Our last regular season podcast has arrived . Reid and I talk about Kris Letang's neck injury and Kyle Okposo being in the intestive care unit (best wishes to both) before we do our first mock draft for next season. We alternate picks throughout with each of us mentioning where that guy falls on our board if there's a discrepancy. This thorough breakdown should provide everyone with a good baseline going forward. Where would we consider taking a goalie? Who is going to make a break through into the upper echelon? Who is going to bounce back or take a step back? All of these topics and other are covered before we make our final Three Point Challenge picks of the season. Be sure to make your pick below All of that and more on the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Seatgeek and Draft!
Skinnering The Competition
April 5, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, Streamers | 5 Commentsby: Viz
When talking about the Carolina Hurricanes schedule in my Playoff Breakdown piece, I said the following: "The Godfather of playoff schedules, the Hurricanes are going to be great on volume alone. They don’t have three games in three nights like Detroit but there’s a pile of back to backs here. There has to be with 17(!!!) games in 28 nights to close the season. That’s two more games than anyone else in the league. Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask should be monsters in the playoffs while Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm will be among the best streamers in the league." And that's me quoting me! All of this had held true except for Rask being mediocre. Not bad. Skinner has been the best of the bunch and that continued on Tuesday night. Skinner had two goals and an assist with five shots in the 5-3 loss to the Wild. He's been hotter than a pistol bringing his totals to 35 goals and 26 assists on the season. With the elite shot rate, Skinner is pushing towards a top 50 player going forward. The team around him is getting much better and Skinner is nearing his prime as he turns 25 in May. I don't think we've seen his best yet. Here's what else happened around the league the last two nights:
Podcast: The Final Countdown!
April 4, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Podcast | 2 Commentsby: Viz
It's the last week of the regular season which sadly brings an end to the standard fantasy hockey season. Don't worry though, Reid and I are still here to keep you more entertained than the NCAAB final last night! Not exactly a high bar... Anyways, we start off by running down injuries and there are a ton of them. John Tavares, Shea Weber and Aleksander Barkov are among the notables discussed for their short and long-term futures. From there, we look at the disappointment of NHL players not being in the 2018 Olympics, the impact of what teams get what seeds in the Western Conference and how things will shake out in the East. We conclude with a preview of Tuesday's games with our Three Point Challenge picks. Be sure to make your pick in the comments section below. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Seatgeek and Draft!
Guentzel Picks Up Where He Left Off
April 3, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, Streamers | 4 Commentsby: Viz
Jake Guentzel was on an absolute tear before he suffered a concussion after a hit from Rasmus Ristolainen. He was owned by most of Razzball Nation as we got on top of it before Guentzel broke out. Thankfully, Guentzel recovered quickly and returned on Friday night. He scored a goal on three shots in his return and then repeated that performance on Sunday. The Penguins have a decent schedule this week with four games, including a back to back on Saturday and Sunday to close the regular season. You can wait a day since the Pens don't play tonight but I'd look to grab Guentzel again if you cut him when he went down. The minutes and role are right back to where they were pre-concussion so I'm looking for Guentzel to finish the season strong before he contributes to a potential playoff run for Pittsburgh. Here's what else happened on the penultimate weekend of the season:
Simmonds Sinks The Island
March 31, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, Streamers | 6 Commentsby: Viz
The Philadelphia Flyers have nothing to play for besides being a spoiler. Their season is effectively over but they basically ended their division rivals on Thursday. The Flyers blitzed the Islanders on Thursday going up 5-0 in the first period and winning 6-3. With the Bruins, Maple Leafs, Lightning and Hurricanes all winning, the Islanders are toast. There were many players who stood out for the Flyers in this game but the one with the biggest fantasy impact is Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds had a Gordie Howe hat trick and then some totaling a goal, two assists, five penalty minutes and four shots. The goal was Simmonds' 30th of the season allowing him to reach the 30 goal plateau for the second straight season. With four straight seasons of 28+ goals and massive penalty minutes, we know who Simmonds is in those departments. The shots are solid and the PPP are elite but there are some concerns. One, he's been a minus player every season in Philly with this year being his worst ever, a -20. The other issue is that he's never topped 31 assists. I thought this season he would set a new career high but he's not coming close. So where does that leave us? I had Simmonds in my top 25 last season which turned out to be too high. I love Simmonds for what he is but it's not worth taking him in the top of the third round when he's only getting 55-60 points. He'll certainly be in my top 50 but since he's on the verge of turning 29, my hopes of Simmonds taking another step seem incredibly unlikely. Here's what else happened around the league the last two nights:
Podcast: “I Usually Save That Phrase For Unicorns”
March 30, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Podcast, Streamers |by: Viz
The season is rapidly approaching the end so every development is increasing important! Reid joins me once again to look at a wide array of topics. We start off with an injury recap focusing on Steven Stamkos' imminent return, whether Zach Parise or Patrick Sharp are worth drafting next season and if Reto Berra is worth streaming. From there, we hit on the developing rivalry between the Flames and Kings (thanks Matthew Tkachuk!), where Nathan MacKinnon should be ranked next season and the bevy of college signings. What do we make of Clayton Keller, Brock Boeser, Tyson Jost and Charlie McAvoy now and in the future? What can we expect from undrafted college signings? All of the above is discussed before we preview Thursday's slate and make our Three Point Challenge picks. 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 and Draft!
