Trades galores during the time leading up to the 2014 NHL Entry Draft with plenty of fantasy implications, so let's Vancouver traded away arguably the most overhyped fantasy d-man in Jason Garrison as part of a package deal to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the 2014 50th overall pick. All in all, great pickup for the Bolts' but the man with the big shot should not be expected to be a huge fantasy upgrade over Matt Carle and obviously not on the same level as rising star Victor Hedman. He matched a career high of 33 points last season, so we see him again in the 30-35 pt. range provided he stays healthy."Heart and Soul" guy Ryan Kesler has many intangibles to his game, but the oft-injured center has plenty of offensive punch. His trade to Anaheim fetched Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa, 24th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and a 3rd round selection for the Vancouver Canucks. Finally, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry will have another scoring trio that can take some offensive pressure off them, as Kesler should be the second-line center. Expect him to possibly replace Bonino on the top power-play unit, further enhancing his fantasy value. Only three full seasons removed from back-to-back 70+ point campaigns and 40 goals in 10-11', Kesler should be viewed as a solid fantasy rebound candidate in 14-15'. Recent injury woes could keep him from being drafted too high, which could work in your favor if he is still laying around in the middle rounds of your drafts.Big trade out of Pittsburgh, as new GM Jim Rutherford moved former 40-goal scorer James Neal to Nashville for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. From a fantasy perspective, Neal takes a huge hit in fantasy value as he just wnt from playing with either Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby to either Colin Wilson or Mike Fisher. Geez! Not known for creating his own offense, Neal will have a tough time getting back to point-per-game scoring status. On the other hand, Hornqvist has done a nice job scoring for the Preds despite the lack of high-end talent around him, recording goal totals of 30 and 27 over the last three seasons. He should be more consistent playing with elite forwards in Pittsburgh, so 30-35 goals should be a lock with 40-goal upside if he can stay in the top six. Intriguing fantasy upside with Hornqvist, so keep him on your radar.As expected, defenseman Aaron Ekblad was drafted first by the Florida Panthers making him the first d-man taken with the first overall pick since Erik Johnson ...

After scoring 16 goals (9 PPG) with the Panthers in 2011-12 the Canucks signed him to a six-year, $27.6 million dollar deal. In two seasons with Vancouver, Garrison had 15 goals and 34 assists (49 points) in 128 games. Trading Garrisson is a cap-dump by the Canucks. It is not just for this season, but the next four seasons he is signed through while carrying a $4.6 million dollar cap-hit. He heads to an aging blueline where he is expected to get a lot of power-play time because of the cannon he possesses.

***UPDATE: According to the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review, Penguin D Kris Letang suffered a stroke last week and will miss at least 6 weeks. Our well wishes for a speedy and complete recovery for Kris and his family. As we head into the Olympic break, I wish to pass on a few fantasy thoughts as they directly tie in to last night's statistical performances. Can there possibly be a more tantalizing fantasy forward to own than Montreal's Max Pacioretty? The winger had another dominant performance last night, scoring three goals against Vancouver while firing 6 shots on goal. I love the guy's potential, but I rather somebody else deal with his extreme inconsistencies in the scoring department. Check this out. Out of his 37 points in 49 games, 22 of them have come in just 8 games. That leaves him with 15 points in the remaining 41 games. Yeah, I'll pass on him.Shame on us for not making a bigger deal about the trade that sent defenseman Raphael Diaz to Vancouver a few days ago, because it does have decent fantasy implications. The Swiss defender has collected 2 points in 2 games for his new team, including being promoted on the top power-play unit over the streaky Jason Garrison. Let's not forget that before Montreal's PK Subban signed last season, Diaz flourished alongside Andrei Markov and picked up 8 points in the first 6 games, including 6 on the power-play. Watch him, as Coach Torts might ride him with the man-advantage.With 2 goals against Buffalo, Ottawa winger Milan Michalek has three goals in the last two games and showing plenty of chemistry with Jason Spezza. It might be worth taking a flier on Michalek who can put up points in a hurry and will benefit from Spezza's traditional second half scoring splurges. Speaking of the Sen's captain, he has 12 points (3G/9A) in the last 9 games so start him with extreme confidence. If he can stay healthy, he will be an absolute fantasy difference-maker for sure. I did my best to acquire him in a few leagues while his production was down, but my competition was keen to my intentions. (A shout out to Kevin!)Hey, maybe Ben Scriven's numbers won't be so bad for his new team Edmonton.. After stopping 35 of 36 shots in the 2-1 win over the New York Rangers, the Oiler's goalie of the future has only allowed 8 goals in his last 5 starts and posting a .960 save percentage over that span. More importantly, he won 3 of those games as the Oilers are starting to get better results in tightly contested affairs. This guy might ...

As we head into the Olympic break, I wish to pass on a few fantasy thoughts as they directly tie in to last night's statistical performances. Can there possibly be a more tantalizing fantasy forward to own than Montreal's Max Pacioretty? The winger had another dominant performance last night, scoring three goals against Vancouver while firing 6 shots on goal. I love the guy's potential, but I rather somebody else deal with his extreme inconsistencies in the scoring department. Check this out. Out of his 37 points in 49 games, 22 of them have come in just 8 games. That leaves him with 15 points in the remaining 41 games. Yeah, I'll pass on him.Shame on us for not making a bigger deal about the trade that sent defenseman Raphael Diaz to Vancouver a few days ago, because it does have decent fantasy implications. The Swiss defender has collected 2 points in 2 games for his new team, including being promoted on the top power-play unit over the streaky Jason Garrison. Let's not forget that before Montreal's PK Subban signed last season, Diaz flourished alongside Andrei Markov and picked up 8 points in the first 6 games, including 6 on the power-play. Watch him, as Coach Torts might ride him with the man-advantage.With 2 goals against Buffalo, Ottawa winger Milan Michalek has three goals in the last two games and showing plenty of chemistry with Jason Spezza. It might be worth taking a flier on Michalek who can put up points in a hurry and will benefit from Spezza's traditional second half scoring splurges. Speaking of the Sen's captain, he has 12 points (3G/9A) in the last 9 games so start him with extreme confidence. If he can stay healthy, he will be an absolute fantasy difference-maker for sure. I did my best to acquire him in a few leagues while his production was down, but my competition was keen to my intentions. (A shout out to Kevin!)Hey, maybe Ben Scriven's numbers won't be so bad for his new team Edmonton.. After stopping 35 of 36 shots in the 2-1 win over the New York Rangers, the Oiler's goalie of the future has only allowed 8 goals in his last 5 starts and posting a .960 save percentage over that span. More importantly, he won 3 of those games as the Oilers are starting to get better results in tightly contested affairs. This guy might not be so far off from a bordeline no. 2 starting goalie option in most fantasy formats. Watch him.My last thought is on the supposedly "washed up" Jarome Iginla, who has been tearing it up for Boston lately with ...

Two of the most prominent candidates for the Team Canada starting goalie job, Marc-Andre Fleury and Roberto Luongo,were in action last night and both did their best to improve their chances of selection. Luongo saved all 19 shots in Vancouver's 4-0 win over Edmonton. Meanwhile, Fleury was very stingy against a surprising Devil's offensive attack, stopping 37 of 39 shots in the Penguin's 3-2 victory. Both are elite fantasy options in goal, but it could be the opportunity to represent Team Canada in the upcoming Sochi games that has motivated Fleury to put forth such an amazing effort early on. With a 19-8-1 record with a 2.01 GAA and a .924 SP, Fleury has clearly been more consistent than Luongo, but will it be enough to give him the Olympic edge, considering how bad he has fared in playoff competition in recent years? It will be a tough call, but Fleury needs to be mentioned amongst Carey Price and "Bobby Lou" as Olympic hopefuls for Team Canada's crease. More Fantasy Game Notes: Vancouver defenseman Jason Garrison has weathered an early season slump by collecting a career-high 3 assists last night, raising his total to 7 points in his last five games. Start him while he is hot, but Garrison is incredibly streaky.. Florida's future star Jonathan Huberdeau added a helper, but has been mostly unimpressive during his sophomore season with only 15 points in 33 games. He can easily turn it on in the second half, so keep your eye on him.. With a goal last night, Patrik Elias now has 20 points in 25 games for New Jersey and remains their only consistent scoring option. Start him as a reliable 5th or 6th fantasy forward, as he is easily capable of putting up 70-75 points.

Two of the most prominent candidates for the Team Canada starting goalie job, Marc-Andre Fleury and Roberto Luongo,were in action last night and both did their best to improve their chances of selection. Luongo saved all 19 shots in Vancouver's 4-0 win over Edmonton. Meanwhile, Fleury was very stingy against a surprising Devil's offensive attack, stopping 37 of 39 shots in the Penguin's 3-2 victory. Both are elite fantasy options in goal, but it could be the opportunity to represent Team Canada in the upcoming Sochi games that has motivated Fleury to put forth such an amazing effort early on. With a 19-8-1 record with a 2.01 GAA and a .924 SP, Fleury has clearly been more consistent than Luongo, but will it be enough to give him the Olympic edge, considering how bad he has fared in playoff competition in recent years? It will be a tough call, but Fleury needs to be mentioned amongst Carey Price and "Bobby Lou" as Olympic hopefuls for Team Canada's crease. More Fantasy Game Notes: Vancouver defenseman Jason Garrison has weathered an early season slump by collecting a career-high 3 assists last night, raising his total to 7 points in his last five games. Start him while he is hot, but Garrison is incredibly streaky.. Florida's future star Jonathan Huberdeau added a helper, but has been mostly unimpressive during his sophomore season with only 15 points in 33 games. He can easily turn it on in the second half, so keep your eye on him.. With a goal last night, Patrik Elias now has 20 points in 25 games for New Jersey and remains their only consistent scoring option. Start him as a reliable 5th or 6th fantasy forward, as he is easily capable of putting up 70-75 points.

Just the smell of coffee stirs my senses from their slumber! Let's hope that yesterday's 4 goals let in by Steve Mason doesn't happen too often. He is having a great season. The Flyers had a complete meltdown in just over a minute's time in the 2nd period against Dallas. In his second game back from injury, Seguin gets a hattie, his second one of the year. This kid can be soooo good. I guess Pascal Dupuis won't duplicate that 59-point season from two years ago. But Chris Kunitz is going to have a career-best season. Carey Price is having a most wonderful season. Dion Phaneuf had 5 SOG yesterday. That's correct, 5.  He actually had 4 the other day against San Jose too.  Erik Karlsson had 9 SOG, so take that Phaneuf!   LOL The Red Wings could only score 1 goal against Tim Thomas and the Florida Panthers? I know they were without Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but 1 goal? That was the game where former Panther Stephen Weiss was supposed to go off. He must not have gotten that memo. Nashville isn't helping with the Western Conference's dominance over the Eastern Conference. That Jay Bouwmeester is 6th among defensemen scoring. Who woulda thunk it? Jason Garrison has been reborn, and in the same season. The Rangers were lucky to get a point out of last night's game against the Devils. The Ducks really showed the Blues yesterday, huh? You just might be seeing a little more of Brian Elliott in net for St. Louis over the next stretch of games. The Oilers can score 8 goals against Colorado, but only 1 against Calgary? Wasn't that supposed to be the other way around? When Martin Jones shuts you out, you know you need to be ripped into by the coach. Come on Islanders, you're better than that, aren't you? With Jones' shutout and the way Ben Scrivens has been playing, Jonathan Quick can take all the time he needs to get back. Colonel Klinkhammer had an assist on Friday night. Yeah baby! For the most part, both Conference standings are settling into how they should look. With such little fanfare, Bryan Little has been quietly having a very good season with 27 points in 31 games played. Have a great week!

~~ Sorry for the delay, but this week's ISD is finally here. We hope it was worth the wait, as we focused again on the top-ten fantasy defensemen over the last 15 day scoring period. Many questions to be answered, such as: What has gotten into Duncan Keith? Will Jason Garrison keep it up this time? Who is the latest hot fantasy duo on "D"? Well, it's time to read up. TOP TEN FANTASY DEFENSEMEN OVER THE LAST 15-DAY PERIOD Jason Garrison, Van D     1G--7A--1PPG--4PPA Niklas Kronwall, Det D     2G--7A--2PPG--2PPA Duncan Keith, Chi D       0G-10A--0PPG- 3PPA Victor Hedman, TB D       3G--3A--1PPG--1PPA Erik Karlsson, Ott D         0G--7A--0PPG--5PPA Andrei Markov, Mon D     0G--7A--0PPG- 4PPA P.K. Subban, Mon D       1G--6A--0PPG--3PPA Eric Gelinas, NJ D           1G--5A--1PPG--3PPA Andrej Sekera, Car D      4G--2A--2PPG--0PPA Ryan McDonagh, NYR D   4G--2A--2PPG--0PPA FANTASY NOTES: After starting the season "on fire" with nine points in his first ten games, Vancouver's Jason Garrison was mired in a 14-game drought without scoring a single point. Now all of a sudden, he is the hottest scoring blueliner over the last few weeks with 8 points in the last 6 games. With Alex Edler relatively ineffective and nursing an injury, the hard-shooting Garrison should continue the torrid streak a bit longer. However, can you stomach his extensive cold spells if you own him in a tight fantasy league? Let someone else deal with his "ups" and "downs". Sell high if you can.. What's up with Chicago's Duncan Keith? With at least one helper in eight straight games, the slick blueliner has been an assist machine in '13-14. So much for the theory that Keith's "magical" season of '09-10, where he set career-highs with 69 points, was basically an aberration and one that he would never approach again. His 25 points in 29 games could get him close to the 70-point range, but his scoring pace could slow considerably with his participation in the Sochi games likely. Hold onto him, as Chicago could be the NHL's top scoring offense in '13-14... The Detroit Red Wings have barely skipped the beat in the absence of the now-retired Nicklas Lidstrom, as Niklas Kronwall has filled the void in prolific fashion, collecting 21 points in 26 games, 11 of which being on the power-play. A top-five fantasy defender to own, the talented Swede is a must-start in all formats.. Speaking of must-start Swedes, no one is better in the game today than superstar Erik Karlsson of Ottawa, who continues to ...

Hey hockey fans, but this week's ISD will be available for your reading pleasure tomorrow afternoon. Sorry for the delay, but it will be worth your wait!! We will again focus on the top-ten fantasy defensemen over the last 15 days, with many studs and duds along the way. What about Jason Garrison waking up again? What has gone into Duncan Keith? Which team has the hottest duo on "D"? All this and much more..

As the NHL season approaches the 10-game mark, many defenseman are off and running in the scoring department; some very familiar and some not so much. As we glance at the top of the rankings, fantasy owners need to realize who is the "real deal" and who is a just a "flash in the pan" in assessing their future fantasy values for the remainder of the season.      PK Subban has picked up where he left off as the Norris Trophy winner last season, collecting 10 pts in 8 games. He has clearly passed Andrei Markov as Montreal's primary fantasy option on defense....Despite all the talk of weight issues and lack of dedication to his overall game, Winnipeg's Dustin Byfuglien is off a solid start with 7 points in 9 games and looks poised to challenge the 60-point mark. Don't forget about his partner Tobias Enstrom, who always has flown under the fantasy radar but barring injuries, should be a lock for 50-point prioduction....Alex Pietrangelo also has the look of a potential top-five fantasy d-man this season, bouncing back with 6 pts in 7 games. His first of many 50+ seasons is coming, so treat him as a legit no. 1 fantasy option....It's important to remind us all that Kris Letang would certainly be among the scoring leaders if not for his injury. How do I know for sure? Matt Niskanen, who replaced Letang on the Pen's power play, is in the top ten with 6 points. Enough said... Oh yeah, Erik Karlsson is coming on strong too with 4 points in the last five games. Ottawa's franchise player will be one of the elite scoring blueliners by season's end.      While many fantasy owners passed over Marek Zidlicky partially because of New Jersey's anemic offense and his waning production in recent years, the veteran has stepped up in the exodus of Ilya Kovalchuk to provide more stability on their power play. He is just a few years removed from three straight seasons of 40+ points. A proven track record makes him a safer bet than most to post good numbers....Another forgotten defenseman was new Calgary captain Mark Giordano, who has exploded out of the gate with 9 pts in 7 games. Apparently, he has re-dedicated himself to staying healthy and he had been rewarded with top power play minutes. He was on the rise a few years ago with a 43-point season, but injuries and lack of pp time hurt his production. Not anymore, but can he keep it up? I say that 40 points is likely, but a spot in the top ten?.. Probably not. By the end of the year, Dennis Wideman and T.J Brodie will get ...