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At this time of year, there is a lot to be
thankful for. But as many poolies peruse their teams, we can rest assured
there are some players that you drafted very high, or paid a lot of money
for in your rotisserie league, that have been a bust. This week, we look at
the top five that are literally under-achieving to such a degree that it's
giving you night sweats.
#5 -
Simon Gagne: Out of the blocks it looked as though the Flyers were going
to be dynamite and Gagne was going to be one of the main reasons why. But a
funny thing happened on the way to the start of a good season. Yes the
Flyers are still close to 10 games above .500, but Gagne has been
sleep-walking through the first 1/4 of the year. Until this past week, when
Gagne scored 3 goals, he had gone over 20 games with just 2. Sure his
plus/minus was great at +15, but 2 goals? Youch! Gagne has been less than
mediocre, but there appears hope on the horizon for Gagne owners.
John LeClair's misfortune may be Gagne's salvation; it's likely Simon
will see a lot more ice time and a lot more PP time, which should go a long
way to restoring his confidence and see him find the back of the net. Hang
on to him for the time being.
#4 - And speaking of only 2 goals,
Joe Nieuwendyk's legit 2 tallies in 28 equates to his lowest goal total
in any year - including all those games he lost due to injury; he's on a
pace to score less than 6. Granted, every team that
Pat Burns coaches is a "defence first" squad - but two goals is not
representative of Joe talents. Problem is that Nieuwendyk has recently been
skating with
Turner Stevenson and
Jamie Langenbrunner. Granted, Langenbrunner seems to have found a bit of
a scoring touch, but neither he nor Stevenson will ever be confused with a
legitimate offensive talent. As such, the drought that is Nieuwendyk's
season may continue. And even as he does show some signs of fantasy life,
Burns' system won't foster more confidence for Nieuwendyk. As such, our
advice is to deal him now - if you can.
#3 -
Jarome Iginla has been a mere shadow of his 50+ goal self from last
season. Slowed by a sore groin that has now forced him to the sidelines, "Iggy"
is finding out that life in the NHL after an MVP-like season is even tougher
the second time around. Early chemistry with linemates
Conroy and
Drury hasn't resulted in solid stats, and that's a concern for you, the
"Iggy" owner. Calgary looks like it will be a long time before they ever get
to the level of respectability - but one thing is for sure, they need Iginla
burying every chance - as he did last year. For the time being, it will be
hard to move Iginla - but the good thing is that he is only 25 and has a lot
more to give yet. So, you might as well just sit tight.
#2 - Face it:
Eric Lindros is not paid 9 million per season to be an average NHL'er.
Unfortunately for the Rangers, that's exactly what they have got. Now
granted, the Big E and new Ranger head coach
Bryan Trottier have not exactly been seeing eye-to-eye, but Lindros is
expected to be an impact NHL superstar - and so far, he's fallen quite short
of the mark. Early in the season he looked to be a player confused. Taking
dumb penalties, playing out of position, and finding himself on the bench in
crucial situations. He has played better in the past 10 games, but 9 goals
and 19 points in 32 games is not what the Rangers were hoping for - or need.
Lindros needs to elevate his game and do it ASAP, as the Rangers, now that
Bure is on the shelf, need him more than ever. Dealing him is dangerous as
you are not likely going to get value for what you paid...but if you've seen
any of the Rangers games, you know that they do not look like a playoff
contender - not even close.
#1 - And our top banana is terms of superstar busts so far this
season has got to be former "good as gold for 30+ goals", not so lucky
Luc Robitaille. Hard to explain that a guy that was constantly in and
out of the
Scotty Bowman doghouse last year, and still managed to get 30 goals,
gets a nicer and newer head coach and now is on pace for 9 - yuck! And make
no mistake, it's a bad thing for goal scorers to lose that scoring touch. Robitaille is not an awesome defensive presence, nor a physical one - and as
a result, the Wings need him to score - and three goals...well, that's not
so good. Most recently, we've noticed that Robitaille has been playing with
Fedorov, and poolies couldn't be happier. For how much longer that will
continue is anyone's guess. Unlike
Brett Hull, who started slow, but has begun to find his scoring touch,
Robitaille remains snake-bit. Fingers crossed that he comes around, but if
he doesn't show signs by the All-Star break and the arrival of
Steve Yzerman, you need to cut your losses and dump our #1
under-achiever so far this season. |
