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    

SMC 2/26/20017 QUICK RETURNS AT TAX TIME! Goooooooooood morning Hockeynam!  Got my coffee and ready to go!  My apologies for not writing last week as I was away with the family on a ski weekend. Back now with about 6 weeks remaining the regular season. Jonathan Quick is back and that means the LA Kings should be rolling on all cylinders to gain a playoff spot, barring any key injuries of course. Tyler Toffoli took a few games but lit the lamp twice in Saturday’s tilt against crosstown rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. Don’t worry Duck fans, if John Gibson is out longer than expected, they are in capable hands of Jonathan Bernier. 7-11 is Tanner Pearson’s lucky number with 11 points in past 7 games.  Breaking out!  He had the assist hat trick against the Ducks. It was that LA 70’s Show with Jeff Carter, Toffoli and Pearson amassing 7 points appropriately enough. With 5 points in last 3 games it appears that New Jersey Devil Kyle Palmieri is turning around his dreadful fantasy season.  Well, dreadful compared to last season. The NY Rangers are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at the moment with an 8-1-1 record over the past 10.  They are getting scoring from all 4 lines again just like early in the season. The Nashville Predators are a strange team to figure out this season.  They should make the playoffs but it feels like they shouldn’t because of their inconsistent play this season. Speaking of the inconsistency and the Preds, will they rely on Juuse Saros more next season in the slow transition to their #1? Viktor Arvidsson is having the type of season fantasy owners love to predict as their dark horse before the season and take him in one of the last rounds of the draft and puff out their chest when things work out.  I don’t think many had Arvidsson in their sights though. The Columbus Blue Jackets seem well rested in their return from that NHL mandatory break and blew the NY Islanders out of the water with a 7-0 cannon blast. Did Alex Ovechkin not record a shot on goal against Nashville on Saturday?  Has this ever happened before?  I’m stunned. John Carlson was the hog with 10 SOG though….maybe OV was deferring to JC’s accuracy. Seth Jones didn’t record a single point in that 7-0 win over the Islanders. Toronto and Montreal had a tightly fought contest for Hockey Night in Canada with the Habs prevailing in OT 3-2. The battle of Pennsylvania went to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 as Matt Murray helped the Pens keep pace in the Metropolitan division. It will ...

All the talk from Toronto has surrounded no.1 overall pick Austin Matthew's awe inspiring four-goal rookie debut, but fantasy owners should also take chances on teammates William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Both figure to be available in most leagues while Austin is long gone. Nylander played extended minutes during the second half of last season and now has exhbited sublime chemistry with Mathews on the third line. If these two keep peaking, their third line label will no doubt change. Meanwhile, Marner has played with JVR and Tyler Bozak, scoring his first goal on Saturday and firing 10 shots over two games. I am excited about the offensive potential these Leafs have to offer moving forward, so pay attention to these possible valuable waiver targets...Jonathan Marchessault was brought to Florida in the offseason for offensive depth purposes but an injury to Jonathan Huberdeau has the young forward playing on the top line. Two games in and four points later, JM is suddenly on everyone's fantasy radar. He always had ton of upside but was buried on the Tampa Bay depth chart. Now he has landed in the right spot but his fantasy worth could depend on how well he continues to mesh with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr. If you are a Huberdeau owner, maybe snag him as a temporary handcuff. Zach Werenski highlights a strong group of young defenders looking to grab the fantasy spotlight early on. Coach Tortorella is playing the talented Michigan product on the top unit with Seth Jones and the move has already paid quick dividends with him notching 2 power play points over first 2 games. While it may be too soon to annoint the youngster this season's Shane Gostisbehere, he is coming in with huge expectations and maybe worth an early season pickup.... 27-year old Finnish League veteran Yohann Aahavitu might be an NHL first-timer but has huge offensive potential playing for the New Jersey Devils. He has started the season quarterbacking their top power-play unit, so watch ghim closely. His emergence would cut into Damon Severson's potential fantasy value.  In the wake of Jonathan Quick's serious injury, fantasy owners should be quick to pick up Jeff Zatkoff. I am not sure he will last as their starter so keep your eye out on recently released Ondrej Pavelec.There has been some speculation that the Kings are interested in adding the veteran which would obviously upgrade him in the fantasy department. it would be interesting to see how well Pavelec would fare on a ...

Benoit Pouliot One constant on Connor McDavid's line all season long has been the hard working veteran and he has responded with five points in 3 games since the super rookie's return from injury. Add a ultra talented Jordan Eberle to the mix and this trio should be quite prolific moving forward. Pouliot is well worth a waiver wire add.    Dustin Brown Once known as a streaky fantasy forward, Brown has fallen on hard times in recent years. Howevet, getting moved to the top line with Anze Kopitar had been paying off as he has collected five points over the last five games. Do not expect this production to continue for the rest of the season, but this King has a past pedigree of scoring big over a multi-week span.   JT Miller The Blueshirts have needed a forward to step and ignite their slumping offense, which is exactly what a Miller has done lately- 8 goals in last 9 games and 17 points over last 22 games. He has shown great chemisty with Derick Brassard so he looks like a decent start while he is rolling.   Robin Lehner Good news since returning from injury- he has posted a 2.17 GAA and a .939 SP in 6 starts. The bad? 2-3-1 record which is reflective of a growing Buffalo team. However the addition of Jack Eichel and development of their youth has the team headed in the right direction. Lehner could be worth starting in the second half the Sabres continue on this upward trajectory..    Joonas Korpisalo All of a sudden, the youngster has proven quite the replacement for Bobrovsky in the Columbus crease while winning 6 of his last 8 starts. The acquisition of Seth Jones has helped in tightening up the defense and winning the low scoring tight games. View Korpisalo as a strong short term option as he is streaking at the moment. 

What I've noticed of late is how defenseman Seth Jones has become more involved in the scoring for the Nashville Predators. He has a 4-game point streak and has 9 points in last 12 games.  Pretty impressive stats I must say... Chicago Blackhawk Marian Hossa has been quiet of late but scored twice against St. Louis. His first points in 6 games.  Veteran players like Hossa know when to raise the level of their game and with the season coming to the stretch run.... Philadelphia Flyer Claude Giroux has been relatively quiet of late but had 2 assists against Washington in a big win for Philly as they cling to playoff expectations. A player like Giroux can go off in a hurry so leave him in your lineup regardless....G Steve Mason had to leave the game with an apparent knee injury. Seems like he could be on the shelf for a while so if you expect a lot from the Flyers, pick up and start Ray Emery as you await further word on Mason's injury.... Not much to say about the Buffalo-Islanders tilt other than Jaroslav Halak won the game by making just eight saves during an entire match. Really? That has to be a record. Anyway, his owners will gladly take it.. The Lightning steamrolled the Ducks despite the return of Ryan Getzlaf, getting a huge three-point effort from Valtteri Fillpula(7 points in last 10 gms).Anaheim goalie Federik Andersen left the match after getting hit by a tilted net. Let's hope that the injury is not serious given that Ilya Bryzgalov would be a less than adequate handcuff for Andersen owners.. Jason Spezza has been more of a dominant offensive performer lately, collecting a goal and two assists improve his numbers to 11 points over the last ten games. A point-per-game pace or close to it should be expected for the perennial second-half stud.. Kari Lehtonen's amazing 34-save effort in the win justs adds to the craziness of owning him and not knowing what to expect from start to start. I had all but decided to sit him for the upcoming week but now have second thoughts. So should you.. Mathieu Perreault and Dustin Byfuglien get the Winnipeg Jets back in the winning column with three points apiece. "Big Buff" has been moved back to forward but as long he maintains eligibility on the blueline, keep starting him on defense.. Behind Carey Price's 34 saves, the Habs completed the season sweep of the Boston Bruins in a low-scoring affair. Tuuka played well but Carey was just a tad better..

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 ...

Jones had missed the previous five games with a concussion he suffered on March 23rd in Chicago. The Predators season is coming to a close, which means the end of Jones' rookie season. As of now, he has six goals and 18 asssits in 73 games. His 24 points has him tied for 21st amongst rookies in scoring.

Jones was cleared to return to game action on Tuesday, but he is not taking part in line rushes this morning. Usually if a player is returning he will skate along side his D partner in practice--Jones is not which suggests he will miss his fifth consecutive game.

Jones missed the last four games after being rocked by Andrew Shaw on March 23 in Chicago. Jones has scored six goals with 18 assists (24 points) and a minus-23 rating in 72 games in his rookie season. Expect him to be back in the lineup on Friday.