Had a few corrections to make after my last update last night as they were pointed out to me by Eric.  Appreciate you looking out for me!  Actually took a look at my Forward Tiers and feel a little better with the way they look now. All you Guide buyers take a look at the updates. Also had taken some advice from Josh, who I joined his dynasty fantasy league after competing with his father the past 7-8 years.  I', still battling against his father, but now I will be going against both father and son in different leagues. Anyway, I added a column to the GOALIE RANKINGS to indicate the longevity worthiness of an NHL goalie.  I think it will help especially the newbies to fantasy hockey.  Take a look and let me know what you think! The updates will be coming pretty regularly now that news is starting to flow.  Have a great rest of the week!   WILL BUTCHER-NEW JERSEY-D: A good opportunity for the young defenseman signing with the New Jersey Devils as a free-agent out of the University of Denver.  The Devils have been searching for a back line specialist since Damon Severson didn't pan out last season.  Veteran Andy Greene shows flashes of offense but is not the elite blue liner that can score teams need.  Butcher will be an upgrade but I'm not expecting a blowout since he is still a rookie.  In order for Butcher to make a difference, he needs the whole team around him to be better and I just don't see that happening too soon. ALEX KERFOOT-COLORADO-C: Another college graduate free-agent signing by another struggling team in the Colorado Avalanche with Alex Kerfoot choosing the Avalanche over the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers who were thought to be the front-runners for his services.  Don't expect Kerfoot to be some sort of savior for the Avs especially since they are loaded down the middle with Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Carl Soderberg and Tyson Jost ahead of him.  Now, if you haven''t hear the rumors (wink, wink), an opening might be there once camp opens but seeing is believing.  But, it is difficult for any rookie to break into the NHL, especially playing for a poor team like the Colorado Avalanche.  I guess he sees opportunity coming sooner than later in Colorado.    

1  There wasn't much intrigue with the top two picks of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, as Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel have markedly improved perennial cellar dwellers Edmonton and Buffalo with their superior blend of elite offensive talent and hockeq IQ. Both centers project to be high scoring dynamos, but expect McDavid to make the quicker fantasy splash based mostly on a better offensive supporting cast. 2. Arizona decided to take Eerie Otter Dylan Strome with the third overall pick but despite being the highest OHL point producer last season with 129 points in 68 games, questions remain whether his numbers were boosted by playing with McDavid. I say that the youngster proved his worth with 35 points in 21 games while McDavid was sidelined. Let's give this youngster his due as he along with Max Domi give the Arizona Coyotes a potential lethal one-two punch in the near future. His fantasy contributions will be minimal in 2015-16, but he could do some serious scoring damage in two-three years. 3. Noah Hanifin was the highest profile defender taken in the draft(fifth overall by Carolina) but for fantasy purposes, keep tabs on the Flyer's first selection Ivan Provorov. Ever since the Chris Pronger injury, Philly has been longing for that top-tier offensive blueliner and they might have done just that with this pick. An exciting package of offensive skill-set and speed have drawn comparisons to our favorite OEL but lets not rush the process yet. He still might be a year or two away but he has some huge fantasy upside if he can develop as the team's future power-play quarterback. 4. If Pavel Zacha can allow himself to be mentored by fellow Czech Patrik Elias, then the immensely skilled 18-year old will reap huge dividends from being drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the top ten. The 6'3 forward has all the tools to be a top-flight scorer but his maturity and his own on-ice management has been heavily scrutinized. Can anyone say boom or bust? 5. Trades, trades, trades... Plenty of noves fueled by future salary cap considerations but the biggest head-scrather with major fantasy implications is Boston moving Dougie Hamilton to Calgary. I kind of get shipping away Milan Lucic and Carl Soderberg before they get too expensive to keep by next summer, but trading away a blossoming 22-year old blue-chipper who looked ready to inherit top billing from aging veteran Zdeno Chara? The Flames have stock-piled quite the defensive arsenal, but can the Hamilton acquisition...

