Hi everyone, Sorry I haven;t been around to focus on updating the Draft Guide more regularly as we approach the season opener but family and work has been at the forefront of my time the last week to ten days.  But I am here, have updated the Guide for a few injuries, those to Seth Jones, Torey Krug and Corey Perry stand out the most, especially since I have both Jones & Krug on 2 of my fantasy teams.  Just the first few weeks of the season and like I always say, "it's not how you start, but how you finish".  Unless you start in first and end there without giving up the spot.  Now that's nice! I have also managed to post the Prime 85 Forwards to the RANKINGS section.  I limited it because those below are just a matter of personal preference and that they all are interchangeable, or that no one could have possibly predicted that they were going to have the season they end up having.  Does that make sense?   Anyways, I have my last draft tomorrow night and I am pumped.  It's the first league I joined back in 1994 and we still get together in -person to conduct the draft.  Well, most of us anyway.  It's still a good time, smashing each other about our picks, yelling out "Great pick" when you don't really mean it.  And then there is the guy who always drafts, or tries to draft, players already selected or kept.  Always that guy! Then there is the regular season start on Wednesday.  Yeah baby!  I hope all those that I have helped with their draft get off to a great start! Good luck to all and wish that all your fantasies come true! Ray    

Don't forget to periodically go to your account and upload the latest edited version of the Draft Guide which includes adjustments, injury updates and more.  For those who use their ipad or iphones, now when you hover over the Table of Contents features, when you click on an article, or NHL team name, it will be brought straight to that page.  No more scrolling! More Matt Duchene stories circulating about him being traded....Blah, blah, blah....draft him, hope for an early season trade and get on with winning your fantasy league.  Don't over-rate Duchene though......Joffrey Lupul has nothing better to do these days so why not stir the pot a little.  This little gimmick isn't going to help him....Our thoughts and prayers are with Brian Boyle and his family as he battles a form of leukemia....A lot of people are expecting the Toronto Maple Leafs to take a step back this year and in most cases I would agree, but don't forget they have Mike Babcock behind the bench....I am hoping that the huge amount of penalties called for slashing and/or face-off violations continue into the season because then there will be loads of fantasy points early on, which would make it fun....Boston D Torey Krug gets smacked in the face with the puck and may miss some time in the early season with a broken jaw.  Krug was looking pretty good early on in pre-season.  I had my jaw broken in boston back in 1991.  Something in the air there, lol. Ciao for now!!  

Amid all the trade rumors swirling around well before the trade deadline, Keith Yandle's name had been the most talked about amongst elite offensive defensemen. The Arizona Coyotes have again been abysmal this season and it maybe time for a full rebuilding process. While Yandle is young enough to still contribute to the teams future growth, his trade value is at an all time high. He is amongst the best fantasy dmen in the game, ranking 5th in points with 36 and is tied in the entire league in power play points with 21. He is coming off a 53-point season, his second and would certainly have cracked that mark for a third time during the lockout shortened season (30 pts/48 games ). Losing him would be tough for the Coyotes to replace, even with OEL in the mix but fantasy owners should not sweat it. Chances are any team willing to deal for him would do so more for his offensive prowess and not for his pedestrian two way game. If you own Yandle, who would you want him to get traded to? In my mind, the optimal fantasy destination in case of a Yandle trade would be Detroit or Anaheim. Given that Detroit's nucleus of stars- Datsyuk and Zetterberg- are a much older than the Getzlaf/Perry tandem in Anaheim, the Wings might be seeing their window closing quicker for a legitimate Stanley Cup run. In both instances, their offensive defenders have fallen short of expectations so adding Yandle to either star-studded power-play would be a lethal combination. Yandle owners should be equally excited if either scenario played out. Parting Shots: One of our rising fantasy stars was slow to do anything early on but now has been on fire for Boston-Torey Krug. The youngster has collected nine points over his last ten games and is suddenly on pace to surpass his career high of 40 points. We would start him with confidence as the Bruins are making a serious push toward Stanley Cup contention.. Dan Boyle has not lived up to the hype in the "Big Apple" as his 11 points in 33 games is quite mediocre. His transitioning to Alain Vigneault's system has not been smooth, but he has two goals over the past three contests. Maybe he can come on late...

Amid all the trade rumors swirling around well before the trade deadline, Keith Yandle's name had been the most talked about amongst elite offensive defensemen. The Arizona Coyotes have again been abysmal this season and it maybe time for a full rebuilding process. While Yandle is young enough to still contribute to the teams future growth, his trade value is at an all time high. He is amongst the best fantasy dmen in the game, ranking 5th in points with 36 and is tied in the entire league in power play points with 21. He is coming off a 53-point season, his second and would certainly have cracked that mark for a third time during the lockout shortened season (30 pts/48 games ). Losing him would be tough for the Coyotes to replace, even with OEL in the mix but fantasy owners should not sweat it. Chances are any team willing to deal for him would do so more for his offensive prowess and not for his pedestrian two way game. If you own Yandle, who would you want him to get traded to? In my mind, the optimal fantasy destination in case of a Yandle trade would be Detroit or Anaheim. Given that Detroit's nucleus of stars- Datsyuk and Zetterberg- are a much older than the Getzlaf/Perry tandem in anaheim, the Wings might be seeing their window closing quicker for a legitimate Stanley Cup run. In both instances, their offensive defenders have fallen short of expectations so adding Yandle to either star-studded power-play would be a lethal combination. Yandle owners should be equally excited if either scenario played out. Parting Shots: One of our rising fantasy stars was slow to do anything early on but now has been on fire for Boston-Torey Krug. The youngster has collected nine points over his last ten games and is suddenly on pace to surpass his career high of 40 points. We would start him with confidence as the Bruins are making a serious push toward Stanley Cup contention.. Dan Boyle has not lived up to the hype in the "Big Apple" as his 11 points in 33 games is quite mediocre. His transitioning to Alain Vigneault's system has not been smooth, but he has two goals over the past three contests. Maybe he can come on late...

*The goaltending competition between Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson in Winnipeg continues to stiffen. "Pavs" allowed four goals on 23 shots while giving up a two-goal lead in the 4-3 loss to Philadelphia. He hasn't lost in regulation during his last six games (3-0-3) but he hasn't been nearly as stingy in goal as Hutchinson. This situation should bear watching in the second half.. *What are the Colorado Avalanche to do? Calvin Pickard wins another tight game, stopping 34 of 35 shots in Detroit and could earn extra playing time despite Semyon Varlamov almost ready to return. If you own Pickard, hold onto him as he has been way too hot for Patrick Roy to quickly discard.. *We all expected Tyler Seguin to rise up the scoring ranks, but Jakub Voracek continues to shock the NHL with two more goals and the outright scoring lead. For my money, if anyone other than the BIG THREE- Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos- wins the Art Ross trophy, it will be Seguin. As elite as they come.. Dougie Hamilton snapped a five-game point drought with two goals and an assist in Boston's 4-3 OT win over Buffalo. The return of Zdeno Chara has slowed down Dougie a bit, but don't count him out for a strong finish. The kid is the real deal and has supplanted Torey Krug as their future go-to blueliner... *Despite playing with emotional hearts due to the sudden death of Chicago's assistant equipment manager, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp combined for 6 points in the 4-0 rout of the suddenly reeling Maple Leafs. We told you to buy low on "Sharpie" as he is showing clear signs of busting out of an early season slump.

Krug was listed as a game time decision but is on the ice for warmups, taking line rushes with Zach Trotman, so it looks like he will be back in the lineup after a four-game absence.

Krug missed the last four games with a broken finger, but it looks like he could be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Devils. The Bruins recently lost David Warsofsky for 2-4 weeks, so he would simply slide into that spot. He has two goals and four assists in 11 games this season. Krug has averaged 20:28 TOI this season, but with Zdeno Chara still sidelined, expect him to play closer to 25 minutes.

Krug missed his four fourth game in a row with a broken finger he suffered on October 28th. Krug is one week into a 2-3 week timeline and has reportedly been limited in what he can do with his hand. Look for Krug to continue to practice and progress and could return by next weekend.

Krug will miss his fourth straight game tonight but is progressing well. "I'm told it'll be up to [Krug] how quickly he gets that feeling that he can hold a stick properly and that it's not going to be an issue," said Claude Julien. ""He's doing well . . . the finger is much, much better."

Krug was diagnosed with a broken finger and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Returning to the ice is promising, but it remains to be seen how much he will be able to do with the stick in his hand. He could be back by next week, but that is best case scenario.