Happy Labor Day weekend to all my American friends out there.  I hope you are out enjoying what I hope is good weather, good food, good drink and good family and friends! A few happenings in the NHL the past week or so.  Ex-Montreal Canadien and NY Ranger Center David Desharnais is set to skate in the KHL for the upcoming season. I once highly touted him as possibly the next Martin St. Louis but as you can see that never panned out.  See my Under The Raydar article to see what I wrote all those years ago. Lol. RW Troy Brouwer signed a 1-year deal with the Florida Panthers.  Clearly a depth move and at a cost of $850K, inexpensive as well. Newly acquired Calgary Flame D Noah Hanifin signed a 6-year deal for good money, $4,950,000 per year.  Traded away from the Carolina Hurricanes in a swap of defensemen with Dougie Hamilton coming the other way in the deal.  Perhaps with Flames veteran Defenseman Mark Giordano, Hanifin can emerge as a more complete defenseman with a boost in his offensive game. PrimePucks™ is starting to add their pre-season rankings to the website so keep looking for updates.  SO far we have Team and prospect Rankings available for your perusal. I will be uploading a new, updated Fantasy Draft Guide tomorrow, Sunday September 2nd most likely around noon.  Heading to a family BBQ today then to the Deep Purple & Judas Priest concert afterwards.  Guide is available for purchase, just click here.  At $10.99, you get over 60 pages of fantasy hockey articles and all 31 teams analysis.  The NHL season is just around the corner now, so be caught behind, get ready now for your upcoming fantasy hockey drafts! Enjoy the weekend! Ciao for now, Ray

Brandon Dubinsky, Columbus- A few Blue Jackets have seen their roles increase under new coach John Tortorella, one being the 29-year old Dubinsky. The hard-working center has collected three goals and five assists over the first games since Torts has taken over. While expecting his ppg clip to last over the course of the season is unrealistic, 55-60 is not. He is worth a pick-up as his fantasy value is more long-term than most.    Teemu Terevainen, Chicago- With Marian Hossa back from injury, it's likely the talented winger could be shuffled around the lineup again. He showed some chemistry with Kane but who doesn't. Best case scenario-  stays on top line with Toews/Hossa or sees some 3rd line duty again. Insane upside so he might worth stashing on the bench until he gets going. Cause it will happen at some point this season.    David Desharnais, Montreal- I don't like recommending third line centers but his line with Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann has been absolutely killing it. DD has been the top dog before and has been a 60-point producer just a few years back, so you know he has tons to prove. Ride him in the short term    Leon Draisatl, Edmonton- A devastating injury to Connor McDavid has opened the opportunity for this former no first round pick to get top six minutes and contribute right away. Since his callup from the AHL, all Leon has done is hav collected 7 points over 5 games and has looked in sinc alongside Taylor Hall. The return of Jordan Eberle has the trio forming a potential explosive top unit. Playing with those two has its advantages in fantasy so take a gamble on him.    Ryan Spooner, Boston- In the case of this youngster, his importance on special teams clearly places him on the fantasy radar. He currently plays on a smokin top power play unit alongside the likes of David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron but gets this line minutes. There is a surplus of elite centers in Boston so his interim fantasy upside is a bit capped but he should be able to flirt with the 50-point mark. 

PRIMEPUCKS™ 2015 FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF REVIEW The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs are beginning shortly and PrimePucks™ is taking a look at what they predict will happen in the first round and beyond. NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS:  After last season’s improbable run at the Stanley Cup only to fall short by losing to a more determined Los Angeles Kings team, the New York Rangers are back in the dance but this time with a more focused outlook.  It appears the Rangers got a very good taste and were thisclose to hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup that they locked down the home ice advantage throughout by winning the President’s Cup with a very solid second half. The Rangers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins who seem to be a team in disarray especially after losing their best defenseman in Kris Letang for the remainder of this season with a concussion. The team with all this talent up front seemed to have trouble finding their offensive game with the loss of Letang.  The Rangers on the other hand seemed to be getting better with every passing game.  Expect the Rangers to win this in no more than 6 games as they forge ahead to another Finals appearance.  Those of you in playoff pools should definitely start all the major Blueshirts like Rick Nash, Henrik Lundqvist, Keith Yandle, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, Martin St. Louis and company as this team has their eyes set on the silver trophy. MONTREAL CANADIENS vs. OTTAWA SENATORS:  The Rangers likely opponent in the Conference Finals, the Canadiens, should dispose of the surprising Ottawa Senators fairly easy behind MVP Candidate Carey Price.  The Senators had an amazing climb in the standings to reach the playoffs but will run into a team that has some motivation of their own to exact revenge on the Rangers, who they may have beaten in last year’s Conference Finals if it weren’t for Chris Kreider knocking Price out of the series with a collision in the first game of their match. For the Canadiens, it all starts with Price. And in front of Price there is a defensive core that packs a punch both in the scoring department and defensively as well.  P.K. Subban leads the charge on both those ends with veteran Andrei Markov supplying steady support. The rest of the defense will give other teams fits to round out the Montreal defense.  On the forward front, Max Pacioretty leads the charge with Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher rounding out the scorers but don’t expect ...

