You are here: Home / Archives for Eastern Conference

NHL Season Preview Part 1:Atlantic Division

October 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

NHL_Eastern_Conference

The Cover 4.com presents you with the NHL Season Preview Part 1:Atlantic Division! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @thecover4 or facebook at theCo VerFour

The 2013-14 NHL season is going to look a little different, in terms of teams, divisions and players, all of which have undergone major change. For the upcoming season, the realignment of the NHL is in full effect and there are new divisional names and a new playoff system.  The biggest change in the realignment is the shift of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings to the Eastern Conference. There will be new rivalries that were never able to exist in the past. The playoffs will take 16 teams, eight from each conference, and seed them. Under the new alignment, Eastern Conference teams, now consisting of the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions, will have 30 games against their division opponents and 24 games against conference opponents outside of their division as well as 28 interconference games. To start our season preview, lets take a look at the Atlantic Division.

168684540

BOSTON BRUINS

The Bruins skated their way last year into the Stanley Cup Final facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks, but lost in six games. The Bruins had a bit of a wild offseason in terms of players coming and going. The Bruins traded young forward and former No. 2 overall pick Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars after a disappointing year on and off-the-ice. His return netted the Bruins a natural goal scorer in Loui Eriksson, who will likely be paired on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Eriksson has been a reliable source of offense, producing three consecutive 70-plus point seasons before a subpar shortened season last year. Gone are Jaromir Jagr and Nathan Horton, but Boston went out signed 36-year-old Jarome Iginla in place of Jagr. Iginla is on the downside of his career, but he should fit in nicely with Boston’s style of play. The Bruins also lost defenseman Andrew Ference to Edmonton, which is their only notable loss on defense. Zdeno Chara will continue to lead the Bruins blue line as veterans Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg are dependable. Dougie Hamilton had an outstanding promising rookie year and could become a top pairing defenseman soon. Also in the mix are Torey Krug , who made a name for himself in the playoffs, Matt Bartkowski, Adam McQuaid  and Joe Morrow, who also came over in the Seguin trade. In goal Tuukka Rask looks to build off a career year and strong playoff appearance as he is now the long-term solution in net for the next eight years. If Rask goes down, Boston will be in trouble as backups Chad Johnson and Niklas Svedberg have little, to no NHL experience.  Boston should be the favorite for this division.

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller sits on the ice after being scored on during their NHL hockey game in Toronto

BUFFALO SABRES

Buffalo is basically in a rebuilding mode as it has a very weak team and little depth on its roster. Thomas Vanek is the veteran and big name who is looking to lead and carry the team after having his most productive season last year. The forwards for Buffalo are less than ideal and more promise and future hope than what can you do for me now.  Cody Hodgson and Tyler Ennis are two of Buffalo’s most optimistic players as the youngsters combined for 65 points in 2013 and should be looking for a breakout year in a full season. Mikhail Grigorenko, who was looked at as a promising hope of offensive production last year as a rookie, struggled to find his game and managed just one goal in 25 games. He does have the size and skill to be productive if given a full season to play.  Other forwards include Ville Leino, who signed a $26 million contract two years ago, who needs to stay healthy and produce as he has been nothing but a bust thus far. Buffalo will also have the likes of Steve Ott, who is used to create space and open play for guys like Drew Stafford who had the one of the worst seasons of his career last year.  Once promising youngster Tyler Myers, a 6-foot-8 defenseman, saw his minutes drop as he became nothing but a problem every time he was on the ice. The Sabers need improved play from him moving forward to have any chance of success this year. In net, Ryan Miller who many thought would be dealt last year, is back. Miller has been in steady decline since 2010 and his backup, Jhonas Enroth, didn’t look very promising either last year. It looks like it is going to be along year for Buffalo and fans can expect trades to happen and wins hard to come by.

bilde

DETROIT RED WINGS

The Original Six team joins the Eastern Conference this year and enters as an already formidable opponent. Detroit has wanted this switch for years and it finally has it now, as it has a time schedule that is much more suitable for the team.  Detroit will have a much easier conference than years past, but still play top division teams like Pittsburgh, Boston and Montreal. Detroit was expected to have a down year last year, but went beyond expectations. Detroit has an abundance of forwards but is $2.5 million over the cap, which it will need to get down to before October 2. They added long time Ottawa  Senator, Daniel Alfredsson, as their top free agent signing as well as Stephen Weiss who will be replacing Valtteri Filppula. Alfredsson should be motivated to win a Cup as Detroit is a legitimate contender and practically quit on Ottawa last year after going down in its series to Pittsburgh. Weiss escapes a bad Florida team and can finally just be the play maker he is, and not the go-to guy he was expected to be.  Having Pavel Datysuk and Henrik Zetterberg should help him finally be himself on the ice and see his creativity go to work. Darren Helm will start the season on the IR and has had trouble staying healthy. Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Mikael Samuelsson can all be depended upon and know what their roles are on the team. Their defense was a question mark heading into last season but this year, it should be a sound defensive unit. The defense is young, a change from years past and features Danny DeKeyser and Alexei Marchenko as players to watch. Ericsson, Kyle Quincey and Kronwall are the veteran leaders on defense.  Jimmy Howard has a chance to be a top goaltender in this league and his playoff success from last year shows he can carry them deep into the playoffs. Detroit will be fighting with the Bruins at the top of the Atlantic this year.

