Fulfilling your fantasy, Fin

By KiPA

Heh heh. Yeah. So here's finally the last installment of who in the NHL I believe merits serious consideration for fantasy hockey teams.

Tampa Bay

Must-own: Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis
Probably should own: Vincent Lecavalier
Would've been worthy last year, this year not as much: Ryan Malone, Steve Downie
Add at your own risk: Simon Gagne

Comments: Lecavalier is not an elite offensive player any more. In fact, he's been downright disappointing the last couple of seasons. But he should still be capable of 25-30 goals and 65-70 points. Downie is a good source of PIMs. Malone was a disappointment in October but he's started to rebound. Teddy Purcell has been a little intriguing, as has defenseman Brett Clark at times, but I wouldn't scramble to get those guys. Clark's decent for hits and blocks too.

The goaltending is a mess. It was easily the worst in the league, although I think many people believed (as did I) that Dan Ellis would at least be competent. Dwayne Roloson had a hell of a debut before Pittsburgh torched him, but Roloson should probably be a good pick the rest of the season.

Toronto

This will be quick. You probably should own Phil Kessel and maybe Dion Phaneuf. That's it. Mikhail Grabovski's on a hot streak, and he, Clarke MacArthur and Kris Versteeg all could be on rosters but they're for depth, they're not going to provide consistent production. Tomas Kaberle is a decent bottom-end defenseman. Luke Schenn and Francois Beauchemin are good for hits and blocks. I'd stay away from the goalies. Colton Orr gives you PIMs.

Vancouver

Must-own: the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Roberto Luongo
Should own: Alexander Edler, Alex Burrows
Could own: Christian Ehrhoff, Mikael Samuelsson, Mason Raymond

Comments: The Canucks are similar to the Flyers; they're loaded. Samuelsson and Raymond are struggling but guys like Raffi Torres and even Jeff Tambellini are having surprisingly decent years. Not sure if Tambellini's production (9 goals, 15 points in just 25 games) will keep up but he's been fairly impressive in limited time. Kevin Bieksa has some potential on the blue line, as does Sami Salo, but Salo's always hurt so he's very much a risk. He hasn't played this season. Edler is a very good all-around (points, hits, blocks) defenseman.

Washington

Must-own: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Green
Should own: Whichever goalie Bruce Boudreau puts out there
Could own: Brooks Laich, John Carlson, Mike Knuble

Comments: Pretty straightforward. Last season, anyone in red, white and blue would've been a good pick, including guys like Eric Fehr or the since-traded Tomas Fleischmann. This year not as much, as perennial scorers like Knuble and to a certain extent Laich aren't having as prolific a season as they're used to. Semyon Varlamov, now healthy, seems to have made Michal Neuvirth obsolete in goal, but who knows with Boudreau.

I think that should just about do it. I somehow stretched out this series longer than Ilya Kovalchuk's free agency in the summer but I hope it might have illuminated some people, unless I'm playing against you in any of my leagues, in which case, why did I do this?