Here’s a roundup of several early underachievers and whether to show them some patience or the fantasy door. Mika Zibanejad, C/LW, New York Rangers (Rostered in 98.2% of ESPN.com leagues): I’m not concerned. Other than opting to pass on a couple of occasions instead of shooting on net, last season’s dominating goal-scorer – who’s feeling […]
Continue readingThe word that typically defines free agency in the NHL is “uncertainty.” Players with expiring contracts enter a marketplace unsure of what their next deals will look like or where they’ll next call home. But in the 2020 free-agent frenzy, that uncertainty has reached previously unseen levels for players and teams. There’s a flat salary […]
Continue readingThe 2020 NHL playoffs officially begin on Tuesday, as the 24-team tournament — with five-game qualification round series and round-robin seeding matchups — has moved on to a more recognizable, 16-team version. This round includes several matchups where revenge will be on the mind of one team (or both, for separate reasons), and based on […]
Continue readingThis is a critical juncture: Historically, NHL teams with a 2-0 lead in a seven-game playoff are 324-51 (.864) in those series. The Vegas Golden Knights are already there. Four more teams — the Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks — have a chance to join them Friday. Check out the […]
Continue readingJones pulled one of the jerseys out of the box, poured lighter fluid on it and lit it on fire in his driveway. He continued to burn jerseys from the box, documenting the process in a series of Instagram videos posted Wednesday. “I opened up my mailbox today, and I had these jerseys in my […]
Continue readingThe first day of the NHL’s restarted season produced a few shocking moments, a few controversies and a speech that hockey fans won’t soon forget. Day 2 brings the start of the round-robin games among the top seeds and the rest of the qualification-round series, as the Eastern Conference postseason rolls on in Toronto while […]
Continue readingUnlike the traditional playoff format, the league is running a 24-team tournament, with 12 teams from each conference playing in fan-less arenas in Toronto (for the East) and Edmonton, Alberta (for the West). The top four teams in each conference are in the round of 16, and seeds 5 through 12 will square off to […]
Continue readingIt’s created by a coach attempting to mesh three players together into a cohesive unit; it’ll stick around for anywhere from a few periods to a few games; and then it’s either broken up, with the spare parts added to different lines, or it passes the chemistry test, living on for months or perhaps for […]
Continue readingWhen injuries or ineffectiveness strike your roster, you need to know who’s available and who’s performing. Here are a few names ranking better than 105th on the ESPN Player Rater for the past 30 days, and available in at least 40 percent of leagues. Duncan Keith, D, Chicago Blackhawks (available in 60 percent of ESPN […]
Continue readingPart of the process is to try not to be too reactionary to short-term success. These rankings are for the rest of the season, so a recent hot streak technically doesn’t play into them other than to help develop the go-forward prognosis for a player. St. Louis Blues winger Zach Sanford moved into our rankings […]
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