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers

FLORIDA PANTHERS

There is not much to say about this team other than they are going to need a miracle to even sniff the playoffs this year. They have lots of high ceiling guys, but all offered minimal production. In 2012 they were the best team in their division, but are nothing more than basement dwellers now. They have the 2013 Calder winner Jonathan Huberdeau, who is their top young forward trying to lead Florida back into hockey relevancy. They signed veteran Scott Gomez, who is nothing more than a wasted paycheck anymore, during the offseason and have invited goaltender Tim Thomas to camp for a tryout. Thomas took all of last year off and even if he does make the team, he is nothing more than a backup and mentor.  Florida is led by forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Kris Versteeg on the first line. As I said before, hope is bleak in the SunshineState. A few other notable forwards will be Sean Bergenheim, Scottie Upshall and Marcel Goc as bottom-tier players.  Jacob Markstrom is expected to be the team’s go-to goalie and Florida needs him to be its future goalie. It’s going to be a long year in Florida, not that many will notice, as the Panthers have one of the lowest attendance figures in the league. Count on them to finish last.

222029_011711-NHL-subban-PI-AM_20110117234512305_660_320

MONTREAL CANADIENS

The Habs didn’t really do much in the offseason in terms of getting better, as they only signed Danny Briere, George Parros and Douglas Murray. None of those three are expected to be game changers for this team. Montreal is banking off its late season surge last year, and feels it already has the necessary pieces in place to compete. Its division gets a little tougher this year but it has the skill and speed to keep up. It needs size and toughness which is what Murray and Parros are for. David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty and Rene Bourque are expected to be the point producers while the bottom two lines expect to wear you down. Lars Eller, Brian Gionta and Brandon Prust are very tough bottom-six names who can give you problems and chip in on the score sheet.  Montreal has a lot of depth on its team and remains solid overall. PK Subban will be his usual self on defense scoring goals and creating problems for other teams, as he is one of the best agitators in the league. Alexei Emelin will also be a name to look for as a key on Montreal’s blue line. Carry Price is signed for another five years and he has become a reliable goalie after showing signs early in his career that he couldn’t handle pressure. Expect Montreal to be a top 3-4 contender in this division.

ErikKarlssonOttawaSenatorsSensTownBlogPointyMcPointerson

OTTAWA SENATORS

Daniel Alfredsson shocked a lot of people in the NHL by leaving Ottawa. It was a true blow to the fans to see the sides only $1 million off and not get a deal done. Maybe he didn’t really want to come back? Either way, it can be argued the Senators made the biggest offseason trade, going out and getting high-scoring winger Bobby Ryan from Anaheim for Jakob Silfverberg and Stefan Noesen. Ryan had been dealing with trade rumors the past few years and he can finally just relax and know it is over.  Ryan will be playing top-three minutes every night and has play-making ability to open space and make his linemates better. Ottawa fans should be excited about this trade because Ryan brings a wealth of talent to an already highly-skilled team.  He should be on a line with (who I assume to be the new captain) Jason Spezza. Spezza is a great passer and there should be a lot of chemistry between the two. Rounding out that line will be Milan Michalek. Kyle Turris will play with newly signed Clarke MacArthur and possibly Cory Conacher or Mika Zibanejad. Erik Karlsson is looking for another nomination for the Norris Trophy this year after being injured for most the year on a play by Matt Cooke last year. The Sens also went out and signed Joe Corvo to play with guys like Eric Gryba and Chris Phillips on the backend. If Craig Anderson can stay healthy, he is a Vezina-type goalie who should be able to backstop this team into a playoff spot. Look for them to be fighting for one of the last playoff spots in the division.

StevenStamkosScoringPace

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Longtime face of the franchise Vincent Lecavalier is gone. His offensive production won’t be missed, but his leadership will. This team is looking to rebound from being one of the worse teams in the league last year, something no one in the NHL saw coming. Valtteri Filppula was their notable free agent signing and was given a lot of money after a disappointing season in Detroit. General Manager Steve Yzerman believes he will have a bounceback year centering the second line with either Teddy Purcell, Alexander Killorn, 2013 No. 2 overall pick Jonathan Drouin or veteran power forward Ryan Malone. My guess would have to be Drouin because he seems more like a natural fit for that line, However, if Drouin struggles early, could he be returned to junior after nine games? I could see Killorn on the top line after he was one of Tampa’s most productive scorers in the AHL. Head coach John Cooper, who took over late last year, should have had more time to establish a system that uses a combination of speed and skill. It could lead to a tougher time for the defense, but their strength is going to be on offense.  Tampa needs to be more consistent this year, after starting last year hot and then resembling a team that forgot how to play. It could score goals, but it could not hold onto leads. In goal, the completion between Ben Bishop and Anders Lindback provides no clear cut favorite for now. Both are big goalies and have the skill set to be number ones, but Tampa is usually a revolving door of goalies. I expect Tampa to struggle this year defensively, and be a brink playoff team thanks to its offense.

8310078

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

The Leafs have what might be their best team in more than 10 years, and they are deep with talent. Their top two lines will be Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk as line one and Joffrey Lupul, Nazem Kadri and newly-signed David Clarkson on the second. I love the addition of Clarkson to this team because he gives them another big body on the top two lines and has proven he knows how to use his size around the net. Kessel is playing for a new contract and as the old adage goes, guys in contract years are motivated and should produce. The bottom six brings new addition Dave Bolland, fresh off a Stanley Cup with Chicago, and talented Russian Nikolai Kulemin. Dion Phaneuf is the team’s best defenseman and had an up and down year last year, but was still a reason for Toronto making the playoffs. He was top 10 defenseman scoring and was often paired against teams’ best players. He may not be a true shutdown defenseman, but he knows how create problems for setting up plays. Jake Gardiner is also a defenseman who will be the Leafs go-to offensive defenseman. Toronto’s biggest concern is its overall defense, as it are often facing a barrage of shots each game. Shots lead to scoring chances and this is something it needs to improve upon. In net, James Reimer is the starter while Jonathan Bernier will push for starting duties. Bernier was the Leafs trade acquisition from the Kings in June and is considered a future No. 1 if Reimer is not capable of fulfilling his duties. I expect Toronto to be a playoff tean this team year, somewhere in the 5-7 seed range.

The Atlantic Division will see the return of some of the sport’s best rivalries with Detroit joining the division again, and it will be a fun division to watch. We are only getting started here at the Cover 4 with our NHL season preview, and tomorrow we shift our focus out West to the Central Division. Today, we will leave you with our three choices to secure the divisional playoff bids:

Boston

Detroit

Montreal

__________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading The Cover 4! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

Oh yeah, tell your friends too!

Chris Dazen & Patrick Riley
Guest Sports Activist for The Cover 4

http://www.facebook.com/thecover4
https://www.facebook.com/theco.verfour
http://www.twitter.com/thecover4

Filed Under: Hockey Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NHL Season Preview Part 4:Metro Division

October 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

NHL_Eastern_Conference

The Cover 4.com presents you with the NHL Season Preview Part 4:Metro Division! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @thecover4 or facebook at theCo VerFour

In  the final installment of our season preview, we swing back to the Eastern Conference and take a look at the newly formed and named Metropolitan Division. The Metro is a star-studded division featuring the likes Claude Giroux, Rick Nash, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin.  This division figures to be the most intense, keeping great rivalries such as Flyers-Penguins, Flyers-Rangers and Rangers-Islanders together, while adding new, great divisional rivalries like Flyers-Caps and Pens-Caps. Let’s take a look at how the division figures to break down.

132803_web_7B3qm_Em_156

CAROLINA HURRICANES 

The Hurricanes are one of those teams you look at on paper and wonder just why they were so bad last year? The answer is goaltender Cam Ward. He is the key to this Carolina team and when he went down last year, so did the team. Their top=six forwards are strong, and include two Staals, Eric and Jordan, as well as Jeff Skinner and Alexander Semin. The No. 5 overall pick this summer, Elias Lindholm is also supposed to make the team. Offensively this team should be ok. Where it really went wrong last year was trying to stop the puck from going in the net. In the offseason the Hurricanes lost defensemen Jamie McBain and Joe Corvo, not that they were helping out much with the defense last year, and picked up Mike Komisarek and Andrej Sekera. The Hurricanes allowed the second-most goals last season (159), ranking at the near top of list of teams who faced the most shots. It is easy to see why this team was bad. Tim Gleason, Joni Pitkanen, Jay Harrison and Justin Faulk, all return and are not exactly names that make teams think they are going to be running into a lot of problems. The Hurricanes made some improvements to the blue line, but I don’t see enough of an improvement here to be talking playoffs. The potential to be wrong with that prediction is there, but I feel they did not do enough to help themselves.

Sergei Bobrovsky

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Columbus is one of my favorite up-and-coming teams in this league and it has finally found themselves in the Eastern Conference where it belongs.  It has what is essentially the same roster back and barely missed the playoffs last year. It is in a much tougher division this year however, and will need to play its best hockey every night to have a chance at making the playoffs. With that said, the Blue Jackets will need to ride Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky throughout the year to succeed. Bobrovsky was practically given away from the Philadelphia Flyers two years ago and last year blossomed into what he was supposed to all along. He was out to prove many wrong, and he did just that. Their biggest off season signing, Nathan Horton, is recovering from shoulder surgery but his offensive production is expected to help when he returns. Marian Gaborik, who is in a contract year, will look to lead the team offensively, but like always with him, he will need to stay healthy.  Artem Anisimov was re-signed and is also expected to score and be a top-six forward while R.J. Umberger, Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky are also secondary scorers. Jack Johnson, Fedor Tyutin and James Wisniewski are all veterans who can fill big defensive roles for this club. The No. 2 overall pick in 2012, Ryan Murray hopes an injury from last year is behind him, and he is ready to go for this season. If they can replicate everything that went right for them last year, the Blue Jackets should be in the mix for a playoff spot.

martin-brodeur

NEW JERSEY DEVILS 

Who exactly is supposed to score goals on this team? Over the last two years it has lost any resemblance of a team that knows how put pucks in the net. The Devils lost Ilya Kovalchuk to his “retirement” to the KHL, David Clarkson to Toronto and Alexei Ponikarovsky, who was never really that great to start with. They added Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder doing themselves no favors trying to get younger and still being as equally goal challenged as before. These are hard times for the Devils as they are now owned by the NHL, and Martin Brodeur fades into retirement after this season. Adam Henrique, Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac get the call to light the lamp, but don’t expect staggering numbers. If one thing went right this offseason, it was finding an eventual replacement for Brodeur via Vancouver. Cory Schneider will be the backup, but he should also get a bulk of the starts as well. The Devils likely will have their worst season in years and finish last in the division.

