We've finally made it to team 30. The Anaheim Ducks are the last team to preview for the upcoming season following a Pacific Division title. They ended up losing in game 7 to Nashville in the first round leading them to make a pair of horrible coaching decisions. Firing Bruce Boudreau and hiring Randy Carlyle is an absolute disaster for this team going from one of the best to one of the worst. I suspect that the change alone costs this team at least 10 points. Anyways, there's still plenty of talent here at different age points that are worth looking at so let's get to it!
We're onto the Western Conference in the latest addition of the Razzball Hockey Podcast. Today, Reid and I take a look at the strongest division in hockey, the Central Division. Who do we like on the Stars outside of the obvious guys? The same question is asked around the Blues. Can Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin repeat their success from last season? Am I crazy for liking guys on the Predators as much as I do? Will Bruce Boudreau have a big effect on the Wild's performance? Can Colorado improve with a new coach? Spoiler: yes. And last, Reid and I gush about the potential of the Jets' players to get the team back into the playoffs. All of that and more on today's edition of the podcast.
Man, the Kings could be in trouble very soon. Yes, they still have their superstar players but the roster gets thin very quickly. They were absolutely destroyed by their rival San Jose in the first round last season and it shouldn't come as much surprise. The Sharks neutralized their top 6 and killed the Kings with their depth. While the actual team has question marks because Dean Lombardi can't fill out a roster (just his team USA decisions), there are still plenty of fantasy studs on this team along with a couple interesting players. Let's take a look at what they're working with:
We are through 149 players in my rankings; I can't believe there's still 101 players to go! Thanks to a commenter, I realized that I had Tyler Toffoli ranked twice. I'm only human! Anyways, things are already getting thin at this point in drafts. There will be some guys who are here for their safety but I'm deferring to players with upside at this point in the draft. Locking in 45-50 points is fine and dandy but I'd rather shoot the moon and work the waiver wire during the season. Let's take a look at the best players who make up the second half of standard drafts:
We should have saw this coming. After years of failing to meet expectations, the public wasn't expecting much from the Sharks in 2015-16 after missing the playoffs in 2014-15 and naturally made the Stanley Cup Finals. They are one of my favorite teams to watch for the absolutely loaded top 6 that they have while Brent Burns is making wild offensive rushes all game. There's a ton of fantasy assets on this roster so let's take a look at what they're working with:
Hey everyone! Today, Reid and I are back to take a deeper look at the Metro Division. You have five playoff teams from a season ago, two improved teams in Carolina and New Jersey and the mess that is Columbus. What do you do with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang with their injury history? Can the Caps repeat their success from last regular season? Who should you target on the Rangers? Is John Tavares a first round pick? Will the first line and power play unit in Philly repeat its success from the second half of 2015-16? What is Taylor Hall's fantasy value after the trade? What the f*** is Carolina doing in net and who is worth taking in Columbus? All of that in more in this podcast:
After finished second last in the NHL in 2014-15 and getting jumped in the Connor McDavid - Jack Eichel sweepstakes by the Oilers, the Arizona Coyotes surprisingly stayed in the playoff race for the majority of last season. While they ended up dropping off quite a bit at the end of the season, there are plenty of bright spots for the organization going forward. On top of the young talent that was already on the roster, there are some new Desert Dogs ready to make their NHL debut. While I don't see them contending for the playoffs this time around, the future is incredibly bright with plenty of fantasy assets. Let's take a look at what they're working with:
Hey guys! For those of you who have been reading the site for some time, you know that the fantasy sports here on Razzball have Razzball Commenter Leagues. They are a way for everyone in the Razzball community to show their skills against each other, talk the sport they’re playing and even talk some smack. Last season we had only 5 leagues, mostly because I took over hockey last minute and we had barely over one week for leagues to be set up and drafted. Now, with almost a month until the season starts, I'd love to crack double digit leagues, if not more! Hopefully this will keep building the hockey community and maybe you'll win the grand prize. Here are the details:
Hey everyone! Reid and I are back with the second part of our Atlantic Division season preview. Will any of the teams break into the playoffs this year? Can Bergeron and Marchand repeat their excellent 2015-16? How good is Erik Karlsson and how poor is the rest of the team around him? Will Carey Price return to form and how big of a downgrade is Shea Weber from P.K. Subban? Can Jack Eichel and the rest of the Sabres finally make a push? Are the Maple Leafs going to be in the basement again? All that and more is covered below:
After a surprising run to the playoffs in 2014-15 that included a playoff series win (thanks to the horrible playoff system the NHL has), the Calgary Flames quickly regressed last season finishing completely out of the playoff picture. So which team are they? While two seasons ago was a clear fluke, I think this team is much closer to that team now, with two years of growth for their young core. They finally have a goaltender that they should be able to count on as well. They don't have a lot of players that should be drafted in 12'ers but they're all studs or carry plenty of upside. Let's take a look!
Yikes. That's the first word that comes to mind when I think of the Vancouver Canucks. After years of making the playoffs and being one game away from a Stanley Cup, the Canucks are starting a rebuild. Granted, they still have a very good first line but otherwise the roster is full of young guys and players who aren't fantasy relevant. My early pick to finish last in the NHL, there are no teams in the league with fewer fantasy assets than the Canucks. That said, there are still some guys worthy of being drafted in standard leagues so let's take a look at what they're working with:
It took the Oilers getting incredibly lucky to win the Connor McDavid sweepstakes to give the franchise a sign of life for the first time in at least half a decade. While their 2015-16 was a failure, the young studs all looked great, especially McDavid who had over a point per game in his 45 games. Then in a draft with three studs, they ended up getting one of the three picking fourth (well done Columbus). I don't want to say they erased it all with one move because McDavid is well on his way to being the best player in the league but then Peter Chiarelli traded Taylor Hall, an elite left winger, for a second pair defenseman. At least the defense will be better! After McDavid, there are a few fantasy assets and a lot of question marks; let's take a look!
