2014/2015 Dobber ENTRY (Tier III) Norris Division

[Pengwin7]

Round 18
2. Alex Killorn (TB - C,LW) Password is ...
3. Marcus Johansson (Was - C,LW) The Nickel City
4. Stephane Robidas (Tor - D) Leaf Nation
5. Daniel Alfredsson (Det - RW) Dead Things
6. Aaron Ekblad (Fla - D) SuluShattenk...
7. Justin Abdelkader (Det - LW,RW) Vancouver Be...
8. Teddy Purcell (Edm - RW) Canuckleheads
9. Jared Spurgeon (Min - D) Laendarian
10. Alex Tanguay (Col - LW,RW) Phil The Thrill
11. Jamie McGinn (Col - LW) kluu
12. Antoine Vermette (Ari - C,LW) Hartnell Gone
13. Dennis Seidenberg (Bos - D) BC Oiler
14. Cal Clutterbuck (NYI - RW) StaveOffElim...
15. Dan Hamhuis (Van - D) Kofax
16. Ryan Murray (Cls - D) Habs7079

Favourite Pick: Tanguay (Phil the Thrill). He might fall apart at some point this season, but as long as he's top six forward in Colorado, he's a 12th-14th round value pick.
Least fave: Robidas. No chance for PP time in TOR. Too many other good D-men there. Too old.

[Pengwin7]

Round 19
1. Andrew MacDonald (Phi - D) Habs7079
2. Sami Vatanen (Anh - D) Kofax
3. Jiri Tlusty (Car - LW) StaveOffElim...
4. Devante Smith-Pelly (Anh - RW) BC Oiler
5. R.J. Umberger (Phi - LW) Hartnell Gone
6. Sergei Gonchar (Dal - D) kluu
7. T.J. Brodie (Cgy - D) Phil The Thrill
8. Patrick Maroon (Anh - LW) Laendarian
9. Luke Schenn (Phi - D) Canuckleheads
10. Calvin de Haan (NYI - D) Vancouver Be...
11. Aleksander Barkov (Fla - C) SuluShattenk...
12. Anthony Mantha (Det - RW) Dead Things
13. Chris Neil (Ott - RW) Leaf Nation
14. Ben Lovejoy (Anh - D) The Nickel City
15. David Desharnais (Mon - C) Password is ...

Favourite Pick: DeHaan (VB). The guy hits a ton and I think he's ready to step into a higher role. Love Desharnais too, unf he doesn't SOG or HIT, which stinks a bit, great for late PPP if needed by this team.
Least fave: Mantha/Lovejoy. Mantha is injured. Lovejoy is actually a pretty gritty player but ANA is deep with defenseman and I think he'll even miss some starts and be the #7D some nights.

[Pengwin7]

Round 20
2. Lubomir Visnovsky (NYI - D) Password is ...
3. Travis Zajac (NJ - C) The Nickel City
4. Dave Bolland (Fla - C) Leaf Nation
5. David Clarkson (Tor - RW) Dead Things
6. Ryan Ellis (Nsh - D) SuluShattenk...
7. Marc Methot (Ott - D) Vancouver Be...
8. Antoine Roussel (Dal - LW) Canuckleheads
9. Francois Beauchemin (Anh - D) Laendarian
10. Ryane Clowe (NJ - LW,RW) Phil The Thrill
11. Sean Couturier (Phi - C) kluu
12. Jordan Staal (Car - C,LW) Hartnell Gone
13. Boone Jenner (Cls - C,LW) BC Oiler
14. Steve Ott (StL - C,LW) StaveOffElim...
15. Mika Zibanejad (Ott - C,RW) Kofax
16. Tom Gilbert (Mon - D) Habs7079

Favourite Pick: Boone Jenner (BC Oiler). Injured to start the season. But a HUGE hitter who could pace for 40pts when healthy.
Least fave: Ryan Ellis. Defensemen should hit, IMO. Ellis value is tied to questionable offensive-use. NAS could roll Weber-Josi for a full 2min of every PP.

