Fantasy FanHouse

NHL Fantasy Focus: Andrew Hutchinson

Jes Golbez — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:06:00 EST

Filed under: General NHL, Lightning, Fantasy Hockey, NHL Free Agency

Looking for a potential Fantasy League steal next season? How about Andrew Hutchinson, the ultimate power play specialist "defenseman" that the Tampa Bay Lightning just signed to a two-year free agent deal.

With Dan Boyle traded to the Sharks, the Lightning are woefully short of blue-line talent that can produce offensively. Filip Kuba led all Bolts' d-men with a whopping 31 points last season. That ain't gonna cut it, sister!

Hutchinson is clearly going to be given a chance to quarterback the Tampa power play, and after spending last season in the AHL (64 points in 67 games), he'll be a very cheap pick-up in any fantasy league you're in.

In 95 career NHL games, Hutchinson has put up 33 points, with 20 of those being on the ice during mad-advantage situations. Consider the fact that Hutchinson averaged just 12:13 of ice time per game, and you realize that the boy knows how to put points up on the board at an efficient and effective rate.

Yes, Hutchinson has many warts in his game, but Tampa has loaded up their forward corps with many offensive talents to feed the puck to. A team that features Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Ryan Malone, Mark Recchi, and Vaclav Prospal front is going to, potentially, do a lot of damage on the Power Play.

Jump on this guy while you can.

NHL Fantasy Focus: Andrew Hutchinson originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

How is that Free Agent Doing for You?

Jes Golbez — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: General NHL, Rangers, Capitals, Blackhawks, Blues, Kings, Fantasy Hockey, NHL Economics, NHL Free Agency

Every July, various team owners and GM's, despite their better judgment, lustily rush out to sign whatever slab of UFA meat they can catch to the biggest, longest contract that they possibly can afford.

Salary inflation? Dimishing returns? Chemistry concerns? Cap issues? Those factors mean little when a fairly good player is on the free agent market, and a bevy of other teams are vying for the same player.

So, which of these unrestricted free agent players have actually been a good investment thus far?

Chris Drury - 2007 salary of $7.1 mil (28GP 6-13-19 -2)
Despite the fact that Drury has never proven himself to be more than a pretty good second liner, the Rangers decided to fork over superstar money without a second thought. I wouldn't say Drury's production has been disappointing, given that it's in line with previous totals of his, it's just that Drury is definitely overpaid for the type of player he is.

Scott Gomez - 2007 salary of $10mil (28GP 5-16-21)
Gomez is definitely one of the better playmakers in the league, but has always had consistency and coachability issues. Again, the Rangers forked over large amounts of money for somebody who is not a superstar (he had only 60 points last season), and they aren't getting rewarded for their investment. Gomez just doesn't have the same chemistry with Jagr that Michael Nylander had, and will probably never live up to his huge contract.

Of course, it's always easy to pick on the Ranger$, so let's look at some other squads.

Robert Lang - 2007 salary of $4mil (27GP 7-15-22 +12)
After putting up a decent 52 points last season, the Wings gave up on the enigmatic 36-year old and the Hawks scooped him up for a rather hefty amount. Well, Lang has found new life alongside the kids in Chi-Town and has been putting up big numbers while paying attention to his defensive play. The Hawks needed a proven offensive player with experience, and Lang was the perfect piece to fit in the puzzle. I don't expect his production to keep up at this pace, but 55-60 points is probably a safe bet.

Paul Kariya - 2007 salary of $6mil (25GP 7-18-25 +4)
Many pundits thought that Kariya wasn't worth the money and the terms that were given to him by the Blues, especially given his history of injuries. Yet, the Blues knew that they needed to win back the fans (Which they have), increase offensive production, and get themselves a bit of star power. Kariya leads the Blues in scoring, and seems incredibly happy to be in St. Louis. The guy has been very healthy post-lockout, and his injury issues seem to be a thing of the past. Given his speed and work ethic, I don't think Kariya will decline all that quickly, and the overall investment will be a good one for the Bluenotes.

