The Toronto Maple Leafs went from the basement to the playoffs as one of the biggest surprises of the season. Rookies, Mike Babcock, Frederik Andersen, the vets, everyone contributed to this massive turnaround. Now, the Leafs are looked at as a perennial playoff team with future aspirations of a true Stanley Cup contender. I don't expect them to be a real contender this season, mostly because their blue line still needs a piece or two, but they should be a solid playoff team with plenty of fantasy contributors. Let's take a look at the riches Toronto is working with:
The Boston Bruins returned to the playoffs on the back of their first line. I would argue that Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak were the best trio in the league. Injuries hurt them immensely in their first round loss to the Senators but thankfully for them, they get a chance to run it back. Boston's roster is almost identical to last season's except for some young players that are ready to make a full time leap. They don't have many interesting pieces from a fantasy perspective but they have a few elite options and some top end prospects. Let's take a look at what they're working with:
Amazingly, the Ottawa Senators were one goal away from making The Stanley Cup Finals last season. It was a simple formula: have the best defenseman in the world on your team, a hot goaltender and nice forward depth (only one forward had more than 11 points in their 19 playoff games). This year, they bring back the entire core from last season while adding a couple veterans and at least one, potentially two elite young talents. There is clear room for improvement given that the Senators actually had a negative goal differential last season. It's fair to say that Ottawa overachieved last season but it's also fair to say that their run wasn't a complete fluke. For fantasy, their team is very much like real life. They have one elite player, solid forwards and a goaltender that can carry you for stretches or bury you. Let's take a look at what Ottawa is working with:
The Montreal Canadiens stormed out of the gates last season and never looked back en route to winning the Atlantic Division. They have a roster that seems like a random collection of players with no clear plan. They've gutted their blue line losing a good top 4 in the last year (Subban, Beaulieu, Sergachev, Markov) leaving themselves depending on Shea Weber far too much. Like last offseason, they made a massive trade in the summer, this time involving two young talents. This is a team who is getting the small things right but the big things wrong and that gives me significant concern going forward. Per usual, it's all on Carey Price's shoulders. Their fantasy assets for this season look to be limited but there are a few guys with elite potential and some intriguing guys for deeper leagues. Let's take a look at what Les Habitants are working with:
Hey everyone! I'm back and ready to get things rolling. In this post, I'm simply going to highlight what my tentative plan is for the next two months leading into the season. The majority of things will be similar to last season but I'm looking to make a few additions in terms of things that I write and that others contribute. Here are my thoughts:
Hey everyone! Reid and I are back to update everyone on the recent happenings around the NHL. We start off with a thorough breakdown of the Vegas expansion draft. Selections we like, selections we didn't like, the general strategy of Vegas and more are all discussed. After that, the 2017 NHL Draft gets our attention focusing on long term upside for dynasty leagues. We wrap things up recapping all of the recent trades from a fantasy hockey perspective and a quick preview of this free agency class. All of that and more in this Summer Edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast!
The 2017 Stanley Cup Finals are upon us and what better way to preview it than through the Razzball Hockey Podcast!? Reid and I break down this matchup from top to bottom. We provide you with injury updates on both sides, tentative lines / defensive pairs, along with potential tactical adjustments Peter Laviolette and Mike Sullivan can make throughout this series. These teams are nearly polar opposites which creates an excellent chess match. Will Pittsburgh become the first repeat champion in the post-lockout era or will Nashville bring home the first professional sports championship for the state of Tennessee? Our predictions come at the end of the podcast. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by SeatGeek!
We have a Stanley Cup finalist! Reid and I talk about the Nashville win in Game 6 and briefly bask in glory since we both picked Nashville to make the Finals in the preseason. After breaking down the game, we look at where Anaheim goes from here and the journey David Poile has taken to build this Predators roster. From there, we give a quick look at game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals before talking about Reid becoming Twitter famous! Because of his tweet (pinned on his account), we talk about some of the worst things people can do in their food. We'd like to know the worst things either you or someone you know does to a certain type of food so let us know in the comments section. You can also make your picks for The Three Point Challenge below. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by SeatGeek!
We're back on the Razzball Hockey Podcast starting by looking at the Senators beatdown of Pittsburgh in game 3. We discuss who we would play in net if we were Mike Sullivan and what Pittsburgh can do to turn things around. From there, we move to the Western Conference and discuss the Predators controlling things. After that, Reid and I give 5-10 players that weren't in the NHL this season that can make a big fantasy hockey impact going forward. The Filip Forsberg trade is also mentioned as well. As always, we wrap things up with The Three Point Challenge. Be sure to make your pick in the comments section below. All of that and more on the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Seatgeek!
After a long week of jury duty, I'm back with Reid updating everyone on the NHL Playoffs. We start off by talking about the Ryan Kesler and Ryan Johansen battle before getting in-depth on both series. Things even go full circle when we look back at the Bobby Ryan trade from 2013. We then discuss whether there is any reason the Capitals should trade Alex Ovechkin and some takeaways from the World Championships before we make our Three Point Challenge picks. Be sure to leave yours in the comments section at hockey.razzball.com. All of that and more on the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Seatgeek!
We're back in full force recapping all of the recent news. We start off in the Western Conference highlighting the amazing comeback by the Ducks before the Oilers destroyed them in game 6, then discussing the series victory by the Predators. Afterwards, we hit on the Senators somehow being up 3-2 on the Rangers before talking about the domination of the Capitals even if the scoreboard hasn't always showed it. We wrap things up looking at recent news around the league, notably a signing by Vegas, before making our Three Point Challenge picks. Be sure to make your picks in the comments section below. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by SeatGeek!
We're back sooner than we expected! Thanks to the support of SeatGeek, we're back on our regular schedule for the month of May. On today's pod, we catch up with some news around the league, most notably the draft lottery impact for fantasy hockey and Scott Darling being traded to the Hurricanes I can smell a sleeper post in his future assuming he signs. After that, we hit on all four playoffs series. Main topics of discussions are the injury to Sidney Crosby, J.G. Pageau's incredible game, the ongoing chess match between Randy Carlyle and Todd McLellan, and the top three on Smashville's blue line taking their game to another level. Afterwards, we wrap things up with picks in the Three Point Challenge. Be sure to make your picks for Tuesday and Wednesday in the comments section at hockey.razzball.com. All of that and more on the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Seatgeek!