1297415124097_ORIGINAL

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Over the last four years, it may not have looked like it at the time, but the Islanders were building a team with a lot of potential. Last year, that team finally came out. A team built from newly-named captain John Tavares  features the young talent of Matt Moulson, Michael Grabner , Kyle Okposo Josh Bailey, Travis Hamonic, Ryan Strome and soon-to-be NHLer Griffin Reinhart. The Islanders are one of the fastest teams in the NHL and can hang and wear teams down over the course of a game. See the Pittsburgh series from last year’s playoffs. The Islanders should have beaten the Penguins, but go no help from their goaltending. Okposo had an awful year last year scoring just four goals, and will be needed this year to help contribute. The team lost defenseman Mark Streit, which hurts their power play but Lubomir Visnovsky can fill that role. Among their other defensemen, the Islanders are in trouble. There is not much there in terms of overwhelming talent and will be a weakness for them this year.  Evgeni Nabokov is 38 and played OK in the regular season, but his postseason was one to forget. Backup goalie Kevin Poulin provides no hope. Expect the Islanders to be fast and sexy, but I think this team needs some help on defense and in goal before talking playoffs this year.

Henrik Lundqvist

NEW YORK RANGERS

Out is head coach John Tortorella and new bench boss, Alain Vigneault formerly of Vancouver, takes over. Vigneault should be the right coach for this team, finally freeing the players from the defensive-minded vice grip Tortorella had on them. That means Rick Nash, Brad Richards and Derick Brassard have their handcuffs off and should be ready to fire at will at the net.  Ryan Callahan and Derek Stepan, two of the best two-way forwards in the NHL, will also have an easier time playing more to their game, although not much is expected to change with how they produce. New addition Benoit Pouliot is also an ideal third-line player and should be interesting to watch on this team as he can score if paired with the right players. On defense, Marc Staal is recovered from a career-threatening eye injury. It will be interesting see how he approaches stepping in front of a puck now. Also in that group is Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh and Michael Del Zotto who are all sound NHL defensemen.  Goaltending, we all know what to expect from Henrik Lundqvist, but with a less defensive sound team now, it will interesting to see how he responds. Expect for the Rangers to compete for the top of the division.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Kris Letang

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

We hear it every year, they have the two best players in the world in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The team around them is built to win and score, as the Penguins were NHL’s highest-scoring team at 3.38 goals per game during the regular season. They lost all those shiny new “old” toys in Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray they acquired last year as well as gritty forward and fan favorite Matt Cooke, and Tyler Kennedy to a trade. Instead of going out and signing new players with high upside, they put all of their money into known commodities Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. The top six will look the same, minus a potential rotating door of Beau Bennett  and Jussi Jokinen on the Malkin and James Neal line. Where the Penguins will really be hurting is the lack of size and grit from their bottom six forwards. Brandon Sutter and newcomer Matt D’Agostini will try to help with lower line scoring. On defense, they kept Kris Letang around, which is huge and signed defenseman Rob Scuderi, an old familiar face, back to the team. The Penguins are beyond loaded with organizational depth on defense and once again it should not be much of an issue (although it was during the playoffs). The biggest question mark is goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who once again fell apart in the playoffs. He saw a sports psychologist during the offseason to help, but this is a make or break year for his career. Backup goaltender Tomas Vokoun is out indefinitely with a blood clot. Vokoun carried the Penguins through the playoffs last year, so Fleury will really need to be on top of his game. Expect this Penguins team to be at the top or finish second in the Metro.

142952187_crop_650x440

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 

When I look at the Flyers, I see a team who has top tier offensive talent, but lacks the overall fear I would normally have in a Flyers team. There is no question their talent at forward is one of the better looking ones in the division.  Claude Giroux is one of the most talented and gifted players in the NHL and will be the team leader in points. Jakub Voracek had a breakout season recording 46 points in a short year while Scott Hartnell will look to bounce back after breaking his foot and only scored 16 points. Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read had nice years, while Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn need to improve after producing well below what was expected of them last year. Newest addition Vincent Lecavalier, who is replacing the departed Danny Briere, should be the second line center and if healthy, he will have a similar role he shared in Tampa over the past few years. On defense, the Flyers had more injures than they could have imagined and were never able to recover. Kimmo Timonen had 29 points on defense and Luke Schenn was nothing special. Their biggest addition was Mark Streit who will ease the pressure of Timonen and become the quarterback of the power play. Health will be a huge determent again as to how well this team does. It’s never the Flyers unless they are having goaltending issues, and always, they are. Gone is head case Ilya Bryzgalov, and a tandem of sub-par goaltending in Steve Mason and Ray Emery will be called upon to play well beyond their better years.  I expect the Flyers to finish either third or fourth in the division.

sp-caps10

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

The Capitals were the Southeast Division winners last year, but this year they join the Wild West run-and-gun Metropolitan Division  where they will need to learn how to defend.  Adam Oates needs more credit for revitalizing Alex Ovechkin’s career, forcing him to right wing where scored a league-high 32 goals and won his third Hart Trophy. Ovechkin seemed lost and many were starting to wonder if this was beginning of the end to his career as an elite player.  But Oates brought out in Ovi what he had been missing for the last two seasons, and Ovi seems to have responded. Mikhail Grabovski was a big pick up and should be the second line center after losing Mike Ribeiro. He has a scoring reputation that the Capitals love and top to the bottom, the Caps have four sound lines. Brooks Laich and Nicklas Backstrom should have no problem putting up their expected point totals for another strong Washington offense. The Capitals defense is a big question this year. The big names; Mike Green, Karl Alzner and John Carlson will be fine, but it is the other three remaining defensemen who bring a lot questions. Green obviously will need to stay healthy, as this has become a re-occurring problem for him. The final three defensemen will be names like John Erskine, Tomas Kundratek and Dmitry Orlov. Erskine is the name that many will recognize and is someone the Capitals will need to perform as bottom type defenseman. The goaltender job is Braden Holtby’s to lose, but seems to have finally answer the call as to who should be starting. He had a strong end to his season, but struggled in the playoffs leading to questions if he was the right goalie. He is, but will need to show it was not a fluke. It can be said the team in front of him did not play well, but this is a team effort and he deserves equal blame.  I predict the Capitals will finish somewhere around third or fourth in the division, competing with Philadelphia for one of those spots.

