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As the playoffs approach, and so does your playoff
pool, we take a quick look at the contenders, pretenders and long shots in
this year’s cup chase. We break down each team and give you an idea of their
strengths/weaknesses and players we think will make a fantasy playoff
impact.
Detroit Red Wings
Analysis: The Wings are entering the
showdown for the Cup as the 3:2 favorites. From top to bottom the team has,
by far, the most future hall of famers in the NHL. They were far and away
the best team this season points-wise, and it seems like they have been
playing out the string of games since the All-Star break. With an arsenal
that includes
Steve Yzerman,
Brett Hull,
Luc Robitaille,
Brendan Shanahan,
Sergei Fedorov,
Nicklas Lidstrom,
Chris Chelios, and
Dominik Hasek, and the NHL’s winningest coach in Scotty Bowman – the
Wings will be ready. There are some concerns – and they revolve around the
health of captain
Steve Yzerman, and the slow-footed big guns of the Wings. Hard-hitting,
speed orientated opponents give the Wings the most trouble, but the fact
that Hasek has looked average by his own standards, should be worrisome for
everyone else in the Western Conference.
Strengths: Veteran leadership, hockey
talent and coaching.
Weakness: Age and health of their stars, slow-footed defense, and a
less than Dominator like Hasek – so far.
Lock Picks: Yzerman, Hull, Federov, Lidstrom and Robitaille.
Avoid: Chelios,
Fredrik Olausson, and
Kris Draper.
Dark Horse Pick:
Tomas Holmstrom and
Kirk Maltby
Conclusion: The Wings are a very good team.
If they have learned from last year's early exit to the Kings, they will be
well rested and ready to make a run deep into the playoffs. If they turn the
collective light switch on, they have the ability to be very spooky good.
Special teams, particularly their PP, are eerie.
Colorado Avalanche
Analysis: Lately, it seems that the
Avalanche have been on a bit of a Jekyll-Hyde cycle – win a couple, lose a
couple. Such a trend is likely unfamiliar for the defending Stanley Cup
champs. But no one seems excited, as this trend is just indicative of a
topsy-turvy season so far. A very slow start, no
Adam Foote,
Patrick Roy's refusal to play for the Canadian Olympic team, then a
surge led by Sakic-Roy-Blake, the season long slump of
Chris Drury and
Alex Tanguay, the arrival of
Radim Vrbata and
Martin Skoula, the injuries to
Milan Hejduk and
Peter Forsberg…well…you get the picture. Coach Bob Hartley has had to
change and have his team playing a defense first system - impacting players’
individual stats.
That said, the Avs seem to be getting healthy just
at the right time. Forsberg is skating. Hejduk is close and role players –
Steven Reinprecht,
Brian Willsie and
Greg De Vries – are getting valuable experience and ice-time as a
result. The addition of
Darius Kasparaitis was another excellent acquisition at the trade
deadline. If they get Forsberg and Hejduk healthy and back for the playoffs
life will be good in Denver.
Strengths: experience, goaltending,
defending champions.
Weaknesses: health, depth, and inconsistency.
Lock Picks: Sakic, Hejduk, Blake, Vrbata and Forsberg (if he is
healthy).
Avoid: Tanguay, Drury, Kasperitis and Foote.
Sleeper Pick: Reinprecht and Skoula.
Conclusion: The Avs' hopes depend largely
on who gets healthy when. They have had one big name after another spend
some time on the DL this season, and captain
Joe Sakic is rumored to be playing hurt. Watch this team closely. Even
an 85%
Peter Forsberg makes this team better than any trade they could have
pulled off at the deadline.
San Jose Sharks
Analysis: A regular season, which will not
meet expectations, has us wondering what team is going to show up in the
playoffs. On paper, this team should be great.
Teemu Selanne,
Vincent Damphousse,
Owen Nolan,
Patrick Marleau,
Marco Sturm,
Brad Stuart and
Gary Suter are legitimate NHL scoring threats. After this group, there
is an excellent supporting cast in
Mike Ricci,
Niklas Sundstrom,
Scott Thornton, and
Todd Harvey. So what happened? As poolies, we blame the coach –
Darryl Sutter. His defense first, dump-the-puck-in style of play limits
not only opposing teams offensive chances, but his own team's as well. How
else is there to explain the lack of output from a gifted offensive weapon
like
Patrick Marleau. However, come the playoffs, this style of play could be
just what the Sharks need to get them to the next level. Another concern is
their goaltending.
Evgeny Nabokov has been good – but playoff goalies need to be great to
lead their teams in the playoffs.
