After being knocked out of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in 6 games by Anaheim, Dallas GM Jim Nill capped a busy offseason with a few key moves to build overall offensive and goaltending depth. Big-name forwards were added to the mix with the trade for Jason Spezza and signing FA Ales Hemsky. Getting Anders Lindback to back up Kari Lehtonen could prove to be a key acquisition, but Jack Campbell is still waiting in the wings. Veterans Tim Thomas and Ray Whitney are no longer with the club, but both seem way past their prime. With a better year lying ahead for the improved and deeper Stars, there are a plethora of fantasy options to choose from at all positions. Goalies In goal, Kari Lehtonen has been a steady fantasy option over the last few years but could see an improvement in numbers due to a better team around him. As far as past accomplishments, he has posted a 2.47 GAA and .918 SP and 3 years of 32+ wins over the past four seasons. He also proved to be very durable, starting 81% of the teams starts over that period. Once considered an injury risk, Lehtonen should be a lock to start 65-70 games. A mandatory pickup for Lehtonen owners should be Anders Lindback late. While he did struggle last season during brief starting stint with Tampa Bay, he should be more effective as the no. 2 guy. Defense On defense, Alex Goligoski remains the Stars top scoring option and should also warrant more upside with a better offense in the works. After having a sub-standard first year with Dallas, the 29-year old has put together 2 straight solid seasons, both pro-rating over 40 points. Less than spectacular power play production keeps his value in check, but adding Spezza to that unit should help in a big way. Draft him accordingly; top-15 but could produce like a top ten. Don't overrate Sergei Gonchar as he is well past his prime but if healthy, the crafty Russian can still contribute on the power-play. Also he has a history with Spezza at Ottawa so he is worth a late round flier. Trevor Daley qualifies as a solid sleeper, given spectacular playoff performance and 25 pts in 67 regular season games. If Gonchar is ailing, he could get bumped to the top unit. Forwards The Dallas forward ranks are loaded with fantasy premium value, starting with budding stud Tyler Seguin. The pivot crashed the top-ten with a career year of 37 goals and 84 points in 80 games. Firmly established as the top line center for a potentially elite offense, Seguin should be taken in...

After being knocked out of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in 6 games by Anaheim, Dallas GM Jim Nill capped a busy offseason with a few key moves to build overall offensive and goaltending depth. Big-name forwards were added to the mix with the trade for Jason Spezza and signing FA Ales Hemsky. Getting Anders Lindback to back up Kari Lehtonen could prove to be a key acquisition, but Jack Campbell is still waiting in the wings. Veterans Tim Thomas and Ray Whitney are no longer with the club, but both seem way past their prime. With a better year laying ahead for the improved and deeper Stars, there are a plethora of fantasy options to choose from at all positions. Goalies In goal, Kari Lehtonen has been a steady fantasy option over the last few years but could see an improvement in numbers due to a better team around him. As far as past accomplishments, he has posted a 2.47 GAA and .918 SP and 3 years of 32+ wins over the past four seasons. He also proved to be very durable, starting 81% of the teams starts over that period. Once considered an injury risk, Lehtonen should be a lock to start 65-70 games. A mandatory pickup for Lehtonen owners should be Anders Lindback late. While he did struggle last season during brief starting stint with Tampa Bay, he should be more effective as the no 2 guy. Defense On defense, Alex Goligoski remains the Stars top scoring option and should also warrant more upside with a better offense in the works. After having a sub-standard first year with Dallas, the 29-year old has put together 2 straight solid seasons, both pro-rating over 40 points. Less than spectacular power play production keeps his value in check, but adding Spezza to that unit should help in a big way. Draft him accordingly; top-15 but could produce like a top ten. Don't overrate Sergei Gonchar as he is well past his prime but if healthy, the crafty Russian can still contribute on the power-play. Also he has a history with Spezza at Ottawa so he is worth a late round flier. Trevor Daley qualifies as a solid sleeper, given spectacular playoff performance and 25 pts in 67 regular season games. If Gonchar is ailing, he could get bumped to the top unit. Forwards The Dallas forward ranks are loaded with fantasy premium value, starting with budding stud Tyler Seguin. The pivot crashed the top-ten with a career year of 37 goals and 84 points in 80 games. Firmly established as the top line center for a potentially elite offense, Seguin should be taken in...

As expected, Lindback tried to avoid a sweep in Game 4 with Bishop on the mend.

With Bishop shelved, Lindback is still clearly the starter in Tampa despite being pulled in Game 2.

Lindback gave up five goals on 44 shots in a 5-4 OT loss in Game 1. Lindback allowed a couple of soft goals and the Lightning will need him to be better because Ben Bishop is not close to returning and they likely won't score four on Carey Price on a regular basis.

With Ben Bishop still out with an arm injury, Lindback will get the call in game 1 vs. the Habs. He struggled all season long, but after Bishop got hurt he won all three outings while stopping 77 of 79 shots (.975 SV%). He has played well, but this definitely favours the Habs as they have Olympic Gold medalist Carey Price between the pipes.

BREAKING NEWS: The Nashville Predators have announced that they will not be extending the contract of Head coach Barry Trotz next season. The regular season was wrapped up yesterday with many fantasy owners hanging on the outcomes of mostly inconsequental games. Having to dance around key players being rested and AHLers being called up is part of the fantasy routine over the last few days. If you were lucky enough like myself to pull out a close win with some of your better guys not on the ice, more power to you. In terms of fantasy implications, the biggest news of the night was Daniel Sedin's injury in the Vancouver-Calgary game. After being hit from behind by the Flame's Paul Byron, the star winger was taken off the ice with a stretcher and briefly hospitalized. Thankfully, Sedin is in stable condition and considering Vancouver has missed the playoffs, he will have the offseason to recover. He was having one of his better games of the season with 2 goals, ending what was a miserable campaign for the usually consistent point-getter. Sedin should bounce back in a big way in '14-15, especially if John Tortorella is replaced by a more offensive-minded coach. What about the sudden emergence of Tampa Bay's Anders Lindback? The Lightning goalie was downright dreadful all season while backing up Ben Bishop, but now appears to be heating up at the most opportune time. His 18-save shutout of Washington gave him his second blanking in the last three starts, all wins. Coach John Cooper doesn't sound overly optimistic that Bishop will be able to play during the first round of the playoffs, making Lindback an interesting late-round possibility in your playoff pools.The Lightning don't figure to make it past a couple of rounds, but he can pack decent value in the short-term. Carolina's Eric Staal decided to show up yesterday, scoring two goals in the Hurricane's 6-5 SO win over the Flyers and finishing what was a very uneven season for the star center. His 61 points on the season marks the first time in 8 full seasons that he did not reach the 70-point mark. While the reports of his rapid demise is greatly exaggerated, most of his dip in offensive production was related to a woeful Carolina power-play which was ranked 28th in the NHL. Staal should also be targeted as a solid fantasy bounce-back option in next year's drafts. The Nashville Predators finished the season strong in the scoring department, racking up 14 goals over the two weekend games. Despite the ...

BREAKING NEWS: The Nashville Predators have announced that they will not be extending the contract of Head coach Barry Trotz next season. The regular season was wrapped up yesterday with many fantasy owners hanging on the outcomes of mostly inconsequental games. Having to dance around key players being rested and AHLers being called up is part of the fantasy routine over the last few days. If you were lucky enough like myself to pull out a close win with some of your better guys not on the ice, more power to you. In terms of fantasy implications, the biggest news of the night was Daniel Sedin's injury in the Vancouver-Calgary game. After being hit from behind by the Flame's Paul Byron, the star winger was taken off the ice with a stretcher and briefly hospitalized. Thankfully, Sedin is in stable condition and considering Vancouver has missed the playoffs, he will have the offseason to recover. He was having one of his better games of the season with 2 goals, ending what was a miserable campaign for the usually consistent point-getter. Sedin should bounce back in a big way in '14-15, especially if John Tortorella is replaced by a more offensive-minded coach. What about the sudden emergence of Tampa Bay's Anders Lindback? The Lightning goalie was downright dreadful all season while backing up Ben Bishop, but now appears to be heating up at the most opportune time. His 18-save shutout of Washington gave him his second blanking in the last three starts, all wins. Coach John Cooper doesn't sound overly optimistic that Bishop will be able to play during the first round of the playoffs, making Lindback an interesting late-round possibility in your playoff pools.The Lightning don't figure to make it past a couple of rounds, but he can pack decent value in the short-term. Carolina's Eric Staal decided to show up yesterday, scoring two goals in the Hurricane's 6-5 SO win over the Flyers and finishing what was a very uneven season for the star center. His 61 points on the season marks the first time in 8 full seasons that he did not reach the 70-point mark. While the reports of his rapid demise is greatly exaggerated, most of his dip in offensive production was related to a woeful Carolina power-play which was ranked 28th in the NHL. Staal should also be targeted as a solid fantasy bounce-back option in next year's drafts. The Nashville Predators finished the season strong in the scoring department, racking up 14 goals over the two weekend games. Despite the ...