Fantasy Hockey - Coming up on the Halfway Point

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Asher

This is not academia, we mustn't footnote everything we write.

But it would help if you didn't totally blow the basic facts more than once a week.

[Asher]

Originally posted by notyoueither
Now, other than a fixation on +/-, what does the hockey world have to say about young Joni?

Assets Has tremendous size and strength for the blueline position. Oozes offensive potential and displays plenty of grit, toughness and character.

Flaws Will need to play up to expectations in a tough sports city (Philadelphia), which could be an intimidating factor throughout his career.

Career potential No. 1 defenseman.

Hmmm. I fail to see how Edmonton would be an easier place for him to live up to expectations. More like 'we' eat our young.

TSN.ca does not constitute the "hockey world". In 03-04 they had Kiprusoff as a "No. 2 goaltender" career potential and then in 05-06 his flaw was he may not handle the pressure of being a #1 goaltender...now it's a "But can he be elite?". A joke.

If we're taking what TSN.ca's scouting says, maybe you should get Zyuzin!

Assets Has the size, skill and skating ability to be a major asset along an NHL blueline. Owns off-the-charts talent.
Flaws Has improved his attitude but still needs more work. Must continue to improve his consistency, decision-making and defensive-zone coverage.
Career potential Top six defenseman.

Look at that. "Owns off-the-charts talent" is an asset? It's off the charts in the wrong direction, the kid sucks ass.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by notyoueither
And after today they are 5 back of Minny with a game in hand.

ooops -- I didn't add today's games into the mix

that does seem close but there are still a number of other teams they have to vault to get to a playoff spot. A number of those other teams are ones that I feel are fundamentally stronger than the Coyotes.

AS I said a hundred posts ago . . . they could do it, I just don't think they will. Time will tell. I see them cooling off radically.

Its interesting the ups and downsof a season though . . . I attended a Flames Coyotes game and at that time it looked like the Coyotes were a pathetic husk of a team without spirit or drive. Obviously something has changed markedly with them

[Asher]

Originally posted by notyoueither
But it would help if you didn't totally blow the basic facts more than once a week.

The problem is people like you jump on the stupidest mistakes, quote them out of context, ignore everything else said, and flog it to death as a way to discredit a poster rather than dealing with the argument.

Like you did right here.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Flubber

ooops -- I didn't add today's games into the mix

that does seem close but there are still a number of other teams they have to vault to get to a playoff spot. A number of those other teams are ones that I feel are fundamentally stronger than the Coyotes.

AS I said a hundred posts ago . . . they could do it, I just don't think they will. Time will tell. I see them cooling off radically.

Its interesting the ups and downsof a season though . . . I attended a Flames Coyotes game and at that time it looked like the Coyotes were a pathetic husk of a team without spirit or drive. Obviously something has changed markedly with them

Yeah, I'd say something has changed.

At this point I'd say it is between 5 teams for one spot. Col-Min-Edm-Pho-Chi for 8th. Vancouver or Calgary could stumble and come back to make it 6 teams for two spots, but other than that maybe only Dallas has an outside shot of falling that far.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Asher

The problem is people like you jump on the stupidest mistakes, quote them out of context, ignore everything else said, and flog it to death as a way to discredit a poster rather than dealing with the argument.

Like you did right here.

You should be counting +'s and -'s. It would be a more valuable use of your time.

[Tingkai]

Another shutout by that geezer Brodeur, proving once again that he is the dominant goalie in the league.

[Asher]

I watched that game, and he did look very good. He didn't steal the game by any stretch of the imagination, with Montreal looking sick and slow (not surprising given the huge flu bug problem they have). There were also a couple really embarrassing plays for Brodeur that were very nearly goals.

I'm not saying he's bad, he's stellar, but last night's performance was a factor of more than him being "the dominant goalie". It had more to do with luck (watch some of the posts or the gaffe where a VERY simple shot hit him and rolled towards the goal line before he noticed it and barely stopped it by maniacally pouncing on it with his glove)

[Asher]

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren "has denied he is considering a deal to send defenseman Joni Pitkanen to the Edmonton Oilers for left winger Raffi Torres and right winger Joffrey Lupul. But, it should be noted, there was an Oilers scout in the Ottawa press box."