As you can see, the Metro Division is going to be a tightly contested division, with tons of star power battling for supremacy. The headlines are there, the stars are there, and the excitement will surely be there. For our money, here is who we expect to receive the automatic bids out of the Metro this season:

Pittsburgh

Rangers

Capitals

__________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading The Cover 4! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

Oh yeah, tell your friends too!

Chris Dazen & Patrick Riley
Guest Sports Activist for The Cover 4

http://www.facebook.com/thecover4
https://www.facebook.com/theco.verfour
http://www.twitter.com/thecover4

Filed Under: Hockey Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NHL Fantasy Preview!

January 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Where does Malkin sit on the list of top centers for 2013?

Where does Malkin sit on the list of top centers for 2013?

With the lockout now over, the NHL is prepping for a marathon sprint of a season. With a 48-game schedule in the works and due to be released in the next day or so, the wheels of hockey are once again churning, and it is almost time to drop the puck. For those of us who play fantasy hockey, if you’re like me, you’ve probably not kept up with any of the players playing overseas, and have not had a chance to make your “big board” for your draft. Since autopick is never an option, here is your crash course for your top picks for your fantasy drafts. Please keep in mind these rankings are for standard scoring leagues.

Claude Giroux

Claude Giroux

Center

1. Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh

*Coming off of an MVP season in the NHL last year, Malkin has continued his dominance overseas in the KHL posting 65 points in 37 games during the lockout. With a healthy Sidney Crosby back in the fold, look out.

2. Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh

*Speak of the devil, Crosby is primed to terrorize the NHL like he did prior to suffering multiple concussions. The best player in the world is back and healthy for the first time in two-and-a-half years, and with the short season, his point production heavily outweighs the risk of injury for your team.

3. Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay

*Stamkos is working his way to the prime of his career, and the goal scoring machine is usually a fast starter during the season, if he’s around when your pick is up, he’s a pretty safe pick.

4. Claude Giroux – Philadelphia

*While Giroux will push Crosby, Malkin and company for the scoring title and MVP, he was injured with another concussion while playing in Germany. He left his team a month or so ago to go seek help from Dr. Ted Carrick, the same doctor who helped return Sidney Crosby for good. While Giroux should be good to go, the injuries are a point of concern.

5. Henrik Sedin – Vancouver*Either Sedin is always a good pick up in fantasy. They always post globs of points and Henrik is terrific at faceoffs, but hits and PIMs are going to be hard to come by.

6. John Tavares – New York (Islanders)

*A budding superstar in the NHL, Tavares is a fantastic all-around talent and plays in every situation. He is the type of player that can keep your team competitive when you’re having the fantasy-dreaded “off week”.

7. Eric Staal – Carolina

*Staal has been around seemingly forever, but at age 28, he is in the prime of his career. Always a top fantasy player, the Hurricanes’ lineup will be bolstered by the addition of Jordan Staal, and that may energize Eric as well.

8. David Backes – St. Louis

*Backes could be a great sleeper pick. Not too many casual hockey fans know about him, but he makes a great addition to any team. While he won’t be pushing 100 points, even in an 82-game season, Backes is consistent point producer and plays with an edge helping out your hits and PIMs.

9. Brad Richards – New York (Rangers)

*Don’t let the addition of Rick Nash to the Rangers fool you, this is still a John Tortorella coached team and defense comes first. Thank being said, Richards is one of the premier passers in the league and is playing with Nash and Marian Gaborik.

10. Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles

*Kopitar burst on to the national scene last season during the Kings’ run to the Stanley Cup. Kopitar though has always been a valuable fantasy player and looks only to continue that trend this season.

Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin

Left Wingers

1. Alex Ovechkin – Washington

*The great 8 will be looking to burst out of the gates the season and one can expect that first year Caps coach Adam Oates will unleash Ovechkin without restriction. Looking to return to form and just oozing with talent and skill. Despite previous down seasons, Ovi is still a good choice as a top pick.

2. Ilya Kovalchuk – New Jersey

*Kovalchuk really came into his own as a Devil last season, and despite losing team captain Zach Parise through free agency, Kovalchuk looks to pick up right where he left off for the Eastern Conference champion Devils.

3. James Neal – Pittsburgh

*After a dreadful late 2010-’11  with the Pens after coming over from Dallas, Neal enjoyed a terrific full season with Pittsburgh last year posting 40 goals and 81 points. Oh yeah, he’ll be working a power play unit with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

4. Daniel Sedin – Vancouver

*See Henrik Sedin, subtract faceoffs

5. Milan Lucic – Boston

*Lucic is coming into the season healthy and that is huge for the style that he plays. Lucic will be a force at even strength and on the power play and will add to your fantasy teams toughness stats such as hits and PIMs

6. Zach Parise – Minnesota

*I wouldn’t expect Parise to come out of the gates hot. He spent his entire career with Jersey and now that he is in his first year with the Wild, you have to account for an adjustment period. With Parise’s talent and work ethic, don’t pencil in TOO much time to adjust, he will be a solid pick for any team sooner rather than later.

