I had high hopes for Jonas Hiller this year. Unfortunately those hopes have been shot down like a French plane over Germany. If there was ever a situation for a Goalie to turn things around this start against Nashville was it. The Pred’s were playing their 2nd game in 2 nights and their 4th west coast game in 6 days. Meanwhile the Ducks have been sitting on their tail feathers since Sunday after a grueling 7 game road trip. The stars were aligned, the order was set, the ducks were in a row… and then blech. And that pretty much sums up Hiller’s season. I don’t think he will be this bad all year though, so in the right situation I would trade for him. Unfortunately for Hiller owners (like me) his value is in the toilet right now. Not much you (we) can do except hope for a turn-around or trade him for 50 cents on the dollar.. And I’m not trading him for 50 Cents… Now lets take a gander at the rest of the happenings in the NHL last night:
Craig Smith – C (Nsh): Now it’s common practice for me to avoid any and all Nashville Predator players, but after last night’s 3 point game Mr. Unique Name has me intrigued. 5 Goals and 5 Assists in his last 9 games (and increased Power Play time) means Smith is a must add in deep leagues.. In moderate-shallow (12 & under) leagues he might be worth picking up, just don’t be afraid to drop him after he breaks his ankle falling back down to Earth…
Saku Koivu – C (Ana): Saku should consider changing his name to Suk-u. His days of fantasy relevance are over and his spot on the #2 line in Anaheim just proves how top-heavy the Ducks roster is…
Patric Hornqvist – RW (Nsh): Would this guy’s first name not be perfect for a strikeout pitcher in baseball? All the fans could have their signs: Patric-KKKKKKKKK. (Sorry I can’t figure out how to write the backward K).. Anywho, the Horn-dog is absolutely on fire with 7 Goals and 4 Assists in his last 7 games. Which IMO means he’s the same streaky SOB he’s always been so pick him up if you need a Right-Winger…
Braydon Coburn – D (Phi): Celebrated his new 4 Year, $18MM contract by beating up Steve Downie. Braydon doesn’t have much fantasy value (unless your league counts “intangibles”) but he does have, without question, the greatest last name of all time!
Chris Pronger – D (Phi): Returned after missing over 2 weeks and was right back to playing huge minutes (25:22 TOI). I like Pronger, but at this point it’s impossible to trust him to stay healthy. Trade the name for the production. Trade the name for the production…
Marc-Andre Bergeron – D (TB): Another Goal. Just…..can’t……………………………. believe……………………………..
Marian Gaborik – RW (NYR): 4 Goals in his last 2 games could be the start of something big. Or it could just be a precursor to an IR stint with some mysterious Lower Body Injury… I would bet on the latter…
Milan Michalek – LW/RW (Ott): 3 weeks ago I said this about Milan: “He’s never produced like this over a full season though and he’s in his 7th year in the NHL. Enjoy the ride while it lasts but don’t hesitate to drop when he turns back into Milan Michalek.” And after a Goal last night he still only has 2 points in his last 5 games… WINNING!
Artem Anisimov – C (NYR): Whew, man, that is a hard name to spell. What isn’t hard is realizing the chemistry on the newly constructed Anisimov-Stepan-Gaborik line. Get on board if you’re in need of a Center…
Eric Staal – C (Car): How ugly can it get? 5 Points and a -16 in 15 games? Staal was comfortably in my Top 30 overall so I can’t help but feel somewhat responsible… I’ll also claim responsibility for pushing the panic button.
Dwayne Roloson – G (TB): Despite allowing just 1 Goal in his last 112 minutes I still don’t trust D-Rol in the long run.. By the way, 15 Shots on Goal last night Philadelphia? Who are you Nashville?
