Hey guys, in case you haven’t been following @Buccigross on Twitter, hockey starts this week! Which means it’s another season of fantasy hockey and be sure to check right here for the best
fantasy analysis on the web.
My league drafted a few days ago, so I figured I would post it along with some comments to give you all an idea of where players are getting drafted. I posted who I considered to be the best and work pick of each round, as well as my thoughts on the players I drafted and why. I would love to hear your own analysis on the comments below!
Round 1
1. Mark- Crosby
2. Ryan- Stamkos
3. Alex- Malkin
4. Sam- Ovechkin
5. Joe- Tavares
6. Brandon- Rask
7. Steve- Kane
8. Dave- Lundqvist
9. Roto- Kessel
10. Tim- Giroux
Worst Pick:
Kessel (9). Phil Kessel is an elite goal scorer and has been one of the game’s
best the last 3 years. However, he doesn’t contribute in enough fantasy
categories to be taken this high. You want more out of a first rounder.
Best Pick:
Claude Giroux (10). Okay, not just saying this because this is my pick. But
Giroux can and has put up elite numbers, and the only reason Yahoo ranked him
out of the top 10 was because of his fluke offseason injury. However, he has
progressed nicely and is line for another premier year.
11. Tim- Hall
12. Roto- Toews
13. Dave- Subban
14. Steve- Datsyuk
15. Brandon- H. Sedin
16. Joe- Staal
17. Sam- Quick
18. Alex- Zetterberg
19. Ryan- St. Louis
20. Mark- Backstrom
Worst Pick: Quick (17). I don’t like taking a goalie this high, especially not this year. There are so many great goalies and I think you’re better off taking a forward with this pick. Quick is a great number 1, don’t get me wrong, but his regular season stats last year were pedestrian.
Best Pick: It’s
a tough one, but I’ll go with St. Louis. The guy just doesn’t seem to age. As
long as he’s playing alongside Stamkos, he’ll be an elite RW. The guy who led
the league in points last year taken at 18th overall? Not too
shabby.
My Pick: Taylor Hall. I’ve already said how high on him I was and I’m stoked to get him here. I was a little pissed at first about last pick, but who can be mad about nailing Giroux/Hall back to back? Either one could lead the league in points this year.
21. Mark- Neal
22. Ryan- Rinne
23. Alex- Anderson
24. Sam- D. Sedin
25. Joe- Niemi
26. Brandon- Perry
27. Steve- Bobrovsky
28. Dave- Karlsson
29. Roto- Nash
30. Tim- Letang
Worst Pick:
Craig Anderson. Maybe I’m a stickler but I don’t trust him to be an elite
number 1. A full season from Karlsson and Spezza will help, but I’d take Niemi
or Bobrovsky before him at any rate.
Best Pick:
Erik Karlsson. Corey Perry was a close second, but being able to snag Karlsson,
a guy who can put up points as a defenseman like we haven’t seen in a long time
is huge. A case can certainly be made that Karlsson could be a first round
pick. Tremendous value here for Dave.
My Pick: Kris
Letang. I hadn’t planned on taking a defenseman this early, but I knew it would
be 19 picks before my turn again, so I wanted to snag one of the elite ones
with this round. Letang runs a powerplay that features Crosby, Malkin, and
Kunitz, so as long as he’s healthy he’ll be a rock for me.
31. Tim- Ryan
32. Roto- Price
33. Dave- Kopitar
34. Steve- Parise
35. Brandon-Howard
36. Joe- Duchene
37. Sam- Seguin
38. Alex- Crawford
39. Ryan- Vanek
40. Mark- Smith
Worst Pick: Tyler
Seguin. He certainly has elite potential, but you’re looking for more than just
upside in these early rounds. If he can create chemistry with Benn and is
allowed to run free in Dallas’ offense, he’ll put up elite numbers for sure. It’s
just a question of “if”…
Best Pick: Matt
Duchene. After a disappointing sophomore season, Duchene was a point-per-game
player last year for the Avalanche. Eligible at both C and LW, he’ll be playing
with Landeskog and maybe even Mackinnon, so the dominos are definitely aligned
for him to establish himself as an upper-echelon player for years to come.
My Pick: Bobby
Ryan. I was hesitant on this pick for some reason, but I shouldn’t have been. Given
a chance for a fresh new start in Ottowa, he’ll be centered by Spezza and
hopefully will have his best year yet. Before the lockout, he had four
consecutive 30+ goal seasons and his LW/RW eligibility makes him a flexible
option.
