By KiPA
Part two of one person's list of fantasy-worthy players for each NHL team. Today's post features another six teams. To clarify things a little, these are players I'd consider owning but is not a complete list of fringe guys who might get hot here and there. I'm no expert, I just watch a lot of hockey and play a lot of fantasy hockey.
It's occurred to me that this would've been even better to do before the season to maybe help people out. Then again, that might've made it tougher for me to win. Plus it's less an advice guide and just a simple listing, especially since some players had their places affected by the first two months of the season.
Colorado
Must-own: Craig Anderson
Should own: Paul Stastny, Chris Stewart, John-Michael Liles
Could own: Matt Duchene
PIMs guy: Cody McLeod
Comments: If I did this list in the preseason, there's no way Liles would even be on it, let alone as "should own." But he's playing that well these days. Duchene probably should be owned too, certainly in keeper leagues. He's not having a spectacular sophomore season but it's not horrid either. Milan Hejduk is growing old but could be worth owning.
Columbus
Must-own: Rick Nash
Should own: This is a real tough call, but none.
Could own: Steve Mason, Mathieu Garon, Antoine Vermette, Jakub Voracek
PIMs guy: Jared Boll, Derek Dorsett
Deeper picks: Derrick Brassard, R.J. Umberger
Comments: Mason and Garon are almost "should own" players; Mason is sometimes stellar but his inconsistency and tendency to have four-, five-goal games is a problem. And Garon's status suffers because it's a goalie rotation at best for him. I'm sure they prefer Mason gets the bulk of the starts. Vermette adds even more value when factoring in his faceoff success. Jan Hejda is a guy to look to for hits and blocks; Rostislav Klesla is a very good blocker.
Dallas
Must-own: Brad Richards, Loui Eriksson
Should own: James Neal, Brenden Morrow
Probably should own: Mike Ribeiro, Kari Lehtonen, Stephane Robidas
Could own: Steve Ott, Jamie Benn
Comments: I really want the Penguins to get just one of those wingers. Sheesh. Let's see. Lehtonen's hot and cold; you never know what you'll get from him. Ott is a surprisingly valuable fantasy player in everything. He sees power play time, he gets an occasional shorthanded goal, he's decent on faceoffs, he's a solid hitter and of course, he's a big PIMs producer. Ribeiro is starting to heat up with the goals. Robidas is another good all-around producer in points, blocks and hits. This is actually a pretty nice team to look to for fantasy players.
Detroit
Must-own: Jimmy Howard, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Johan Franzen
Should own: Henrik Zetterberg
Could own: Todd Bertuzzi, Niklas Kronwall, Tomas Holmstrom
Grit players: Brad Stuart (hits, blocks)
Comments: Zetterberg is a little overrated as a fantasy force, if you ask me. He's very capable, don't get me wrong. But he's not an elite offensive force; only once has he had a 90-point season. He does provide excellent value with faceoffs though. Another problem is his health. He's not a huge injury risk but you can normally pencil him in to miss a handful or more of games. Also, look elsewhere if you want PIMs. This team doesn't have those.
Edmonton
Must-own: None
Should own: None
Probably should own: Taylor Hall, Ryan Whitney
Could own: Jordan Eberle, Ales Hemsky, Dustin Penner
Comments: In standard, year-to-year leagues, no Oiler should be on someone's roster. In keeper leagues, Hall, Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi are worth looks. But the Oilers are so bad, it's pretty barren for fantasy hockey consideration. Whitney is the closest in standard leagues because he's a defenseman who's putting up nearly a point per game. You'll notice no goalie made this list. There's a reason for that. I'll let you figure it out. Theo Peckham is a decent grit guy.
Florida
Must-own: None
Should own: Tomas Vokoun
Could own: David Booth
You could do worse: Stephen Weiss, Michael Frolik, Bryan McCabe, Dennis Wideman
Comments: It's possible that Florida is an even worse source of fantasy players than Edmonton. One difference is Vokoun is a very capable No. 2 goalie, mainly because the Panthers tend to give up over 30 shots a game and he gets a high save percentage. He steals games occasionally too. In the preseason, Booth and Weiss would've been "should own" but since I'm doing this list just after Thanksgiving, neither is very worthy of a spot. Florida doesn't even have someone to get PIMs. Basically, stay away from Florida unless it's Vokoun, and even then, make sure he's not your No. 1.
More teams later, probably Sunday.
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