Fantasy Hockey Analysis

Fantasy Hockey Scouts: The Fantasy Five - Week 10

#1 Give 'em a Look

Sergei Kostitsyn has a lot of talent (see 131 pts in 2006/07 in the OHL) but he’s really squandered that talent the past few years in Montreal. Some people thought that a move to Nashville in the offseason was exactly what he needed but he started the year with only 2+1=3 and not playing that much over his first 19 games so it didn’t look like things had changed much. Well something flipped the switch as he’s gone on a tear with 3+6=9 during a seven game point streak and he’s seeing more ice-time and some PP time lately. Give him a look for the short-term and he comes with the added bonus of some potential longer-term upside.

Others worth a look: Shane Doan (Phx – RW), Mark Giordano (Cgy - D), Marc Staal (NYR – D) and Anders Lindback (Nsh – G)

Like Kostitsyn, Nikita Filatov is a young guy with a lot of skills but he hasn’t been able to show those skills at the NHL level. He clashed with Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock last year and it led to him bolting back to the KHL last season. People hoped that a new coach would give him a fresh start but it’s been more of the same this year as he’s been benched and scratched frequently and after only seven assists in his first 23 games, Columbus decided to send him to the AHL last week. He could get another shot later in the season but this guy is running out of chances in Columbus.

Others worth a boot: Matt Stajan (Cgy – C), Andreas Nodl (Phi – RW), Andy Greene (NJ – D) and Marty Turco (Chi – G)

A few injury scares from Wednesday night as Chris Pronger, Paul Stastny & Erik Johnson all left games early with injuries. Stastny, in particular, took a nasty fall into the boards and we’re not sure how he didn’t seriously hurt his neck but after the game the team was saying that he just had a sore back… stay tuned for more.

The Flyers have the always fun 3-way goalie battle going on right now as Michael Leighton has returned from offseason back surgery and joins Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher in a crowded crease in Philly. They can’t keep three goalies all year so who goes?… you might think it’s Bobrovsky as he’s only a rookie but he’s been their best goalie so far this year. Boucher’s the #3 on paper, so maybe he’ll be waived, but he’s actually been better than Bobrovsky lately and is 5-0-1 in his last six games. Leighton’s safe (we think?) as he was the Flyers playoff hero from this past spring. We’re not sure how this all shakes down but definitely keep a close eye on it as the Flyers are first overall in the league right now so owning their starting goalie would be pretty sweet.

Whether you follow the Canadian junior leagues to stay ahead of the curve in your fantasy leagues or are prepping for the upcoming World Junior Championships... whatever the reason, Yahoo's Buzzing the Net is a great read about all things related to Junior Hockey in Canada.