View From The Cheap Seats: Fantasy Hockey Preview
It’s been a few weeks since the last installment of the View from the Cheap Seats, but I’m happy to say I’m back in business and looking forward to what should be yet another great season. It doesn’t hurt that the Leafs actually have given some of the smallest inclinations that they might be able to compete with one or two other NHL teams this year, so that’s got me in a pretty good mood. What doesn’t have me in a great mood this Monday morning is the fact that both of my fantasy football teams got absolutely murdered this week, thanks a lot Tom Brady, Joe Flacco and Co. However, while fantasy football is far and away the king of all fantasy sports, for me, fantasy hockey is far more entertaining and involved, if only for the fact that you have to check your roster more than once a week. Without further ado, here’s my picks for the top 3 fantasy players this season at each position.
Center
1. Sidney Crosby – is any explanation really necessary?
2. Nicklas Backstrom – Coming off a huge season last year, no reason to think he won’t be even better this year – Caps offense simply scores too much for him not to be valuable.
3. Henrik Sedin – All the buzz this year is about Stamkos, but did everyone forget that Hank led the league in points with his other half missing nearly a quarter of the season? A healthy Daniel and an improved Canucks’ defense could make Henrik even more dangerous this year, if that’s possible.
Left Wing
1. Alex Ovechkin – Probably the most valuable player at any position.
2. Ilya Kovalchuk – Especially if he’s playing with Parise on what would be a very scary top line.
3. Daniel Sedin – A healthy year from him playing alongside his brother after they both put up career highs last season should be fun to watch.
Right Wing
1. Patrick Kane – The load will be even heavier on those tiny shoulders, but he’ll be forced to produce.
2. Marian Gaborik – If he had any kind of help in New York, the Rangers could be decent. Something tells me Alex Frolov isn’t the answer, though.
3. Jarome Iginla – The captain of the Calgary Former-Leafs will have his work cut out for him this year, as the Flames have underperformed the last couple seasons.
Defense
1. Mike Green – The kid was a fantasy stud last year, finishing +39 with more than a point per game pace in 75 games.
2. Duncan Keith – As long as your league doesn’t keep a stat for most teeth, Keith will be a great pickup no matter what your team needs. He scores points, plays lockdown D and eats up hours of ice time.
3. Drew Doughty – Geez, no Chara, Lidstrom or Pronger on the list?? Doughty was the 2nd highest point scorer on the Kings last year, and he’s only 21 years old. Meaning he’s only gonna get better.
Goalie
1. Ryan Miller – Absolutely no question here, the Yank almost stole a gold medal from around our necks in Vancouver, and you can bet he and the Sabres will be a stingy defensive team yet again.
2. Martin Brodeur – The last couple years I’ve thought it would be the year Brodeur finally started to show his age. I can’t see it happening now, and with Kovalchuk, Brodeur’s already-high win totals could get even larger this season.
3. Roberto Luongo – Luey can be streaky sometimes which is frustrating as hell for fantasy owners, but with a much deeper defensive corps in front of him, he should be in line for another great season.
Obviously, there’s no real bombshells here, but with fantasy drafts looming ever closer, keep an eye out for some sleeper picks and more in-depth fantasy coverage of all your favorite players.
As always, thanks for reading and you can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/editorinleaf.