October 11, 2001
--------------------------
First off, I just want to thank everyone again for being apart of this already great fantasy hockey league, and I only see things getting better from here on out as the changes we've already made appear to be moves in the right directions and the new blood we've added should only help support the activity increase throughout the season.
Ok fellas.. Lets take a look at how things played out after the draft was completed and the season is FINALLY under way.
Lets grade each teams draft as well as a few other random factors. Starting with last place from 2010 and working our way through to the 'returning champ', Mr. Goldbloom.
I've given my personal takes on each team and I've also asked your co-commis to give his take on the squads as well. Most people know him as Hersh Kiper Jr., His Jew Fro precedes him...
Draft Grade: C+
-His depth at Center is strong along with the support on the wing with a few players having multiple position eligibility.
-Defense was not a huge focus for Paul, but he'll get enough contribution from Chara and a solid +/- from Timonen/Burns to make up for the lack of depth on the blueline.
-Goalie could be a bit of a concern as Quick could easily win 35+ games this season and become a top 3 fantasy goalie... OR... he could stumble a bit and concede the starting position to Bernier who could emerge as the shining star of that goaltending duo.
Team Name Grade: C
-Lack of creativity but it could be worse (See KStew's current team name)
Season Outlook:
Misses playoffs & winds up in the 7th or 8th spot due to goalies losing starts as the season wears on..
Hersh's Take: Like the freshman you gleefully titty-fucked in your fraternity closet, Paul's team is top heavy but not all there in the head. His first season of fantasy hockey sees him with two dynamic, game changing centers, a group of consistent veterans and a handful of breakout candidates. Unfortunately for Paul, his hockey knowledge is still in growth phase and until it matures, his team will continue to make regrettable decisions (the least of which is choking on a strong fantasy name).
Draft Grade: B+
-Again, the depth at Center is strong (this will be a theme for the year as the Center position is as deep as it's even been in fantasy hockey). Luke went with an interesting mix of wingers as he's got some proven veterans and some potential breakouts if they can stat healthy.
-His defensive corp could be one of the best in the league in terms of upside, with Weber, Myers, Carlson, Clitsome & Ellis (dropped after the draft). If Carlson/Clitsome get PP time and put up numbers, look out kids.
-In terms of net minders, Luke has, yet again, one of the best arsenal in the league with Price (as a 9th round keeper) and then Varly and Dubnyk. If the Oilers and Avalanche can maintain some sense of defense in that powerful west conference, Luke has a chance to put up victories each and every week in the goalie cats.
Team Name Grade: D-
It's getting old people.. yes I know this is a new season and you might not have had time to change your fantasy team name last season because you were probably out of the playoff race and stopped paying attention, so sure, you wanted a chance to take a crack at one of the best players in the world... But don't you worry, he'll be back soon and just like your fantasy team come February.. your team name will be irrelevant.
Season Outlook:
Will make playoffs & finish 3rd-5th
Hersh's Take: Unfortunately for newbie Heckenberger, Malkin's vaginal pains might prove more disastrous than Crosby's head aches. Malkin is as dominant as he is ugly, and he makes Gerard Depardieu look like one handsome plane pisser. If he's not 100% percent this season, I'm not sure 87-year old Patrik Elias has enough left in the tank to carry the squad. Selecting Grant Clitsome was a wise decision--he'll bring enjoyment to the daily roster change, regardless of whether or not he's in the AHL by midseason.
Draft Grade: A+
-Wow.. this is what happens when you find yourself out of the running for a playoff spot for the first time in AGES. You put that business degree to work and make some deals that end up providing you with enough top end talent to foster two strong fantasy teams in the same league.
Top to bottom, one of the best teams in the league.
Almost completely balanced in terms of point contribution with a healthy amount of Goals, Assists and Powerplay time from all positions.
-The ONLY reason this team could come out on the losing end, would be its rostered goalies. Bryz will undoubtedly provide a robust amount of W's and great numbers otherwise and Howard will always provide the Wins and OK numbers. But after that.. there's a HUGE risk/high reward factor when it comes to Bernier/Nabokov. Both could end up stealing away the starting spots and if this happens, there's no doubt in my mind that Hersh competes for 1st overall at the end of the season.