Good morning as we welcome March in with a nice cup of hot joe! Will Jaromir Jagr’s presence in South Florida boost the Panthers into a playoff spot?  It may be tough to catch Boston but it will be a fun race now. It’s a little late for the New Jersey Devils to start playing like they should have all season long. All of a sudden Brandon Pirri gets back into the lineup and scores twice on the power play and has 9 SOG.  Talk about making up for lost time.  He had almost as many SOG as the entire Buffalo team (14 SOG). Jussi Jokinen seems to have liked the Jagr deal.  He had 3 assists yesterday. That was a fun Detroit-Nashville game to watch yesterday.  I hope you got to watch it.  It was just like old times when Detroit was in the Western Conference and they were heated rivals. The Hurricanes have been blowing strong of late using the two-goalie platoon system.  They beat the hot Islanders 5-3 yesterday. Boston has won 3 of their last four and are hanging tough onto that last playoff spot in the East.  They can definitely make some noise in the playoffs as they know the regular season don’t mean much when playoff time rolls around. Shea Weber had 9 SOG and didn’t kill anyone.  I think I would move away when seeing him loading up. What a season for Carey Price!  What a season! Is David Desharnais turning into one of those second half players like Jarome Iginla is? Toronto really stinks, huh? The Flyers beat the Rangers.  I have a funny feeling about Philadelphia if they make the dance. Andrew Hammond is the next coming of Patrick Lalime.  Now, Lalime “the Dream” had a great nickname.  What will Hammond’s be? St. Louis edged Edmonton 2-1.  Come on St. Louis!  You could do better than that. Devan Dubnyk is 15-3-1 with Minnesota.  I think that says a lot about Edmonton. It would be exciting to see Montreal vs. the NY Rangers in the conference Finals again. Some exciting races for NHL leader in points and Goals Scored categories.  Too bad Seguin got hurt. Sorry for the short SMC this week.  I’m battling a case of the shingles.  Wish me luck! Have a great week and may all your fantasies come true!

How about MDZ finding his scoring touch again; second chance for Stafford in Winnipeg; goalie waiver talk; and more: Drew Stafford RW, Winnipeg: The streaky winger has found a new home after the trade to the Jets, cementing a place in top six with injury to Mathieu Perreault. Coming off a two assist game, Stafford has shown early chemistry playing with Mark Schiefele and Dustin Byfuglien. Considering how quickly he can rack up points in spurts, he should be worth taking a flier on.  Craig Smith RW, Nashville- Hyped by many as a premier sleeper pick for 2014-15, Smith did not make the immediate offensive impact expected but has come on strong lately with six points (4G/2A) in the last four games. We can't recommend him as a long-term solution given the balanced attack employed by Peter Laviolette's Predators. However, use him while he is hot as he could put up big numbers over the next few weeks.  David Desharnais C, Montreal: When you are centering the hot Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, expect a fair share of assists. The diminutive center has struggled to find his 2011 60-point form, but could be poised for a strong finish. He and "Mad Max" were split up after early stint together but now are back again. Better than ever? We think so.    Michael Del Zotto D. Philadelphia: His game-winning goal in the Sunday matinee has capped a torrid stretch where he has collected 7 points over his last 10 games. With 23 points on the season, Del Zotto looks to have rediscovered his offensive game and has been more effective then the more heralded Mark Streit over the last month. Only drawback has been his lack of power-play time. Andrew Hammond G, Ottawa: The journeyman goalie is living a dream since his NHL promotion, winning both starts over Montreal and Florida. He has a tough task ahead with three games over Western Conference powerhouses during the next week. I would advise only the desperate fantasy owner to take a stab at Hammond but the goalie free-agent well is pretty dry. Maybe Michal Neuvirth from Buffalo who could still be available and should get all the work for the Sabres. Like I said, pretty dry..    