41. Mark- E. Kane
42. Ryan- Fleury
43. Alex- Getzlaf
44. Sam- Kunitz
45. Joe- Eberle
46. Brandon- Spezza
47. Steve- Yakupov
48. Dave- Benn
49. Roto- Chara
50. Tim- Moulson
Best Pick: Ryan
Getzlaf. His resurgence last year made him one of the guys who most out-produced
his draft position in 2012. Bobby Ryan will be gone, but Perry will still be on
his line and either Selanne or new youngster Silfverberg will play the opposite
side. Getzlaf should be a top 20 forward and was drafted at twice that. Steal.
My Pick: Matt
Moulson. Playing alongside Tavares, who’s in line for a monster year, he will
be along for the ride. He should be good for another 30+ goals, and if the
trends continue, will be at a point-per-game pace. Will be a top 5 LW option
next year.
51. Tim- Ward
52. Roto- Thornton
53. Dave- Eriksson
54. Steve- Semin
55. Brandon- Sharp
56. Joe- Holtby
57. Sam- Luongo
58. Alex- Marleau
59. Ryan- Gaborik
60. Mark- Hiller
Worst Pick: Jonas
Hiller. He plays on a Ducks team that
maybe played over its head last year, and he’s got Viktor Fasth breathing down
his neck. Most of my mock drafts saw him going way later.
Best Pick:
Marian Gaborik. He’s an injury risk, yes. But when he plays, he tears it up as
well as anyone in the league. He’s capable of putting up points in streaks that
can single-handedly win matchups. His situation in Columbus is very similar to
what it was in Minnesota. Another guy who was ranked too low by Yahoo.
My pick: Cam
Ward. Okay, I don’t love this pick. But I was waiting any longer to grab a
netminder and I trust him more than Holtby or Hiller. I’ll be keeping an close
eye on him but if nothing else he’s been dependable to stay healthy over his
career.
61. Mark- Hossa
62. Ryan- Ribeiro
63. Alex- Pietrangelo
64. Sam- Krejci
65. Joe- Suter
66. Brandon- Parenteau
67. Steve- Voracek
68. Dave- Lupul
69. Roto- Weber
70. Tim- Stepan
Worst Pick:
Ryan Suter. There are really no bad picks in this round, but I’ll say Suter
just because I don’t think he should have been taken over Petro or Weber. To
each their own.
Best Pick: Shea
Weber. He could quite easily be the best fantasy defenseman this year. Not sure
how we went this low but he’s good across the board in fantasy stats and he’s
rock solid health wise. Maybe not as sexy as Subban or Karlsson, but with Weber
you know what you’re getting.
My Pick: As I mentioned
in my forward preview, Stepan was one of my candidates for a big breakout year.
I expect him to bust out in a big way, with a new coach and motivated by a
short contract. I’ll happily have him as my number 1 center.
71. Tim- Byfuglien
72. Roto- Couture
73. Dave- Kesler
74. Steve- Keith
75. Brandon- Streit
76. Joe- Schultz
77. Sam- Phaneuf
78. Alex- Kronwall
79. Ryan- Lucic
80. Mark- Yandle
Worst Pick: Ryan
Kesler. Yes I’m a fan of him this year to have a bounce-back season, I think
this is too early. Hard to justify this pick when guys like Bergeron, Pavelski,
and Backes are still on the board.
Best Pick: Nick
Kronwall. I love Kronwall and even had him as my number 1 d-man last year. He’s
a solid contributor in everything and is the go-to guy in Detroit on the blue
line. I would have taken him over all the defensemen taken after Big Buff.
My Pick:
Dustin Byfuglien. My number 2 defenseman now, he plays like a forward and is
due for a rebound year as the young guys in Winnepeg continue to develop and his
partner, Enstrom, is healthy. However, frugal as I am, he is a bit of a luxury
as a number2 and I may be throwing his name out there for trade bait.
81. Mark- Carter
82. Ryan- Doughty
83. Alex- Pavelski
84. Sam- Iginla
85. Joe- Pominville
86. Brandon- Pacioretty
87. Steve- Boyle
88. Dave- Miller
89. Roto- Backes
90. Tim- Kadri
Worst Pick:
Jason Pominville. There’s really no bad picks here. These are the rounds where
you start to see guys with injury risks and other baggage. Pominville is solid
and finished well in Minnesota, but he’ll produce best if he can land a spot
with Parise/Koivu.