[Pengwin7]

Round 21
1. Robin Lehner (Ott - G) Habs7079
2. Dmitry Kulikov (Fla - D) Kofax
3. Chris Higgins (Van - LW) StaveOffElim...
4. Benoit Pouliot (Edm - LW) BC Oiler
5. Alec Martinez (LA - D) Hartnell Gone
6. Marc-Edouard Vlasic (SJ - D) kluu
7. Jordie Benn (Dal - D) Phil The Thrill
8. Ryan Strome (NYI - C) Laendarian
9. Brooks Laich (Was - C) Canuckleheads
10. Lars Eller (Mon - C) Vancouver Be...
11. Jhonas Enroth (Buf - G) SuluShattenk...
12. Danny DeKeyser (Det - D) Dead Things
13. Kris Versteeg (Chi - LW,RW) Leaf Nation
14. Travis Hamonic (NYI - D) The Nickel City
15. Andrew Cogliano (Anh - C,LW) Password is ...

Favourite Pick: Enroth (Sulu). Hey, it's the 21st round. Saves are still a stat and Buffalo will get shelled. They'll pull a few games out.
Least fave: Lehner. It's a decent pick as a handcuff to an Anderson injury, but I don't see him starting 3 games per week consistently. (contrary to where I could see Enroth).

[m_w_fisher]

Anthony Mantha is definitely a worse pick than Lovejoy... Must be a mercy rule in effect for number of least favourite picks per team.

[Pengwin7]

Round 22
2. Martin Havlat (NJ - RW) Password is ...
3. Jason Chimera (Was - LW) The Nickel City
4. Rene Bourque (Mon - LW) Leaf Nation
5. Mikhail Grigorenko (Buf - C) Dead Things
6. Mathieu Perreault (Wpg - C) SuluShattenk...
7. Alexei Emelin (Mon - D) Vancouver Be...
8. Zack Kassian (Van - RW) Canuckleheads
9. Milan Michalek (Ott - LW,RW) Laendarian
10. Michael Stone (Ari - D) Phil The Thrill
11. Joel Ward (Was - RW) kluu
12. Antti Raanta (Chi - G) Hartnell Gone
13. Rasmus Ristolainen (Buf - D) BC Oiler
14. Eddie Lack (Van - G) StaveOffElim...
15. Tomas Fleischmann (Fla - LW) Kofax
16. Curtis Glencross (Cgy - LW) Habs7079

Favourite pick: Yuck, yuck, yuck. 15 of 16 of these guys will be tossed back within a month. Martin Havlat (Taco) is worth the risk on Team Czech. Ya never know.
Least fave: Perreault. I don't see how being C3 of the Caps will be good for anything.

[Pengwin7]

Round 23
1. Artem Anisimov (Cls - C,LW) Habs7079
2. Colin Wilson (Nsh - C,LW) Kofax
3. Drew Stafford (Buf - RW) StaveOffElim...
4. Viktor Fasth (Edm - G) BC Oiler
5. Mike Fisher (Nsh - C) Hartnell Gone
6. Lauri Korpikoski (Ari - LW) kluu
7. Matthew Carle (TB - D) Phil The Thrill
8. Nikita Kucherov (TB - RW) Laendarian
9. Paul Martin (Pit - D) Canuckleheads
10. Tuomo Ruutu (NJ - C,LW) Vancouver Be...
11. Michael Ryder (NJ - RW) SuluShattenk...
12. Brad Boyes (Fla - C,RW) Dead Things
13. Daniel Briere (Col - C,RW) Leaf Nation
14. David Legwand (Ott - C) The Nickel City
15. Leo Komarov (Tor - C) Password is ...

Favourite pick: Komarov (Taco). If there's a player in the NHL that could challenge Matt Martin for the HITS title, it's Komarov. In the 23rd round, this is a sweet pick.
Least fave: Briere. Too old. Too slow.