Just as Boston was heating up, not only has the winter storms cooled them off, but Dallas beat the Bruins 5-3 making it 3 losses in the last 4 games for the B’s.  The only saving grace was that even though Tuukka Rask was pinned with the loss, he came on in relief for starter Niklas Svedberg who was pulled after letting in 3 goals in the first period.  Look for Rask and the Bruins to get back on track even though they are embarking on a 5-game road trip….. Ottawa beat Buffalo 2-1 in what basically is a “who cares?’ game….. Jaroslav Halak and the NY Islanders are getting back to their winning ways again with the team winning 3 of their last 4 with Halak in net for the 3 wins.  What to take out of the Islanders 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers is that Jordan Eberle continued his hot hand with a power play assist giving him 7 points in 6 games… To tell you what a fabulous year the Florida Panthers are having this season, they have beaten the Anaheim Ducks in both their meetings by identical scores of 6-2.  Too bad they don’t play the Ducks more often…. The dreaded "three-point" game came into fruition as Winnipeg ended the Minnesota Wild's six-game winning streak thanks to a Dustin Byfuglien overtime goal. Despite the loss, Devan Dubnyk put forth another fantasy-worthy effort between the pipes, stopping 32 of 34 shots. in 11 games for the Wild, he has gone 9-1-1. Keep playing him. On the other side, Michael Hutchinson's superb performance provided further proof that Ondrej Pavelec needs to stay on the bench more often. At some point, look for Paul Maurice to go with "Hutch" full-time as the playoff chase gets tighter and tighter.. Rick Nash added three assists to his already impressive goal-heavy point total in the 5-4 "Blueshirt" win over the Leafs. An obvious must start option in Nash, but don't overlook linemate Mat Zuccarello who has been scorching with eight points over the last five games.. The battle of the best teams in their respective conferences did not disappoint, as Nashville withstood a furious Tampa Bay rally in the third and eke out an overtime win. James Neal was the hero of the night, but his overall numbers have been rather pedestrian. While the Predators boast the most potent offense in the NHL, it's tough for fantasy owners to predict which forwards will be hot from "week to week". Their scoring depth will be crucial for their playoff success but not optimal for fantasy purposes... Nikita Kucherov scored a goal in his fourth straight ...

Alex Galchenyuk C, Montreal: The 20-year old center has started to roll since being moved to the top line with winger Max Pacioretty. With six points during a current three-game point streak, the gifted Galchenyuk could be breaking out before our very eyes. David Desharnais was never able to consistently live up to top billing, so the youngster should keep this gig for awhile. Kyle Turris C, Ottawa: While more forwards have been providing offense for the Sens lately, Turris still leads the way on the top line. He has heated up with seven points during his five-game point streak while also scoring back-to-back game-winners. He has fallen short of becoming an elite scorer like Jason Spezza but he has been a consistent offensive threat and should be owned in all fantasy formats. Joffrey Lupul RW, Toronto: Despite the slow start, the streaky winger is having a solid month of December scoring at close to a PPG clip with 9 points in 11 games. What makes him even more appealing to fantasy owners should be that coach Randy Carlyle has been shuffling lines and using him with Phil Kessel at times. If that would to become a permanent move, Lupul's fantasy value would skyrocket. Alex Tanguay LW, Colorado: The crafty veteran has arguably been the most consistent Av's forward in recent games, collecting five points over the last five and 22 in 31 overall. While he will surely not maintain his PPG pace, he should be a decent short-term addition for offense-needy fantasy squads. Michael Hutchinson G, Winnipeg: It's just a matter of time before the 24-year old gets the permanent starting gig given his superior numbers to Pavelec- 7-2-2, 1.73 GAA, .940 SP. For the time being, they are alternating starts but the evidence in favor of "Hutch" is mounting.

There are a few repeat customers in this week's column, but we focus on defensemen, young and old, that can help your teams. It's never easy to get your hands on blueliners with 35-40 point upside, so pay special attention to the few that we highlight this week: Dougie Hamilton D, Boston Bruins: Zdeno Charas loss with his injury is Hamiltons gain in terms of getting more valuable ice time on pp. Dougie responded with a big game agsinst the Leafs, notching one goal and two assists. Expected to carry the defense with "Big Z" out, look for the uber-talented rearguard to grow considerably as a consistent scoring option during the next 4-6 weeks. The young Hamilton was highly touted as a proven scorer upon being draftef by Boston, and now should have his chance to showcase his skills in his 3rd year. His dynasty upside is huge.. David Desharnais C, Montreal: Poor David often gets overlooked as a valuable fantasy asset but the fact remains that he is top line centre of the Habs and is on a roll with four points in the last four games. One of these years, the stars will align and Desharnais will have a big PPG season but for now, use him while he is hot. It doesn't help his long term numbers when he is playing with one of streakiest wingers around in Max Pacioretty. 55-60 points should be a safe bet,making him a solid 4th or 5th fantasy forward. Lubomir Visnovsky D, NYI: Don't look now but after a hot start, Johnny Boychuk has fizzled out a bit for the islanders. It sounds like perfect timing for the return of offensive defenseman Visnovsky, who collected a goal and an assist in last game against Lightning. The fact that he played more than 20 minutes including 2:39 on the primary power play unit- tops on the team, means that he is working his way back up as the teams top scoring option on the blueline. He's worth a waiver wire grab but be prepared to replace him if he gets hurt. Ride him while he is healthy as he has top ten upside, but he has been very brittle in recent years. Mike Ribeiro C, Nashville: The veteran pivot makes our list again for a second straight week as fantasy hockey owners have yet to fully embrace him in all leagues. He had his 4-game point streak snapped Saturday night, but his chemistry with James Neal is building with every passing game. Ribeiro is a proven scorer on every level and he looks very comfortable in Coach Laviolette's offensive system. This should be the last we mention of him as his ownership in all fantasy formats should...

