Time to take our much anticipated first look into the LSHL. Heading into the second month there have been some noticeable changes. Once again here is the list of rules and regs…it is quite long but something to keep in mind as week by week we delve further here at the Fantasy Hockey 101.
Okay…read all that? Whew! That was a bit of an epic wasn’t it? Makes you want some alcohol perhaps? Ok…ok…I know…ENOUGH! Well here are this week’s Power 5:
1 Edmonton Damned 270
2 Toronto Hitmen 264
3 St Paul Pats 247
4 Ottawa Lobsters 222
5 Boston Dunshees 212
Now just because these five have managed to keep above water above everyone else…it doesn’t mean they will stay there very long. Standing change almost daily in this league. It is highly competitive and with the dynasty mode and limited trades and transactions…strategy is highly essential. A bad move now can cost you not only for this season but for seasons to come. Not building up your farm spots can hurt you down the line. You may win or come close this season then be screwed down the road.
That being said….Erin’s Lobsters have stayed in the top 5 pretty much all season….I thought that she might. However what I found surprising…was I went back to the old archives and found this little gem….THE DRAFT RECAP. Some interesting surprises to say the least. Now it doesn’t meant this will last and I don’t expect it to…but still funny to look at. Notice Damned and LS were 2 and 3 on my list…they are 1 and 2 in the standings right now…coincidence, perhaps? Perhaps not?
So what surprises can be expected this month? I can see the crew from Bensalem making a bit of a surge….his farm is stacked but now the players are starting to come to the forefront…if the defense ever gets in order…look out! Even the London Salmon with Dan’s heavy reliance on Ottawa Senators will do pretty well with Ottawa’s schedule being as fortuitous as it is.
Teams that could fall a bit include the St. Paul Pats and The Boston Dunshees for kind of the same reasons. The teams behind them have more firepower and depth and that could spell trouble as the season winds down the road toward the All Star Break. A hot start means little in a league like this…sustaining it with consistent weeks inbetween is the key to a successful LSHL from what I have seen so far. Right now I see Damned, LS, And Holiiday battling it out….but I have a feeling one or two teams may come from the outside and make it interesting…as every team has some depth issues somewhere…some less than others.
For example, how long can LS ride Lundqvist? How long will Damned get production like he is from Theodore (Will he go back to last year’s form?) Will Holliday get killed by the injuries of Backstrom? Every week there are a new set of questions and though I surely don’t have all the answers…I can tell you this league may have started out a bit bumpy to say the least but it is an extremely intricate league to follow and lots of fun!
Well see you next week…where we will expand into two weekly columns and quite possibly have some guest with a blog….till then…enjoy!