Team Name Grade: A-
Solid creativity and a GREAT avatar picture to boot.
Season Outlook:
Makes Playoffs & takes 1st or 2nd overall
Hersh's Take: The soundtrack playing in my head during the first two rounds. Good luck.
Draft Grade: B-
Justin has a pretty well rounded squad that should fair pretty well if they remain healthy. He has a few possible injury concerns that could throw a wrench in his playoff hopes, but if his guys stay healthy and put up their projected numbers, he should sneak into the playoffs with a few necessary moves through the season.
-Strong on the wings and his D-men should put up decent numbers, especially in the assists category as he has a few puck movers that can dish off to those streaking wingers.
-Goalies could be hit or miss for Justin as he has three quality starters, but injuries have seemed to plague Backstrom over the past few season and Steve Mason's starting duties could be in jeopardy once Dekanich comes back healthy and challenges Mason for that starting role.
Team Name Grade: A-
Creative and relevant
Not sure who named their squad first btwn Paul and Justin, but we'll see who comes out on between these two 'All Star' teams.
Season Outlook:
Should make the playoffs & finish 4th-6th
Hersh's Take: Considering Justin might not read this email until Mid-November, let's just fast-forward to that point in time. Kovy? -28. Cammelleri? Press box, with cast. Steve Mason? I hear Syracuse is lovely in the winter. On the bright side, Jordan Staal should be centering the top line in Pittsburgh as Sid and Geno spoon in the hotel room, watching Jagr highlights on TV. Cam Ward for MVP. Great name though, one of the best.
Draft Grade: C+
Mikey's got some talented players as he chose to keep 5 players in his first 6 rounds, coming away with a balanced group in position, assuming Crosby comes back within a month or so like expected and has no setbacks throughout the season. If that's the case, he'll be competing for a playoff spot no doubt.
-His forwards consist of a fairly older group of veterans that usually put up decent point totals, but health could be a concern for a few of his guys as they've have injury troubles in seasons past.
-Defense is top notch with a couple older vets that can and will put up quality numbers.
-With Lundqvist as the main starter, Mike will get his fair share of Wins with a few Shutouts sprinkled in, but Anderson and Smith should provide a little concern as their numbers will be directly related to which defense shows up in front of them each night. Ottawa looks to turn things around from last years debacle on the blueline while Phoenix might take a 180 turn for the worse and Smith could face 40+ shots a game.
Team Name Grade: A-
Classic Original... never goes out of style
Season Outlook:
Fights for one of the last playoff spots. Ends up 5th-7th place
Hersh's Take: As a Rangers fan, would you really be terribly disappointed if your stud C misses the majority of the season? It's only money, right? I look forward to returning the favor this year and acquiring the final piece to my puzzle from you as you fade out of contention.
Draft Grade: N/A
I refuse to grade this team due to having possibly one of THE WORST fantasy hockey team names EVER... I swear to god, if you drafted Matt Frattin (in the 14th round, mind you) for the sole purpose of giving your team this idiotic name, I will drive up there to pay you a visit and shave your head while you're sleeping and wipe my ass with one of your stupid Rangers jersey's...
Speaking of the Rangers.. I'm not sure who makes worse decisions, you or your hockey team.. This one might be a push.
Team Name Grade: F
STUPID
Season Outlook:
All stupid team names aside.. Kstew has assembled a unique squad that could give other owners nightmares when trying to prepare for a matchup with this team. As Stewart put it best, he's out for blood this year. (We're still not sure whether he's referring to fantasy hockey or the younger female crowd.. lock up your little sisters fellas, this could get dangerous)
With that being said... I hope you take home last place and have to pay $25 on top of your entry fee next season.
Hersh's Take: Given his horrendous choice of team name and his history of fantasy ineptitude, it would be easy to hate on young Stew. However, this was probably his best showing at a Fantasy Draft I've seen to date. A pretty solid, well-mixed roster of youth and experience, goaltending could prove to be your Achilles heal. That or drafting Matt Frattin over any other player with a pulse. And at the end of the day, I'd rather ride shotgun with Dany Heatley on a windy road than put my money on K-Stew in fantasy.