7. Taylor Hall – Edmonton

*With the shortened schedule, young guys like Hall and his Oiler teammates could be surprise names at the top of the scoring charts. Hall has improved his play every year since being the first overall pick in 2010. If Hall can stay healthy, he has the potential to be one of your team’s top players.

8. Scott Hartnell – Philadelphia

*The long-maned Hartnell will miss departed future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr from his line, but playing with Claude Giroux still bodes well for Hartnell’s fantasy line. Hartnell also isn’t afraid of  a little confrontation  and gets significant power play time.

9. Rick Nash – New York (Rangers)

*While the newly acquired Nash could be a force in the stats, his attitude (at times) mixed with coach Tortorella’s attitude (at times) may not be a good mixture and with Torts running an extremely defensive minded team, the fantasy points by Nash may come at a slower clip than expected.

10. Loui Eriksson – Dallas

*Eriksson is bar none the most underrated player in the NHL today. With a ton of size and a great skill set, he will flourish offensively with the additions of Derek Roy and Jaromir Jagr to the Stars and the emergence of Stars’ star Jamie Benn

Patrick Kane

Patrick Kane

Right Wing

1. Phil Kessel – Toronto

*This may be the year that Toronto finally reaches the postseason,and Phil Kessel will be a big part of that. After finding his scoring stride early last year, he anchored the Leafs top line through a tantalizing three-quarters  of a season before the Leafs collapsed and fell out of contention. Look for Kessel and the Leafs to come out of the gates hot again.

2. Patrick Sharp – Chicago

*Sharp has the ability to play any forward position and is a consistent point producer. He will add to your team’s entire offensive stat line and plus-minus as well.

3. Corey Perry – Anaheim

*Entering a contract year, Perry will look to get off to a great start. If you can overcome the plus-minus stat that is sure to be lousy from playing on Anaheim’s lousy team, Perry will be a great draft choice. A 50-goal scorer and former MVP, he should still look every bit of each of those.

4. Tyler Seguin – Boston

*Another budding superstar in the league, the blazing fast Seguin sees time in every situation for the Bruins. Look for him to be a consistent producer of every good stat your fantasy league has to offer.

5. Jarome Iginla – Calgary

*While entering the twilight of his career, Iginla can still play at a high level. He may be a good investment pick seeing as he will still produce with Calgary’s OK team, but should the Flames fall out of contention, Iginla may be moved to a contender.

6. Jordan Eberle – Edmonton

*While he hasn’t put his skills together to the fullest yet and pushed the Ovechkins and Malkins of the league for a scoring title, Eberle has still been a consistent young star with the upstart Oilers. With the likes of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakapov, and Ryan Whitney playing with Eberle, the point potential is there.

7. Patrick Kane – Chicago

*After an off season, Kane looks back to return to his dynamic form  from the Cup winning season. Loaded with talent and playing with Jonathan Toews, Kane is another safe, proven pick for your team.

8. Martin St. Louis – Tampa Bay

*A perennial fantasy stud, St. Louis is getting older, however he still provides valuable production for any fantasy team even in the most competitive of leagues. Playing with Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier won’t hurt either.

9. Jeff Skinner – Carolina

*Skinner is another young emerging star that the NHL boasts, however he has had injury trouble the last couple years. Being a smaller player, he faces that risk, but the additions of Jordan Staal and Alex Semin to the Hurricanes should offer more time and space for Skinner.

10. Joe Pavelski – San Jose

*A type of under-the-radar player, Pavelski has seen better and better seasons each year he has been around. Although he is listed as a winger, he also sees time at center, adding to your squad’s faceoff stats.

Erik Karlsson

Erik Karlsson

Defense

1.Erik Karlsson – Ottawa

*The defending Norris Trophy winner, and deservedly so, Karlsson is primed for another great season. Although Ottawa’s season was somewhat of an overachievement last year, a lot of its  success hinges on Karlsson. He will see plenty of ice time and will put up a ton of points.

2. Kris Letang – Pittsburgh

*After an injury-derailing season last year, Letang looks to get back on track as an elite defender in the NHL. Before concussion issues sidelined him last year, Letang was neck-and-neck with Karlsson for the defensive scoring lead and Norris consideration. As far as fantasy goes, Letang may not put up as many points playing on a star-studded Penguins team, but Letang plays with more of an edge than Karlsson, so his PIMs will help, and his +/- will probably be better as well.

3. Dustin Byfuglien – Winnipeg

*All around talent aside, Byfuglien brings versatility to your lineup, as well as Winnipeg’s. In most leagues, he is listed as a defenseman and a winger. Although he will see the occasional forward shift with the Jets, he is a top pairing defenseman. This bodes well for your team if he is on it because you can slot him in a forward position, while he is playing defense, therefore he sees more ice time. His style of play sees him stock up on a ton hits and shots, along with working the point on the power play.

4. Brian Campbell – Florida

*A solid overall pickup every year, expect a pump in Campbell’s numbers coming off of a solid year last season. The Panthers were an underrated squad last year, and took the eventual Eastern Conference champion Devils to double OT of Game 7 in their series. Campbell’s fantasy numbers dropped late last season, so as a veteran, he may benefit from the short season.

5. Zdeno Chara – Boston

*Chara is a fantasy stud year after year and this season should be no different. One of the safest picks on D as his production is consistent and being a behemoth, his durability is of little concern.