Best Pick:
Nazem Kadri. Yep, my pick. He scored 18 goals and 44 points in the shortened
season, and will play alongside the likes of Kessel, JVR, Lupul, and Kulemin.
His upside is tremendous and I see him taking another step forward this year.
He’ll slide right into my #2 center spot.
91. Tim- Burns
92. Roto- Backstrom
93. Dave- Skinner
94. Steve- Lehtonen
95. Brandon- Markov
96. Joe- Ladd
97. Sam- Green
98. Alex- Landeskog
99. Ryan- Shattenkirk
100.
Mark- Timonen
101.
Mark- Bergeron
102.
Ryan- Franzen
103.
Alex- Alfredsson
104.
Sam- Ekman-Larsson
105.
Joe- Campbell
106.
Brandon- Enstrom
107.
Steve- Van Riemsdyk
108.
Dave- Edler
109.
Roto- Wheeler
110.
Tim- Del Zotto
111.
Tim- Schneider
112.
Roto- Gonchar
113.
Dave- Richards
114.
Steve- Heatley
115.
Brandon- Hedman
116.
Joe- Carlson
117.
Sam- Marchand
118.
Alex- Voynov
119.
Ryan- Franson
120.
Mark- Seabrook
Picks I like: Green, Bergeron, OEL, ENnstrom, Gonchar, Franson, Landeskog
Picks I don’t
like: Lehtonen, Ladd, Seabrook
121.
Mark- Brown
122.
Ryan- Huberdeau
123.
Alex- Elias
124.
Sam- J. Johnson
125.
Joe- Nugent-Hopkins
126.
Brandon- Richards
127.
Steve- Wisniewski
128.
Dave- Wideman
129.
Roto- Visnovsky
130.
Tim- Simmonds
131.
Tim- Halak
132.
Roto- Brodeur
133.
Dave- Silfverberg
134.
Steve- Oshie
135.
Brandon- Galchenyuk
136.
Joe- Fasth
137.
Sam- Plekanec
138.
Alex- Elliot
139.
Ryan- Callahan
140.
Mark- Williams
141.
Mark- Goligoski
142.
Ryan- Ehrhoff
143.
Alex- Beauchemin
144.
Sam- Dupuis
145.
Joe- Lecavalier
146.
Brandon- Pavelec
147.
Steve- Leddy
148.
Dave- Boedker
149.
Roto- Gagner
150.
Tim- Hartnell
Picks I like: Huberdeau,
Wideman, Williams, Boedker
Picks I don’t like:
Johnson, Goligoski, Leddy, Beauchemin
151.
Tim- Hamilton
152.
Roto- Ennis
153.
Dave- Turris
154.
Steve- Purcell
155.
Brandon- Brouwer
156.
Joe- Horton
157.
Sam- Dubinsky
158.
Alex- Hamhuis
159.
Ryan- Cammalleri
160.
Mark- Stewart
161.
Mark- McDonagh
162.
Ryan- Drouin
163.
Alex- Gallagher
164.
Sam- Ryder
165.
Joe- Fleischmann
166.
Brandon- Barrie
167.
Steve- Stastny
168.
Dave- Fowler
169.
Roto- Tyutin
170.
Tim- Bartkowski
Picks I like: Horton,
Fowler, Drouin, Ryder
Picks I don’t like:
Purcell, Brouwer, Barrie, Tyutin, Bartkowski. I had to take a defenseman with
my last pick because the draft automatically place Burns and Buff on RW,
leaving only a d-man slot left. I took Bartkowski as a joke. I’ll be dropping
him immediately, probably for a goalie.
So at the end
this is the makeup of my team:
C- Stepan,
Kadri
LW- Hall,
Moulson, Hartnell
RW- Giroux,
Ryan, Simmonds
D- Letang,
Byfuglien, Burns, Del Zotto, Hamilton
G- Ward,
Schneider, Halak
I think this
is a well balanced team with a lot of upside. As I’ve mentioned before, Stepan,
Kadri, Hall, Moulson, Burns, Del Zotto, and even Hamilton are all due for
breakout seasons. If the pieces fall together, I’m looking at a championship
team.
Questions
about players? Thoughts on my team? Let us know! I’m happy to answer any and
all you have at timwirz17@gmail.com .
Thanks and
keep reading!
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