Draft Grade: B-
A decent group of players drafted by Kataja, with a strong group of keepers that will undoubtedly help compete for a playoff spot this season. Any team with Ovie will obviously have a chance to win given his multiple stat dominance as long as he's healthy.
-Another team that has a mix of veteran players to compliment a strong core of young guns on offense.
-The D-line looks like it could compete with any team as long as Gonchar (sans 2010) shows up and doesn't end up a -50 on the year.
-The situation in net is an intriguing one because Halak is a solid starter and the Blues are only continuing to improve each season with their pack of offensive d-men. The Caps goalie situation could provide a multitude of wins, but the other numbers could go up and down more than Kstews mom on a Friday night back in 1978.
Team Name Grade: A
Just like the city of Hartford, Kataja will never give up on the Whale and is proud to display that fact.
Season Outlook:
Should make the playoffs & will finish 3rd-5th
Hersh's Take: If it were NHL '05, Kataja's Gomez/Selanne/Gonchar trio would be scary. Sadly for Kataja, I'd prefer Andrew Cassels/Geoff Sanderson/Pat Verbeek. If Vokoun's early season hiccups are just that, his starting pair has high-end potential. Unlike Hartford, which is a shit hole.
Draft Grade: B+
Johnny boy drafted a pretty decent lineup with the ONLY downside being the fact that he has 4 of his beloved Blues on his roster, which could hinder him when the Blues have a week where they only play 2-3 games. Other than that, he's got a team that will compete.
-What a strategy.. Deaver went with 3 solid snipers in picks 1-3 (Sedin, Carter, Ryan) AND THEN decided not to mess around and went with 3 solid goalies in Hiller, Rinne and Brodeur. He should have no problem competing to win all goalie cats each week as long as the early 2010 Devils don't show up and Marty stays healthy.
-He also chose to go with some gritty wingers, and vets that can produce 40-55 pts each season. Add in an old dog in a new home (Souray) and he's well rounded and ready to compete.
(My original) Team Name Grade: B+
Decent creativity but the underlying innuendo is a bit disconcerting.
(My adjusted) Team Name Grade: A+
Simply because I was filled in on the Arrested Development reference in the team name. Now I get it and so will the rest of you.
Season Outlook:
Makes the playoffs and could compete for 1st overall. Finishes 1st-3rd.
Hersh's Take: Without question my favorite name in the league. Deaver's squad is as well-rounded as anyone, and provided TJ Oshie remembers to play more than 8 games this year, he'll be in good shape.
Draft Grade: C+
When in doubt.. draft a Flyer (or former Flyer)
-I really like the Evander Kane pick in the 8th round, he could easily top 70+ points this season if the Jets can get things clicking these first few weeks.
-The Jagr pick in the 6th round is another story. Sure he's got some upside and there's a chance for high reward there, but there were plenty of other talented players left on the board at that point in the draft. To each his own though, and I'm sure he'll provide 15-20 PP points and net 15-20 goals on the season, so it could pay off for James.
-The d-core should present OK numbers with each being on a + team.
-Goalies are half good, half not so much. Fleury and Kipper will both post 35+ win seasons and should start 60+ games each behind fairly strong defenses. Bobrovsky MAY start all of 15 games, mostly back-to-back matchups, but you NEVER know... DiPietro is a questionable pick and the Islanders goalie situation is one that I wouldn't touch with a 40-foot pole.
Team Name Grade: 'D' (is for dress shirt...)
Lack of creativity and horrible colors in general.. I'll just assume you're getting into the Halloween mood a bit early.
Season Outlook:
Will make the playoffs & finish 1st-4th
Hersh's Take: Expect more from Serratore in terms of naming creativity. Kane, Kane & Kiprusoff, Attorneys at Law has a better ring. Although Chalky White might not like that acronym all that much. However, I disagree with Kyle's sentiment on Jagr. Don't allow your bitterness to cloud the fact that JJ is playing with Claude Giroux and JVR--60 points is a lock IMO. And while some picks reek of blatant Homer-ism (get it, see what I did there? Paul?), knowing that 40% of the league is Flyers fans allowed him to get the guys he wanted and scoop them from the rest of us.
KEBERT (Le Magnifique)
**Hersh Kiper Jr. was asked to give his expert opinion on this squad.
OUELLETTE (Take Baby Bites)
GOLDBLOOM (Returning Champion)
Draft Grade: Incomplete
75% of Kyle's roster will be dropped and replaced by waiver wire pickups, so it's impossible to accurately grade it as it stands.
Team Name Grade: B+
Can't really hate on an ode to a great player, although he has lost some of his luster after his "woe is me" act last season with suspension talk. If you want real change, waive Matt Cooke. Oh wait, Sid needs a winger and we've got nobody else.
Season Outlook:
Come on, it's Fantasy Hockey. Kyle and Andrea have already agreed to name their first born child EJ HradeKebert. He'll be there at the end...even if his roster undergoes a larger face lift than Joan Rivers. OH BAM!
Kebert's Take: I will no doubt, revamp my roster and will have used 26/30 roster moves by February, only saving the final moves to pull the rug out from under Hersh in the Finals. Bring it bitches.
Draft Grade: A-
I'm a fan of Frenchie's squad, he has a great mix of role players that will easily post 70+ points and then he also took a chance on a few younger players that could surely pay off in the end and put up a strong debut/sophomore season.
-The grit he has with Iginla, Kesler (when he comes back healthy) & Callahan is a great mix of scoring meets grinding secondary assists + PIMs.
-The defensive players Josh took will provide the points necessary to put him on the winnings side of things come the end of the week games on Sundays. That extra assist Byfuglien will provide on the PP or that goal that Shattenkirk nets in the 1st period of a game will come in handy when it all comes down to the final stats.
-If Lehtonen stays healthy, Josh will be fine to compete for each goalie category through out the season, EVEN IF Luongo has one of his bad games every other week, Schneider will be there to pick up the pieces and provide a great 3rd fantasy goalie option. This could certainly be the case if/when Schneider gets traded mid-way through the season to Columbus as they try to make ends meet after Mason continues to struggle and Dekanich can't remain healthy long enough to be a factor. (You heard it here first kids..)
Team Name Grade: B+
Can't give it an 'A' because it has to do with an inside joke, so not many can or will understand, but still a strong name none the less.
Season Outlook:
Will make the playoffs and compete for a top 3 finish once again.
Hersh's Take: Weak sauce for using an inside joke for a team name in the public domain, weaker sauce for picking Ryan Johansen and not emailing the league with some link and/or reference to Scarlett's topless cell phone pics. Yeah, enjoy that fellas.
Draft Grade: A-
Goals, Assists, PIMs, PP points, two goalie keepers in the 17th & 20th rounds. Josh could very well compete for a top 3 spot yet again this year, if not 1st overall come seasons end.
-His forward group is multi-talented down the line and will should have no problem putting up the numbers needed to come away with victories each week of the season. The strong mix of talent that he's put together is impressive with young ranging from Eberle/Benn and moving up the ladder to Semin/Havlat, guys that like could have some great years if the injury bug doesn't hit them at all.
-Defense... Chris Pronger (37 years old and slow as hell) Adam Larsson (18 and full of energy) this could make for an interesting roller coaster ride of numbers through the season.
-Thomas/Rask, can't go wrong there as you'll have get 45-50 wins and solid numbers and the Crawford, if healthy and doesn't lose the job somehow, will be a steady supply of positive stats.
Team Name Grade: A-
Can't say much here.. it is true.. just be ready to change it when Hersh pummels you and the injury bug strikes your roster and you're struggling to make the playoffs come March.
Season Outlook:
Will make the playoffs and finish 1st-3rd
Hersh's Take: The champion has returned with a strong roster this season, that much is sure. Here's hoping for a Cup hangover for Boston, now THAT'S something everyone can get behind.
------------
That's it fellas.. Here's hoping everyone remember's to set their lineups and no one rolls over mid-season.
No comments:
Post a Comment