When’s a rebuild not a rebuild, end of a dynasty and what a difference an age makes...
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I guess this is where I tell you to go and download Dobber's latest fantasy guide but as I may end up in a league with you so please don't... I mean why would you want to win a Championship so you can gloat, brag and ensure your friends buy you beer for the rest of the year as a prize... if only that was a prize....
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Joanne Ireland, at the Edmonton Journal, raised an interesting point. This will be the first time in 3 seasons that the Oilers will start with the same coach behind the bench that finished the previous season. Now a 9-10-1 finish to the season may not be much of a turnaround for most NHL franchises but when you consider that the Oilers started 2013-14 with a 4-15-2 record you have to have a certain amount of optimism that they can now start to achieve some of the potential that is undoubtedly there.
With a better start will we see Eberle back closer to a point a game pace that he had in 2011-12? Possibly, when you consider that he only posted 15 points in his first 21 games last season the remainder of the season saw him go at 70 point pace (50 in 59).
In fact he actually did post a point a game pace in the last 20 games of the season and not once in that spell did he exceed 20 minutes of ice time in a game (in his first 21 games he exceeded 20 minutes 17 times) – has Eakins now learnt that less is more when it comes to Eberle and his ice time? Definitely a pattern worth watching.
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Over at NHL.com Dan Rosen has run his 'Five questions with...' Todd Mclellan this week. The Sharks rumoured re build (I'm not convinced as don't forget they were one key injury - Mark Edward Vlasic, and one win away from knocking out the eventual champion Kings) seems to have now taken a different spin. For those with Thornton and Marleau in the 'Next star name to be traded this Summer' sweepstake you are going to be awfully disappointed as it seems like they are here to stay. Is that a bad thing? In my opinion not really as the Kings beat two other elite teams in a 7th game to get their names on the cup and neither have had the scrutiny that the Sharks have faced. Yes, Chicago have their recent cups but what's St Louis' excuse? And right now if you had St Louis play San Jose in a 7 game series I'd struggle to confidently pick a winner (both have question marks in net, I give St Louis the edge on d and San Jose at forward but that may just be me) Any team with a centre group of Thornton, Couture and Pavelski are going to be competitive though and only one team can ever win the cup in any one year but like San Jose there are a lot of good teams who never won a cup...
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TwoPadStack's Ryan Womeldorf has an interesting piece on whether Detroit's juggernaut is now on the decline and I tend to think they are but not for the reasons outlined. I wonder, and cover your ears Redwings fans, but will the Wing be worse if they do get a full season from Datsyuk and Zetterberg? Last season when both played the Wings actually went 12-9-8, a 90 point pace which is near enough where they finished, but if the Wings lost half those extra point games in 60 minutes then that 8th place play off spot is looking perilous - with the Islanders looking stronger, the Caps looking at a bounce back from Holtby and the Leafs actually playing a full 82 game season (any team that loses 12 of their last 14 deserves to miss the play offs) I'm not sure the Wings reach 24 years in the play offs...
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When I was looking at this all I could think of was the song 'what a difference a day makes' sung by Jamie Cullum (not sure what that says about me when countless others have done it too!) but thanks to Mr Guru posting NHL teams' travel miles this upcoming season. I cross referenced this with the oldest average teams in the NHL and also looked at the back to backs for each team next season and I do wonder how big an impact this is going to have in fantasy hockey.
Dallas is the second oldest team in the NHL (I know I was shocked too but I guess having a hundred year old Sergei Gonchar makes a bit of a difference) and have the second most miles to travel this year but do have only 12 back to backs. I don't see this having the same impact on Seguin and Benn that it has on Hemsky and Spezza but whenever a player is in their 30s it is naturally going to take time recover - the question now is will the lack of back to backs help this? When you look at the schedule and see that there are 5 games in 7 nights in Jan or 3 in 4 in Feb could it be a chance to sell high on a Spezza/Hemsky before the games come thick and fast later in the season and the chance of injury/slump become an even bigger possibility...
Now I don't think there will be many hoarding Devils' forwards for their offence next season but how will the NHL's oldest average team, with their 18 back to backs but relatively light travel schedule, impact Schneider's ability to cement his position as a top tier goalie? I think it raises more questions as he has yet to play a bonafide starters workload, and though that may change this year, will be have the support to maintain the .920+ save percentage and sub 2.25 gaa that he has posted since 2010? I'm not so sure...
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Finally I know everyone loves an underdog and Bissonette is definitely that whilst hanging on to an NHL job (as of right now he is an UFA) and kudos to him for his ice bucket escapade, but as not everyone has a mountain and a helicopter to take advantage of, a big shout out to Craig Doremus, the general manager of the New York Bobcats of the Eastern Hockey League with this effort -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6QB...U#action=share