1  There wasn't much intrigue with the top two picks of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, as Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel have markedly improved perennial cellar dwellers Edmonton and Buffalo with their superior blend of elite offensive talent and hockeq IQ. Both centers project to be high scoring dynamos, but expect McDavid to make the quicker fantasy splash based mostly on a better offensive supporting cast. 2. Arizona decided to take Eerie Otter Dylan Strome with the third overall pick but despite being the highest OHL point producer last season with 129 points in 68 games, questions remain whether his numbers were boosted by playing with McDavid. I say that the youngster proved his worth with 35 points in 21 games while McDavid was sidelined. Let's give this youngster his due as he along with Max Domi give the Arizona Coyotes a potential lethal one-two punch in the near future. His fantasy contributions will be minimal in 2015-16, but he could do some serious scoring damage in two-three years. 3. Noah Hanifin was the highest profile defender taken in the draft(fifth overall by Carolina) but for fantasy purposes, keep tabs on the Flyer's first selection Ivan Provorov. Ever since the Chris Pronger injury, Philly has been longing for that top-tier offensive blueliner and they might have done just that with this pick. An exciting package of offensive skill-set and speed have drawn comparisons to our favorite OEL but lets not rush the process yet. He still might be a year or two away but he has some huge fantasy upside if he can develop as the team's future power-play quarterback. 4. If Pavel Zacha can allow himself to be mentored by fellow Czech Patrik Elias, then the immensely skilled 18-year old will reap huge dividends from being drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the top ten. The 6'3 forward has all the tools to be a top-flight scorer but his maturity and his own on-ice management has been heavily scrutinized. Can anyone say boom or bust? 5. Trades, trades, trades... Plenty of noves fueled by future salary cap considerations but the biggest head-scrather with major fantasy implications is Boston moving Dougie Hamilton to Calgary. I kind of get shipping away Milan Lucic and Carl Soderberg before they get too expensive to keep by next summer, but trading away a blossoming 22-year old blue-chipper who looked ready to inherit top billing from aging veteran Zdeno Chara? The Flames have stock-piled quite the defensive arsenal, but can the Hamilton acquisition ...

1  There wasn't much intrigue with the top two picks of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, as Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel have markedly improved perennial cellar dwellers Edmonton and Buffalo with their superior blend of elite offensive talent and hockeq IQ. Both centers project to be high scoring dynamos, but expect McDavid to make the quicker fantasy splash based mostly on a better offensive supporting cast. 2. Arizona decided to take Eerie Otter Dylan Strome with the third overall pick but despite being the highest OHL point producer last season with 129 points in 68 games, questions remain whether his numbers were boosted by playing with McDavid. I say that the youngster proved his worth with 35 points in 21 games while McDavid was sidelined. Let's give this youngster his due as he along with Max Domi give the Arizona Coyotes a potential lethal one-two punch in the near future. His fantasy contributions will be minimal in 2015-16, but he could do some serious scoring damage in two-three years. 3. Noah Hanifin was the highest profile defender taken in the draft(fifth overall by Carolina) but for fantasy purposes, keep tabs on the Flyer's first selection Ivan Provorov. Ever since the Chris Pronger injury, Philly has been longing for that top-tier offensive blueliner and they might have done just that with this pick. An exciting package of offensive skill-set and speed have drawn comparisons to our favorite OEL but lets not rush the process yet. He still might be a year or two away but he has some huge fantasy upside if he can develop as the team's future power-play quarterback. 4. If Pavel Zacha can allow himself to be mentored by fellow Czech Patrik Elias, then the immensely skilled 18-year old will reap huge dividends from being drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the top ten. The 6'3 forward has all the tools to be a top-flight scorer but his maturity and his own on-ice management has been heavily scrutinized. Can anyone say boom or bust? 5. Trades, trades, trades... Plenty of noves fueled by future salary cap considerations but the biggest head-scrather with major fantasy implications is Boston moving Dougie Hamilton to Calgary. I kind of get shipping away Milan Lucic and Carl Soderberg before they get too expensive to keep by next summer, but trading away a blossoming 22-year old blue-chipper who looked ready to inherit top billing from aging veteran Zdeno Chara? The Flames have stock-piled quite the defensive arsenal, but can the Hamilton acquisition ...

It was the "Night of the Mask" as two of the three NHL games o the docket were decided by 2-0 shutout and the Boston-Minnesota game went to overtime. Plus, yours truly had one of those sleep study tests overnight at the hospital to monitor my breathing and let's just say that my night with the mask did not go as well as these professionals. The Devils woes continue as they were blanked by Craig Anderson (34 SV) and the Ottawa Senators 2-0 at home. New Jersey's Cory Schneider only saw 15 shots on goal and made 14 saves but it wasn't his fault as Anderson was on his game last night. The Sens scored on the power play early in the first and then potted an empty-netter with a tick left on the game clock.... It was Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg with a goal and an assist each that carried the Boston offense last night as they beat Minnesota 3-2 in overtime. With David Krejci back, if this line can get on a roll, the Bruins should be back to what we've been used to over the past 2 years... Dallas Stars G Kari Lehtonen had a tidy 27-save, 2-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks and has now won 3 of last 4 and 6 of past 9. Lehts may not be one of the top goalies in the NHL, but as long as he stays healthy he proves to be a solid a no. 2 fantasy goalie as there is.

Head coach Claude Julien completely shook up the Bruins lines this morning, so there is no word on where Soderberg will slot into the lineup tonight.

DETROIT vs. BOSTON Must-Starts Detroit: Pavel Datsyuk, Gustav Nyquist, Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen, Daniel Alfredsson, Jimmy Howard Boston: David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, Jarome Iginla, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask Sleepers Detroit: Tomas Tatar, Brendan Smith, Riley Sheahan, Danny DeKeyser Boston: Carl Soderberg, Reilly Smith, Loui Eriksson, Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton, Notes: It appeared at one point during the season that the Detroit Red Wings were in danger of missing the NHL playoffs for the first time in 22 years.  With the onslaught of injuries to their top personnel, Detroit had to rely on budding superstars Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar.  The young talent contributed to the top line as the Red Wings awaited the return of Jimmy Howard and Pavel Datsyuk back to the lineup.  With their return and the confidence gained by the youngsters, Detroit made its way into the playoffs but now face the big, bad Boston Bruins. The Red Wings will be without the dynamic Henrik Zetterberg for the first round. His experience and leadership skills will surely be missed especially playing against the Bruins.  The Red Wings did have success against the Bruins during the regular season as they won three of the four matchups.  Nyquist was instrumental in beating the Bruins last time out in early April and will be relied upon to be a thorn in the B's side.  Kronwall, along with Jakub Kindl, lead the defense with Smith and DeKeyser supplying depth with some offensive talent, but most of the offense will have to come from Kronwall.  Jonathan Ericsson and Kyle Quincey complete the top pairings on the blue line.  Jimmy Howard got off to a horrible start to the season and then got injured.  Upon returning, Howard began to play like his old self. The Red Wings will need for that to continue if they have any chance of advancing past the Bruins. The Boston Bruins come in as huge favorites, given that they captured the President's Trophy with 117 points. On offense, their balanced depth has been a major asset to their winning ways as they come at you with 4 lines that can score. Not one player in the top 20, but they boast five 20-goal scorers led by Jarome Iginla and Patrice Bergeron with 30. The top line of Iginla, David Krejci, and Milan Lucic carried the scoring over the last quarter of the season, combining for 73 goals on the year. Bergeron led a second unit consisting of the speedy Brad Marchand and Reilly Smith, both solid ancillary offensive...

DETROIT vs. BOSTON Must-Starts Detroit: Pavel Datsyuk, Gustav Nyquist, Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen, Daniel Alfredsson, Jimmy Howard Boston: David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, Jarome Iginla, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask Sleepers Detroit: Tomas Tatar, Brendan Smith, Riley Sheahan, Danny DeKeyser Boston: Carl Soderberg, Reilly Smith, Loui Eriksson, Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton, Notes: It appeared at one point during the season that the Detroit Red Wings were in danger of missing the NHL playoffs for the first time in 22 years.  With the onslaught of injuries to their top personnel, Detroit had to rely on budding superstars Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar.  The young talent contributed to the top line as the Red Wings awaited the return of Jimmy Howard and Pavel Datsyuk back to the lineup.  With their return and the confidence gained by the youngsters, Detroit made its way into the playoffs but now face the big, bad Boston Bruins. The Red Wings will be without the dynamic Henrik Zetterberg for the first round. His experience and leadership skills will surely be missed especially playing against the Bruins.  The Red Wings did have success against the Bruins during the regular season as they won three of the four matchups.  Nyquist was instrumental in beating the Bruins last time out in early April and will be relied upon to be a thorn in the B's side.  Kronwall, along with Jakub Kindl, lead the defense with Smith and DeKeyser supplying depth with some offensive talent, but most of the offense will have to come from Kronwall.  Jonathan Ericsson and Kyle Quincey complete the top pairings on the blue line.  Jimmy Howard got off to a horrible start to the season and then got injured.  Upon returning, Howard began to play like his old self. The Red Wings will need for that to continue if they have any chance of advancing past the Bruins. The Boston Bruins come in as huge favorites, given that they captured the President's Trophy with 117 points. On offense, their balanced depth has been a major asset to their winning ways as they come at you with 4 lines that can score. Not one player in the top 20, but they boast five 20-goal scorers led by Jarome Iginla and Patrice Bergeron with 30. The top line of Iginla, David Krejci, and Milan Lucic carried the scoring over the last quarter of the season, combining for 73 goals on the year. Bergeron led a second unit consisting of the speedy Brad Marchand and Reilly Smith, both solid ancillary offensive...

Loui Eriksson, RW Boston (Owned in 47.5% of ESPN leagues) His 4-assist performance playing in place of Jarome Iginla on the Bruin's top line should serve notice that he is arguably the most valuable waiver-wire grab of the final week. The B's have nothing to play for, meaning the older veterans such as Iginla and Zdeno Chara will be receiving much needed rest. I suggest all "Iggy" owners pick up Eriksson for good measure and monitor the situation closely until you need to set your starting rosters. The talented forward was a proven NHL scorer for Dallas and he did receive top-line minutes prior to Iginla's arrival, so his insertion should do little to hurt their scoring chemistry. Carl Soderberg, C Boston (Owned in 28.2% of ESPN leagues) The 28-year old rookie has been quite productive on the Bruin's third line, scoring 18 points in the last 21 games. If Coach Claude Julien decides to rest any key forwards, Soderberg will be in the mix for top-six forward minutes, including an expanded role on the power-play. He is well worth a flier and could pay off in a big way. Travis Zajac, C New Jersey  (Owned in 60.9 % of ESPN leagues) With 6 points in his last 4 games, the underrated pivot has elevated his offensive production just in time to get the Devils back in the thick of the playoff race. With Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique out of the lineup, Zajac should continue to lead the offense along with the ageless Jaromir Jagr and push toward playing some meaningful games beyond mid-April. He is well worth a flier with the postseason on the line for the suddenly streaking Devils. Alec Martinez, D Los Angeles ( Owned in 49.9% of ESPN leagues) Speaking of falling under the radar, all the 26-year old defenseman has done is post 15 points in the last 18 games, which represents upper-tier fantasy production in any format. With Drew Doughty injured and the Kings exercising caution with the eye to the playoffs, Martinez should see expanded minutes over the last week, including on the top power-play unit. I can't vouch for his fantasy value beyond this season, but for now he is "money". Ilya Bryzgalov, G Minnesota ( Owned in 28.4% of ESPN leagues) Since being traded to the Minnesota Wild, Bryzgalov has been elite between the pipes with a 5-0-3 record, a 1.87 GAA and a .920 SP. Coming off his 4-0 blanking of Pittsburgh and Darcy Kuemper still ailing, there is a decent chance that the enigmatic goalie will play all four games for this defensive juggernaut during ...

My first thought this morning as I glanced through my notes was how crazy it would be for fantasy owners to contemplate sitting Jarome Iginla for the upcoming final week, given that he has been arguably the "hottest" fantasy forward to own after the Olympic Break. However, the 36-year old has been rested twice this past week as he mends from minor bumps and bruises, reinforcing the notion that teams that have already secured playoff spots will rest their crucial veterans down the stretch. It's an imperfect science predicting which and how many games they will miss or play even, but it needs to be taken into account when forming starting rosters for the final stretch run. Loui Eriksson, who collected four assists in Boston's 5-2 win over Philadelphia, took over Iginla's spot on the top line and looked just as dominant. He looks to be the most coveted potential waiver-wire grab as it's possible Iginla could be rested for at least 1 or 2 games over the final four. Young Swedish sensation Carl Soderberg should also be in for more quality minutes in the case of key Boston forwards being rested. The rookie has quietly put together a solid season, amassing 18 points in the last 21 games. I like him as a decent 4th or 5th forward starting option next week. Well, what to do in Detroit where their best player Pavel Datsyuk has been back for two games after a lengthy absence due to injury? The Russian vet scored a power-play goal in the 5-3 loss to Montreal, but you know Coach Babcock will be careful with him if Detroit secures a playoff spot early in the week. His presence in the line-up also re-energized winger Johan Franzen, who responded with 2 power-play assists and now has five points in his last 6 games. However, you know the "Mule" has endured his share of injuries during his career and would be a prime candidate to sit a game or two to ensure a healthy playoff run. In other words, fantasy owners should ride the Detroit young guns, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, down the stretch as they should be in line for expanded minutes. Yes, you heard it here first.. start Ilya Bryzgalov of the Minnesota Wild for the final week. Coming off last night's 4-0 shutout win over the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins, the goaltender has started four straight for the Wild, winning three of the games while allowing just 5 goals over that span. Playing for the defensive-minded, and probable playoff-bound, Minny team has done wonders for the "Mad Russian's" confidence, so look fo him...