Welcome back to another exciting edition of The Puck Stops Here. You can consider this the calm before the storm. The NHL “opened” last weekend in Europe, although it felt more like a glorified exhibition weekend. The real play begins tonight with a few games and every team will open their season by the end of the weekend. At this point there is very little to evaluate, so I will just handle a few pertinent issues.
There are two big things to do at the start of the season, scour the waiver wire daily and don’t panic. You should be looking at each box score, scouring local newspapers available on the Internet for line combinations, paying close attention to power play units, and keeping an eye out for that younger player playing with primo talent. When you look at the box scores, pay close attention to how many minutes a player gets. Naturally, you want a player who will be on the ice longer. This should all be in anticipation of finding that diamond in the rough that everyone didn’t think of or even know about during the draft. However, this search can sometimes lead to bonehead decisions.
Listen, if you spent at least a 10th rounder on a player, don’t drop him. Unless you hear about a major injury, you need to ride out slow starts until you are sure the player isn’t worthwhile. This doesn’t mean you hold onto your last round flier when he hasn’t done anything worth mentioning in 4 or 5 games. But you need to be patient with your better players. An intelligent owner will pick up a higher caliber player who is struggling.
When you try to find that free agent sleeper, focus on younger players or players who will be filling roles with better talent. If you find a 34 year-old winger who has never topped 50 points, then he probably won’t keep pace with those 4 goals and 3 assists in 4 games. Players with average track records will normally continue to be average. A player that immediately jumps out right now is Tyler Kennedy for the Penguins. Kennedy had two goals this weekend and looked like he could stick on one of the Penguins scoring units. He is young with a good ceiling and may continue to play with excellent talent, this is the kind of player you want.
Other than seeing Tyler Kennedy perform well, I learned three other things during the NHL European vacation.
- Philip Kuba is the defenseman I want from Ottawa. He will log significant minutes this season, will play on the lethal top power play unit and has already produced 4 assists. Drop your worst defenseman and get Kuba, I expect about 45 points, a decent +/- and about 50-60 PIM.
- Zherdev is on the second line in New York and must be significantly downgraded. Until he plays with better talent Zherdev will not be able to match the numbers he put up last season. Keep an eye on Drury to see if he gains enough starts to become a winger. Now, that would be a player I would want.
- The Lightning lines are in a state of flux right now, which may become constant throughout the season. Even Lecavalier and St. Louis were split apart at times during the weekend. Keep an eye on this situation and snag whatever player ends up playing with Lecavalier and St. Louis. It will either be Malone, Prospal, Vrbata or Recchi, but I bet Prospal plays with the second unit to help Steve Stamkos’ transition to the NHL. My guess is Malone who will be able to do the dirty work and has enough scoring touch.
The NHL needs to focus on two things, getting a TV deal with ESPN and producing better marketing with a player other than Sidney Crosby. Versus is killing the NHL, it is not provided by all cable providers and many who do get Versus, don’t realize they get it. The NHL needs to get back on ESPN, ESPN has cut hockey coverage because of this and NHL needs as much exposure as it can get.
The NBA, MLB and NFL all have several faces of the league, the NHL only seems to want to market Crosby. I understand that a certain Russian superstar may be not-so-good-looking and rough around the edges, but he loves the game and has a passion that rubs off on those around him. Ovechkin needs better exposure. Start marketing Lecavalier, Eric Staal, Toews etc. There are many great, exciting and most importantly marketable players. It baffles me that the NHL would consider moving to Europe when it hasn’t figured out North America yet. Ok, I’m done ranting.
As with any SportsJudge.com article, feel free to post a comment or question. Until next week, The Puck Stops Here.
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5 comments:
I couldn't agree more with your commentary about the NHL and its idea to expand to the European market. Unfortunately, hockey is a dying sport throughout this country because of its inability to showcase the game on a national stage. I understand your idea to market young stars like Toews, Staal and Lecavalier but they need to sell fans on the sport first. It's the whole "chicken or the egg" debate. Do you sell fans on the players or do you sell them on the sport. I believe the NHL must first sell the sport. The NHL is more exciting than ever and it is arguably the most exciting sport to watch. Matter of fact, it is the most exciting sport to watch. However, the NHL is faced with two problems right now. The casual sports fan is not exposed to the game because of its lack of coverage on their television and of their inability to take the "family" to a game. As a Penguins fan, I find myself paying close to $65.00 for what I consider is a good seat. That's the "C" level. Spectators in the "A" section are paying close to $100 a seat. While I realize this may just be a team to team thing, the NHL must make it more affordable league-wide to go and see a game. Right now, the NHL is not in the position of control. The fans are. The product is better than it was before the strike but fans haven't really been welcomed back to the game. Charging ridiculous prices for tickets is not the way to get fans involved again. The fans have shown that they can live without the game. It's time for the NHL to show they can't live without their fans. They need to swallow their pride, cut ticket prices, take a little less from ESPN and put themselves back on the map.......and then....and only then can they even think about expanding to Europe.
I agree with your ideas as far as being active, but not too active. I strongly believe the moves you make in the first month determines your fantasy season.
In addition to what you pointed out, one of my most effective strategies early in the season is much simpler than scouring the box scores for minutes played, shots attempted and cross-corner-dumps-per-game. I tend to think of it from a value approach. In a decent league, everyone knows Chara is great for penalty minutes and Gaborik is an injury risk...but look for the situations that the average joe hasn't recognized yet.
How about the Devils returning to the glory days and reuniting Elias and Rolston? I personally love Rolston this year. What about Jason Williams, the best point per game player that more than a handful of owners have never heard of. He lines up as Kovalchuk's sidekick and they'll be relied upon to score all 80 goals that Atlanta scores as a team this season. Filip Kuba was an excellent example of this strategy. A player with decent ability in a situation where he can't help but produce. If 4 out of 6 of those players on your roster exceed expectations you'll have a real shot at winning your league.
My second suggestion is keep in mind where your league is based. If you're in Pittsburgh, skip Daniel Briere or Petr Sykora - these players will be taken far too early...instead take a look at Phoenix, LA, and Edmonton - teams that no one is very familiar with but budding with talent and poised to surprise this season.
Last...I think you blew the Europe idea way out of proportion. Gary Bettman even addressed the issue: "There seems to be a quantum leap that's being made that we have this grand plan to put franchises on the continent here," Bettman told reporters. "And my response to that was, I'll never say never to anything, but that's not anything that we're currently contemplating. Our first goal is to be as strong as possible in North America and to have 30 franchises, all of whom are doing great. That's the ultimate goal.
Instead, my feelings are that these games give fans from other countries a chance to get excited about the NHL and even see some of their favorite stars in person. On the other hand...you're right on with the ESPN comment. That's crucial if the NHL is ever going to get back into the mainstream.
Scott, I do agree about the ticket prices. The NHL could really sell itself on this concept that they are the route to go if you want a "family" night. What kills me about the NHL is they have the best live product out of any of the big 4 sports. It is just a matter of getting people into the seats. I have never met a person that did not love a game in person.
McPuck, I agree with everything you said, except the cross-corner dump is a skill that few can master or ever hope to be mediocre at and it is a sign of a fantasy player I want to own. I agree that expansion to Europe is a far-fetched idea, however I would rather Gary Bettman not even discuss it. I am sure that even if it was possible Bettman would find a way to screw it up. What would be your strategy for getting the NHL back in the mainstream?
I cannot help but chime in here. The NHL, as well as the NFL and NBA, have in recent years expressed an interest in expanding into Europe. However, all of these leagues need to be wary of the fact that competition law (aka antitrust law) operates somewhat differently in the EU than in the United States. In addition, EU law affords European nationals with greater rights to movement amongst teams than does US law. Brian Doyle and I have recently written a law review article on this very topic, which will be punished in next year's Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business.
For those interested, I would be delighted to discuss these topics further. However, in short, if the NHL expands overseas, it is possible that the European Commission would require the NHL to abandon its first-year player draft, at least with respect to EU nationals, and allow those players to sign their initial contract with any team of their choosing. I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing for the NHL. It is just a result that league officials must consider when making any decisions about expanding.
I just wanted to say hello, since you call your segment the Puck Stops Here
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