Who is in top 6 in Columbus?

[back check]

Gaborik and Anisimov are locks, but after that I am confused. There are the young guys like Atkinson, Johansen, Calvert and Jenner fighting for spots. Umburger and Foligno seem like 3rd line guys, and where does Letestu fit in? Finally does Umburger get another shot at top 6 minutes until Horton comes back from surgery? Trying to pick the guy who will play with Gaborik seems like a good move, but Inam not sure who it is.

As always rep given for thoughtful answers. thanks - back check.

[gainerama]

Dubinsky is the guy I would have a closer look at, especially if your league counts: hits, pim, sog. After his return from injury at the end of the season, he was crazy effective and putting up the stats.

[deantime419]

I definitely view CLB as more of a top 9 team than top 6. I expect lots of change to happen in their lineup throughout the year.
Obviously Gaborik is their lone star and should lead the in scoring (has to stay healthy though). Whoever finds chemistry with him will flourish offensively.
Guys like Umberger & Foligno could end up drawing a lot of the tougher matchups which would in turn hurt their fantasy numbers.
Johansen is developing slower than expected and isn't expected to be the star he was once projected to be. I wouldn't count on much from him this season (or ever) but eventually I think he becomes a 2B-ish type center.
Calvert is a complimentary energy player and could surprise with 40pts in the right role but again that would be a bonus and shouldn't be expected. Might be a streaky player when he finds solid linemates for a few games but don't see him as a top 6 staple.
Letestu has continued to overachieve and I don't expect that to stop, even though he'll probably be shuffled around the lineup a lot - 35 to 50pts.
Atkinson is there to put up points and nothing else so he'll have to do so if he wants to avoid being a bust but it looks like he was doing fine prior to his injury so I'd pencil him in for 45+ pts.
Anisimov and Dubinsky are relatively "safe" for 45 as well but I wouldn't get too excited about their potential upsides playing with Gabby all year until it actually happens.
Horton will be Horton.
Curious to see if Gabby, horotn, or Atkinson will shift to left side at all being they're the 3 primarily offensive wingers they have.

[back check]

Thanks Gainerama. I already have Dubby for his multi-catagory stats, plus he is LW and C eligible in Yahoo. So even if we through him into the mix that still leaves 3 spots wide open until Horten gets back.

[back check]

Deantime419, do not like the sound of a top 9 in Columbus, that usually means ice time (and thus fantasy stats) get spread around too much).

[gainerama]

Dean's probably right. Outside of maybe 3 guys, there's going to be a drop off in scoring. This is starting to look like a scoring by committee situation in CLB, no different than NAS is suppose. You might have to look elsewhere for depth scoring.

[SeaDawg]

I think Atkinson is in the top 6 for sure, and Calvert showed some nice chemistry with him, so that duo should be together to at least start the season. As for the center on that line, I think it will be Dubinsky and that Anisimov will be Gaborik's center.

If I had to guess at who takes Horton's top line spot until he is healthy, I think it will be either Umberger or Letestu, with perhaps a slight advantage to Umberger.

Horton/Umberger - Anisimov - Gaborik
Calvert - Dubinsky - Atkinson


One thing to keep in mind is that all those guys in the top 6 are Band-Aid boys, so the top six will change a lot and players like Letestu and Johansen will occasionally get into the mix as injury replacements.