But now that fall is officially set to begin on Thursday, it’s also time for training camps around the NHL to open, as we look ahead to opening night of the season on Oct. 11. To help get you ready for the next few weeks — as teams decide on which players make the roster, […]
Continue readingA whopping 23 defensemen earned more than 2.0 fantasy points per game in ESPN’s standard league this past season, up from only a dozen the previous campaign. Another 33 between 1.8 and 2.0 … But then consider that 14 blueliners finished in ESPN’s Top-50 in total fantasy points, another 14 in the next 50. By […]
Continue readingWhile many line combinations and goalie splits around the NHL landscape are still to be decided, next season’s top picks won’t look that different from the last. Want Hart Trophy winner Auston Matthews or Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin? Well, you’re going need a top pick or pay up in a salary cap draft. So […]
Continue readingWell, we know their age. We also know what kind of production they have put up in the past. But beyond those two criteria, we don’t really know a whole lot. We can certainly guess a lot. In January 2018, ESPN asked me to do the first one of these dynasty rankings. While I didn’t […]
Continue readingTo get the ball rolling on discussions for the fall, we present the way-too-early top 300 fantasy rankings. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs Leon Draisaitl, W, Edmonton Oilers Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers Nikita Kucherov, W, Tampa Bay Lightning Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning Kirill Kaprizov, W, […]
Continue readingTAMPA, Fla. — Pat Maroon was just doing his job. In Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning winger passed the puck to teammate Nikita Kucherov. His job was to go straight to the Colorado Avalanche net and get behind their defense. Once he did, he shouted “yeah, yeah!” to Kucherov, […]
Continue readingThe NHLPA executive board held a conference call on Monday, and the players voted through the week on whether to begin the process of replacing Fehr. The 73-year-old joined the NHLPA in December 2010 and negotiated collective bargaining agreements in 2013 and 2020. Fehr will continue to lead the NHLPA until his successor is found. […]
Continue readingIt’s time for a bit of a retrospective; a look back at some of the most pleasant surprises this season, the disappointments and the future assets. Using ESPN’s preseason top 300 rankings (the one’s done in the fantasy game itself that you would have seen in your draft room back in the fall), I’ve compiled […]
Continue readingIf the Toronto Maple Leafs pull away from the Tampa Bay Lightning a little more over the next couple of games, they might be in a position to rest toward the end of the season. The Calgary Flames might be in a position soon where their seeding won’t change, but they still might need to […]
Continue readingThankfully, however, most of the races are being kept tight enough that teams won’t be able to consider resting players for at least a couple of weeks. Even though the teams in the postseason in the Eastern Conference are all but officially settled, there is enough jostling for seeding left that teams likely won’t be […]
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