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Throughout the year
we'll try to put together weekly updates on the happenings in the NHL.
You'll either see the updates posted on the site or you receive them when
you sign you for our email service (at the top of this page). As
our Annual Subscribers will know from a recent article we can't emphasize
enough not jumping on bandwagons. In fact two guys we specifically mentioned
as "hypesters" - Chris Kelly and JF Soucy - have been sent
packing. As September moves into October you'll start to see familiar names
cropping up on the pre-season scoring lists. It's when you get to the last
couple of games that you may start to recognize patterns - younger players
still on top lines or guys that will be counted on to fill holes because of
injury. Who are these guys going to be? Well the crystal ball is broken but
in the short term I'll try and tell you about some of the holes and who the
likely fill-ins might be:
-
Eric Daze (W,
CHI) - Daze could be out a while (at least 8 weeks). If that's the
case then look for Sergei Berezin to be pressed into first line duty - a
scary proposition for a guy who has bounced around four teams in the
last two years. Kyle Calder or Mark Bell could also be pressed into a
more important role. Look for Alexei Zhamnov to take a hit in points to
start the season.
-
Mark Recchi (W,
PHI) - An injury to Recchi will likely keep him out for at least the
first couple weeks of the season. Look for a young guy like Justin
Williams or Pavel Brendl to step up.
-
Kristian
Huselius (W, FLA) - Huselius is out 4 to 6 weeks and unlike other
teams who have players fighting to move up to fill the roles, I just
don't know who's going to do it in Florida. Niklas Hagman or Ivan
Novoseltsev could do it but they are unlikely to produce much more than
they would on the 2nd line. Look for Viktor Kozlov to take a hit in
production while Huselius is out.
-
Boyd Devereaux
(C, DET) - The dogfight for the last couple of forward spots just got
interesting in Detroit. With Devereaux out at least a month there's a 12th
man job available and you've got to believe that Jason Williams or Sean
Avery have a good shot at that. Then there's press box duty as well and
it's possible that someone like Stacey Roest could join either Avery or
Williams eating popcorn on the sidelines. None of these guys should be
fantasy hockey considerations although Williams could be a decent long
term prospect.
Schaefer - Salo
Trade
People have been
asking our thoughts on this deal. It's really not a huge deal, but it could
be important to both teams involved. For the Canucks, they lost two d-men
this off-season and while Jason Strudwick was not a regular, Scott Lachance
was. Assuming he stays healthy Salo could easily stick as a Top 4 d-man and
solidify the Canucks powerplay. As for Schaefer, he's a guy who left the NHL
at exactly the wrong time. He was probably a year (two at most) away from
become a very good player. He still could be, but I think he's taken a step
back. He'll probably see 3rd line duty for now - his production will not be
great. |