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Asher

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren "has denied he is considering a deal to send defenseman Joni Pitkanen to the Edmonton Oilers for left winger Raffi Torres and right winger Joffrey Lupul. But, it should be noted, there was an Oilers scout in the Ottawa press box."

No big shock. I would expect the OIl are scouting pretty widely at the moment. Given that Ottaw has been going pretty well lately, I wonder what they would be looking for?

[Asher]

Philly was playing Ottawa, so the Oilers guy was there to likely watch Philly.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Asher
Philly was playing Ottawa, so the Oilers guy was there to likely watch Philly.

Good chance if it was just that one game he was in the Ottaw press box.Its easier to see an Oil-Flyer trade than an Oil-Senators one (although anything is possible)

[Asher]

Scott Cullen over at TSN has a very interesting mailbag where he defends putting the Flames in 4th in the power rankings last week over Vancouver (and Edmonton).

http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_news/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=191404

FLAMES VS. OILERS VS. CANUCKS



Flames Centres:
Daymond Langkow
Matthew Lombardi
Stephane Yelle
Byron Ritchie

85 points, plus-34 (Yelle also missed 22 games)

Oilers Centres:
Jarret Stoll
Petr Sykora
Shawn Horcoff
Marty Reasoner

107 points, minus-15

Canucks Centres:
Henrik Sedin
Brendan Morrison
Ryan Kesler
Marc Chouinard

80 points, minus-12

Advantage: Flames

Flames Left Wingers:
Kristian Huselius
Alex Tanguay
Jeff Friesen
Jamie Lundmark

75 points, plus-16

Oilers Left Wingers:
Ryan Smyth
Raffi Torres
Petr Nedved *
Toby Petersen

* You can flip Nedved and Sykora (but Sykora has been centre for most of the season, that's why I included him in that group).

69 points, minus-16 (Smyth missed ten games)

Canucks Left Wingers:
Daniel Sedin
Matt Cooke
Jan Bulis
Josh Green

67 points, minus-12

Advantage: Flames

Flames Right Wingers:
(No Jarome Iginla)
Tony Amonte
Chuck Kobasew
David Moss
Darren McCarty

37 points, plus-8 (Moss and Dustin Boyd are wildcards, having played a combined 14 games, particularly in the absence of Iginla)

Oilers Right Wingers:
Ales Hemsky
Joffrey Lupul
Fernando Pisani
Brad Winchester

70 points, minus-7 (Hemsky missed eight games)

Canucks Right Wingers:
Markus Naslund
Trevor Linden
Taylor Pyatt
Alexandre Burrows

62 points, minus-12

Advantage: Oilers

Flames Defence:
Dion Phaneuf
Robyn Regehr
Roman Hamrlik
Rhett Warrener
Andrew Ference
Mark Giordano

70 points, plus-64

Oilers Defence:
Steve Staios
Jason Smith
Daniel Tjarnqvist
Marc-Andre Bergeron
Matt Greene
Jan Hejda
(Ladislav Smid hurt)

60 points, minus-9

Canucks Defence:
Mattias Ohlund
Sami Salo
Kevin Bieksa
Willie Mitchell
Lukas Krajicek
Rory Fitzpatrick

75 points, minus-11 (Salo missed ten games)

Advantage: Flames

Flames Goaltending
2.60 GAA -- 8th in the league
.914 SVPCT - 5th in the league

Oilers Goaltending
2.93 GAA - 16th in the league
.898 SVPCT - 19th in the league

Canucks Goaltending
2.56 GAA - 6th in the league
.909 SVPCT - 9th in the league

Advantage: Very close between Vancouver and Calgary

[notyoueither]

He had the Canucks at 18th?

I think this shows what paying attention to +/- is good for.

[notyoueither]

This is the same guy who thinks Moreau isn't a significant injury for the Oilers because, after all, he's just a 3rd liner and is interchangable with any number of other players.