Oh Ovechkin
March 29, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, Streamers | 9 Commentsby: Viz
The greatest goal scorer in the history of the NHL has made a massive push down the stretch to push many teams towards a fantasy championship. While his shot rate and goal rate have dropped this year, Alex Ovechkin is still a monster. He had his best game of the season scoring a hat trick and an assist with six shots in the 5-4 OT win over the Wild. That brings his totals to 33+33 on the season with a solid plus-minus and penalty minute contribution. Obviously it's disappointing his shot rate went from five per game to four per game but it's still outstanding. We discussed on the podcast where Ovechkin will rank for next season and while I don't think he's worthy of the top selection anymore, he's still a top five pick without hesitation. Here's to hoping he finally gets over the playoff hump and Ovechkin gets the accolades he deserves. Let's take a look at what else happened on Tuesday night:
Podcast: “I Can Get A Cigarette If I’m A Rebel”
March 28, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Podcast, Streamers | 4 Commentsby: Viz
It's finals week in fantasy hockey! Thankfully it doesn't come with the stress of finals week in school. Anyways, Reid and I are back bringing you the latest news around the league along with some forecasting for the future. Injuries are the original focus with Frederik Andersen and Eddie Lack garnering most of the attention. From there, we talk about the red hot Ducks, the cluster that is the Pacific Division and who will get the last two spots in the East before examining defensemen tiers for next season. A breakdown of Thursday's games along with our Three Point Challenge picks conclude our discussion. Be sure to make your pick in the comments section below. All of that and more in the latest edition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast brought to you by Harry's Razors, Seatgeek and Draft!
Schwartz Shines For St. Louis
March 28, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, Streamers | 12 Commentsby: Viz
As talked about repeatedly for the last couple weeks in this internet space, this week is the dream for Blues players. Getting three games against Arizona and Colorado is what you hope for. The top line for St. Louis ravished the Coyotes on Monday with all three of them getting at least three points. My focus is going to be on Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz scored two goals and an assist with three shots finishing +4 in the 4-1 win. That gives him 50 points (18+32) in 71 games. Two seasons ago, Schwartz finished with 28+35 in 75 games before last season was ruined with injuries. So which player is he going forward, the one on the verge of 30+40 or this season's 20+35? I would bet on him being closer to 2014-15 than 2016-17. He's still only 24 years old and should continue to play with one of the best players in the game. The shot rate is average and the penalty minutes aren't there but on the assumption he's back in the 60-65 point range, I'll have Schwartz right around the 100 overall mark. My guess it's just outside that number but he's a great target in the middle rounds because we've already seen the upside. Here's what else happened around the league on Monday night:
Marchessault Steals The Show
March 27, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, Streamers | 21 Commentsby: Viz
Here's what I said about Jonathan Marchessault in my season preview of the Florida Panthers: "Jared McCann and Jonathan Marchessault are the two Panthers I can see taking a late flier on in deep leagues... Marchessault scored 18 points in 45 games for Tampa Bay last season despite averaging only 12 minutes of ice time per game. When Tampa was hit with injuries, Marchessault filled in admirably. If Florida was hit by the injury bug, I could see both of these guys becoming relevant in 12’ers; for now they are potential waiting for their chance." And that's me quoting me! Well, Florida did get struck by the injury bug and while McCann didn't provide much value this season, Marchessault certainly did. The return of their two best players hasn't hurt Marchessault at all. In fact, it's helped him on the power play. He recorded his first career hat trick in the 7-0 win over the Blackhawk, which also included four shots and four PIM. That brings Marchessault's totals to 28+20 with 34 PIM and 2.5 shots per game in 67 GP. Not bad for a guy the Panthers signed for $750k for this season and next. The Panthers have an interesting offseason ahead to determine how their forward core is going to look next season. Regardless, I think Marchessault is worry of a late round pick next season. I don't think there's more upside than what he's doing this season but there's no complaints with a 34+25 per 82 games when he's not hurting you elsewhere. I expect the Panthers to be back in the playoffs next season with Marchessault providing some nice depth behind the big guns. Let's take a look at what else happened this weekend around the league:
Holtby Holds The Fort
March 24, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Daily Notes, Streamers | 13 Commentsby: Viz
In the marquee match of the night in Washington, both goalies played extremely well. At the end of the game, Braden Holtby came out on top saving 29 of 30 shots in the 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets. He's managed to find a way to improve his goals against and save percentage the season after winning the Vezina Trophy. His counterpart in this game may be the favorite to win the Vezina this year but Holtby has solidified himself as the #1 goalie in hockey, both in real life and fantasy. I highly doubt that I will draft him next season solely because I'm anti-goalie in the first round but there's no doubt that Holtby will be the first goalie on my board. It looks like this will be the second season in a row that he finishes as the #2 overall goalie and that consistency is exactly what you're looking for in your top goalie. If you can find an issue with Holtby, let me know because he's seemingly perfect. Here's what else happened around the league the last two nights:
Podcast: “They Rig It Every Year!”
March 23, 2017 | 2016-17 Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy Hockey Podcast, Streamers | 2 Commentsby: Viz
Reid and I are back to help you make that final push in the playoff semifinals. We start off looking at the Jake Guentzel injury and the possible repercussions for Rasmus Ristolainen along with Paul Stastny's injury. From there, we look at William Nylander's hot streak, the wide-open Pacific Division, whether the playoff race is over in the West and if Colorado is the worst team we've ever seen. As always, The Three Point Challenge concludes our podcast. Please 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 Harry's Razors, SeatGeek and Draft!
