Fantasy Hockey Tweet-Off - Oct. 2009

by Cam Collingwood on Oct 17, 2009 11:37 PM EDT

Tweetoff with logos

Welcome to our new feature, the Fantasy Hockey Tweet-Off. Since you kids out there are all aflutter with the twitter, we've decided to write this post in twitter form. We asked the experts eight questions and their answers couldn't be longer than a tweet.

Our experts are hand picked and are four of the best fantasy hockey sites out there. You probably already know how great we are but you should definitely check out:

Fantasy Hockey Coach
Fantasy Hockey 911
Fantasy Sense

They will make excellent stops on your fantasy journey around the internet so make sure you pay them a visit.

Thanks to the Fantasy Sense shunning of the Great 8, we didn't agree on any of the questions. Feel free to add your own picks in the comments section below.


FANTASY MVP	ALEX OVECHKIN – Even without his shot total he’s still the MVP… add in the 528 shots he had last year and he’s an easy pick.	MARTY BRODEUR - The Wonderbra Effect helped Clemmensen in New Jersey. With Lemaire back imagine the wonders it will do for Fatso in 2010.	ALEX OVECHKIN - Could be the NHL MVP for next 10 years; loves to score and plays with passion.	ALEX OVECHKIN - Does it all from the winger position and no one is even close in the SOG category.
TOP FANTASY GOALIE	ROBERTO LUONGO - The Canucks early season slide doesn't worry us at all... Bobby Lou has a shot at 45 wins this year.	MARTY BRODEUR - This will lead to the starting gig on Team Canada, even though Luongo and Ward are better.	MARC-ANDRE FLEURY - Won the Stanley Cup last year now wants to be in the Olympic mix and will put up impressive stats.	MIKKA KIPRUSOFF - He'll play 70 games and win 40 plus. Last seasons Fantasy Hockey 911 goalie MVP
CALDER TROPHY WINNER	JOHN TAVARES - don't expect 80 points or anything but he should get 60 and that'll be enough for the Calder.	JOHN TAVARES - Usually a pair of Swedish Ds can convince me of anything, but I will go with Tavares over Hedman and Karlsson.	JAMIE BENN - Pure sniper on a healthy Stars team equals big year. Benn unlike Tavares has talent to play with.	JOHN TAVARES - 30 plus goals and 70 points should be plenty to take home the hardware.
BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR	STEVE STAMKOS - Last year he had 0.4 ppg before the all star break and 0.82 after it... this year he'll approach 80 points	ERIK JOHNSON - Think Dion Phaneuf before Elisha Cuthbert took away his manhood.	RENE BOURQUE - Scored 40 points in 58 points last season before injury, will provide secondary scoring for Calgary with 70 points.	DERICK BRASSARD - Good playmaker has passion, a nice shot and plays with Nash on the Jackets top line. Already a point man on the PP, and he's a forward. Says a lot right there.
MOST OVERRATED FANTASY PLAYER	HENRIK SEDIN – Sure he’ll get you 80 points but he doesn’t score or shoot enough and he plays center… we’d rather own his brother.	JONAS GUSTAVSSON - I googled Leafs sign Swedish goaltender, league leading stats, championship and this came up.	RICK NASH - He is playing in his 7th NHL season and has never scored over 80 points in one season but fantasy GMs want a consistent 90 point player for him.	MIKE GREEN - Y! drafters picked him an AVG of 9.7 overall? You can never expect more than 20 goals and 60 points from any D man in todays game.
MOST UNDERRATED FANTASY PLAYER	RAY WHITNEY - Always good for 70-something points but never gets any of the credit for it.	JOSE THEODORE - 57% owned? Are 40 wins out of the question on the Caps? If so, how are his 2009 stats different than the 99% owned Kiprusoff?	MARK STREIT - Proved Montreal was not an anomaly and led Islanders in scoring last season will only get better as young players around him get better.	DAN NY BRIERE - He scores and brings in PIMs. Just think, he wasn't drafted in some leagues. Sign me up!
SURPRISE TEAM OF THE YEAR	DALLAS STARS - With three solid lines and a back-to-normal Marty Turco... everybody will forget about last year.	EDMONTON OILERS - Pat Quinn has missed the playoffs twice in 17 seasons, twice in 18 after 2010. And they will score a lot of goals.	LOS ANGELES KINGS - Young team that is ready to take it to the next step much like Chicago and St. Louis did last year. Kings make playoffs this year.	ATLANTA THRASHERS - 2 words "River Hockey"
OUT ON A LIMB PREDICTION	PHIL KESSEL will disappoint many Leaf fans when he fails to score even 20 goals after his return from injury.	The Wings make the Final with a XXXL jersey tied to the net. The media tries to tell us that it is a Hall of Famer. This happened? Nevermind	MARIAN GABORIK stays healthy all season and wins the Art Ross.	ILYA KOVALCHUK scores 60 goals and 110 points.

