By KiPA
We took a few days off from this, so let's get back to it. Again, this is less of a guide for fantasy hockey-worthy players on each team, since we're well into the season by now, just a listing.
Los Angeles
Must-own: Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty
Should own: Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
Could own: Justin Williams, Jack Johnson
Depends on league: Matt Greene (PIMs, hits, blocks), Wayne Simmonds (hits), Jonathan Bernier (keeper)
Comments: Doughty's the only real elite offensive talent but Kopitar, Brown (particularly in leagues with hits) and Williams are pretty good. Bernier's not doing anything with the time given to him but they're real high on him. He's a strict keeper league player.
Minnesota
Must-own: None.
Should own: Um. I guess Niklas Backstrom and Mikko Koivu.
Could own: Brent Burns.
Wouldn't berate you for owning: Martin Havlat, Matt Cullen, Marek Zidlicky.
Comments: Backstrom's horrid last three starts aside, he's been a stellar goalie. Koivu's faceoff skill adds to his value. Havlat's improving and Cullen and Zidlicky theoretically provide power play potential, but I'm not scrambling to get anyone on the Wild at this point. Greg Zanon's a good grit guy.
Montreal
Must-own: Carey Price
Should own: Mike Cammalleri, probably Tomas Plekanec
Could own: Brian Gionta, P.K. Subban, Andrei Kostitsyn
Not making the cut: Benoit Pouliot
Comments: This is not a potent offense, but Cammalleri's a sniper and Plekanec is coming off a good season. Subban's an excellent pick in keeper leagues. Josh Gorges is a great shot blocker.
Nashville
Must-own: I guess Pekka Rinne
Should own: Maybe Shea Weber
Could own: Cripes. Cal O'Reilly, Steve Sullivan, Patric Hornqvist
Grit players: Kevin Klein
Comments: This offense is even worse. Even Weber is struggling. This is as much a stay-away-from team as anyone except for Rinne. O'Reilly has been kind of sneaky good but there's no stampede for his services, if you take my meaning.
New Jersey, preseason
We're splitting the Devils into a "preseason" version and a "now" version.
Must-own: Martin Brodeur, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise
Should own: Travis Zajac, Jamie Langenbrunner
Could own: Patrik Elias, David Clarkson
Grit: Anton Volchenkov, Colin White
New Jersey, now
Grit: Anton Volchenkov, Colin White
Comments: That's it, that's the list. Kovalchuk maybe should be owned because he's got to break out at some point, right? But New Jersey's leading scorer, Elias, is ranked 130th in the league. Did you hear me? One hundred thirty. Johan Hedberg is playing very well right now, but you'd have to be super desperate to pick him up.
New York Islanders
Must-own: None
Should own: None
Could own: John Tavares, Matt Moulson, James Wisniewski, Zenon Konopka (PIMs, faceoffs)
Comments: Stay away for your own sanity.
New York Rangers
Must-own: Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik
Should own: None
Could own: Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan (especially if the league has hits and blocks), Alexander Frolov, Sean Avery
Roll the dice: Artem Anisimov, Michael Del Zotto, Brian Boyle
Comments: Gaborik is an elite talent, even if he's injured, so he's a risky pick. Dubinsky and Callahan are having good seasons. Anisimov was having a good year but he's recently been demoted to the fourth line; no telling what he'll turn into. Del Zotto is regressing as a defenseman. Boyle has 10 goals somehow and is also decent at faceoffs and PIMs.
Ottawa
Must-own: None
Should own: Um... no
Could own: Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Brian Elliott, Pascal Leclaire, Sergei Gonchar, Mike Fisher, Milan Michalek, Erik Karlsson
Grit/PIMs: Matt Carkner, Chris Neil, Chris Phillips
Comments: At this point, Ottawa is more a source for PIMs, hits or blocks than consistent offense. They have a lot of guys who have decent histories providing offense but it's not happening this season, except for Alfredsson. It's not a death knell to own Senators but there are better options. The goalies are so-so but you could do worse. Karlsson's having a nice rookie campaign; he's good for keeper leagues. Oh, I forgot to list Alexei Kovalev. Funny, huh?
I think that leaves us with nine teams. We'll split them up into two final parts in the coming days.
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