Blogs

David Rogers

NHL Blog Breakdown

June 27, 2009 4:33pm CDT

The Fanball Sports Network, currently the home to more than 70 blogs about fantasy sports dealing with MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL, features some of the internet's best and most thought provoking team writers. This is the first of what will be a weekly series profiling the recent Fanball Sports Network NHL blog posts and news, as well as how this news and analysis impacts fantasy owners.

PucksGoneWild.com: Luongo Schmoulongo
Our witty Minnesota Wild correspondent argues that Vancouver Canuck keeper Roberto Luongo is valued too high in comparison to cheaper options such as the Wild's Niklas Backstrom.

"Niklas Backstrom is every bit the goalie Luongo is. His numbers over the last two seasons are just as good and he comes at a much more affordable price. But people everywhere think Luongo's the better goalie because Backstrom is an average guy from Finland who washes his hair with Prell and doesn't have a sexy-sounding name. Give me Niklas Backstrom every day and I'll give you a better netminder with money to spare."
Impact: A fault amongst many fantasy owners throughout the four major sports is valuing a player based off name recognition rather than his statistics and potential.

2007-08
Luongo: 35-29-9, 2.38 GAA with a .917 SV%
Backstrom: 33-13-8, 2.31 GAA with a .920%

When it came time to draft for the 2008-09 season, Backstrom was selected on average in the mid-50s overall in most drafts while Luongo went on average in the mid-teens overall. Backstrom went on to earn more victories, maintain a lower GAA and a higher save percentage in 2008-09. This further proves that owners should not overpay for a big name and that the name you are most familiar with isn't always be the best option.


SpeakingoftheDevils.com: Tuesday Links (6/16) - Because There Is No Off-Season In Hockey
New Jersey Devils correspondent Carlos Figueiredo is one of the most active writers on the NHL side of the blog network. Here he breaks down the news that John Madden may explore free agency.

"It looks like John Madden will test the free agent market after not hearing from the Devils about a new contract. I may be in the minority, but I still feel that the Devils would be better off pursuing other options….and only bringing Madden back at a MUCH LOWER salary for next season if a replacement can't be found."
Impact: Madden failed to produce in 2008-09, finishing with just 23 points in 76 games in what was possibly his worst season of his career. Madden has rarely made a huge splash in the fantasy world as his career-high in points is 43. Currently, Madden is a blip on the radar in most leagues but a change of scenery might boost his value or take him off the map entirely.


SevenDeadlySens.com: The Heat is Gone?
Senators correspondent Kreeco has written a series of blogs on the Dany Heatley trade request and has examined what teams might offer Ottawa in return for the sniper.

"I was actually not very surprised when I learned about Heatley's trade request. This is second team that Heatley has played for in his career and it's the second team that he has requested to be traded from. Although the circumstances were far different when he asked to be traded from the Thrashers, the act remains the same. What this tells me about Heatley is that he lacks character because he is still a very immature young man."
Impact: When a player of Dany Heatley's quality is set to move teams, it is huge news in the fantasy hockey world. Heatley released a list of teams he was most interested in joining but there are no clear answers to the riddle that is the Heatley saga. In his past three seasons, Heatley has scored a combined 130 goals and will be a tremendous boost offensively to whatever team acquires him. He does carry some off the ice concerns, but from a fantasy perspective Heatley is sure to increase the value of his teammates that play around him, regardless of where that might be.


FrozenNotes.com: St. Louis Blues Rumor Mill v. 2
The St. Louis Blues correspondent is none other than yours truly, and recently I took a look at the Blues summer objectives including their need for a backup netminder.

"The Blues apparently are considering bringing in a new goalie to play backup to Chris Mason. While few names have surfaced, one that has is Ty Conklin . Conklin has publicly stated that he wants to stay in Detroit, so there might be very little to go off of here. However, it seems that the Blues search is a serious one and expect to hear more names surface soon."
Impact: The newest trend in the NHL is the two keeper system in net which makes backups relevant in the fantasy hockey world. Chris Mason will still be the clear number one in net, but if the Blues bring in a veteran to back him, he likely will be given more time to rest than he would if the Blues had an inexperienced number two they didn't trust.

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