When we last left fantasy hockey fans, the fantasy playoffs and season ended when the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sedin Twins were a fantasy non-factor for stretches of the playoffs but should be anything but in the regular season as usual. Tim Thomas was asking Roberto Luongo which tires Luongo would pump full of air first. Nathan Horton became a cult hero and Brad Marchand became a household name. Boston got their rings yesterday but tonight it will be time for the Bruins to defend their championship. It will also be a time for fantasy hockey champions to begin the defense of their crowns. The time is now to take a look back at the fantasy storylines from the summer.
A LOOK BACK:
1. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh — The Center literally has Fantasy GM’s in a mass hysterical panic. Since the David Steckel and Victor Hedman hits, Crosby has now missed nine months. He is the integral key to many fantasy hopes and the reports are becoming more and more encouraging. The latest we keep hearing is that Crosby will resume contact in the very near future and could be only 2-3 weeks away from returning. Keep an eye out and adjust your fantasy rosters accordingly.
2. Brad Richards, C, New York Rangers — This was a big signing for Marian Gaborik. Gaborik needed a playmaking Center that could work with him and give the Rangers credit, they landed the big prize. Now Richards and Gaborik have to produce. That nine year contract has three throwaway years but what matters right now is this season. The pressure is on these two to get out of the gate early and the Europe trip will be interesting fantasy owners because it offers these two players a chance to hit it quick and fast.
3. Injuries And Suspensions — These literally have wreaked havoc on the fantasy season for at least a few owners and in the early portion of the season you may see a star player suspended in an impactful way. The biggest fantasy impact would be James Wisniewski, who was tagged with an eight gamer which costed many fantasy owners. It also sent people scrambling for who? Grant Clitsome. Then there were the injuries as well. Marc Staal is a storyline that has developed like Sidney Crosby but only worse. Staal has been placed on the IR and now could be out a month or maybe more. This could be a huge blow to Henrik Lundqvist early on at least, or potentially anyway. There are nearly 100 injuries in the early going and that number is expected to climb.
SCHEDULE TIME:
Thursday, October 6, 2011 |
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| Teams | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | at | Boston | 7:00 PM | ||
| Montreal | at | Toronto | 7:00 PM | ||
| Pittsburgh | at | Vancouver | 10:00 PM | ||
Boston Raises Banner Versus Philadelphia
So the 2011-12 season begins with a bang as the Boston Bruins take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Banner Night in Boston. Boston ended Philly’s disasterous playoff last year in a four game sweep that really was no contest as Philadelphia came apart at the seams. The Flyers goaltending circus last year finally convinced GM Paul Holmgren to get serious and sign himself a goaltender long term. That resulted in the 9 year deal that Ilya Bryzgalov received. The added trades of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter forced the Philadelphia Flyers to get younger and that they did.
The Flyers would draft Sean Couturier with the #8 pick in this year’s draft and he may be rest at least to get some serious window dressing as they “await” the arrival of Brayden Schenn. Philadelphia definitely went younger with guys like James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux, and Schenn being in the mix but they also have vets like Chris Pronger and Jaromir Jagr in the fold. It is an interesting situation to say the least that has many intrigued but unsure of the results.
Boston really comes in with only a “Stanley Cup Hangover” to worry about. Yes Mark Recchi has retired but Brad Marchand may be an even better version of him at this stage of the game. The Bruins are loaded with guys on the verge of being even better last year. The Lucic-Horton-Krejci line has had a full year together and they looked good in training camp. Sure Tim Thomas is no spring chicken but he has Tuukka Rask to spell him. Rask was incredibly solid when Thomas struggled getting out of the gates two years ago. Thomas has not put two years in a row together so Rask makes one whale of an insurance policy.
Boston will come out with an adrenaline like it did in those home games against Vancouver. Philadelphia will be game but in the end it will be like last year as Boston’s depth along with a sprinkling of the top line just is too much for the Flyers. Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron also are expected to figure prominently in the result as well. Tim Thomas should be his usual animated self as the Bruins defend their home turf and begin their defense of the Stanley Cup with a win.
Prediction: Boston 4 Philadelphia 2
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THOSE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
1. Thomas Vs. Bryzgalov — Well the unorthodox goalie goes up against a Russian “hybrid” of sorts. Ilya Bryzgalov wants what Tim Thomas has. However for fantasy purposes, Bryzgalov wants the chance to play in a town where he can rack up numbers and Philly does give him that chance eventually. When does eventually come? Well that is an issue for another time. Thomas and his out of control while being in control works well in a Boston system where the goalie has some freedoms most would not. Boston will test Bryzgalov early and often and if the Russian stands up tall, that could make this game closer than most think. Thomas has been on this stage and Bryzgalov has not. How will Ilya Bryzgalov respond will be key later in the season more than now.
2. Can Reimer Do It Now? — Well James Reimer racked up some pretty nice stats for the Toronto Maple Leafs and got them closer to a playoff berth than many analysts thought. Now they open the season against the Montreal Canadiens and Carey Price. Price was a goalie who finished around the top 5 in most key statistics for fantasy goalies last year and that is where Reimer sees himself. The 20-10-5 record in 37 games played was nice but the .921 save percentage despite facing nearly 32 shots a game was impressive. The question becomes if Reimer can do it over say 50-60 starts. In that second go-around, it does tend to be tougher especially for goalies. How Reimer handles the valleys this year is going to be instrumental in his future fantasy development. Tonight is a good time to see if he progresses further or regresses.
3. Malkin And The Twins — This could be Roberto Luongo’s season to truly make a Vezina push. He was close last year obviously and Vancouver is stacked and ready to roll. This team was the #1 seed for a reason and came within one win of a Stanley Cup despite a shaky Luongo and more importantly the inconsistent act of the Sedin Twins. Daniel and Henrik literally vanished in vast parts of that Boston series much like they did in previous rounds not named San Jose. If you are physical early and often with them, they will crack a bit. That is the game plan anyway. Not many can do it but most that execute it are successful. The story in this game that has a bit more riding on it is Evgeni Malkin. While it is believed that Sidney Crosby is only a few weeks away from returning, Malkin has to return back to the form from three years ago where Malkin was racking up 100+ points and 40+ power play points. Even last year Malkin had 37 points in 43 games (only 14 ppp) before his knee injury that ended the season and probably the hopes of Pittsburgh. He looked 100% healthy in the preseason and how he bolts out of the gate will be essential to him returning to form. The sooner he pots his first goal the better as Pittsburgh bides some time until #87 gets back. A motivated Pens team could be a boon for fantasy owners and those “role” players.
Well good luck everyone in their fantasy leagues as we have a little more ahead today on the blog. Stay tuned and the opening night of the 2011-12 NHL season is just hours away!