[Pengwin7]

Round 24
2. Lee Stempniak (NYR - LW,RW) Password is ...
3. Stephen Weiss (Det - C) The Nickel City
4. James Reimer (Tor - G) Leaf Nation
5. Jonas Gustavsson (Det - G) Dead Things
6. Jonas Brodin (Min - D) SuluShattenk...
7. Jared Cowen (Ott - D) Vancouver Be...
8. Alexandre Burrows (Van - LW,RW) Canuckleheads
9. Jarret Stoll (LA - C) Laendarian
10. Trevor Daley (Dal - D) Phil The Thrill
11. Brian Boyle (TB - C) kluu
12. Scottie Upshall (Fla - RW) Hartnell Gone
13. Ryan Garbutt (Dal - RW) BC Oiler
14. Brooks Orpik (Was - D) StaveOffElim...
15. Michael Frolik (Wpg - C,RW) Kofax
16. Braydon Coburn (Phi - D) Habs7079

Favourite pick: Daley (Phil the Thrill). Good chance he'll get some PP time with a sweet improved Dallas forward unit.
Least fave: B.Boyle. He'll probably be a PK specialist in TB, just don't love having a pure-hit guy in my C-slot unless he's going to be absolute beast (like Komarov).

[Pengwin7]

Round 25
1. Brian Gionta (Buf - RW) Habs7079
2. Eric Fehr (Was - RW) Kofax
3. Matt Bartkowski (Bos - D) StaveOffElim...
4. Zemgus Girgensons (Buf - C,LW) BC Oiler
5. Dustin Penner (Was - LW) Hartnell Gone
6. Alex Chiasson (Ott - RW) kluu
7. Sam Reinhart (Buf - C) Phil The Thrill
8. Fedor Tyutin (Cls - D) Laendarian
9. Leon Draisaitl (Edm - C) Canuckleheads
10. Devin Setoguchi (Cgy - RW) Vancouver Be...
11. Mason Raymond (Cgy - LW) SuluShattenk...
12. Filip Forsberg (Nsh - C,RW) Dead Things
13. Derek Roy (Nsh - C) Leaf Nation
14. Robyn Regehr (LA - D) The Nickel City
15. Nikita Nikitin (Edm - D) Password is ...

Favourite pick: Filip Forsberg (Dead Things). Big risk, big reward. But might as well pick a guy who appears to open the season with huge opportunity.
Least fave: Derek Roy. See Briere. Old, slow, buried.

[Laendarian]

This was a tough draft, my queue was cannibalized right through to the late rounds (also didn't help I lost connection on a couple picks!). Should be a fun year!

[BC Oiler]

Well two most favorites and zero least favorites. I'll take it. Should be a good season. Good luck guys.

[StaveOffElimination]

Definitely a tough draft. I haven't done one that deep so I was shooting from the hip in the later rounds. Two favourite picks though, I'll take it. It's going to be a fun year.

[Blueman]

Fun draft, I'm pretty weak on Goals, but should be decent across the board in the rest of the cats (hoping for top 5 in each).

A couple teams punted a category or two which will be tough to overcome (eg. +/-, goalies, etc).

Couple of good picks, couple of least favorites - hopefully it balances out.

Thanks for organizing - good luck everyone!

Cheers,

Blueman (aka Taco)

[Pengwin7]

FAAB system seems to be working in the Smythe.
A few moves on the opening weekend:

Patrik Berglund StL - C Waiver
Nikita Nikitin Edm - D To Waivers
Password is Taco
Oct 5, 3:20 am

Martin Erat Ari - LW,RW $1 Waiver
Anthony Mantha Det - RW NA To Waivers
Dead Things
Oct 5, 3:20 am

Mikael Backlund Cgy - C $5 Waiver
Stephen Weiss Det - C To Waivers
The Nickel City
Oct 5, 3:20 am

Brenden Dillon Dal - D $6 Waiver
Eric Fehr Was - RW To Waivers
Kofax
Oct 5, 3:20 am

[MCMackerel]

Canuckleheads:
C: Pavelski (LW), Spezza, Kadri, Laich
LW: O'Reilly (C), Cammalleri (C), Boedker, Martin
RW: Kessel, Eberle, Hemsky, Atkinson
D: Hedman, Seabrook, Ehrhoff, Gardiner, Schenn, Martin
G: Rask, Kuemper
B: Purcell (RW), Roussel (LW), Kassian (RW), Burrows (LW/RW), Draisaitl (C)
1. (9) Tuukka Rask (Bos - G)
Was pretty surprised that Rask fell to me at #9. He'll get plenty of Wins, a very good GAA, and respectable SVs. I could've gone for maybe Karlsson or Seguin here instead but I think that the value Rask has at his position is more than any other option I had. Was very happy with this pick.
2. (24) Phil Kessel (Tor - RW)
Ideally I was hoping to select a C or LW in this spot because I felt that there was more depth to be had at RW later on, but I simply could not pass up on Kessel. Such a consistent scorer, and injuries have not been an issue for him lately so he should be a lock for around 35-40 goals and around 82 points. Other passed up options were Subban/Duchene/Kunitz/Sharp. But I'm fine with this pick (as long as Phil can shake whatever little injury he seems to have at the moment).
3. (41) Joe Pavelski (SJ - C,LW)
Here's hoping that last season's beastly statistics were not a one-off and that Pavelski is the real deal. If he can re-produce last year's number I'll be loving this pick. He hasn't missed a game in 3 years so that also played a big role in my selection here. This was a case where I highly considered taking Landeskog for the multi-cat value, but I felt that the offense that Pavelski brought here couldn't be ignored. This issue would become a pattern for me throughout this draft.
4. (56) Victor Hedman (TB - D)
The way I look at picking defencemen is about relative value. Some people don't pick defenceman since the best may only get around 50-55 points, where as a solid forward might get 10-15 points higher than that. But for me that's not the right way to look at it, you have to compare across positions. For example, when this pick came around, the forwards that were available were all of a certain tier (Vanek, Voracek, Okposo, Marleau, Nash were the next 5 to go). Those guys in my opinion are probably going to top out at 70, but could fall anywhere in the 60s or even high 50s. Whereas Hedman is also available at probably minimum 50pts, topping out at 60 perhaps. At his position, that is a much more elite category than the comparable players available at forward, at least in my opinion. Hedman also offers some hits too. Okposo would've been the guy I would've taken at forward but I was wanting to steer clear of more RWs, and like I said, I think Hedman's value at this point in the draft was simply to much to pass up.
5. (73) Jason Spezza (Dal - C)
Not a fan of Spezza's injury history, and of his lack of hits. But his +/- should be solid, and IF he can stay healthy he could be looking at a nice season ahead of him. I really like his situation in Dallas. Lots of powerplay time, probably sheltered minutes as opponents key on Benn/Seguin, and probably just as good linemates as he had in Ottawa. I'm hoping that he can sneak under the radar of opponents and maybe avoid taking as much damage to his body that he did in Ottawa. If Spezza can play in 75+ games, this pick will turn into absolute gold. Alternatives were Eric Staal (who I considered heavily) and Yandle.
6. (88) Jordan Eberle (Edm - RW)
I like Eberle at this position, good for all cats save for +/- and hits. Maybe I'm dreaming, but I figure the Oilers HAVE to be better this season. And as a result players should see an increase in +/- right? I guess time will tell. Alternatives were (Chara, St. Louis, Palat)
7. (105) Ryan O'Reilly (Col - C,LW)
Once again, another player who is just brutal on hits, but has better point potential than anyone else available at this point in the draft. At this point I really was sweating my Hits category and was vowing to make it up like crazy later on in the draft. For O'Reilly, I'm not over the moon about this pick because I'm not sure he can repeat last season's numbers, I just really wanted to secure more C or LW before they all dried up (as I knew they would). Alternatives: (Thornton, Pominville)
8. (120) Brent Seabrook (Chi - D)
Wanted a defenceman I could start each week that provides value across the board. I felt I was lacking on Hits so bad at this point that I sacrificed a little potential on offence here for Seabrook who is a hitting machine. Decently happy with this one as long as Seabrook doesn't decide to start slowing down any, he shouldn't though at only 29 years old. Alternatives: RNH, Green, Barrie, Wisniewski, Carlson
9. (137) Christian Ehrhoff (Pit - D)