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Comments

I still like Brian Campbell for most overrated... he'll get A & PPP but is a liability in all other categories... oh, and I don't like 'em, did I mention that?

by Cam on Oct 18, 2009 1:14 PM EDT reply actions

Campbell definitely would have made a great pick... especially now that he's not even the man on the PP in Chi-town.

by TheScouts on Oct 18, 2009 3:10 PM EDT reply actions

I HATE Campbell as well. He's like a JM Liles. Wimpy..Coach dislikes him..What's to love? For my money, PIMs and goals to fill your D slots. I like Green, but not at an AVG of #10 overall..Gotta love the mohawk, right? Al Iafrate anynoe?

by Mr. Hockey93 on Oct 18, 2009 3:14 PM EDT reply actions

His mohawk is a little too David Beckham for me. But I appreciate him trying. Al Iafrate. Blast from the past. He had the reverse mohawk. If Green only scores 20 and 60 like you mentioned then yeah that 1st rounder is wasted... but last year's numbers extrapolated over 82 games are: 37 goals and 88 points! From a d-man? That's insanity!

by TheScouts on Oct 18, 2009 5:30 PM EDT reply actions

You really bought into a the modern day D man can score 30 plus goals thing? I play for now, not yesterday.

by Mr. Hockey93 on Oct 18, 2009 9:12 PM EDT reply actions

It's not like he had the big season 6 years ago or something. It was last year. Same team, same coach, same system and he's still young. He may not hit 88 but 75 seems do-able to me. I'm not sure I would grab him in the 1st round but I wouldn't fault somebody if they did. That upside is just too mental.

by TheScouts on Oct 18, 2009 10:25 PM EDT reply actions

I never thought I'd see the day when Fantasy Sense would call Theodore under-rated! Isn't he the sole member of 'Tier Suck - if you draft him, your team sucks' in the initial draft list?? lol This was a blast, and besides the fact that Phil Kessel is actually going to score 60 goals this year, not sub-20 (Go Leafs) I agreed with all of it. Will be looking for this feature from now on, great job!

by Chris on Oct 19, 2009 3:30 AM EDT reply actions

Chris, Believe me, it was more a shot at Kiprusoff's universal ownership than Jose Theodore's greatness. Varlamov was also overrated in the pre-season as the assumption was he would be the guaranteed starter. Underrated for me means somebody who is not as bad as people rate. Theodore is not great, but in 2009 his stat line read. Theodore - 32W, 2.87 GAA, .900 SV% 2 SO Kipprusoff -45W, 2.84 GAA, .903 SV%, 4 SO If you factor in the extra 20+ games he played and the replacement value added to Theo for another goaltender who you would use to fill those 20 stars, would it not have been more beneficial to own Theodore and another middle of the pack goaltender last season?

by Chris Boyle on Oct 19, 2009 3:42 AM EDT reply actions

Chris, have to agree with you, Chris B that is... Thedore is unreliable but since he's rated about as highly as K-Fed's first (& only???) album, he's definitely underrated as he's not completely useless. I'd pick him up if I was desperate enough.