6. Shea Weber – Nashville

*While Weber is still the premier total package defenseman in the league today, the loss of Ryan Suter via free agency could hurt Weber’s fantasy numbers. Don’t be surprised if, in typical Predators’ fashion, the next man steps up (Kevin Klein), and Weber and the Preds don’t miss a beat.

7. Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis

*This will be the year that Pietrangelo solidifies himself as a top-tier defenseman in the NHL. Benefitting from the great coaching of Ken Hitchcock, the Blues rode Hitch all the way to the playoffs last season. In a jam-packed Western Conference and Central Division, the young Blues team is primed to make a run this season, and Pietrangelo will be a catalyst for that. A wildcard in terms of fantasy players, Pietrangelo sees a ton of ice time for the Blues in all situations, but the Blues have been inconsistent in the scoring department winning a lot of goaltending duels.

8. Dan Boyle – San Jose

*Another perennial fantasy producer, Boyle is in good position to put up another good season with the Sharks. Boyle is not an overwhelmingly physical player, but he puts a ton of pucks on net, works the point on the power play and has a great outlet pass that can set some of the younger Sharks’ players up to score off the rush. Expect his plus-minus, assists and power play Points to compete for best in the league, however don’t expect a ton of goals.

9. Ryan Suter – Minnesota

*Suter is finally out from the Shea Weber shadow he played his entire career under and is now the top dog on the Minnesota Wild blueline. While he may not see too much of an increase in time on the power play, expect an increase in shots, goals and assists, now that he won’t have to defer to Weber. The only caveat to his fantasy numbers maybe his plus-minus seeing as the Wild are not nearly as sound defensively or in net as the Predators were with Suter.

10. Drew Doughty – Los Angeles

*Doughty is looking to build off of an impressive run to the Cup with the Kings last season, that saw him provide some splash plays. Doughty’s offensive numbers will be there as he quarterbacks the Kings top power play unit, but defensively he is not on an elite level yet. While still young and learning the position, Doughty’s fantasy value can vary from offensive specialist to all-around stud.

Jonathan Quick

Jonathan Quick

Goalies

1.Henrik Lundqvist – New York (Rangers)

*Coming off an exceptional year that saw him win the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender and garner serious MVP consideration, look for more of the same from King Henrik this season. The Rangers play a stifling defense-first system and sport an impressive core of young defensive talent who gained some valuable experience last year with the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The addition of Rick Nash will also help Lundqvist as it will be hard for the other team to get quality scoring chances on him while they are playing more defense in their own end.

2. Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles

*Last year’s Conn Smythe winner, Quick was no doubt the single biggest reason that the Kings not only won the Cup, but even made the playoffs. Quick backstopped an abysmal Kings’ offense by posting shutout after shutout last season and keeping every game within reach for the Kings to win. Once the Kings found their scoring touch, well the rest is history. Look for Quick to see less shots per game this season behind a defending champion Kings team that is only getting better.

3. Pekka Rinne – Nashville

*Although the Preds lost a top-pairing defenseman in Ryan Suter, expect this season to be more of the same Nashville Predators perseverance against all odds type of year. Although, aside from Shea Weber, the Predators lack superstar power up front, Rinne is a superstar caliber player, destined to toil in the anonymity of Nashville in the NHL. Rinne will be available in many leagues for a while, while bigger names come off the board. Don’t be afraid to take Rinne over the likes of Ward, Fleury or even Luongo.

4. Mike Smith – Phoenix

*Another leader of a band of misfits, the Phoenix Coyotes will go as far as Mike Smith takes them. From a fantasy perspective, Smith may not post the most shutouts, but his goals against average and save percentage will be tough to match. Smith could even compete for the Vezina this year if Phoenix has another outstanding year.

5. Jaroslav Halak – St. Louis

*Halak is another solid overall choice and shutout machine playing in a defensive system. Halak has proven himself as a big time goalie in Montreal and St. Louis, single-handedly shutting down the likes of Malkin, Ovechkin, and Crosby in playoff series. One problem that presents itself with Halak is the stellar play of his goaltending partner, Brian Elliot. The tandem posted outstanding numbers last year and although Halak’s stellar play earned him the starting gig, Elliot’s play earned him significant playing time, even in a backup role.

6. Cory Schneider – Vancouver

*Schneider is in line for his first season as a starter in the NHL after overtaking the much maligned Roberto Luongo as the starter in Vancouver. Although Luongo’s play has been wildly inconsistent, Schneider’s outstanding play down the stretch last season cemented his role as starter this season and forcing the Canucks hand in probably dealing Luongo. With amazing talent himself while getting the majority of the starts, Schneider will be playing behind one of the best defensive corps in the game, so expect his wins to be near the top of the league along with his goals against average.

7. Ryan Miller – Buffalo

*Buffalo’s only hope at a successful season, Miller is looking to rebound off a sub-par season for himself. Miller is one of the most talented goaltenders in the league and arguably the most valuable to his team. If Miller’s save percentage and goals against numbers are in good standing, so will his, and Buffalo’s wins. You can also expect Miller to face a lot of shots playing behind a less than overwhelming Sabres offense.

8. Carey Price – Montreal

*Price is a phenomenal talent that has people drawing comparisons between him and Patrick Roy. Although he isn’t quite in the same breath as Roy, he is a fantastic goalie on an average team. Price’s shots faced and save percentage look to be quite high, although his wins and goals against average may leave a lot to be desired playing behind the Habs skaters.