Really happy with this pick here, I think I'm higher than most on Ehrhoff's situation in Pittsburgh. I'm just happy to snag a guy who probably will be getting first PP minutes this late in the draft. Alternatives: Callahan, Statsny, Goligoski.
10. (152) Darcy Kuemper (Min - G)
For me, this was a VERY important pick for my team. If Kuemper can prevail in Minnesota can become the starter there I will be laughing my way to the bank. And honestly, I think Kuemper will prevail, it's just a question of how long it will take. I might compare his situation to Bernier's at the start of last season in Toronto. I like Minnesota's team, though it'll be tough to get wins a lot playing in the Western conference. To win this league I'll need to have two goalies contributing to the SVs and Wins category regularly, so this pick is huge. I was sweating big time when this pick was approaching too because I knew I needed to snag a goalie but in my mind, Kuemper was a tier above the alternatives. Luckily, I was able to grab him. I do really like this pick, especially considering I got him at 152, but on the other hand there is a lot of questions surrounding the Wild's crease so no doubt I'll be watching this situation very closely. Alternatives: Khudobin, Allen, Ward, Gibson.
11. (169) Nazem Kadri (Tor - C)
I'm a leaf hater, so taking Kadri here hurts in that regard, but I actually really like this pick from a fantasy perspective. He'll do better than the 50 points he got last year no doubt. Offers good multi-cat here too. Alternatives: Drouin, Koivu, Nichushkin
12. (184) Jake Gardiner (Tor - D)
I also really love this pick. Underrated on hits, and I think it's finally his time to breakout. I'm thinking powerplay time, and over 40 points. This is one of my favourite picks of the draft. Alternatives: Garrison, Gudas, Yakupov, Williams
13. (201) Michael Cammalleri (NJ - C,LW)
He'll get the ice time in NJ. Lots of shots, powerplay points, goals. Big fan of Cammy and I think he's pretty underrated in most leagues this year. If Jagr can do 67 points last year, is it fair that Cammy could do it too? Seems like a lot but there's no doubt in my mind he'll get all the ice-time he needs to make a run at it. Health is a concern here. Alternatives: Parenteau, Moulson, Dupuis
14. (216) Ales Hemsky (Dal - RW)
Boom or bust. Probably the best linemates/situation he's ever been in. If Hemsky can stay healthy, I'm happy. At this point in the draft, as I saw in the mocks before - there is a surplus of RWs available and a severe lacking of LW/C. I decide to just take the best players available at this point (since I still have a couple RW slots available) and tackle the issue of overloading at one position later. Alternatives: Gallagher, Tatar, Plekanec
15. (233) Cam Atkinson (Cls - RW)
Very high on Atkinson this year, I think if he can't jump to a different level this year, it probably will never happen. Lots of shots, hopefully more goals than last season too. But really this could go either way. Is Atkinson a middling 40-50 point player? Or can he reach 55-60? Anyone's guess is as good as mine. Alternatives: Hagelin, M. Rielly, Shaw, Downie
16. (248) Mikkel Boedker (Ari - LW)
I was absolutely thrilled with this pick. Boedker is extremely underrated especially in this format and I think people just keep forgetting about him since he plays in Arizona. The man had 51 points last year, over 2 shots per game, and over 100 hits. He also hasn't missed a game in 3 years and probably will be on Arizona's top line and top powerplay unit. I was crazy happy when I stumbled across him at #248. I probably would've even taken him a few rounds prior if I had him in mind, but this one just kinda fell on my lap Alternatives: Grabovski, Lindholm, Bjugstad, Ennis
17. (265) Matt Martin (NYI - LW)
As mentioned, was feeling down about my Hits category and desperately needed to make it up. This guy is a one-trick pony, the only thing I need is for the Isles to put him in the lineup. I figured the amount of offense I gained by overlooking multi-cat guys previously will come out in the wash since Martin provides zero offense, but he will do a lot to make up the hits that I gave up too. Alternatives: Monahan, Myers, Alfredsson, Killorn
18. (280) Teddy Purcell (Edm - RW)
Just going with the 'best player available' strategy here. Cause I already had my RW slots filled by this point in the draft (Kessel, Eberle, Hemsky, Atkinson). He'll be a good backup in case one of those guys go down. Has a shot at 50 points in EDM which is good value for this late in the draft. Alternatives: Vermette, Devante SP, Umberger
19. (297) Luke Schenn (Phi - D)
20. (312) Antoine Roussel (Dal - LW)
21. (329) Brooks Laich (Was - C)
22. (344) Zack Kassian (Van - RW)
23. (361) Paul Martin (Pit - D)
24. (376) Alexandre Burrows (Van - LW,RW)
25. (393) Leon Draisaitl (Edm - C)