Strengths: good mix of experience and
youth, player depth, mobile defence.
Weaknesses: goaltending, lack of discipline, coaching.
Lock Picks: Damphousse, Nolan, and Suter.
Avoid: Selanne (season long slump) and Marleau (season long
doghouse).
Sleeper Pick: Thornton and
Adam Graves (its why they acquired him).
Conclusion: The Sharks can finish 3rd, or
7th, depending on how they apply themselves down the stretch.
Darryl Sutter’s job lies in the team’s success in the playoffs. Anything
less than a second round success will cost him his job – mercifully for
poolsters. If they finish out of 3rd, they stand a chance of meeting the
Wings or the Avs in the second round, which …is not so good.
Chicago Blackhawks
Analysis: Big surprise that they are where
they are in the standings – given their relative dearth of talent and the
off-ice circus that is Wutrz vs.
Tony Amonte. However, new coach
Brian Sutter has rallied the troops, motivated
Eric Daze and has told
Alexei Zhamnov that if he takes a nights off that he will find himself
in the press box. Thibault has been better than steady between the pipes and
their defence was bolstered by the recycling
Phil Housley. No one wants to face the Hawks – particularly in the
United Center, where they have been awesome. The health of blue-line is a
concern though.
Strengths: Hard-working team, good PP,
goaltending.
Weaknesses: Depth - both scoring and blue-line, health of key
players, poor PK.
Lock Picks: Zhamnov, Amonte, and Daze.
Avoid: Mironov,
Kyle Calder, and
Michael Nylander
Diamond in the Rough:
Steve Sullivan
Conclusion: The Hawks success will depend
largely on the health of their blue-line and
Jocelyn Thibault.
Boris Mironov is steady, but without him the Hawks defence is slow and
susceptible. Second line scoring is needed.
Phoenix Coyotes
Analysis: If the Blackhawks were a
surprise, then the Coyotes are a remarkable achievement. The fact that the
‘Yotes are in the playoff hunt, and on the inside looking out is due to two
things: excellent coaching, and great goaltending. Adams Award front-runner
Bob Francis has taken a team of guys that were playing on the third and
fourth lines on other teams and given them the opportunity to develop as
players with more ice time and excellent coaching.
Daniel Briere and
Daymond Langkow are the league’s most under-rated one-two punch down the
middle.
Ladislav Nagy and
Shane Doan have thrived, and the blue-line of
Danil Markov,
Teppo Numminen,
Todd Simpson and
Radoslav Suchy have excelled under Francis’ system.
Sean Burke has been simply awesome – reasserting himself as a premiere
goalie in the league. No stars, but no one wants to face Phoenix. Talk about
your good karma.
Strengths: goaltending, teamwork,
hard-working.
Weaknesses: inexperience, poor PK, scoring depth.
Lock Picks:
Claude Lemieux , Briere, and Doan.
Avoid:
Brian Savage,
Michal Handzus and
Mike Johnson.
Sleeper Pick: Nagy.
Conclusion: All pundits are waiting for
Phoenix to falter, but they refuse to lose. Team “low budget” has been great
this second half of the season, but playoff success is a few years away yet.
Los Angeles Kings
Analysis: A week ago the Kings were pressing the Sharks for first
place in the division. Now they are in 7th or 8th place depending on how
other teams are fairing – this can’t be good for Coach Andy Murray’s
team. Secondary scoring has dried up on the Kings. And their once solid
blue-line has looked less than solid in recent games. Add a little schizo-Felix
the Cat between the pipes and there you have it. The Kings are playing
poorly at precisely the wrong time. That said, they are team that no one
wants to play the first round – we all remember how they pushed the
Avalanche to 7 games in the second round of last year's playoffs. If they do
make the playoffs, and the addition of Cliff
Ronning begins to pay off, the Kings could be trouble for any
opposition.
Strengths: Big forwards, awesome special
teams, good coaching.
Weaknesses: Lack of scoring depth, goaltending, and inconsistent
defence.
Lock Picks: Jason
Allison, Adam
Deadmarsh and Zigmund
Palffy.
Avoid: Steve
Heinze and Bryan
Smolinski.
Dark Horse Pick: Eric
Belanger
Conclusion: The Kings are a better team, than what they have shown
lately. They are a little spooky as they could do some damage in the
playoffs or they could miss them altogether. Tough to know right now –
take Kings late.
