Enjoying the beautiful last days of August here in New York City.  Got some gardening done and then onto updating the PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Guide.  A few updates to take in with the Toronto signing of RW Connor Brown to a 3-year contract and Winnipeg signing a great team player in Matt Hendricks to a 1-year deal. New Jersey added some depth on offense with the signing of Drew Stafford to a 1-year deal which will help with losing Travis Zajac to injury.   The big news all week was where was college free-agent Alex Kerfoot going to sign after speaking with a half dozen teams or so and he ended up choosing Colorado.  The NY Rangers and Vancouver Canucks seemed to be the favorites heading into the decision but neither could persuade him as much as Joe Sakic did.  perhaps this signing will speed up or put to bed all the rumors about Matt Duchene heading out of town via trade. We also added the Team Rankings to our RANKINGS LIST and hope to have the forward list out this week as well.  Check out the Goalie, Defense and Prospect rankings that were updated last week.  Perhaps there may be a few surprises on those lists.   Have a great week and enjoy the last days of summer!  

As we await the arrival of the 2017 NHL season, the lack of any significant news, or should I say, the sporadic news item here or there, does nothing to spark the interests of the fantasy hockey fan, for the most part.  Okay, so we have the publication of some Canadian fantasy hockey mags hitting the newsstands and some websites touting their Draft Guides to be worthy of your patronage, but nothing really gets the fantasy hockey fan going, besides the draft, is the influx of critical news that can sway their decision on who to select and when.  The meat and potatoes of managing yoru fantasy team is 'information'. So, to combat the lack of crucial news items, PrimePucks brings you the beginning of our Rankings today with the posting of the PrimePucks Goalies, Defense and Prospect Rankings.  Check the right margin to see where your favorite player is ranked.  By next week we should be posting at least one more ranking list, not sure if it will be the Team or the Forward Ranking list, or perhaps both.   TRAVIS ZAJAC:  With the New Jersey Center getting injured and about to miss a good chunk of the season, it opens up an opportunity for another to grab some critical ice time.  We already thought that Pavel Zacha was ready to assume more responsibility and get a chance to really boost his numbers over last season to the 50-point level. With Zajac's injury now, that seems very reachable as he could slide into the 2nd line center position.  We believe he has too much talent to be stuck down on the 3rd line for too long and that the Devils would have to increase his role even more once he proved himself worthy.   Our thoughts and prayers are with Travis Zajac for a speedy return to the lineup, but we are also excited for young Pavel Zacha to strut his stuff. LEON DRAISAITL: There are always warning signs, at least to me, when it comes to players who have so much talent and fantasy players always thinking that the trend is always UP when it comes to young talented players.  But more often than not, I see a regression when a young player, at an early point in his or her career, has a big increase in production one year, only to see those numbers slipped back the following year.  It has happened to Patrick Kane when he went from 70 to 88 to 73 from 2008 to 2010 seasons. That's the first reason. The second is when a player, regardless of how old they are,  signs a big contract no matter the length of contract.  The pressure weighs so heavily on said player that ...

ADD’EM 3/4/2017  P IS FOR PREVIOUSLY Time is winding down on the 2016-2017 NHL season and if you are still in the hunt in your fantasy league’s standings, then we have some good news for you as according to ESPN leagues, there are quite a few players still available that will help your squad challenge until the very end. Some of the players we are going to mention have been talked about in recent articles, but to my surprise, these players are still widely available.  All have been offensive contributors over the past 2-3 weeks and deserve a spot in your fantasy lineup if those that are occupying those spots aren’t living up to the task.  Last week we mentioned W Richard Panik (52.8%) of the Chicago Blackhawks and D Jake Gardiner (58.1%) of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Panik has 5 points in last 5 games not including Saturday night against Nashville while Gardiner has been quiet over the last 3, he has been the best offensive option on the waiver wire of late.  Panik has been on an ADD’EM hot streak with 3 straight appearances.  A few fresh faces on the rise of late are Mathieu Perreault (15.1%) of the Winnipeg Jets with 9 points in last 5 games, Radim Vrbata (48.6%) of Arizona Coyotes with 9 points in last 8 games and Travis Zajac (34.1%) of the New Jersey Devils.  Vrbata has been mentioned before on ADD’EM but Perreault is making his season debut.  Last season if you recall, Perreault was having himself quite a fantasy season, but this season has been limited to just 48 games.  Zajac has been clicking with Kyle Palmieri of late providing the Devils with some decent scoring.  Zajac has shown stretches of a point-per-game production throughout his career but hasn’t been as consistent as fantasy owners would like. One other name that begins with a P, Tanner Pearson (39.9%) of the LA Kings, has been starting to break out recently with 8 points in last 8 and 14 points in last 13 with an even split in contribution between goals and assists.  Playing with Jeff Carter can get you those results. With the playoffs approaching and the players starting to bear down into the home stretch, scoop up those that are on the upswing and hope that they continue to produce for at least another week while in your fantasy lineup. Good luck this week!