Michal Handzus - 2007 salary of $4mil (28GP 2-3-5 -11)
Once upon a time, Handzus was one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL, and a pretty fine playmaker, to boot. Then, he ran into a series of major and minor injuries, and his skating speed went from average to slower-than-molasses-in-July. Even still, it's hard to fathom that Handzus has fallen so far, so fast, and has put up an awful season at both ends of the ice. The Kings took a risk on a player who played just eight games last season, and got burned for it.

Rory Fitzpatrick - 2007 salary of $550,000 (15GP 0-1-1 -10)
You'd think a guy that was almost voted into the All-Star game last season wouldn't suck as much as he has, but Rory Fitzpatrick has taken the role of pylon to a whole new level. Signed by the Flyers as depth insurance, Fitzpatrick has looked all out of sorts this season, and wouldn't even be worth having on the roster for free.

Michael Nylander - 2007 salary of $5.5mil (27GP 7-18-25 -12)
Nylander, 35, is a player that continues to defy age and put up some awesome offensive numbers late in his career. Sure, he gets to play with some of the league's best wingers, but it's not as if Nylander's playmaking talent isn't evident. The Caps spent big to get Ovechkin a good center, and the investment is paying off. Sure, the guy is -12, but Ovechkin's got 20 goals in 27 games and Nylander wasn't signed to play the role of checking center.

Viktor Kozlov - 2007 salary of $2.5mil (27GP 3-12-15 -1)
Kozlov is a player that GM's seem to love more than they should. Despite his immense size and skill, Kozlov is often far too content to play a background role, and is more invisible than the nerdy girls at a High School dance. Kozlov has just four 50-point seasons, and two 20-goal seasons over his long career.

That said, $2.5mil for a guy who will put up likely 45-50 points this season isn't exactly horrible in the world of free agency. Yes, Kozlov should be doing a lot more with his talent, but the payback that the Capitals are getting is fairly in line with the UFA market. The contract isn't as bad as some might think, and it's not as if Kozlov doesn't add some talent to a very thin roster. Remember, the Caps needed to boost the amount of money they were paying to meet the salary floor.

How is that Free Agent Doing for You? originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nashville Extends Magic Legwand for Six Seasons

Jes Golbez — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:09:00 EST

Filed under: Nashville, General NHL, Predators, Fantasy Hockey, NHL Free Agency

David Legwand had the blessing and curse of being the first player ever NHL Entry selected by the Nashville Predators, 2nd overall waaaaaaay back in 1998.

Despite the fact that the sale of the Preds is in limbo, and many other contracts were slashed and traded to greatly reduce payroll, the Preds seemingly had no problem coming up with the cash to lock Legwand down to a 6-year/$27mil deal.

"This is the first step moving forward under new ownership and is a sign of commitment, a desire to win and a desire to keep the core of our young team together in Nashville," said GM David Poile in a team statement.

Legwand is tied for second on the team this season in points (21) and assists.

Last season, he posted career-highs in points (63), goals (27) and assists (36), helping the Predators to their best finish in franchise history

$4.5mil per season for Legwand? That seems pricey, especially for someone know to have been a career underachiever.

Well, under the radar of most hockey fans, including myself, Legwand has greatly improved and developed over the past season-and-a-half, and has put up 84 points in his last 104 games.

From 1999 to mid-2006, Legwand was basically a guy with a lot of tools, but no toolbox to put them in. Putting up about a point every two games, Legwand was far from the franchise player that he was drafted to be, and was basically ye olde average player. Then, last season, Legwand finally found the spark and made the leap to being an impact player offensively, as well as a dependable defensive presence.

Legwand isn't a star by any stretch of the imagination, but he is important to the Nashville franchise, and his production merits a long-term deal of this nature. Let's not forget that Legwand is only 27 years of age, and still has many productive years ahead of him. Perhaps, he'll bring his game to another level and get to where he can reach the 70-point plateau.

Nashville Extends Magic Legwand for Six Seasons originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments