GoDogsGo
09-14-2007, 03:11 PM
need a bit of time for good pool programs to open up...like sportsner...cbc...fsn... soon people soon...
for the time being here is some info:
Invest some time with a bit of homework so you’re not sinking in quicksand right out of the gate.
Oh – and this is one time where it’s ok to have a cheat sheet when you’re doing your homework.
The Top 100 meshes forwards, blueliners and goalies all into one grouping. It’s for single season leagues, which means the list is basically a snapshot in time of how poolies should gauge the upcoming ’07-8 campaign in standard formats.
Categories considered are goals, assists, +/-, special teams, shots, penalty minutes for skaters; wins, goals against and save percentage for goalies.
Peripheral categories are a huge consideration here, so don’t be too surprised that a grinder/ enforcer like Sean Avery is ahead of guys that will easily outscore him. His peripherals on L2 with the Rangers should be outstanding, assuming he can behave and stay out of the doghouse.
If you’re a regular to the blog you’ll also know I’m generally not a big fan of grabbing goaltenders early on. The separate goalie rankings from top to bottom have already been released though (http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/chris_nichols/2007/09/12/fantasy_goalie_rankings/#more), so feel free to use those as a reference and take your netminders where you feel they’ll best help your squad.
**Anaheim stars Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne are still on the retirement fence as of this writing. Given that uncertainty, Nieds is likely a ninth or tenth round gamble in ten team leagues. Selanne should fall much later than that. Their placement in these rankings is based on a full season of production though.
1. Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins: the heavens opened up and gave us “The Kid”
2. Dany Heatley, F, Ottawa Senators: well-balanced fantasy attack; magic with Spezza
3. Joe Thornton, F, San Jose Sharks: assist machine, power play whiz
4. Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals: finally, some potent linemates for Alex O