by Cam on Oct 19, 2009 5:37 AM EDT reply actions

Back to Mike Green. Drafting a player after a career season is a risky proposition. Especially a D. Green had 18 goals with the same amount of shots the year prior to his 31. There's no doubt he can score. But to score at a .128 clip is fluky for a D. Again, you can't expect any D to pot more than 20 goals and 60 points on any given season. Green could hit 25 G & 70 pts again, sure.But so could Phaneuf and a few others such as Gonchar who was a late rd pick in a lot of drafts. Bottom line: Green going an AVG of 10th overall GLOWS in the dark as Y! fantasy hockey managers have spoken. Green epitomizes overrated, only because of his AVG draft position. Note: I would like to know how some of these guys who drafted Green with their 1st pick fair at the end of the season. If you pick 10th, in an AVG sized league, you would also get a high second rd pick to help salvage your team. Hmm..

by Mr.Hockey93 on Oct 19, 2009 5:40 AM EDT reply actions

I hear ya Mr.H... but I took Green in the 1st round (12th overall) in one of my leagues this year after I took him in the 2nd round and won the league last year. For me, its all about the separation... Green is that much better & more reliable than pretty much any other dman and you're not going to get close to that with a forward that you're drafting late in the 1st round. I don't think he'll duplicate what he did last year but I think he's a safe bet to top 20+40=60, 250 shots, big +/-, top 10 in PPP & decent PIMs. Phaneuf & Gonchar could approach those numbers but how confident can you be that they will?... I like sure things.

by Cam on Oct 19, 2009 7:16 AM EDT reply actions

Wow! You took Green in the second round last year? I guess that would of been one of those, "I told you so" picks. That, or you have a man crush on Green..wink, wink.. Do I like Phaneuf and Gonchar as sure fire 60 point getters this season? Sure. Assuming health. Phaneuf is one of those rare D Men that COULD all the sudden bust out with a 30 goal season. But I wouldn't draft him assuming that he will. I tend to stay away from D Men early on in the draft. I go hardcore after the forwards then grab sleeper D to get me goals/PIMs and PPP's later on. It's sort of what I "preach' if you will..lol.

by Mr. Hockey93 on Oct 19, 2009 8:31 AM EDT reply actions

The drafting of d-men early is an interesting discussion. I've avoided d-men early and have been blown out of the water in leagues and I've also loaded up on d-men early and didn't fare very well either. I've found the best strategy is to grab one or two stud d-men because there are only about 10 of them in the league. Depending on your league setup those guys will going in rounds 1-3. So it makes sense Green is gone end of round one as he's the best available. As for Green. I agree with what Cam said. Gonchar (health?) and Dion (inconsistent) have the potential to lead dmen scoring but Green is the safest bet. Until Green proves to me he can't score 25 and 75 I'm on board. It's all about Ovie. It will be interesting to see what Green finishes with this year. Definitely see an 'I told you so' coming to somebody.

by TheScouts on Oct 19, 2009 9:47 AM EDT reply actions

I'm not on board regarding Green because he has only produced one monster season. Not NEARLY enough sample size for my money..But, again, That's just me. A guy like Phaneuf and Gonchar to a larger extent, have the large sample sizes to judge where the player should be drafted. You give me Green doing 2009 over again, with the 18 PPG and 30 goals, then he will be justified. Until then, regardless of what anyone thinks he COULD do, Green is a HIGH risk as your #1 pick in any draft. Ask yourself this. Is Green inconsitent? Is he injury prone? Is he capable of being a dog house player for long stretches? Green hasn't been around long enough for these trends to come to a face.

by Mr. Hockey93 on Oct 19, 2009 10:05 AM EDT reply actions

You make some good points there. I guess this discussion is really boiling down to upside vs. risk. Green definitely has some risks attached to him but his upside is massive. Gonchar and Phaneuf have similar risks but a lower upside (imo).

by TheScouts on Oct 19, 2009 11:30 AM EDT reply actions

Well.. Good conversation. Nothing wrong with a little debating fun.

by Mr. Hockey93 on Oct 19, 2009 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

I love it. Only thing that would have made it better is if we had a few beers in front of us. So glad hockey season is back!

by TheScouts on Oct 19, 2009 12:36 PM EDT reply actions

Well.. We can take Gonchar out of the debate. He left the game and early rumors have him out with a broken wrist. Phaneuf did score his 5th goal of the season, however..lol! 25 more, Dion! Blah..I don't know why I care, I don't own him amyway.

by Mr. Hockey93 on Oct 21, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions