After winning the Calder Trophy in 2008-09, Steve Mason's game has fallen off. He was pushed behind Sergei Bobrovsky last season and ended up being traded to the Flyers. After arriving in Philadelphia his play picked up, going 4-2-0 with a 1.90 GAA and .944 SV%.

The New York Rangers had a good night in beating the Flyers 3-2 because of Center Derick Brassard who had two goals and looked good last night. Brassard came over to New York in the Marian Gaborik trade last year and has seemed very much in place in New York. He could score 60 points this year depending on the ice time he gets.  Don't forget about him late in your draft....Young forward Sean Courtier had a goal for Philadelphia, and he is probably off most poolies radar, but we have high expectations for him, and think he can score 65+ points this season....Steve Mason had 20 saves in goal, so watch this situation as he is competing with Ray Emery for the starter's job in Philadelphia. It should be a tough fight....Marcus Foligno had 2 goals last night for Buffalo against a Columbus split squad. At 22, Foligno has not yet established himself in the NHL but he has offensive talent, so he could be a real sleeper.  He once scored 13 points in 14 games in 2011-2012....Young Mikhail Grigorenko had a goal for Buffalo. Keep an eye on this kid because he has tremendous upside potential....The other Columbus squad beat Minnesota 3-1. Niklas Backstrom had only 7 saves in goal for the Wild while allowing all 3 goals. His performance will be critical to Minnesota this year....Forward Nino Niederreiter scored the only goal for the Wild on the power play, and he did not look bad. He was a tremendous bust for the Islanders but now has a new life in Minnesota.  He is only 20 years old....Corey Crawford was in midseason form in goal for Chicago as he stopped all 19 shots he faced, as the Blackhawks shut out Detroit....Patrick Sharp had a goal for Chicago and he should get 30+ goals this season. The guy is very dependable....Defenseman Dennis Wideman had two goals last night for Calgary in a split squad game against the Islanders, but please don't expect that to happen a lot as this team is most likely going to struggle this year. He is at best a late round draft pick....Forward Curtis Glencross had a goal and two assists. We view him as a marginal pick....Michael Grabner had a goal for New York and he has a lot of ability.  If he could only play with more consistency.... Kevin Poulin had 14 saves out of 16 shots for the Islanders and is fighting Nabokov for the starter's job in New York. We expect Nabokov to win this battle....In a split squad game Calgary beat the Islanders 4-2.  John Tavares and Matt Moulson both scored for New York. Expect them both to have big years...

Pre-Season Fantasy Bits: The New York Rangers had a good night in beating the Flyers 3-2 because of Center Derick Brassard who had two goals and looked good last night. Brassard came over to New York in the Marian Gaborik trade last year and has seemed very much in place in New York. He could score 60 points this year depending on the ice time he gets.  Don't forget about him late in your draft....Young forward Sean Courtier had a goal for Philadelphia, and he is probably off most poolies radar, but we have high expectations for him, and think he can score 65+ points this season....Steve Mason had 20 saves in goal, so watch this situation as he is competing with Ray Emery for the starter's job in Philadelphia. It should be a tough fight....Marcus Foligno had 2 goals last night for Buffalo against a Columbus split squad. At 22, Foligno has not yet established himself in the NHL but he has offensive talent, so he could be a real sleeper.  He once scored 13 points in 14 games in 2011-2012....Young Mikhail Grigorenko had a goal for Buffalo. Keep an eye on this kid because he has tremendous upside potential....The other Columbus squad beat Minnesota 3-1. Niklas Backstrom had only 7 saves in goal for the Wild while allowing all 3 goals. His performance will be critical to Minnesota this year....Forward Nino Niederreiter scored the only goal for the Wild on the power play, and he did not look bad. He was a tremendous bust for the Islanders but now has a new life in Minnesota.  He is only 20 years old....Corey Crawford was in midseason form in goal for Chicago as he stopped all 19 shots he faced, as the Blackhawks shut out Detroit....Patrick Sharp had a goal for Chicago and he should get 30+ goals this season. The guy is very dependable....Defenseman Dennis Wideman had two goals last night for Calgary in a split squad game against the Islanders, but please don't expect that to happen a lot as this team is most likely going to struggle this year. He is at best a late round draft pick....Forward Curtis Glencross had a goal and two assists. We view him as a marginal pick....Michael Grabner had a goal for New York and he has a lot of ability.  If he could only play with more consistency.... Kevin Poulin had 14 saves out of 16 shots for the Islanders and is fighting Nabokov for the starter's job in New York. We expect Nabokov to win this battle....In a split squad game Calgary beat the Islanders 4-2.  John Tavares and Matt Moulson both scored for New York. Expect ...