If it wasn't for goalie Carey Price getting knocked out of the series, it could have been the Montreal Canadiens playing against the Los Angeles Kings for the right to hoist the Cup.  Apparently fully recovered from his knee injury, Price looks to lead the Habs back to the Promised Land.  Gone are Thomas Vanek, Brian Gionta and Daniel Briere. Vanek didn't pan out and was often pointed out as the scapegoat.  Gionta and Briere will be missed for their leadership and playoff experience.  PA Parenteau and Tom Gilbert were brought in for depth purposes. Will the Canadiens have what it takes to get back again this year? GOALIES At 27-years of age, Price is entering his prime and has adapted to the pressure of being Montreal's starting goaltender. At 34-20-5, he almost matched his career best in 2010-2011 when he had a 38-28-6 record and his metrics were almost identical.  Now that he is a bit more seasoned, expect more consistency from Price going forward.  Peter Budaj will serve as backup again but if he falters, I'm sure the Canadiens won't hesitate to bring up last year's playoff darling, Dustin Tokarski. DEFENSE There is no denying the fire in P.K. Subban's belly but if he can control that emotion and funnel it into the game, he will be extremely dangerous. Look for Subban to mature a bit this season.  Andrei Markov seems to have rid himself of the injury bug and now has played in 2 back-to-back seasons, although one was the shortened 48-game Lockout season. Markov will still get you around the mid-40 level in points.  FORWARDS They may not have the elite name like a Crosby, Stamkos or an Ovechkin, but the Habs can throw out a few solid lines at you. Max Pacioretty along with David Desharnais, form the top pairing and should lead the team in offense. One player to keep your eye on this year is Alex Galchenyuk. This kid packs a tremendous amount of talent that it is just a matter of time before he explodes.  He has shown flashes, but not the consistency.  Slated to play on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Parenteau, these veterans just may be able to bring out his best. Brendan Gallagher is an energetic player that packs a scoring touch. For deeper leagues, Lars Eller could have a breakout year as he has been steadily improving every year. PROSPECTS Two defensive prospects, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu, are close to joining the club but far from making an impact. Other players are perhaps a season or two away from being any kind of factor. ...

NY RANGERS vs. MONTREAL Must-Starts Montreal: Thomas Vanek, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty, P. K. Subban, Andrei Markov, Carey Price New York: Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, Henrik Lundqvist Sleepers Montreal: Brenden Gallagher, Daniel Briere, Tomas Plekanec, Brian Gionta, Lars Eller New York: Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, Brian Boyle, Benoit Pouliot Notes: Halfway home for both of these Original Six teams!  Not many gave the Montreal Canadiens a chance against the Boston Bruins but they came up big.  Actually, both the Canadiens and the Rangers came up with tremendous Game 7 victories on the road.  The Rangers, after being down 3 games to 1, had the Pittsburgh Penguins fire their coach after their historic comeback.  The Canadiens had some Bruins talking some controversial smack immediately following their elimination, but it's the Canadiens who get a chance to talk some more while the Bruins head for the golf course. The Canadiens have quite a few veterans with playoff experience in the likes of Gionta, Plekanec & Vanek, but it may come down to the play of Desharnais & Pacioretty, along with Vanek, who came to life in the last two games of the Bruins series with a combined 7 points in those two crucial games. They can be the difference for the Habs, but they will be facing another elite NHL goaltender in Lundqvist who is playing at the top of his game now, as is Price. The Rangers come at you the same way as the Bruins do with four lines capable of scoring but are responsible defensively. In the last 3 games against Pittsburgh, Brassard (3G, A), Zuccarello (3A), Richards (G, A) and St. Louis(2G, A) were the biggest point-getters for the Rangers and if they can get Nash going, who has the most SOG in the playoffs with 52, the Blueshirts will be tough be beat. The experienced playoff players for the Rangers came up big in crunch time and if that continues, the Canadiens will be hard-pressed to move on to the Cup Finals. On the defensive side, it may all come down to how much can the Rangers contain Mr. Subban? Montreal comes at you with Subban (12 pts in 11 games) & Markov (5 pts) and if the Rangers can shut down Subban, they contain a lot of the Montreal offense. The Rangers don't have a dynamic defenseman like the Habs do, but their top 6 contribute across the board both offensively and defensively.  They have shown the ability to jump into the play and even get deep into the offensive zone, as the Ranger forwards are ...