Steves Picks- Draft Kings(write ups will be up after 4. Sorry, at work folks!)   C Travis Zajac, New Jersey C Mika Zibanejad, Mon W Mark Stone, Ott W Max Pacioretty, Mon W Brendan Gallagher, Mon D Erik Karlsson, Ott D Andrei Markov, Mon G Craig Anderson, Ott U Jason Pominville, Min

The New Jersey Devils stopped their 4-game losing streak as Cory Schneider stepped up his game against the Minnesota Wild with a 23-save, 3-1 victory. The Devils will not face a stretch where they will play 12 of their next 16 games away from the Prudential Center. It would be a good time for Schneider and the Devils defense to tighten up a bit and this was a good start....Having Mike Cammalleri back in the lineup has sure done wonders for Travis Zajac and the Devils offense as Zajac added a power play goal giving him 3 points in past two games since Cammalleri's return.... Henrik Lundqvist (33 SV) and the New York Rangers took care of the highly potent Pittsburgh Penguin offense with a 5-0 shellacking. The Blueshirts welcomed the return of John Moore to the defense from his suspension and the defense seemed to gel from the start......Rick Nash (G, 2A) just keeps on ticking and with the majority of the Rangers starting to return from injury and/or suspension, the offense should start to click as we get into the heart of the season. Nash seems like a man on a mission this year so don't even think about trading him.....Derek Stepan, with 2 assists, now has 3 points in the first 3 games back from injury.... It was shutout night in New York as the Islanders blanked the Colorado Avalanche 6-0 behind Jaroslav Halak's 20-save effort. That's 2 shutouts in a row for Halak as he seems to be settling in after a rough stretch.....6 different scorers for the Isles....Colorado seems to be missing Paul Stastny more than they thought they would as they now sit at 4-9-5 and are nowhere near what they were last season..... Braden Holtby and the Washington Capitals took care of a reeling Columbus Blue Jacket team that has now lost 9 in a row. This team held so much promise but injuries have just gotten in the way this season.  It may be getting late early in Columbus....Alex Ovechkin (2G) and Marcus Johansson (2G) shared the goal scoring duties and while Ovechkin is not available in your league, Johansson just may be worth a flyer as he seems to be gelling with rookie Andre Burakovsky..... Winnipeg's G Ondrej Pavelec continues to play well in net but Montreal's Carey Price got the better of the Jets with a 3-0 victory, blocking all 29 SOG to raise his record to 9-3-1. It was Price's first shutout of the season.  The Habs still seem to have trouble scoring lately but have now won three in a row with the offense starting to come around.... The San Jose Sharks barely showed ...

Cammalleri missed the last six games with a neck injury that was suffered on October 25th. He will return on the Devils top-line with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr. In a quiet night in the NHL, get Cammalleri in your daily league lineups. He has five goals and two assists in eight game this season.

Cammalleri has missed the last six games with a neck injury that he suffered on October 24th vs. Dallas. He was back skating with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr, which is a good sign that could be back tomorrow night in Boston.

After two uneventful games to start the year, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn served notice that they are among the NHL fantasy elite by combining for seven points in the Star's 4-2 road win over Columbus. Seguin notched a "hat trick", while Benn cruised along with a goal and three helpers. We all tend to panic when our superstars don't immediately get in the scoring column, but these two have been proven scorers. With the added depth to the Dallas forward corps, it was just a matter of time. It was only a few days ago when I recieved an email expressing concerns over Phil Kessel's lack of production over the first few games. After last night's overtime game-winner to seal the fate of the Colorado Avalanche, "Phil The Thrill" has responded to his slow start with five points over the last two games. A memo to all novice fantasy owners- always be patient with your high-end forwards early in the season, because they can pick up the slack in a hurry as made evident by both Seguin and Kessel. You will get many seasoned owners knocking at your door for the first slumping star, but do yourself a favor and don't answer. Now, if we are talking about the quarter point of the season, then maybe you have a chat.. Staying in Toronto, there has been surprising developments involving the goalie situation as "back-up" goalie James Reimer has proven to be the more dependable option with two straight wins, including last night's 22-save effort in the 3-2 victory over Colorado. Head Coach Randy Carlyle is going with the "hot hand" at the moment as Reimer (2.24 GAA/.920 SP) has posted far superior numbers to Jonathan Bernier (4.51 GAA/ .882 SP). I would suggest for Bernier owners to stay the course as he is far too talented to lose the starting job long-term, but if scooping up Reimer allays your fears a bit, do it then. In the "classic trap" game after an inspiring 7-1 demolition of Montreal, the Tampa Bay Lightning fell back to earth by losing to New Jersey. The real story of the contest is Devil's goalie Cory Schneider who is now 3-0 after stopping 26 of 27 shots. His key numbers speak for themselves- 2.00 GAA and .931 SP, as he is finally heading toward the top of the fantasy charts as the undisputed starter for a Brodeur-less Jersey squad. We loved him as a potential top-five goalie before the season started and now even more.. Mike Cammalleri has fallen into the right place as a new member of the team, collecting a goal and an assist plus points in all three games. ...

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 ...

Don't look now, but veteran center Mikko Koivu has been a fantasy difference-maker once again with his recent scoring explosion. Reunited with winger Zach Parise on the primary line, the diminutive Finn is currently riding a six-game point streak (2G/7A) highlighted by last's night crucial game-winning goal and also an assist in the 3-2 road win over the Los Angeles Kings. The emergence of young center Mikael Granlund coupled with Koivu's injury issues resulted in him being dropped to the second line with Matt Moulson, drastically lessening his fantasy value. However, Koivu seems to be back in stellar form and Coach Mike Yeo has him back with "Zach". You know what that means? Start him with confidence as the Wild seem destined for the playoffs and the top line should continue rolling. Much-maligned goalie Ilya Bryzgalov back-stopped the Wild to another huge victory last night, running his record with Minnesota to 3-0-2 with a .910 SP and a 2.19 GAA. If you need goalie help, look no further than "Bryz", considering that he is the most viable goaltending option on a probable playoff team. The Wild will need to ride him in the playoffs in wake of Darcy Kuemper's late season collapse. Bryzgalov should see plenty of starts in order to get him ready for the postseason. Marian Gaborik is definitely trending up these days. With another assist, the King's streaky winger is currently on a four-game point streak(1G/4A) and enjoying life playing with the underrated Anze Kopitar. This duo needs to keep building up scoring chemistry for their playoff run, so Gaborik looks to be a strong fantasy start for the remainder of the season. What happened to perennial second-half "fantasy beast" Eric Staal? With Carolina out of playoff contention, the normally reliable center has been a fantasy disappointment to say the least, collecting only 56 points in 72 games. I would be wary of starting him the rest of the way. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the scoring exploits of Travis Zajac (3G/1A) and Jaromir Jagr(1G/3A) as the Devil's duo combined for 8 points against the woeful Florida Panthers. Both would be legit fantasy options if the Devils had a realistic shot of making the playoffs, but obviously that is not the case. SPECIAL NOTE: IN STEVE'S DEFENSE WILL BE FEATURED ON THURSDAY THIS WEEK, FOCUSING ON THE TOP TEN FANTASY DEFENSEMEN OVER THE LAST 15 DAYS.