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Lapsed fan’s guide to the NHL season: Trades, signings, more
When the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001, it signaled the end of an NHL season that was a return to normalcy but still notably impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a truncated 2020-21 season with intra-divisional play, the NHL’s 32 teams — including the debuting Seattle Kraken — […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey draft prep: Single category specialists
All of three players collected 40 or more goals back in the dark scoring ages of 2016-17. Only four the previous season, followed by eight in 2017-18. No small wonder we all scrambled to jam Alex Ovechkin onto our fantasy squads back then. Thankfully, today’s NHL boasts significantly louder scoring fireworks. Not only did 17 […]
Continue readingLingering questions for all 32 NHL teams heading into training camp: Goaltending, lineup, injuries, more
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 readingBouncebacks: Can Chychrun, Pastrnak, Hamilton find their past scoring?
While expectations are one thing, I wanted to quantify exactly what we are looking for here. Taking the fantasy production put up by all NHLers over the past three years, I took the average fantasy points per game (FPPG) and per 60 minutes (FPP60) from the first two years and looked at the difference compared […]
Continue readingNick Suzuki, 23, ‘the heartbeat of our team,’ named captain of rebuilding Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced the appointment, saying the decision was made by the club’s hockey management personnel. An alternate captain last season, Suzuki will succeed defenseman Shea Weber, who served as captain between 2018 and 2022, though he did not play last season due to injury. Veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson and forward Brendan […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey 2022 centers: Put Sebastian Aho, Trevor Zegras on your draft board
Folks, your faceoff leader from the 2021-22 campaign is listed as a winger. So is the player that finished third. If they aren’t exclusively centers in the NHL despite taking the most faceoffs, then who really is? We’re good? We can move on? Good. Choose your league size, customize the scoring and set the rules […]
Continue readingHow to play, and win, your fantasy hockey league like a pro!
As the old fantasy adage goes, regardless of sport, it’s considerably easier to lose a season-long league on draft day than it is to win one. A few ill-advised choices can sink your chances of fantasy victory right from the start, making for a long, slog of a season. Which renders that three-hour window on […]
Continue readingCarolina Hurricanes add to makeover with center Paul Stastny
The 36-year-old received a one-year, $1.5 million contract for what will be his 17th NHL season. There were younger, faster centers available this summer, but Stastny is a consistent, durable second- or third-line option for a team that needs help on special teams and in the faceoff circle. The addition of Stastny shores up the […]
Continue reading2022-23 ESPN Fantasy Hockey rankings
While 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 readingBest under-the-radar signings of the NHL offseason, including Frank Vatrano, Eric Comrie
We’re here to talk about the less chewed-over moves. The ones that maybe flew under the radar. Or got caught in a logjam of other action. One way or another, some signings simply didn’t get proper attention. Dylan Strome going to the Washington Capitals on a one-year contract? Could be a major upgrade for the […]
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