5. Jaromir Jagr, F, New York Rangers: the cavalry has arrived; contributes everywhere
6. Olli Jokinen, F, Florida Panthers: the full fantasy package; makes linemates better
7. Evgeni Malkin, F, Pittsburgh Penguins: you ain’t seen nothin’ yet
8. Martin Brodeur, G, New Jersey Devils: win totals year after year are ridiculous
9. Roberto Luongo, G, Vancouver Canucks: has achieved true stud status with Canucks
10. Miikka Kiprusoff, G, Calgary Flames: 40+ wins; better GAA & SV% than ’06-7
11. Marian Hossa, F, Atlanta Thrashers: shoots out the lights; two-way threat
12. Nicklas Lidstrom, D, Detroit Red Wings: ageless, graceful point machine
13. Jason Spezza, F, Ottawa Senators: 100 points? Come to papa
14. Sergei Gonchar, D, Pittsburgh Penguins: offensive whiz on Pens’ dynamo
15. Dion Phaneuf, D, Calgary Flames: best all-around blueline threat
16. Evgeni Nabokov, G, San Jose Sharks: goodbye tandem, hello fantasy monster
17. **Scott Niedermayer, D, Anaheim Ducks: stud totals if he plays
18. Chris Pronger, D, Anaheim Ducks: fantasy dream; on-ice conqueror
19. Vincent Lecavalier, F, Tampa Bay Lightning: must maintain will to dominate
20. Jarome Iginla, F, Calgary Flames: saddle up… Iron Mike will ride this stallion
21. Daniel Briere, F, Philadelphia Flyers: pint-sized dynamo with sniper linemate
22. Marc Savard, F, Boston Bruins: plenty of depth to keep him producing
23. Simon Gagne, F, Philadelphia Flyers: has another excellent playmaker post-Forsberg
24. Henrik Lundqvist, G, New York Rangers: more goals for = more wins
25. Henrik Zetterberg, F, Detroit Red Wings: still improving, which is scary
26. Dominik Hasek, G, Detroit Red Wings: win total could match his age
27. J.S. Giguere, G, Anaheim Ducks: team must avoid Cup hangover
28. Scott Gomez, F, New York Rangers: Jagr’s likely pivot; worst case is L2 with Shanny
29. Niklas Backstrom, G, Minnesota Wild: variables are in place for great season
30. Bryan McCabe, D, Toronto Maple Leafs: great contributor in every category
31. Joe Sakic, F, Colorado Avalanche: old man still has plenty of juice
32. Ilya Kovalchuk, F, Atlanta Thrashers: deadly sniper needs a pivot
33. Jonathan Cheechoo, F, San Jose Sharks: good health means rebound year
34. Keith Tkachuk, F, St. Louis Blues: still-valuable power forward
35. Brendan Shanahan, F, New York Rangers: brings the pain and points
36. Daniel Alfredsson, F, Ottawa Senators: always finds a way to get it done
37. Ray Emery, G, Ottawa Senators: backstopping one of best Eastern teams
38. Patrick Marleau, F, San Jose Sharks: points coming regardless of line assignment
39. Rick Nash, F, Columbus Blue Jackets: Hitch’s lessons will pay off; giant peripherals
40. Ryan Whitney, D, Pittsburgh Penguins: PIT’s future on D; present looks great too
41. Marty Turco, G, Dallas Stars: solid stats; Smith hungry for #1
42. Mats Sundin, F, Toronto Maple Leafs: what’s that – a real scoring winger?
43. Pavel Datsyuk, F, Detroit Red Wings: SOG total drastically improved
44. Tomas Kaberle, D, Toronto Maple Leafs: high points; low peripherals
45. Eric Staal, F, Carolina Hurricanes: sour taste from last year; will improve
46. Lubomir Visnovsky, D, Los Angeles Kings: new depth up front helps
47. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Pittsburgh Penguins: win total there; peripherals improving
48. Marty Biron, G, Philadelphia Flyers: Smith & Timonen are his new best assets
49. Martin St. Louis, F, Tampa Bay Lightning: awesome Marty or average Marty?
50. Martin Havlat, F, Chicago Blackhawks: Havlat primed to explode; how long on IR?
51. Brenden Morrow, F, Dallas Stars: power forward filler material
52. Brad Richards, F, Tampa Bay Lightning: chemistry with Ouellet could help rebound
53. Ryan Miller, G, Buffalo Sabres: will have to be super-human this season
54. Erik Cole, F, Carolina Hurricanes: good standard league addition
55. Daniel Sedin, F, Vancouver Canucks: no reason he can’t duplicate last year
56. Zdeno Chara, D, Boston Bruins: look for rebound campaign; better +/-
57. Thomas Vanek, F, Buffalo Sabres: will face more checking pressure
58. Kari Lehtonen, G, Atlanta Thrashers: consistency, s’il vous plait
59. Dan Boyle, D, Tampa Bay Lightning: TB’s go-to point man
60. Philippe Boucher, D, Dallas Stars: valuable PIM with points
61. Matt Schneider, D, Anaheim Ducks: higher value if Nieds hangs them up
62. **Teemu Selanne, F, Anaheim Ducks: high-end wheels at 37, but pass given uncertainty
63. Brian Rafalski, D, Detroit Red Wings: low SOG, PIM; high points
64. Wade Redden, D, Ottawa Senators: good health = 50+ points
65. Michael Nylander, F, Washington Capitals: Ovechkin or not, point-per-game likely
66. Paul Kariya, F, St. Louis Blues: dependable, fun to watch
67. Maxim Afinogenov, F, Buffalo Sabres: like Vanek, teams will focus on him
68. Nicklas Backstrom, F, Washington Capitals: prepare to drool
69. Sheldon Souray, D, Edmonton Oilers: fewer points; still great PIM, SOG
70. Sean Avery, F, New York Rangers: L2 shifts with frequent PIM
71. Vesa Toskala, G, Toronto Maple Leafs: draft Raycroft as insurance
72. Patrice Bergeron, F, Boston Bruins: should be career best in ’07-8
73. Marian Gaborik, F, Minnesota Wild: stunning offensively; IR regular
74. Alex Semin, F, Washington Capitals: key cog in evolving Caps’ machine
75. Kimmo Timonen, D, Philadelphia Flyers: QB for talented PP
76. Ryan Smyth, F, Colorado Avalanche: different jersey, same goalie pest
77. Henrik Sedin, F, Vancouver Canucks: more SOG would help cause
78. J.M. Liles, D, Colorado Avalanche: low SOG, PIM; good points
79. Sergei Zubov, D, Dallas Stars: 37-years old? Big deal.
80. Paul Stastny, F, Colorado Avalanche: Sakic’s heir apparent
81. Ed Jovanovski, D, Phoenix Coyotes: all-around threat when not on IR
82. Mike Cammalleri, F, Los Angeles Kings: repeat season would boost stock
83. Tomas Vokoun, G, Florida Panthers: improving squad helps his cause
84. Rod Brind’Amour, F, Carolina Hurricanes: birth certificate doesn’t apply
85. Jay Bouwmeester, D, Florida Panthers: solid depth guy in standard leagues
86. Bill Guerin, F, New York Islanders: still has enough power forward potential here
87. Tom Poti, D, Washington Capitals: Ovechkin’s new PP point man
88. Shea Weber, D, Nashville Predators: hits & produces points; is only getting better
89. Michal Rozsival, D, New York Rangers: feasting on leftovers of gifted offence
90. Joni Pitkanen, D, Edmonton Oilers: Souray PP pairing aids value; PIM help
91. Erik Johnson, D, St. Louis Blues: rook likely worth the gamble at this point
92. Milan Michalek, F, San Jose Sharks: Czech youngster poised for career high
93. Anze Kopitar, F, Los Angeles Kings: ready for sophomore grind
94. Mark Recchi, F, Pittsburgh Penguins: The Kid’s wingman
95. Chris Drury, F, New York Rangers: has linemates to repeat career year
96. Petr Sykora, F, Pittsburgh Penguins: top six slot on high-octane team
97. Brian Rolston, F, Minnesota Wild: lofty shots total helps his cause
98. Jason Blake, F, Toronto Maple Leafs: if SOG stay high, goals will come
99. Nathan Horton, F, Florida Panthers: evolution of a power forward
100. Jason Arnott, F, Nashville Predators: new captain will stand and deliver
A moment of silence please: Hemsky Nation mourns as Ales Hemsky did not make the cut for the Top 100 this season. His low SOG/ PIM totals and Edmonton’s lack of depth up front are the culprits. Don’t worry though – vengeance will be his before too long.
vBulletin® v3.7.4, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.