St. Louis Blues
Analysis: Hard to imagine how a team with
this much talent, and that big a payroll, that has made off-season moves
with the expectation that they are going deep in the playoffs, may not
actually make it to the post-season. The loss of Doug
Weight has really hampered the teams’ special teams, and rampant
undisciplined play has even the devout Blues’ fan cringing. Many of their
defencemen are playing hurt and many forwards are just not producing. Stir
this pot well and voila – a team at serious risk of not making the
playoffs.
Strengths: experience, leadership and
talent.
Weaknesses: health, goaltending and confidence.
Lock Picks: Keith
Tkachuk, Pavol
Demitra and Al
MacInnis.
Avoid: Chris
Pronger (sore wrists), Chris Stillman and Scott
Young (both underachieving).
Sleeper Pick: Weight (if he’s healthy)
Conclusion: This type of adversity is new
to the Blues and they are proving that they are not taking it very well
right now. Puck-stopper Brent
Johnson needs to assert himself, and win some games down the stretch to
re-inject some confidence and esteem back into this team. Continued
undisciplined play will have them bounced either early out of the playoff
picture.
Edmonton Oilers
Analysis: It took Tommy
Salo a good three weeks to wash away the voodoo curse of team Sweden’s
early exit at the hands of Belarus at the Olympics. However, the real Salo
has asserted himself once again – and taken the Oilers on his back and led
them into the playoff hunt. Quietly, if not unspectacularly, Mike
Comrie is filling the shoes of the departed Doug
Weight. Trade deadline acquisition Mike
York brings even more youth, speed and determination to a team known for
precisely those things. Much will depend on the contribution of York (hoping
to ignite some second line scoring) and how the Oilers react to losing Tom
Poti and Sean
Brown of the blue-line. So far, GM Kevin
Lowe looks like a genius.
Strengths: goaltending, speed and fan
support.
Weaknesses: lack of experience on the blue line and secondary
scoring.
Lock Picks: Mike
Comrie, Anson
Carter and Ryan
Smyth.
Avoid: Dan Cleary, Jochen
Hecht and Marty
Reasoner.
Sleeper Pick: Todd
Marchant and Mike
Grier (getting hot at the right time).
Conclusion: The Oilers will go as far as
Salo takes them. Young Eric
Brewer seems to get better by the game and Janni Niinimaa is hitting his
stride. If York gets the second unit contributing, the Oilers could have
some fun in the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks
Analysis: A brutal start has left the Canucks on the outside looking
in as the playoffs near. Playing at almost a .700 clip since just before the
all-star break, the Canucks have been playing very well, and scoring a lot
of goals. Led by Todd
Bertuzzi, Markus
Naslund, Mattias
Ohlund and Ed
Jovanovski, the Canucks have played well enough to make the playoffs –
but so has everybody else that they have been chasing. Too bad, because the
playoff experience would have benefited this young team tremendously.
Strengths: Speed, scoring from the
blue-line and improving PP.
Weaknesses: Goaltending (less than .900 SV%), undisciplined, and
secondary scoring.
Lock Picks: Naslund, Bertuzzi and Andrew
Cassels
Avoid: Hlavac (no PP time), Ohlund and the Sedins.
Sleeper Pick: Trevor
Linden
Conclusion: The Canucks need some help from
other teams in order for them to make the playoffs – and we think they are
in tough. Just not enough games left in the schedule. If they, by chance, do
make it, they are likely going to be so burnt from playing playoff-like
hockey for the last month, they may not have anything left in the tank.
Careful….
Dallas Stars
Analysis: Oh how the mighty have fallen. Dallas looks to be a team
without an identity, and over-night became old and slow. Moving Nieuwendyk
was a move for the future – not for this year, as Jason
Arnott is playing hurt. The loss of Brett
Hull was never more evident than it was for the entire season – the
Stars just could not score the big goal. The defence is big – but slow,
and not getting any faster. And Belfour has been brutal just too many times.
Look for the Stars to make some noise in the off-season as they pursue
unrestricted F/As Bill
Guerin, Tony
Amonte, and restricted FA Paul
Kariya.
Strengths: Experience, grit and defensive
system.
Weaknesses: Ed
Belfour, slow defence and no scoring from the wings.
Lock Picks: Mike
Modano, Jeri Lehtinen (if healthy), Jason
Arnott.
Avoid: Sergei
Zubov, Pierre
Turgeon (just a brutal year) and Derian
Hatcher.
Sleeper Pick: Brenden
Morrow
Conclusion: Similar to the Canucks, the
Stars need lots of help to make the playoffs. Marty
Turco is better than Belfour right now, but the Stars keep playing
Eddie. Bad move. We’d stay away from the Stars – even if the do squeak
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