gleason (hits, blocks)
Comments: Skinner is an excellent keeper pick. Performances like Friday's against Boston is why Ward is "should own" but be warned that Carolina's prone to giving up a ton of goals.
Chicago
Must-own: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Patrick Sharp
Should own: Marty Turco (probably)
Could own: Brent Seabrook, Viktor Stahlberg
Depending on the league: Nick Boynton, Niklas Hjalmarsson (both blocks)
Comments: The "could own" list could've been lengthy. Basically anyone who plays alongside Toews, Kane, Hossa and Sharp could pick up points by osmosis. Troy Brouwer for one. He's also a good hitter. Turco has not been good but he's gotten the majority of the starts.
We'll stop here since this post is getting rather beefy. Stay tuned for the remaining teams.
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