In 2013/14, the Philadelphia Flyers are looking to put behind a disastrous lockout-shortened season where they missed the playoffs for only the second time since 1994. Major changes were in order as GM Paul Holmgren began to re-tool the roster by using his compliance buyouts on veterans Daniel Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov. After being decimated by injuries on the blue-line, the team traded for offensive defenseman Mark Streit from the New York Islanders. His addition will provide further firepower for a power-play that ranked third in the NHL last season. Secondary scoring was also addressed as Vincent Lecavalier was acquired via free agency, giving the Flyers arguably one of the better one-two punches at the center position with him and superstar Claude Giroux. However, the failures of yet another high-priced goalie opens the door for more questions than answers as that perpetual missing puzzle for a Stanley Cup run. Ray Emery was signed to a one-year deal, but could he and Steve Mason be a significant upgrade in the crease? With a good combination of veterans and youth infused throughout the roster, fantasy owners will have plenty to think about. Goalies In goal, the question remains whether the young Steve Mason can resuscitate his struggling career in his new home. A few years removed from his career season, there is much optimism as Mason was dominant between the pipes last April, posting a 4-2 record with a 1.90 GAA and a .944 SP.  Emery comes back to Philly hoping to post better numbers this time around. Once upon a time a viable starting goaltender for Anaheim, he has made a living as a dependable backup who shines in spot duty, but the jury is still out on whether he could be a team's long-term solution in the crease. Fantasy owners should shy away from the Flyers goaltending situation in the early going, but Mason is definitely worth a gamble in the middle rounds of your drafts. Based on his late-season performance, we bet he keeps the starting job, but Emery should get plenty of work. Defense The trade acquisition of Mark Streit gives the Flyers an elite fantasy option on defense, where he should be a lock for 45+ points. The Swiss defender surpassed that mark three times with the New York Islanders, including setting a career-high of 62 points for Montreal in 2007/08. He is one of the NHL's mosted underrated offensive d-men, so don't let him slip in your drafts. His presence on the power-play should also benefit veteran Kimmo Timonen, who was ...

BERNIER TO THE FLYERS?: A source confirmed to the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Los Angeles Kings are considering trading prized goalie Jonathan Bernier to the Philadelphia Flyers. Possible players rumored in return would be Matt Read and Sean Couturier. Much speculation at this point, but this trade would hinder Steve Mason's chances of being a legit fantasy sleeper next season. With Ilya Bryzgalov headed toward a probable compliance buyout during the summer, it would be Mason's starting job to lose, but the acquisition of Bernier would change all that. read more

Mason has won three straight starts for the Flyers and will start the sesaon finale vs. the Senators tonight. It seems like the Flyers like what they have in Mason and he could be more of an impact next season.

***IN THE SLOT***FANTASY RECAP OF NHL NIGHT IN ACTION NY ISLANDERS 1 @ PHILADELPHIA 2 Has Ilya Bryzgalov played his last game as the undisputed starting goalie the Flyers? After a strong start, the much-maligned netminder has done little to show that he is worth the lucrative long-term contract signed two years ago. Newly-acquired Steve Mason has looked impressive in his few starts, so perhaps he just needed a change of scenery from Columbus. An amnesty buyout might be on the horizon for Bryzgalov, so picking up Mason in keeper leagues might not be a bad idea. He could be their starting goalie come next September. read more

***IN THE SLOT***FANTASY RECAP OF NHL NIGHT IN ACTION NY ISLANDERS 1 @ PHILADELPHIA 2 Has Ilya Bryzgalov played his last game as the undisputed starting goalie the Flyers? After a strong start, the much-maligned netminder has done little to show that he is worth the lucrative long-term contract signed two years ago. Newly-acquired Steve Mason has looked impressive in his few starts, so perhaps he just needed a change of scenery from Columbus. An amnesty buyout might be on the horizon for Bryzgalov, so picking up Mason in keeper leagues might not be a bad idea. He could be their starting goalie come next September. read more

Mason will make his third straight start for the Flyers. He is 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .929 SV% in his two previous starts. He takes on an Islanders team who will start backup Kevin Poulin, so Mason could pull out a third straight win.

Mason will get his third start in the Flyers last four games. With the Flyers being out of playoff contention they are turning to Mason to see what they have in the 24-year-old former rookie of the year. He is 2-2-0 with a 2.09 GAA and .931 SV% since coming over from Columbus. He has a tough matchup vs. the Bruins tonight.