9. Tuukka Rask – Boston

*After losing his starting job to the enigmatic Tim Thomas and seeing Thomas post one of the best seasons from a goalie in recent history, Rask has his starting job back with Thomas sitting out the year because he’s a complete weirdo. This, however, doesn’t change the fact that Rask is a terrific goaltender playing on a great team. Rask’s stat line probably won’t feature one mind-blowing stat after another but will see a solid line all the way across. Rask is not an ideal workhorse for a fantasy team but can be a tremendous compliment to your main keeper.

10. Marc-Andre Fleury – Pittsburgh

*Ok, forget about the redonkulous playoff series loss to the Flyers last year. Fleury is a perennial  regular season stud. Last season, many of the Penguins players were pushing for Fleury to receive MVP and Vezina consideration. While teammate Evgeni Malkin won the MVP and Fleury wound up with consideration for neither award, he still posted a fantastic regular season. This season, Fleury has the privilege of playing behind the likes of Crosby, Malkin, James Neal and Kris Letang, just to name a few. Fleury may be a fantasy trap though as he will not put up too many shutouts and his save percentage and shots faced will not be overwhelming, however his wins, and goals against average may be too good to pass up.

____________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for reading The Cover 4! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

Oh yeah, tell your friends too!

Pat Davis
Sports Activist for The Cover 4
http://www.facebook.com/thecover4
http://www.twitter.com/thecover4

http://www.twitter.com/PatDavisRiley

Filed Under: Hockey Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Big Expectations in the Big Apple

January 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

melo

They say there is nothing louder than a New Yorker, so if you haven’t heard about the success of the New York Knicks this year, consider yourself one of the few. The Knicks have been making a lot of noise in the early part of this season turning it around from last season. The Knicks have rocketed off to a 22-10 start and are leading the “who can possibly beat the Heat” race in the Eastern Conference. The MVP-caliber play of Carmelo Anthony, Coach of the Year candidate Mike Woodson, and player acquisitions have turned the New York Knicks into a contender.

Carmelo Anthony is playing out of his mind right now. He’s second in the league right now to Kobe Bryant (aka Benjamin Button) in scoring. Carmelo is averaging 28.9 points per game with shooting averages of 47% from the field and a career best 43% from 3-point range. Although he has missed a few games with injury this season, he is having one of the best seasons of his career. During the offseason, coach Mike Woodson was quoted saying, “Anthony’s going to have to raise his game” and that he would have “to push him to be in better shape.” Anthony seems to have taken his coach’s words to heart as he has propelled the Knicks to one of their best starts in decades.

Mike Woodson has brought in a culture that holds even his star players accountable, and their response can be seen throughout their play. Under D’Antoni, the Knicks forgot what it meant to play defense, Woodson seems to have been able to remind them what it means. He has brought in a focus on defense, and when you have the former Defensive Player of the Year, you’re going to see some positive results. By demanding accountability from his players, Woodson and the Knicks have experienced a major reduction in turnovers. Under Woodson, the Knicks are averaging a league-low 10.8 turnovers per game. This same team averaged 16 turnovers per game last year. Woodson’s system demands ball control, something far different from the run and gun offense that existed during the D’Antoni era. This doesn’t mean that the offense has slowed down though. Woodson has put out a powerful offense that has been living and dying with the 3-ball. The Knicks put up a league high 28.9 3-pointers per game and are making them at a 39% rate. This three point shooting has allowed the Knicks to average a very respectable 102.1 points per game. By getting his veterans to buy in and operate within the system, Woodson has the Knicks looking like contenders.

Woodson’s veteran team added multiple players during this offseason that have been crucial to the Knicks thriving. During the offseason, the Knicks refused to match Jeremy Lin’s offer sheet, allowing the point guard to go to Houston. They brought in veteran point guards Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton who have been able to successfully run the offense that Woodson wants. Raymond Felton seems to have been revitalized in New York, and Jason Kidd seems to have slapped Father Time in the face. Kidd’s poised play and veteran leadership have created almost a second coach on the court. While he may not be lighting up the stat sheet, every player on the Knicks commends Kidd for consistently making play after play and efficiently running the offense on the floor. The Knicks have found themselves two point guards more than capable of producing and running the Knicks efficient offense.

Much must be said about the emergence of J.R. Smith. The self-proclaimed partier has “given up on drinking and the clubs” to focus more on basketball this year. It looks as though it is really helping as Smith is one of the best bench players in the league and averaging a career high 16.6 points per game.

The Knicks look like one of the best teams in the league even though they are just introducing one of their top players back to the lineup. While some individuals believe that the return of Amare Stoudemire to the Knicks lineup is a disruption to their rhythm, coach Mike Woodson has more than proved himself able to adapt to his roster. With Stoudemire coming off the bench, Woodson would be able to keep Anthony at the power forward position that he has been thriving at all year. The Knicks could rotate Anthony or Chandler out when inserting Stoudemire, giving them additional rest on the bench. Also, having Stoudemire available gives the Knicks the ability to match the size of any front-court in the league. Mike Woodson has turned this team around and his success will get the players to buy into however he decides to handle the situation. Even though we are only a little over a third into the season, the Knicks are facing some big expectations in the Big Apple.

____________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for reading The Cover 4! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

Oh yeah, tell your friends too!

Tye Masters
Sports Activist for The Cover 4
http://www.facebook.com/thecover4
http://www.twitter.com/thecover4

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
%d bloggers like this: