Some weekend updates…and I’m not Chevy Chase… McGinn-Demers Trade: The Florida Panthers shipped off veteran defenseman Jason Demers to the Arizona Coyotes and received LWer Jamie McGinn.  The Cats cleared about $12 million in cap space and added some grit.  Don’t expect much in terms of offense from the journeyman now on his 6th NHL team.  The Coyotes add another veteran defenseman to go along Niklas Hjalmarsson, acquired right before the NHL Entry Draft from Chicago, Alex Goligoski and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.  This gives the Arizona Coyotes a very solid core in front of Antti Raanta who will be taking over the reins as the starting goaltender in the desert.  The Coyotes are an improved team and should not be an NHL doormat anymore. Draft Guide Updated:  Look for the new Draft Guide file in your account.  All updates are highlighted in yellow, so they are easy to spot….Some updates…Evander Kane added to Buffalo Sabres team page and Forward Tiers as was Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks….All recent signings, David Pastrnak, Bryan Little, Nikita Zadorov to name just a few….Even the above trade has been updated in the Guide…Made a few forecast changes to Connor Brown and Oliver Bjorkstrand in particular as we curbed our enthusiasm for both talented wingers… EXCITING NEW FEATURE WE THINK YOU WILL LOVE ON THE DRAFT GUIDE PDF!!!  Open the Draft Guide and click on any Title in the Table of Contents and you will be brought directly to the page!  No more scrolling.  I am working on adding that feature for the individual Team Pages as well.  Hopefully will be done by tonight!  Check back every few days for updates as we continue to add and make updates throughout the pre-season. Ciao for now! Ray

Colton Payrako, St. Louis- With much of the rookie talk centered on the super hyped forwards in Year 1, it's time to take notice of the towering defenseman in St. Louis who is off to a fabulous start with 6 points in 9 games. While logging over 23 minutes of TOI including power play, he has displayed a huge shot and also very liable in the defensive zone. His uptick in fantasy value is largely aided by Kevin Shattenkirk's absence due to injury but nevertheless, his sleeper potential makes him a top waiver wire target. SLEEPER ALERT   Mike Green, Detroit-- Why is he on the list? That's because he is hurt again. Let me know if this is news to you? Off to a slow start in his new team, Green is already not available to help your fantasy team. Last years numbers represented a comeback of sorts but he still missed a handful of games. That will never change. Not on the Capitals. Not in the Wings. Not anywhere. Huge fantasy risk. BAND-AID BOY   Ryan Suter, Minnesota- Eight points in his first nine games is more then most fantasy owners had expected of the 30-year old Wild blue liner, but it's also important to point out that just a few years ago, he looked poised for elite status. He followed his '11-12 career high totals of 46 points with two sub-40 pt efforts in three years, failing to live up to the hype. Having said that, his scoring pace will slow down but with the Minny offense looking more lethal then in recent years and Suter getting bulk of pp time, 50+ pts is not out of the question. VETERAN REBOUND   John Klingberg, Dallas- Man, this sophomore defender definitely has some bite to his game as he is currently rolling with a five game point streak. That now gives Klingberg eight points in nine games. So far, so good in avoiding the sophomore jinx after leading all defensives rookies last season with 40 points in 65 games. Alex Goligoski has become a distant fantasy option on the Dallas blueline as JK is getting all the big minutes.  RISING STAR   Brian Campbell, Florida- The Florida rearguard has seen his scoring regress over the last few season but as his three point effort last night can attest to, he can still be a valuable fantasy asset. As his fantasy value downright plummeted in most drafts, I was plucking him in the late rounds. It's tough to get your hands on d-man that late with true 40-or potential.  VETERAN REBOUND

The Minnesota Wild roll by the St. Louis Blues 6-3, as Brian Elliott was pulled after giving up four goals. Thomas Vanek scored a goal, extending his point streak to seven games. His late season scoring surge is good enough reason to get him in your starting lineups... Is there a better line going in the NHL than the Gaudreau-Hudler- Monahan unit for the Calgary Flames? In another big spot, the trio have combined for five points but the team fell short in overtime after Rene Bourque buried the game-winner. Start all three as thay are providing the bulk of Calgary's offense during their hot streak... Carey Price for MVP? It's looking more and more likely as he keeps churning out suberb efforts in the crease, this gtime posting his second straight shutout and blanking the San Jose Sharks...   Jonathan Quick kept the Los Angeles Kings in the match with 36 saves, but Radim Vrbata spearheaded the Canuck's offense with the go-ahead goal in the third period plus an assist. He has been heating up so give him an extended look as Vancouver pushes hard for a playoff spot.  Boston blows another opportunity to extend their point lead over Florida as Roberto Luongo outlasted Tuukka Rask in the shootout to give the panthers the 2-1 win. In two games back, "Bobby Lou" looks every bit the solid fantasy goalie that he was during his peak years in Vancouver...  Jaroslav Halak is back starting for the Islanders after missing two games and his presence along with the return of defenseman Nick Leddy helped lead them to a 3-0 win over New Jersey. Kyle Okposo scored his 16th goal of the season, slowly shaking off his injury rust and getting ready for a strong finish. Get him in your starting lineups..   Kyle Turris continued his hot play with the game winning goal and Andrew Hammond won his sixth straight start for Ottawa as the Senators defeated their provinciakl rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3. Defenseman Erik Karlsson finished the match with a goal and an assist. He is definitely paying fantasy dividends now for those owners who drafted him in the early rounds.. The goaltending enigma known as Kari Lehtonen was spectacular in net after he posted his fifth shutout of the season in the 4-0 drubbing of Chicago. Jason Spezza picked up a goal and  an assist while Alex Goligoski notched two helpers. Give "Gogo" the starting nod this upcoming week if you own him as he is on a serious scoring roll to finish the season.. What a return for Taylor Hall as he assisted on ...

Ottawa stays close, looking at Columbus’ future, Dubnyk loses and some hot Flames. Boston has done well to keep some distance between them and the two teams chasing them for the last wild card spot in the East but Ottawa is keeping the pressure on as they have gone 8-1-1 and are just 5 points behind with 15 games left in the regular season.  Ottawa beat a tough Islanders team by a score of 2-1 with Andrew Hammond providing stellar goaltending one more.  They need to continue to ride the hot hand of Hammond until they are eliminated as they are winning with him in net…. Believe it or not, Dallas still has a shot in the West at a wild card spot and with Tyler Seguin back, if they can go on a bi of a hot streak, they just might be able to sneak in.  They now have won 5 of their last 6 by beating the Washington Capitals last night by a score of 4-2.  Seguin just makes that Stars team so much better and he ended up with the game-winning power play goal in the 2nd period….With defensemen John Klingberg and Trevor Daley still out due to injury, Alex Goligoski (PPA) is getting a boatload of time so continue to put Gogo in your fantasy lineup…. Poolies got a good look at the future of the Columbus blue Jackets last night as they beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in a shootout.  Rookies Mark Dano (G, A) and Alex Wennberg (2A) had two point nights and should be counted on more heading into next season.  They should complement rising stars Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen to make this team a playoff contender if goalie Sergei Bobrovsky can remain healthy for a season.  Bobrovsky didn’t have one of his better games but he was playing on back-to-back night….One of the hottest players in the NHL right now is Oiler Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who had another 2 assists last night to give him 11 points in past 8 games.  I hope he isn’t the type of player who plays better when things aren’t on the line because he is loaded with talent….Jordan Eberle is another Oiler who has been on fire of late with a goal and an assists last night giving him 8 points in last 4 games and 31 total points in 31 games since the turn of the calendar. The Flames keep rising and have gone 6-3-1 in past ten games.  Last night they beat a sinking Toronto Maple Leaf team 6-3 with Sean Monahan & Johnny “Hockey” Gaudreau having –point nights each.  Monahan has really raised the level of his game of late with 9 points in past 6 games after a 10-point February.  Get him in your starting lineup as he is becoming one ...

Starting with the late-night thriller between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, Marc-Andre Fleury withstood a 31-shot barrage to hold on for his ninth shutout of the season. Patrick Hornqvist provided the game-winner in overtime, improving his goal to seven over the last seven games. After a mid-season dip in offensive production, the former Nashville winger has resumed his early-season scoring ways where he was one of the hottest fantasy assets with 25 points in his first 23 games. With all their key forwards healthy for the stretch run, look for Hornqvist to close the season on a point-per-game pace and back to fantasy must-start status.. Speaking of streaking, Vancouver's Radim Vrbata scored two goals to extend his point-streak to four games. Even though fantasy owners rather him play on the top line with the Sedin twins, the winger has delivered a team-leading 25 goals and still gets primary power-play time. If you have him on your bench, it might be time to start him while the Canucks push hard for a playoff spot. With Eddie Lack manning the crease instead of the injured Ryan Miller, there will be a stronger focus on the offense carrying the team.. Let's just re-name John Tavares Art Ross as the Islanders star continues to lead the NHL in scoring with another dominant effort, a goal and two assists in South Florida. With Kyle Okposo nearing a return, there has been plenty of debate on how the top line will look when he gets back. For my money, Anders Lee has more than earned his spot alongside JT so he should stay put. A Tavares-Okposo-Lee unit would reap huge fantasy dividends for all three... Big news in Dallas as Tyler Seguin returned to action last night, not missing a beat with two goals in the 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Jason Spezza's fantasy value once again takes a slight hit as he returns back to second-line center duties but he remains a fixture on the no. 1 power-play unit. Breakout defenseman John Kingberg left the contest with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. With Trevor Daley also out, this could be the best and only time to start Alex Goligoski who has been a bitter fantasy disappointment. He could string together a decent stretch of games with those two out. Consider playing him.. The Leafs were beaten down by the St. Louis Blues, as Vladimir Tarasenko plus Jaden Schwartz and TJ Oshie each collected a goal and an assist.One fact remains true- Phil Kessel is definitely unstarteable in all fantasy formats, while Tarasenko has ...

Hammond finally loses a game; Devils hang on in playoff race; Florida goalie trouble; and much more: The New Jersey Devils are hanging on to a sliver of playoff hope as they continue to push for a berth.  They may be too far behind but there is no giving up in Jersey.  Goalie Cory Schneider has been on top of his game of late and is the main reason why they are still alive, although barely.  The Devils took advantage of a Nashville Predator team that played the night before against the NY Rangers by scoring twice in the first 4 minutes and making them stand up as they won 3-1…Mike Cammalleri, with points in 6 straight games, and perhaps d-man Adam Larsson, 6 points in past 6 games, could be useful on your fantasy squad…. Calgary and Philadelphia are battling for their playoff lives and each did not disappoint last night with the Flames edging the Flyers 3-2 in overtime.   Calgary is holding on to the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division while the Flyers are trying to catch the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is better with Steve Mason back in net, but they need every point they can get and not getting the extra point may come back to haunt them in the end…. Sergei Bobrovsky was back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets but Braden Holtby (27/30 SV) and the Washington Capitals were too much for him in his return.  Alex Ovechkin continues to pour them in with 2 goals giving him 43 on the year as he has not be hindered by Head Coach Barry Trotz’ defensive style...   Steven Stamkos' eighth goal in the last games was all the Lightning needed to defeat the rebuilding Buffalo sabres 3-0. Ben Bishop fantasy owners were bummed out when learning of the last-minute news that Andre Vasilevskiy was starting and probably getting the easy win that were you were counting on. Well, he did one better by posting the shut-out so it was a bad break for Bishop's boys... It was double trouble in Florida as the Panthers lost both their goalies during the game against the hapless Leafs, who ended a 16-game road losing streak in the 3-2 win. Thankfully for Roberto Luongo owners, he was able to return in the third period but the Panthers lost a crucial two points in their playoff run.. Here's hoping that Phil Kessel's lengthy rant in defense of the much-maligned Dion Phaneuf(which I thought was sooo appropriate!) gets him going a bit after a long scoring slide. A power=play assist last night is a good ...

Hammond finally loses a game; Devils hang on in playoff race; Florida goalie trouble; and much more: The New Jersey Devils are hanging on to a sliver of playoff hope as they continue to push for a berth.  They may be too far behind but there is no giving up in Jersey.  Goalie Cory Schneider has been on top of his game of late and is the main reason why they are still alive, although barely.  The Devils took advantage of a Nashville Predator team that played the night before against the NY Rangers by scoring twice in the first 4 minutes and making them stand up as they won 3-1…Mike Cammalleri, with points in 6 straight games, and perhaps d-man Adam Larsson, 6 points in past 6 games, could be useful on your fantasy squad…. Calgary and Philadelphia are battling for their playoff lives and each did not disappoint last night with the Flames edging the Flyers 3-2 in overtime.   Calgary is holding on to the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division while the Flyers are trying to catch the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is better with Steve Mason back in net, but they need every point they can get and not getting the extra point may come back to haunt them in the end…. Sergei Bobrovsky was back in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets but Braden Holtby (27/30 SV) and the Washington Capitals were too much for him in his return.  Alex Ovechkin continues to pour them in with 2 goals giving him 43 on the year as he has not be hindered by Head Coach Barry Trotz’ defensive style...   Steven Stamkos' eighth goal in the last games was all the Lightning needed to defeat the rebuilding Buffalo sabres 3-0. Ben Bishop fantasy owners were bummed out when learning of the last-minute news that Andre Vasilevskiy was starting and probably getting the easy win that were you were counting on. Well, he did one better by posting the shut-out so it was a bad break for Bishop's boys... It was double trouble in Florida as the Panthers lost both their goalies during the game against the hapless Leafs, who ended a 16-game road losing streak in the 3-2 win. Thankfully for Roberto Luongo owners, he was able to return in the third period but the Panthers lost a crucial two points in their playoff run.. Here's hoping that Phil Kessel's lengthy rant in defense of the much-maligned Dion Phaneuf(which I thought was sooo appropriate!) gets him going a bit after a long scoring slide. A power=play assist last night is a good ...

A few unlikely candidates rank amongst the top fifteen fantasy defensemen over thr last month. John Klingberg continues to make a name for himself in Dallas as he had wrested away top pp duties from Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley. With 12 points over the last 12 games, including 6 on the man advantage, the young Swede had delivered fantasy elite numbers and should be in all starting lineups while he is keeping it up. The rookie of the month for January hasn't slowed a bit in February, collecting 6 points in 8 games. The SEL product looks very polished during his first NHL stint, so his lucky owners should keep reaping plenty of dividends. On Long Island, 24-year old Travis Hamonic has been on quite the scoring tear with points in five of his last seven games. Very few fantasy owners would guess that the hard -nosed defender has been quite that prolific yet available in over 65% of ESPN fantasy leagues. The bottom line- the Islanders score a ton and the other more known offensive blueliners on the team-Visnovsky, Leddy, and Boychuk have underachieved greatly. With 21 points in 48 games, his career-high of 26 points should be blown away soon. I don't think this can last the rest of the season, but Hamonic is at least worth the gamble.  MORE TO COME TOMORROW- CHECK IN THE MORNING!

~~Is a career year underway for Montreal's Max Pacioretty? His overtime game winner gives him 23 goals and 40 points on the season. He would need 17 goals and 26 points over the last 34 games to establish new career-highs in both offensive categories. He should be starting in all formats, while his new center man Tomas Plekanec might be worth a waiver grab if available. After allowing 16 goals over his last four starts, Goalie Petr Mrazek rebounded yesterday afternoon with a 22-save effort in the win over the a Islanders. However, the promising youngster could be heading back to minors soon with Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard close to returning. The Wings were be much better off having Mrazek play more games in the AHL and continue to develop rather than sitting behind Howard... A bunch of multiple point performers on display during Ottawa's 7-2 romp over Phoenix, including Mark Stone who now has registered points in 8 of last 9 games. He is on the cusp of being starteable in most leagues. Hopefully you heeded our advice during our last ADD'EM installation... So who you rather have starting for your fantasy team- Tuukka Rask or Jonathan Quick? Based on last night alone, the Boston goalie looks to be the better option but let's judge based on January's peripherals- Rask: 1.61 GAA and .949 SP/Quick: 3.18 GAA and .878 SP. Pretty one-sided just in case you hadn't realized... Rookie defenseman John Klingberg need to be picked up ASAP after his dominating 4-point effort in the unfriendly confines of Winnipeg. His 6 points in his last 2 games, the 22-year old has left Dallas defender Alex Goligoski "in the dust". Start him immediately as he doesn't appear to be fading anytime soon... Whats up with Michael Hutchinson? The Winnipeg goalie has given up nine goals over his last two starts. Despite the blip on the radar, he is the superior goalie over Ondrej Pavelec so no need to worry about diminishing fantasy returns.. So how many of you picked up Cam Talbot when "King Henrik" received his huge scare with a puck to the throat? Great thinking, but Lundqvist should be ok to resume his monstrous workload for the Rangers. BTW, Cam Ward was rewarded for his fine effort against the Blues with the start at MSG. Bad move as Anton Khudobin has owned the Blueshirts lately. Expect the Russian in the Carolina crease the next time out.. Michael Del Zotto now has points in six straight games. The 24-year old defender is worth a long fantasy look as he has been logging big ...

WHAT STOOD OUT The goaltending was in high gear last night between Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist as Price continued his mastery over the Rangers with the 1-0 shutout over the Blueshirts. Look for more performances like this for the remainder of the season from both goaltenders as both teams are favorites to go far in the playoffs.... If you haven't noticed, the Boston Bruins are streaking up the standings of late, winning 7 of their last 9 as Tuukka Rask is rounding into form. Good idea to get Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in your starting lineups as they will provide most of the offense. Perhaps you can take a chance on Reilly Smith who had a goal and 2 assists in the win and now has a 3-game scoring streak.... In a losing effort against Philadelphia, Winnipeg Center Mathieu Perreault had 2 goals to continue his magical season for the Jets. Since the beginning of November, all Perreault has done is go 13-10-23 in 22 games.  The injury right before the All-Star hasn't slowed him down.  Grab him if he's still available on the waiver wire. Tampa Bay Center Cedric Paquette was a Red Wing killer with a hat trick last night. The Lightning have all sorts of talent to choose from when it comes to scoring but Paquette shouldn't be considered one of them at the moment unless the team sustains some injuries....Also of note was rookie Jonathan Drouin chipping in with 2 assists in the victory. That's 3 points in last 2 games and 7 points in 10 January games. Perhaps he is starting to feel comfortable at the NHL level.  Great things lie ahead for Drouin but it may not come until next season.... Another big night for the Dallas "D" as John Kingberg(1G/1A) and Trevor Daley(1G/2A) combined for five points in the road triumph over Ottawa. While held off the scoreboard, Alex Goligoski rang up five SOG. It's become apparent that the rookie Klingberg has surpassed both on the power-play depth chart but their point totals are almost flat-out even during the month of January.(7 for Klingberg/Daley, 6 for Goligoski). All three share modest fantasy value moving forward, but I would expect for the 22-year old Swede to be the superior offensive contributor amongst the Star's blueline during the second half... Zach Parise's game-winning goal in the 1-0 Minny win over Calgary was his 6th in his last sixth games. After coming up empty in three contests after returning to the Wild line-up, the American sniper is looking fully loaded for a strong finish. Not many ...